s+j

mug shot.

2012-02-10T17:24:00.000-08:00

Why won't they let you smile for a passport photo??

John looks like he held-up a gas station.
And I look like I just got busted for drugs.

But at least it's not as bad as my last passport photo... thank heaven for name changes. :)

Now we're one step closer to our honeymoon-iversary cruise!! Any donations? We accept all major credit cards.

slacker-face.

2012-02-04T23:11:00.000-08:00

There are about eighty-seven other things I should be doing right now. Instead, I'm snuggled on the couch watching Phineas and Ferb and surfing Pinterest for more craft projects to start and then never finish.

I tried working out last night and now my butt is sore. That's pathetic, isn't it? And probably more than you wanted to know. But John and I are planning to go on a cruise for our honeymoon-iversary and I don't want to be self-conscious of anything other than my Idaho-induced transparent skin. So I downloaded a demo version of some exercise games and finally tried them out. I discovered that Zumba and I are not meant for each other... [[I mean, stepping and punching and kicking and turning and shakin' my booty all at the same time? Let's just say things got a little ugly.]] But the Your Shape: Fitness Evolved game looks promising. Or, the dance moves seemed a lot easier for my rhythm-challenged body to figure out. And it has jump rope. I can totally jump rope, no problem.

It still counts as exercise if I stay in my pajamas and barely move a foot away from my couch, right?!

too bored.

2012-01-31T21:07:00.000-08:00

Tonight I'm too bored for my own good. It's a serious epidemic - sweeping the nation, and all that. But honestly, I need to organize my sewing table so I can get back into those crafty hobbies that I love so much. Tonight though, I'll just infect you with this case of super-bored-itis that I just can't shake...

I made this the other night. It was delicious. I made it with every intention of eating it all by myself. I got about three bites in. Even after John came home and I enlisted his help we could barely make a dent. It's that amazing. Next time I think I'll add almonds and marshmallows.

We vacuumed the other day. We vacuum on a regular basis - don't get me wrong. But this time I'm much more convinced that it worked and there's less dirt on the floor. So I've been spending a lot of time laying in the middle of the living room. It's not strange.

I'm hooked on anything and everything related to Mr. Darcy. It's almost as bad as being bored out of my mind. I've read three "sequels" to Pride and Prejudice it about as many weeks. Good thing there are plenty more crazed people out there to supply me with such books. Seriously, put in a search for book titles with Mr. Darcy or Pemberley. You'll be surprised.

I've found a new kind of puppy that I want. It's a sharpug. Shar Pei + Pug = mine. I like these smooshy-snuggly-furry ones the best. His face reminds me of Eeyore. So sad and pathetic that it's disgustingly adorable. :)

I've decided that 65% of the people I meet are either preggers or have a brand new adorable little smoochy-faced baby. We really need to move. It's just too dangerous here. I think it's in the water.

I have officially gone an entire MONTH without drinking caffeine. I would say that I haven't had any soda at all, but I did cheat three times. Once was John's fault. The second time I mixed fruit punch with 7Up, so it only kind of counts. And I just couldn't resist having something fizzy with Taco Bell the other day. My goal is to go six months, and by then I won't be so addicted anymore and I can have an occasional Pepsi when we go out to eat.

Are you sufficiently bored now?? Good. I'm going to bed.

photo overload.

2012-01-15T20:34:00.000-08:00

I went through my phone today and found a bunch of pictures to share. Mostly I want to post them for the day I [inevitably] destroy this phone and lose everything again.

our Thanksgiving table setting [remember my tablecloth?]

the feast!!

John carved the turkey... it was a MESS.

I made my family's Christmas pj's this year. They turned out more like potato sacs :/

It SNOWED!! Once, and that was it.

John had to wear my sunglasses... so sexy, right?!!

Zombie gas station!!

Chocolatey peanut-buttery marshmallowy deliciousness.

Have you seen the Jumbaco commercial??

That's our holiday season in a nutshell. Although, it hasn't really felt like winter yet this year. It's only snowed a handful of times, and while the mornings and nights are freezing the days are actually pretty nice. I just have this sinking feeling that it's not going to last much longer.

resolutions schmesolutions.

2012-01-12T21:08:00.000-08:00

John and I are failing miserably at our New Year's resolutions. We should have resolved to take more naps together - because we're totally kicking butt at that one!! Hopefully we'll get better as the year progresses. January is just a practice month anyway, right?!

One of my personal resolutions was to be better at keeping a journal. But since I'm the laziest person on the planet - I decided to do one of these instead:

Design Sponge via Pinterest

Mine's a lot less adorable. And unfinished. I told John to buy me these for Valentine's Day, so I can complete the project to my nerdy specifications:

Anthropologie.com - not available in stores

Well, not those exact stamps... I found a better/cheaper set on Etsy, but their website is down. But you get the idea.

We've also decided on what we want to do for our first anniversary in April! I'm in the process of making one of these to help fund it:

Uncommon Goods via Pinterest

[Paris is not our plan...just the picture.] Hopefully we'll be able to fill it up with spare change and end up paying a lot less out of pocket! That's pretty much everything I've got on my mind right now. My toes are freezing, so I think I'll go snuggle with John to warm them up!

happy happy joy joy.

2012-01-07T21:19:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!! I know, I'm a little late. But John's gone to work and I figured tonight's the best chance I'll have at trying to finish our holiday post. Bear with me.

I left off after Christmas... So here's a better break down for ya! On the 26th [Boxing Day - why we don't celebrate it in America, I have NO idea!] we went to the movies. I saw Hugo with my mom and some friends. John saw the new Mission: Impossible movie, by himself. I think he'd just about had it with girly activities and needed some action and explosions to even things out. After the movie we had lunch at Cafe Rio [yummm!] and then John and I headed to the mall.

You heard me. The mall. On the day after Christmas. It was PACKED. But we managed to get John a bunch of clothes he really liked. I actually did buy some shoes when we first got there, but by the time we were leaving I decided I wanted to return them. So I did. And it was really awkward.

Then, on Tuesday, my mother didn't have a birthday. She refused to acknowledge it. She did, however, treat ME to a manicure, a gourmet hot-dog, and an eyebrow threading. We went to see my lovely friend Julia - who is adorably preggo - at her dad's jewelry store so my mom could add some charms to her bracelet. Which sort of qualifies as a birthday present to herself... so I guess we did celebrate it, after all. I love spending time with my momma. And as much as we both complain about it every year, having our birthdays so close to Christmas is really a blessing in disguise since it means we get to spend them together.

I also got to see my bestest friend Stephanie on Tuesday night! We met down at the Forum Shops and had delicious chocolate treats at Max Brenner. And then she gave me the world's most amazing boots. I'm not even exaggerating. If you were 'the old lady who lives in a shoe' these would be the ones you wanted to make you home in.

On Wednesday we headed back to Idaho. And it might have been a longer trip then when we drove up in a U-Haul. Instead of waking up at eight and leaving by nine-thirty, we woke up around ten and left closer to eleven-thirty. Then we made pit stops in Mesquite for drinks, St. George for In 'n Out, Cedar City to see my grandparents, Fillmore to switch places, Scipio to go to the bathroom, Provo for gas, and Salt Lake to go to the mall. After eating dinner with John's bff, Garrett, we were finally on the road home. And then we stopped for a bathroom break in Pocatello. It took a good FOURTEEN HOURS for us to get home. We were pooped, to say the least.

Oh, did I mention that we did all this driving with the seats pushed almost all the way forward? Yeah. While we were in SD we bought a new dresser at Ikea that just barely fit inside the backseat of our car. I'm surprised none of the pieces were cracked, to be honest. It was jammed in there SO tightly.

Once we were home life went back to normal pretty quickly. Work, grocery shopping, laundry, and school have once again swallowed us whole. This semester looks like it's going to be a busy one for John, so I'm going to try and be as helpful and supportive as I can.

Wish us luck :)

once upon a Christmas...

2012-01-03T22:45:00.000-08:00

John and I only took one picture over Christmas. Unbelievable, right? You'll be even more upset to know that I'm too lazy [and cozied up and warm inside] to go get the camera out of the car. Sorry.

But, even without photographic evidence, I think I can convince you that we had a fantastic holiday. The plan was to leave on Tuesday night [the 20th] right after I got off work at 6pm. Luckily, I got off work a whopping SIX HOURS EARLY so we were able to leave by two instead! The drive was grueling. It always is. But we got into Vegas at around midnight, went straight to bed, and didn't have to spend all of Wednesday being lazy and recuperating.

Wednesday was spent running errands with my momma and getting things ready for Christmas. Then on Thursday, I turned TWENTY-FOUR! That's right. I'm growing up. :) We had breakfast with my mom, did a little bit more preparing for the festivities ahead, and then jumped in the car to go to San Diego. We stopped in Riverside to see my uncle and little cutie-pie cousins which was great! Once we got into SD we had dinner with John's family. The conversations only got mildly heated [haha!] and I had a fabulously chocolatey icecreamy birthday dessert. I'd say it was a success!

We spent the night at John's grandma's house and she made us some french toast in the morning. Then we looked through pictures and talked about everything that's been going on for a while until John and I had to head out for more Christmas visits. It was a food-filled day, but we got to visit with more friends and family and had a great time! Although, I could have done without all the traffic on the way home :(

Saturday I saw my friend Rachel and she gave me a fabulous haircut! We took out so much dang hair it's impressive that there's anything left! But it looks fabulous, and feels even better [or lighter, at least.] My mom and I did some more shopping and wrapping and finished getting everything ready for Christmas the next day. We had some hot chocolate, watched The Christmas Story a hundred times, and snuggled up in our potato sac pj's. [I made them all a little bit too big. Ok, maybe a lot too big. Oops.] :/

CHRISTMAS!! It was so fantastic. I love Christmas. There's nothing else to say. Christmas is the best day ever. Especially when it's warm enough outside to go SWIMMING! haha. Yep. I spent a good hour splashing around in the jacuzzi with some of my little cousins. They are the craziest, cutest, goofiest munchkins ever. After all the afternoon festivities had died down we headed out to the other side of town for dinner with my dad's side of the family. More deliciousness and family and fun. Have I mentioned how much I love Christmas?! Because I LOVE CHRISTMAS!!

After Christmas is fun too :) The sales and the leftovers... and the sales... and the leftovers. I love it all. I especially love when Anthropologie puts all their sale stuff on an additional 50% off!! Yep. You read that right. Extra.Fifty.Percent.Off. I scored three tops, two skirts, and a dress. And they're all amazing. John got some pretty good deals at the mall, too. But neither of us could find ANY shoes that we liked. At least, the stores didn't have them in our sizes. [Our children are destined to be sasquatches. Poor kids.]

I think this post is getting too long. So I'm going to end here, and I'll give you all part two next time!

Maybe I'll even bring in the camera so you can see our Christmas picture!

i promise we're still alive.

2011-12-16T20:55:00.000-08:00

Yeah... this whole "blogging" thing is a lot harder when I actually have other things to do.

Maybe regular posts will be one of my New Year's resolutions... along with going to the gym, not drinking soda, cooking dinner MUCH more often, and keeping the house clean. [just don't tell John about that last one!!]

turkey time!!

2011-11-22T21:28:00.001-08:00

Oh, my my my. Who ever decided to sell turkeys frozen needs to be severely punished!! Since I started thawing my turkey, I've made a wreath for the door and a tablecloth for dinner on Thursday. I've also eaten enough knock-off Reese's peanut butter and watched enough TLC to last me a lifetime... and the dang bird is STILL FROZEN! I'm just saying, it better all be worth it or we're just gonna order pizza next year.

my wreath... it's kinda boring, but I like it that way.

my tablecloth - conveniently folded so it looks 100% done :)

Aaaanyway... Since I've got sine time on my hands, I think I'll tell you what else I've been up to recently...

My momma came to visit us a few weekends ago! It was super great to have her in the Burg with us. Especially when it snowed on Saturday and she had to suffer like John and I do! haha. But while she was here we went to eat at Smitty's Pancake and Steak House in Idaho Falls. John was in HEAVEN because he got to have ribs with a side of pancakes! It was a pretty great experience... but I'm a fan of anywhere that serves pancakes 24/7. We also went to get some fabric for the Woodbury x-mas pajamas. I'll be starting up on those shortly... so stay tuned.

My cousins had a little baby boy on 11/11/11! So I made a little gift for him. I forgot to take a picture of the onesie, but just imagine a polka-dot bow tie and this pacifier on a little smoochie face :)

felt + hot glue = awesomeness.

Sometimes I just use the pictures on my phone to remember what we've been up to... I realize that's sort if lame, but it's the truth. Unfortunately I haven't been taking as many pictures as I used to. Let's blame work, ok? Because it's most definitely NOT that I'm too lazy to pull my phone out of my pocket... But here's one to leave you with - while Momma H was here John convinced her to buy this hat for him, and then I stole it :)

i didn't really steal it. he just left it in my car.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!
(and keep your fingers crossed that my turkey dinner doesn't poison anyone!)

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near death.

2011-11-16T20:08:00.000-08:00

Yesterday on the way home from the temple, John and I saw a sign outside G's Dairy for "hot chocolate floats". And at that moment, as our teeth were chattering from the cold, hot chocolate sounded fantastic. And a scoop of delicious ice cream in there with it? Even better. So we turned around and ordered two of them. John got Rocky Road ice cream in his and I chose something wonderful with Oreos and cookie dough. And since we were too excited to try them to wait until we got home, we pulled out of the drive-thru window and straight into a parking spot. Oh my, was it a heavenly treat!

Unfortunately, my dear husband accidentally inhaled a shard of almond and had a horrible coughing attack. It was the kind of thing where I started to just laugh [because I think it's funny when other people do that instead of me] but then I got really worried because he was coughing a LOT and turning a little bit red and had a panic-stricken look on his face. And then he stopped coughing and I started laughing AGAIN. I'm such a kind and concerned wife...

The best part of that whole experience was that he didn't get one drop of chocolate on his church clothes. Score!!

happy halloween!!!

2011-10-31T18:51:00.000-07:00

We have candy... so you should come trick or treating!!

I snapped this picture in Utah wearing my momma's witch hat... My mom, grandma, and aunts all went to the Witchapalooza! event at Gardner Village. Unfortunately, I wasn't a part of that bonding experience. I just hung out by myself in the hotel room, watching TV and eating junk food. :/

Spring, Krishna, Grandma Hazel, Momma H, and Summer

They got pretty into it. My aunt Spring made everyone those cloaks, which were pretty legit! With hoods and fur-lining. Everyone was dressed up underneath too, in witchy costumes. [Well, besides my mom. She's the dud of the family ;) haha.]

It was a fun weekend in Utah for me, though! I got to see my Little Meg!! She let me sleep over at her house on Friday night and then she cut my hair on Saturday morning! She's the best. [You have to say that in Nacho Libre's voice.]

After my hair was all trimmed -and weighed ten pounds less- I headed straight over to the Provo mall! Well, actually, I stumbled upon the mall in my search for the freeway. It was a pleasant surprise. So then I wandered around aimlessly for a few hours. I found a shirt for myself that I'd been looking for for.ev.er. And I bought John a San Diego Super Chargers tie. He's been wanting one for a LONG time... And I bought myself a super cute purple headband that I've worn once-and-a-half. I love headbands, but they don't love me. After that I headed to the Gateway mall in SLC. By far one of my favorite malls ever!! But really I went there to try on some jeans for my Christmas outfit from the Momma. And that's where I met up with my mom, grandma, and aunts for lunch!!

In other news... The magnificent Horkley's has changed it's name. John and I are struggling to accept it. But we did get some fifty-cent sodas and free hotdogs during their grand re-opening!! They never really officially closed, but that's beside the point. FREE HOTDOGS!! And we got some wristbands and a button. Pretty awesome.

Ever since we made the decision to stop eating out we've failed miserably. Last week shouldn't have counted, because I was sick and we had no groceries... and did I mention free hotdogs?! But this is the chili that I had at Frontier Pies. Isn't the chip-flower cute?

And speaking of no groceries - our kitchen was smelling a little extra funky yesterday so I did a little investigating...

Umm... I can't really tell you what kind of fruit that used to be. My best guess is an apple. It was a general apple-shape. We did have some pears though, at some point. And nectarines. I really don't know how the orange got sucked into that bag with it... Unless the moldy-orb-of-doom used to be an orange. There was another orange floating around on the counter, so maybe that other one just didn't get out in time... I threw them all away, just in case.

John had an ingrown toenail removed? retracted? dislodged? about two weeks ago and he has to soak it in this weird red stuff every night to fight off the infection. What's really funny though, is that he's still wearing his other shoe and sock while he does it. I laughed for a good five minutes. You don't have to think it's funny. But I thought I'd share anyway.

That's all for now. I can't think of anything else to tell you about our exciting life. Oh, if you were on your way to come get some candy, don't bother. We've already eaten it all. :)

alone time.

2011-10-22T17:34:00.001-07:00

What do you get when you mix school, two jobs, a weekday trip to BYU's law fair, grocery shopping, errands, a doctor's appointment, and a weekend trip to Provo/SLC??

Two very lonely people.

This week was pretty crazy. There's usually one day a week when John's at school all morning, and I work until 7, and then he works from 8 to midnight. We can handle that. But THIS week was a little different. John spent aaaalllllllllll day Wednesday in Provo on a school trip then I worked all day Thursday and he worked all night. And now I'm in Utah for the weekend.

I feel like we're engaged again and living in two different cities. It's a real bummer. I miss my snuggle buddy!!

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six months!!

2011-10-09T19:44:00.000-07:00

Ha!! Can you believe it?! It's been a whole six months since we got married.

I wish I could say that we had some amazing plans this weekend to celebrate, but we didn't. When I got off work on Friday we went to eat at Winger's. The plan was to go see The Help after, but I didn't really feel like sitting in a cold theatre for two and a half hours. Instead we rented a couple of movies and snuggled up on the couch to watch them. Then this morning [Sunday] I made some german pancakes!! We love german pancakes... we maybe just had them last weekend during Conference, too. :)

This has been the absolute BEST six months of my life. I love John more than anything. We have so much fun together. [Even though it doesn't seem like we ever go anywhere or do anything.] I love watching him study, and eating dinner with him. I love it when he comes to my work at lunch time and takes me to Taco Bell. I love when he gets sleepy and snuggles up next to me on the couch. I love when I'm sleepy and he carries me to bed. I love his face and his head and his grody toe. I love when we're laying in bed, almost asleep, and have the best conversations about our life and future together.

Basically, I love John more and more every day. He makes me so happy. I can't wait to see where we are in another six months!!

apparantly i'm lazy.

2011-09-27T20:55:00.000-07:00

haha. Who would have ever thought that?! But seriously, once I get home from work these days it's the hardest thing NOT to fall asleep. I fail every.single.day. It doesn't really help that John is usually right in the middle of his afternoon "resting time" when I get home. And yes, "resting time" does mean passed-out-napping.

There are different shifts at work: 6-2, 6:30-2:30, 7-3, 8-4... and the last 8-hour shift is 11:30-7:30. The super early ones are actually kind of my favorite. I absolutely HATE waking up that early, but I can't tell you how good it feels to come home and have the whole day to get things done. Not that I'm all that productive... but still! When I work later and don't get home until 7:30ish I'm much less likely to make a real dinner or be at all pleasant until bedtime. Poor John.

Today I got off at 2:30 and it was great!! I hit up the post office, grabbed myself a soda and some redvines, and went home for a nice long nap with the hubby!! [Yes, I drink caffeine and then go straight to bed - you gotta problem?!!] When we woke up I made some macaroni and extra cheese and then John had to go to work. :( So I've just been sitting on the couch surfing the internets and eating some delicious egg-free cookie dough. It's a hard-knock life.

And now that song is stuck in my head.

John has a doctor's appointment next week to fix a grody toe-nail. I'm kind of bummed that I won't be there, because I really wanted to record it! Haha. Maybe he can try to get some good angles for me to watch, but I feel like that could involve some weird stretching... we'll see. Maybe I'll post something here for all the world to see! Or, you know, our posterity.

I've done absolutely zero work on the light fixture I mentioned last time... sorry. But I did get about 93.6% done with a wreath for our door. It's pretty ugly, but I'm gonna hang it up and show it to you anyway. As soon as I find the rest of my hot-glue sticks.

work like you don't need the money.

2011-09-14T20:39:00.000-07:00

I started my job this week!

Well, I 'started' last week, but it was all training and following other people and getting passed off on all the different things.

This week I've actually been working, and today I didn't even need my trainer to watch me. It was a little nerve-wracking this morning, but as soon as I'd screened a couple people without any major problems I was more confident, and the day went by really fast. I'm still getting used to everything, and I definitely made my fair share of mistakes! But it's a fun job, and all the people I work with are really nice and helpful.

Anyway, the best part about my job is that I get to wear scrubs :) I know that doesn't sound all that great... but believe me - getting dressed at 5 am in the dark is MUCH easier with scrubs. And I get to wear my hair tied back everyday! I love braids and pony tails. It's seriously amazing. [Remind me of all this once it's been long enough and I start complaining about these exact things!]

The days start a little early - but that just means I get home to my hubby a little earlier, too! And since he's in school and at the gym and studying for the whole time I'm gone, I don't even feel bad!! Although there are a couple days coming up where I work until 7 and he goes to work at 8... those nights will probably be a little lonely.

I'm working on a new light-fixture/chandelier kind of thing for our bedroom... and I'm hoping that posting about it will motivate me to finish it and show you! -all five of you-

Stay tuned!

i heart chalkboard paint.

2011-09-11T16:22:00.000-07:00

Whoever it was that invented chalkboard paint is a PURE GENIUS!! A couple weeks ago I finally figured out how I could salvage our coffee table. [There wasn't anything officially wrong with it - I just really really didn't like it.]

So I was browsing pinterest, and saw three or four different coffee tables with chalkboard tops. It was p.e.r.f.e.c.t. And, lucky for me, the craft store here always has a big Labor Day sale - so I could get the pricey chalkboard spray paint for 40% off!! Pretty awesome.

Anyway, I had to take the whole table apart, paint it, and then put it back together. Oh, and spray painting in the wind is pretty difficult - just in case you didn't know. It's a simple Ikea table, so the dismembering wasn't too hard. And then I realized that [1] we didn't have the instructions for putting it together anymore, and [2] it's missing about twelve screws/nails/pegs. And I decided that John is NEVER allowed to build any furniture ever again - especially not any future baby furniture!!

Once I finally had it all put together and only a little wobbly, I primed the chalkboard surface and got to doodling!!! It's a miracle how in two days my most hated piece of furniture became my absolute favorite! I love leaving John silly little notes and pictures on it when I leave for work in the morning. Although he doesn't usually notice them until we're both sitting down at the end of the day...

Ok, here's a picture - because I know you're all dying to see it!!

Tomorrow is my second day of training at work. And I'm pretty sure they're going to let me make someone bleed!! I'm excited - and maybe a little nervous.

i like doing things backwards.

2011-09-07T20:03:00.000-07:00

It's not my fault that I have ADD. It's Big Bird's fault. Seriously. How do they expect me to pay attention for more than seven minutes at a time when that's how long every segment ran on Sesame Street?? But I digress...

Things have been happening around here - I promise. I just choose to wait until they're all over and done with before I post anything. Which means you lovely people get to read all about our adventures in one felled swoop! Luckies.

Which means... are you ready for it?! Badly-lit cell phone PICTURES!! Haha. I know you're crazy excited :)

it took us about a week to clean this up. we kind of wanted to LIVE on that air mattress.

so now we do a lot of this. it's definitely not as good.

After a loooong couple weeks of doing nothing we took a little trip to Pocatello!! Such a great city... I had to take the GRE on campus there and we decided to stay the night. And let me tell you - Pokey has the most amazing mini-golf course, ever. For reals. I only have one picture... but it wasn't all shark-themes. There were dinosaurs! and an elephant! and everything was neon and glow-in-the-dark and awesome!!!! Not to mention we were the only two people there and we got a free game!!

The rest of our Pokey-trip involved sleeping and being attacked by housekeeping and food.

best.breakfast.food.ever

he had a good time, really. this is just his "sooo hungry" face.

geeerrrrmaaaannnn paaaancaaaaaakess!! :)

We came home, and then it was Labor Day Weekend! To celebrate the holiday, we did absolutely nothing!! It was great :) Ok, maybe we did something.

i painted the coffee table.

and ate an entire bag of cracker jacks. :/

we spent a little time outside, and were ATTACKED by lady bugs.

Next week [or as soon as I load more pictures] I'll show you how aewsome our new chalkboard coffee table is!! Probably my favorite piece of furniture now... I want to make everything I see a chalkboard.

Aaannnnnnnnnd... I started my new job!! I've survived two whole days of training. Tomorrow there's a test, and then I start actually learning how to do my job... Also, I get to wear scrubs!! There goes all that how-many-different-ways-can-i-wear-these-clothes-before-i-DIE anxiety every morning. It's going to be awesome.

sometimes...

2011-08-30T18:27:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I wonder if John notices when I screw up a recipe. But then I think of times like this morning, when he ate three scrambled eggs AND a giant bowl of cereal. That's more breakfast food than I consume in a month. He's just a growing boy, I guess.

Sometimes I wonder how I ever made it through college with this "Sesame Street" attention span I've got. And this GRE thing I'm doing tomorrow has got me pretty worried. I should have been studying the dictionary for the past year. [Don't tell my mom I said that.]

Sometimes my brain is really motivated to do things - like organize the kitchen drawers or finish the baby blanket for the Moseley's little man - and then I look over and see how lonely the couch is...

Sometimes I have a point when I start to say something but by the time it comes around to the end of the sentence I've forgotten what exactly I meant to say.

lazy summer.

2011-08-28T16:38:00.000-07:00

Oh man. We are sooo lazy! We do a whole lot of nothing all day, everyday. And twice on Sunday.

In other news, I made some deeeee-licious strawberry pancakes this ~~morning~~ late afternoon. FROM SCRATCH. Which I realize isn't that impressive since they're basically just flour and milk... but the mess in my kitchen begs to differ.

yummm!

We also got a new windshield for my car! It's nice and crack-free. Which means I can drive comfortably since the crack in the old one crossed straight through my line of sight :(

Yesterday we drove down to Idaho Falls to check out the For Your Basket craft market. It was kind of a bust. Although one of the booths did have a pretty sweet shelf. It was tall and skinny with little file-cabinet labels. I loved looking at all the cute crafts - but since most of the things were for little baby-nuggets I didn't think buying anything would be very useful. And John turned down the owl-head beanie I offered to get him.

Sometimes, since we do absolutely nothing all day long it takes us a long time to get to sleep at night. So the other day we were both just laying there, trying to sleep but not doing a very good job, and I had an idea! I sent John to Jack in the Box for some tacos and jalapeno poppers and I got to work building a FORT. Yep, I said it. We blew up the air-mattress and piled on the pillows, set up some chairs and draped a blanket across them, and then snuggled down for a midnight snack and watched Star Trek. One day we might grow up and develop normal sleeping patterns - but then we'll have babies and it will all start all over again :/

pretty cool, huh?

This week I'm taking the GRE in Pocatello. Hopefully I haven't forgotten everything I learned in college. Keep your fingers crossed that I don't totally bomb it, please?!

food for thought.

2011-08-22T12:59:00.000-07:00

Taking pictures of recipes in magazines is genius. I should spend more time in doctor's offices... Parenting magazines have deeelicious-looking food.

I probably should have snapped a shot of the picture too :/

I really need to figure out some new ways to do my hair... but isn't it sooo pretty?!! I love my little Meg for doing the best perm-job ever :)

long and wavy :)

Red Cross worker: "What's your full name, age, and gender?"
John: "John Michael Orr, 23, male."
Red Cross worker: "Are you pregnant?"
[awkward pause]
John: "No."

Nope, no baby bump there!!

Arby's is the best way to life your spirits after sitting around for an hour to donate blood. I mean, how can you be grumpy when you're sippin' a nice cold Pepsi out of this??

and the curly fries... YUM!

Freezer jam is easy. A lot easier than trying to scrub all the stuck-on strawberry particles from the food processor after it's been sitting there for 24 hours.

Maybe more sugar next time, though.

If you're going to Walmart for twenty-dollars in cash and some snacks for the movie - DO NOT walk down the fish aisle. Otherwise you'll come home with a tank, some fake plants, a tiki head, one fish and one little crab. Only to wake-up the next morning to a weird smell and a couple floaters.

but the tank glows, so that's cool.

Some recipes look so great on the website, and they sound so fun to make, and you're pretty sure it's going to be the most delicious and attractive thing you've ever placed on the dinner table. And then it takes you over an hour to just assemble the dang things. But they did taste pretty good...

I call them lasagna towers. The recipe is great, but maybe just a boring flat-version next time!

John and I love to eat. And we are trying to be better about not getting so much fast-food. I've been looking up quick and healthy recipes for dinner and lunch. Hopefully we'll be able to stick to it! We do love those Jack in the Box tacos :)

painting the town.

2011-08-19T19:16:00.000-07:00

Rexburg is just a liiiitttttlllle bit slow in the summer. Which means that John and I have been out and about WAY more than usual. It might also have something to do with having absolutely nothing else going on... And so - here's a recap of our week:

- sleep in until 10:30am... or noon.
- wander aimlessly around the apartment.
- think of a reason to go to Walmart.
- shower and dig some clothes out of the closet.
- wander aimlessly around Walmart for about thirty minutes.
- go back home and take a nap.
- wake up and stare at the computer and/or television.
- eat a strange meal.
- go to a movie at the dollar theater [which is really $3... false advertising].
- go back home and snuggle before falling into deep oblivious sleep.
- lather, rinse, repeat.

Ok, so it wasn't like that every day. But it was pretty close. Monday I had to fill out some paperwork at the plasma center and take a drug test. Wednesday was our trip to IF - did I mention that I walked from JoAnn's to Barnes and Noble?! Exercise for the week - check!! Thursday we rented bikes from the ORC on campus. I lasted all of twenty minutes. The gears were being retarded. And my back had started hurting again the night before. I'm a complainer, have you noticed? Today John donated blood and we had the oil changed in my car. We also got some snow-cones :) Love me some saturated sugar!!

Also - for future reference - the Paramount 5 has two-dollar-Tuesdays, and free popcorn on Wednesdays!

John has recently started using his tomahawk to turn the light on and off in our bedroom... he even taped a wooden spoon to the end of it so he doesn't have to stretch at all. It would be funny if I didn't actually need that wooden spoon to cook his fave mac&cheese...

We've also decided that we're not going to get a puppy. At least not until we're living somewhere a little more permanent. So now I'm lobbying for a ferret, guinea pig, or chinchilla. :)

I'd love to stay and keep spilling out random little tidbits - but we both know you're bored already.

camel back.

2011-08-17T20:23:00.001-07:00

Did you know that if you leave a partially filled camel-back water bottle in the car during the day, it will magically transform into a water gun??!

I'm sure there's a simple scientific explanation for why it happens... But John and I had an epic battle on the drive back from IF today. It was awesome.

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my hubby is awesome.

2011-08-15T19:42:00.000-07:00

John's amazing. For real. And I'm not just saying that because I married him. Here are just a few reasons that he's so great:

1 - he folded all the laundry from our vacation AND put it away last night [he didn't get home from work until around midnight, I might add!]

2 - on Saturday night he left the hotel room to go get me some tylenol pm because I had a really bad headache and couldn't get to sleep.

3 - he only grumbled a little when we were packing up all the stuff I accidentally left at my parent's house after the wedding and I kept remembering other stuff to add to the pile.

4 - he let me put off grocery shopping for one more day!! [which also means we got to eat Jimmy Johns for lunch and order pizza for dinner!]

5 - he left the gym and brought me his water bottle while I was stuck at the doctor's office for a drug test and their drinking fountain didn't work.

6 - he let me take a nap :)

7 - he went to the grocery store with me to pick out some icecream, and then he scooped it out when we got home.

8 - every time we went swimming at my parent's house he let me lay on the raft and pushed me around the pool for a more even "tan".

9 - he borrowed the Insanity workout dvd's from his friend and isn't going to make me do them if I don't want to!!

10 - just now, he put the movie I want to watch in the dvd player so I wouldn't have to get up.

11 - oh, and he drove the ENTIRE way from Rexburg to San Diego, then from San Diego to Las Vegas, and from Las Vegas back to Rexburg.

Was that enough reasons for you?! It's pretty obvious that I got the sweet end of this deal! If only he'd known beforehand what marrying me would entail... haha!

I love every single thing about this man.

I'm such a lucky girl to have him forever!

I love you Johnny Monster!!

h.o.m.e.

2011-08-14T20:10:00.000-07:00

Aaaahhh... it feels SO good to be back home.

We had a really great time on vacation! Don't get me wrong.

We just really needed to be back in our apartment with all our stuff. It's a comfort kind of thing. And a wishing-I-had-packed-more-clothing-options kind of thing.

We loved spending time with my family in Vegas. It was fun and relaxing and there's even a hint of a tan line on my back from those few hours of floating in the pool!!

more vacation... with pictures!

2011-08-11T22:49:00.000-07:00

I finally got around to e-mailing all the pictures on my cell phone to myself. Don't worry... there's only thirteen :)

san diego!

this is Elvira. she is teeny-tiny. but awesome.

go Padres!

this is the place to go for lunch between las vegas and san diego. they have fried pickles and all their sandwiches are named after old movie stars :) and did i mention the giant dinosaur sculptures?!

sooo much traffic heading to California. zero traffic to Nevada. that's the way i like it.

las vegas!

chicken salad. i love when Momma H buys dinner :)

Shelby and Julian - freshly married!!

pretty cakes are my favorite when they taste delicious too. like this one!


this is Zoey. cute, huh? we've been playing with her all week :)

Now that we're all caught up with pictures, here's what we've been doing since Sunday...

monday
I'm going to go ahead and say we went to the mall on Monday. I have no real memory of this week's time-line. We went to the Fashion Show mall and got a couple new shirts for John. I tried to shop for myself but apparently the mall didn't get the memo and didn't put anything good on sale for me.

tuesday
Was our FOUR-MONTH-IVERSARY!! To celebrate this great milestone we started the day off with some delicious In-N-Out and a little shopping at Ross. Then we floated around in my parent's pool for an hour or so to try and soak up a little bit of sun. For the big date we had some burgers and fries and Steak & Shake and then saw The Rise of the Planet of the Apes in XD. We're not exactly sure what XD means... but we liked the movie. Oh, between dinner and the movie we killed a little time at the arcade. I kicked John's butt at the racing game :)

wednesday
We went shopping! Um... again. And we did some other stuff. I think. It was a pretty lazy day.

thursday
Today we went to HOOVER DAM! haha. We went on a dam tour, with a dam tour guide, got some dam refreshments, took some dam pictures... I could go on like this all day. It was fun going with John, since he'd never been there. Granted the last time I went was with my fourth grade class...

these are the Nevada-side turbines. only 25% of the power goes to Las Vegas though. the rest is for SoCal. lame.

my souvenir cup!! my dad was soooo jealous.

Tomorrow we've got another lazy day planned. Probably some last-ditch efforts at tanning our skin and a little raid-party of my mom's homeless home decor. Then all that's left is fitting everything into my car and heading back to the Burg!!

Also, John would like everyone to know that he finished reading Brave New World on schedule. Whilst I added six new movies to our Netflix queue :)

party every day.

2011-08-07T23:39:00.000-07:00

We are having a GREAT time on vacation!! Here's a quick wrap-up... mostly just so I don't forget :)

monday
14 hours in the car. Never doing that again.

tuesday
We were in San Diego to see John's family. It was so much fun! We had lunch with his grandma in Ocean Beach, then we had dinner with his parents and two brothers before heading to the Padre's game!! Baseball games are so much fun - hotdogs, cotton candy, John screaming in my ear - what could be better?!

wednesday
More driving - but just four hours this time - to Las Vegas!! We stopped at Peggy Sue's diner for some FRIED PICKLES! mmmmmm... my favorite.

thursday
I did some craft shopping with my momma. Poor John was left all alone at my house. We're also babysitting Teri's little dog for the week [and her house] so we spent some time hanging out with Zoey so she could get used to us. Thursday night we went to a session at the temple with my mom and then had Applebee's for dinner.

friday
We tried to go swimming on Friday at my house - but it was a teensy bit breezy and too cold for tanning. I know, I know... how could it ever be too cold in Las Vegas in August?! But I'm a wimp. When my mom came home from work, she and I went to develop the wedding pictures and get a few more crafting supplies. John stayed home because, frankly, craft stores make him sick. Haha. We also did a little shopping at Ross and Marshalls where I got another long skirt and some fun decorating stuff for the apartment. I also got a phone call about a JOB OFFER!!! That's right. I finally have a job. John and I are so excited about it! And maybe a little nervous about how often we'll get to see each other... we've been spoiled so far being able to spend basically all day together. This will be a fun semester :)

saturday
My friend Julian got married!! I've known Jul since I was about two. We lived across the street and his little sister and I were attached at the hip!! Him and Tyler were the same way... and the four of us pretty much terrorized that neighborhood. Good times. Jul married the gorgeous Shelby and it was so great to be there at the sealing! I'm so happy for them and excited for their new life together.

sunday
John and I slept in a little bit late - but we still made it to church with my mom! Afterward, we went back to my parent's house for a lazy Sunday afternoon. We wanted to swim but my dad mowed the lawn and all the grass blew into the pool :( So we watched some Nascar instead! Ha! My mom made a deeelicious dinner and I baked some "knock you naked brownies" for too long - there were crunchy! Oops!

So far we've had a great vacation! I love spending time with my family. Even stinky Tyler. I'll be sad to leave next weekend, but not so sad to get away from this heat!!

the momma.

2011-07-24T22:57:00.000-07:00

I really like my mom. I talk to her every.single.day. Sometimes twice.

This weekend she came for a visit and it was GREAT! It was fun showing her our apartment and all the fancy new things Rexburg's added since last July.

She came with her friend Teri, and Teri's nieces Elsa & Hayley. Elsa is coming to school up here in January and this trip was designed to get her even MORE excited about it. And because everyone's first impression of Rexburg needs to be in the summer... otherwise they'll never come back.

They got here Thursday night and I took them to Twizleberry for frozen yogurt - and to temporarily blind them with the bright green and orange walls. Then we drove up the hill for a closer look at the temple.

sooo pretty :)

Friday morning we woke up bright and early for a quick tour of our apartment before we headed to campus to give Elsa a little look around. There's quite a bit of construction going on, so we had to do a lot of weaving in & out & around & through the buildings, but I think we covered quite a bit of ground! We went into the new BYU-I Center [or "devotatorium" as I like to call it] which was a first even for me. Then we did a little shopping at the University Store and had lunch in the Crossroads to give everyone the full experience.

Then it was time for CORN-ON-A-STICK. I've been hyping it up to everyone all semester, so it was pretty permanent on the to-do list. We even waited around for a bit because it wasn't quite ready when we got there so eagerly at exactly 4pm. Needless to say - it did not disappoint.

please ignore that i'm the whitest of them all - i live in idaho.

that's my lover... yep.

We also did a little bit of shopping at Hemming Village. This is John - enjoying himself immensely at Lulu&Oliver.

he's got tea parties d.o.w.n.

On Saturday we ended up having a LOT more time to explore the town because of a little scheduling mix-up with a play we were supposed to go to... Oops.

So - what better way to spend some extra time in south-eastern Idaho than at BEAR WORLD!!

It was a lot of fun! John even had a good time!! And we got some huckleberry honey from the gift shop.

And after driving through the animal enclosures we found this sign where you can measure yourself against a bear...

almost there...

for reals!

And seriously... no trip to Bear World would be complete without this:

me and john - just need some baby bears! haha.


Teri, Hayley, Elsa and my momma.

The pictures are pretty dark - it was a really nice and sunny day. Good for hanging out at the petting zoo, bad for taking souvenir pictures.

After our adventure at Bear World we headed into Idaho Falls to do a little shopping. [It was technically a "girl's trip" after all...] John was such a champ hanging out at the mall for so long, going in and out of stores, sitting outside dressing rooms... I did maybe bribe him with a prize and a snack :)

Later on Saturday night we went to see 17 Miracles at the dollar theater. The movie was good. But after the movie we had Cocoa Bean cupcakes! MmmMmMmMmmMMm. So delicious.

Overall, it was a great weekend. It was so much fun being with my momma and all the girls.

And now... SEVEN WEEK BREAK!!

HP 7 part 2

2011-07-22T17:59:00.001-07:00

Take two.

Yeah, we're that nerdy!

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wrap it up.

2011-07-21T16:39:00.000-07:00

Do you want to be bored out of your life?

Then you came to the right place!

Let's start with the laundry.

This was just one load. I was too exhausted after folding it all to even attempt getting the rest of the towels out of the dryer. They're probably still in there...

Up next is the 8th Stake Summerpalooza! John and I were part of the planning committee. We were also in charge of the "tug o' ward" competition and making all the signs. One day I'll learn how to take real pictures of important things...

It was a little windy...

So we taped some of the signs to the ground...

I was extremely proud of that bracket... It is HARD to organize a tournament with eleven teams. But the 99th ward kicked some serious booty. [Our ward lost in the first round... John was pretty disappointed.] But the Summerpalooza was great! We had hamburgers and hotdogs and icecream. There was a DJ and a balloon-man and pie- and watermelon-eating contests. If I hadn't been soo dang tired that day I would have wandered around and taken more pictures.

Sometime when John's at work [from 8pm - midnight] I go out for ice cream and bring him a treat. This particular adventure to DQ they gave me a blizzard with the largest chunks of peanut butter cups I have ever seen.

In decorating news... I put up some plates to try and liven up the dining area.

And I painted our plain-jane boring bread-box a fun summer color! Some of the lines are a little squiggly... don't judge me.

Finally - we cleaned our apartment. Remember when I spilled oatmeal all over the carpet and my foot?? Well, my mom's coming to visit this weekend so we decided it was time to really clean things up.

Look how big the living room looks without any furniture!

The kitchen was a little crowded tho...

Well, my momma gets here TONIGHT so I should probably go clean my room... haha.

spiders.

2011-07-20T16:26:00.000-07:00

Ew. Yuck. Gross.

There are spiders all over the place here! And by "all over the place" I mean that they're taking over the bathroom.

Seriously.

I don't know where they're coming from - but my guess is the crack between the floor and the molding. John says there's no way a spider could fit through that small of a space. But he's wrong.

They're just stupid harmless daddy-long-legs. But I still hate them.

firsties.

2011-07-18T15:31:00.000-07:00

This weekend John and I went to our FIRST midnight movie showing together. And we also went on our FIRST camp-out together.

The movie was - you guessed it - HARRY POTTER!! I love Harry Potter. I love love love love Harry Potter. It's kind of a disease.

Anyway, since we went to the showing in Idaho Falls, we made a date night out of it. We headed down at about 7 for dinner [and to get a decent parking space] and there was already a line outside the theater. So we ate at TGIFridays - with a 15% off coupon!! After dinner we walked over to Target to waste a little bit of time. John got a football, and I got some paper-lantern lights for our little patio, and we got a bunch of candy for the movie :)

At dinner with our HP tickets!!

John waiting in line...

The line on the right was for all the theaters. On the left is just the line for our theater. Crazy.

So, that was Thursday night. We got home from the movie at about 3:30 am, and John had a class at 7:45. Needless to say, when he got home from class he crashed! He was out until about 3 in the afternoon - when we had to start getting ready for the ward camp-out.

I made John rent us a tent from the school, and we packed our air-mattress and some snacky snacks and headed out! The campsite was in Archer, which is only about 20 minutes away. It's so great living in a place that has so much nature so close by... except for the bugs. I hate bugs.

Driving down to the campsite. Tina got a few hefty scratches but shhhh - don't tell my dad.

Isn't Idaho pretty?!

I took that picture from inside the car. Before the bugs had a chance to attack me. But we had some bug spray and one of the fancy bug repelling fans. So we didn't get eaten alive. I think we made it home with just one major bug bite each.

I would have taken more pictures, but I accidentally took a nap as soon as our tent was set up, and then my phone died. I promise we actually went camping. There were tents and a fire and s'mores and everything. AND some genius brought Reese's cups to make the s'mores with. It was heavenly. I'm never eating a regular s'more ever again.

more activities.

2011-07-12T22:48:00.000-07:00

I've been feeling a little crafty lately... My friend Jana brought over some fabric that she wanted to make into curtains for her living room - and there was just enough left over to make a couple pillows for their couch! I'd seen a pillow like this on some website or other and decided that I'd try to make it.

I think it turned out pretty good! The ruffled part is a bit poofy - and I didn't really like it at first, but it's growing on me.

* * *

And for some reason, everyone around me is having a baby. Unfortunately - all these babies are living in Las Vegas, so I can't smooch their faces :( But I can spend some of my free time making them cutesy onesies! I got the idea for these at Happy Together. I loved the "cute as a button" theme - but the print just wasn't my style. So instead I fished around our spare change jar for all those buttons that come with new clothes but never get used and came up with this!

The tag says "for Lyla, who's cute as a button!"

I made another one for my cousin's new baby. Little Anistyn is the only one of her siblings with dark hair - which is impressive if you've ever seen a picture of my extended family. I found these super bright buttons while I was wandering around Walmart and loved them. So I did the same thing for Ani-Lou's onesie - and I made a little fabric envelope to put it in.

I only hope the onesies fit the little girlies by the time it gets to them! Babies grow so gosh darn fast!!

* * *

In the kitchen - things have been a little different. I hate cooking when it's hot outside. Mostly because that means it's already hot inside - without the help of an oven. So while I was wandering around Walmart I picked up some popsicle molds!! I just mix up the Crystal Light on-the-go packets with half as much water and a heaping spoonful of sugar. Poor it in, freeze 'em, and enjoy!

I tried to get fancy here and do two layers, but most of them blended together anyway.

This is the peach mango flavor. Oh man, best.popsicle.ever.

And to even out all that sugar:

John picked brussel-sprouts as our vegetable last night. That's right - we ate them voluntarily. No buttery goodness required.

the fourth...

2011-07-12T22:03:00.000-07:00

I've been a pretty lazy blogger recently. I've been a pretty lazy everything recently. Our friends recommended that we check out The Cosby Show on Netflix, and ever since then I just can't stop watching it. It's hilarious! I love it.

But, for all three people who read this - I'm sure you're just dying to know what we did on the Fourth of July. So, here you go:

We started off the day at the Rexburg Whoopee Days Parade. [Don't ask me why it's called that. I have no idea.] Every year there's a parade down the entire stretch of Main Street. All the floats throw candy out for the little kids, and the dairy gives out free milk!! Well, supposedly. We didn't stay all the way through this time - we're very busy people, you know.

John and the Snoopy float.

Broulim's giant shopping cart / go-cart... complete with groceries!

And FREE hotdogs :)

After the parade we went straight over to our friends [the Moseley's] apartment for some dee.lish.us. hamburgers and hotdogs. We watched a little Funniest Home Videos, and then played a little bocci ball with the Jensen's.

I made a layered drink for the barbecue - but that picture is on John's phone. So you might never get to see it.

After that, we went home for a quick nap before FIREWORKS!!

We drove out to Idaho Falls with our friends the Potter's for the annual Melaleuca fireworks show. It's *supposedly* one of the biggest shows this side of the Mississippi...

Don't judge me for my blurry fireworks pictures - I was using my phone.

If you turn down the volume, you won't have to try and guess what we're laughing at.

The drive home from Idaho Falls is always a doozy after the fireworks show. So we opted for going the long-way and driving fast, instead of the short way going 5 mph the whole time. And on that drive we hit 150,000 miles on my car!! It was a big day for everyone :)

So I was a little late with the picture... I was sleeeeepyy.

John and I had a great first Fourth of July together! We got to share it with great friends, and eat good food. It was good times.

[Between the nap and leaving for fireworks we went to eat at Frontier Pies, again. We just love getting our sodas in jars!!]

summertime :)

2011-07-08T19:02:00.000-07:00

I like the summertime.

I do not like being hot. Which I am, 100% of the day in our apartment. I would love for us to be able to move apartments and get a little A/C action... but that probably won't happen. So I'm going to try and be a little less complainy and teach myself how to keep cool without any artificial help. [And to be clear - fans are not artificial... neither is sticking my head in the freezer.]

Think ::popsicle wrappers littering the kitchen floor:: and we'll be on the same page!

Right now I'm heading to Walmart to look for the molds to make your own popsicles, and a large plastic pitcher to make fun summery juice drinks.

Oh, and if your curious about what we did on the Fourth, don't worry. That post is on it's way. As soon as my phone and computer get over themselves and decide to communicate again.


And if you love me, you'll e-mail John and tell him to buy me this puppy!! I call him gerbil-dog :)

what we've been up to...

2011-07-03T21:30:00.000-07:00

Since tomorrow is the Fourth and our activities will probably overshadow the other things we did this weekend I'm going to make you sit through another photo-essay :)

Here are the "book" shelves I put up in our room. What do you think I should display on them? Remember - manly stuff, because they're on John's side.

Look what John left on the bathroom counter!!
How rude.

Oh, and I got a perm! When we went to Utah last weekend I went to see my lovely friend Meg at the Paul Mitchell school and she did an amazing job!!

I made this d.e.l.i.c.i.o.u.s. enchilada recipe the other night. Honey Lime Enchiladas. Try them. Your life will never be the same.

Speaking of food... we love Arby's.

And speaking of things that I made... I wrapped the weird piece of plastic that tops the blinds with burlap. I think it adds a little bit of character to the kitchen :)

For the past few weeks there's been a little bit of road construction by our apartment. Um - scratch that. Since we moved to Rexburg there's been a whole bunch of road construction. It was better for a day, and then we went to the store and saw this:

You can't really tell, but this sign is posted at the only entrance/exit to our complex.

And there are barricades on the street around our complex coming from any direction.

There's one more - but we don't generally drive that way so I haven't gotten a picture of it. Yet. Luckily they left a wide enough space so our car can fit through. Otherwise we'd have to park on the side of the highway and hop the fence.

In other news, we cleaned our kitchen yesterday! I even scrubbed underneath the stove, and soaked the bowl/pan-type things under the coils. They were pretty nasty.

Since the kitchen was so sparkly clean, we didn't want to cook anything and mess it up. So we went to Big Judd's for lunch!

Don't worry - I didn't let him eat it all by himself.

After Big Judd's we went home for a quick nap before going to our first ever Chuckars game!! We went with our friends Shiloh and Trevor. It was super fun! Plus - we got free t-shirts!

Tomorrow we're going to the parade on main street and then having a barbecue with a few couples from our ward. Then we'll go to Idaho Falls to watch the fireworks show!! We're excited, and hope you all have a great Fourth of July!!

because dates are important.

2011-07-01T18:46:00.000-07:00

The day John and I had our first date, a meteor hit the earth. True story. There's even proof.

I was thinking about dates for some reason today. And I wanted to remember when - exactly - we had our first date. It was November 18th, 2009.

Another important date that we I should document in an effort to remember:
the day John proposed - September 14th, 2010

I found this picture on John's camera and decided it's my favorite. Too bad I made us stay up in the mountains for-eh-ver to take a million pictures that mostly just make me laugh now...

learning about ourselves.

2011-06-28T17:20:00.000-07:00

Check this out...

My words were leave, secret, and truth. But what exactly does that say about me?! Maybe that I never leave the house, resulting in a very secret life, and that's the honest truth.

Now, looking at it again I found dread, suicide, and malice. I don't wanna play anymore.

power-tool monday.

2011-06-27T22:44:00.000-07:00

Mondays are lame. But they're made a lot better when I get to use a drill at 11am!!

Have you seen this?

Too cute, right? I fell in love with this idea the minute I laid eyes on it. I knew it would be perfect for John's side of the bed.

If you click the picture above there's an easy 3-step tutorial. This took me all of fifteen minutes to finish. And that included finding all the supplies we bought weeks ago!

I don't have anything cute on them yet... I'm hoping to find some manly things that John won't mind having by his bedside. Seashells and flowers probably wont make the cut, but I'll keep you posted.

Our bedroom is slowly coming together. It's all pretty mix&match right now, and since we're the only people who are ever in there, it's pretty low on the priority list. Here are just a few ideas I'm thinking of for the rest of the room:

This chandelier:

Our light fixture right now makes us both pretty sick. And this is another super easy DIY project. Would you believe it's made from an old lamp shade and wax paper??

These pillows:

We love to play Scrabble. And I think a couple of these inspired pillows would be hilariously perfect for our bed. I'm not the biggest fan of decorative pillows, since they spend half their life on the floor anyway. But I have realized that we need one or two to make things more interesting.

A vanity - like unto this one:

Our bathroom is small. I mean, teeny tiny. I risk dunking my head in the toilet every time I flip it over to blow-dry. And since there's space in our bedroom, I would LOVE to find a sweet little desk to turn into my own personal vanity space. I've seen some with mosquito-net curtains around them that are to.die.for.

And lastly, a headboard.

I don't have any pictures for this. I'm really into the painted iron headboards. I hate footboards, so my goal is to find something cheap at a garage sale or DI/thrift store and spruce it up. Have you ever noticed on Along Came Polly how she uses two twin-size headboards for her bed? I love that idea. So imagine something like that.

As for the walls, I really don't know. I'm already waaaayy over our nail-holes-per-room maximum - so at this point anything goes.

*click the pics for links to source webpages.

a weekend of whoopsies.

2011-06-26T22:49:00.000-07:00

- THURSDAY -
I made this little zippered pouch.

Isn't it cute? It's just plain canvas with a blue zipper, the perfect size for all the random little things that I can NEVER find at the bottom of my purse.

Just one problem...

I put the zipper on upsidedown/backwards/inside-out. I don't know what the right way to say it is. Just wrong.

- THURSDAY NIGHT -
John was teaching me some wrestling moves.

Not like that!

The weird highschool-boys-in-leotards kind of wrestling. And this happened:

Um... yeah. I totally won, btw.

- FRIDAY -
We had to rent a car to drive down to Provo [because mine's in the shop and John's has no A/C]. The Enterprise in Rexburg didn't have any cars. BOTH of the Enterprises in Idaho Falls didn't have any cars either. Apparantly, someone had returned a car to the one in IF, but forgot to put the key in the drop-box. So, not out fault. But still - whoopsies.

- SATURDAY -
We went to an open house for my friend Mikalyn's wedding. The host had these in his backyard:

I might have accidentally told John that he could have one someday. I really should think before I speak...

So... that was our weekend. How was yours?

fill in the blank friday.

2011-06-24T22:50:00.000-07:00

Here we go again...

The last thing I ate was a delicious bacon-y cheeseburger at Fudruckers [it's legit because we're on vacay!] The next thing I'd like to eat is John said something about getting icecream tonight, but he's asleep so I don't think it's gonna happen... pancakes would be nice in the morning. The best things generally involve great people and happy attitudes. Or lots and lots of sugar!! Something that makes me supremely and utterly happy is snuggling with my hubby and *accidentally falling asleep four hours too early. Sports are lame. 100% boring. Unless you are physically at the stadium/arena/whatever and someone is selling hotdogs and cotton-candy. I miss having a pool to float in while I tan. Right now I am a little too wide-awake.

better late than never.

2011-06-24T01:56:00.000-07:00

This is my pops.

His birthday is about a week and a half before Father's Day, so he gets a little spoiled during June. It's one of the many many reasons my family believes in the birthday month.

I really call him "Dad". But he refers to himself as D.O.D. [dear.old.dad]. I'm not sure where he came up with that... but it's how he signs all my cards.

I'm a pretty big fan of his. He cracks me up all the time. He e-mails me pictures of his feet and texts me the scores of hockey games. Sometimes he calls me on accident when he's trying to call my brother. His office has control of all the security surveillance for the building, and last year he saved a video of himself falling in the foyer so he [and everyone else] could watch it. Repeatedly.

For Father's Day this year I sent him a bag of cinnamon bears and black licorice. I love cinnamon bears. I hate black licorice. We both love RedVines too, but those tubs are hard to ship.

I've always been his little princess. It helped that I'm the only little princess.

I got my big feet from him. And my love for puppies. And lots of other traits too. All of the ones my mom swears I didn't get from her.

He's a pretty awesome dad. I sure love him a lot.

today is sponsored by the letter J.

2011-06-22T15:12:00.000-07:00

Oh my gosh, you guys. I actually left the house today! And it wasn't to run errands or do anything necessary [unless, of course, you consider breathing fresh air necessary...]

When John came home from school he found me ~~wallowing~~ napping on the couch. I woke up feeling kinda funky, so I moved to the couch to rest under the rays of sunshine. I probably could have stayed there all day - again - but John said it was a really nice day outside and I could hear the longing in his voice to get out of the house.

So we went on a picnic!!

One of the things I love most about Rexburg [besides corn-on-a-stick] is that there are so many parks and fields and open spaces. Our personal favorite is the duck pond/nature park that's hidden away behind the fairgrounds. It's never very crowded, and there are always always ducks there begging for some of your lunch. It does smell pretty funky in the winter, tho...

Here's a quick peek at our little picnic:

I must admit... it was nice to be outside. And with my three favorite j's... jimmy john's, jamba, and of course my Johnny Monster!! We should definitely make this a habit - only maybe I'll learn how to make picnic-y foods for the future.

Oh, you noticed the loaf of bread, just sitting by the edge of the pond?! Yeah. The ducks weren't very hungry when we were feeding them, so we left it there. I'm sure little duckies like midnight snacks too!!

i hate mondays.

2011-06-20T21:26:00.000-07:00

Mondays are my absolute least favorite days, ever. They always stink. And today was really no different.

John and I both had a rough time falling asleep last night, which could have contributed to our funky moods, but I'll just keep blaming it on the fact that it was Monday.

I did NOT want to wake up. My back's been hurting a lot lately, and sleeping is pretty much the only way to make it stop. [Although the doctor today said I could drink soda with pain-killers to boost their power! So we'll definitely be trying that.] But we had important things to do, so when John got home from school he made me a bubble-bath which is pretty much the nicest thing e.v.e.r.

My car's been acting funky. Leaking things. Over-heating. Needing an oil change. So we made an appointment to have it looked at. Turns out it was in pretty bad shape and needs to have some things replaced inside the engine. I love it when they tell me they have to completely dismantle my car to fix one or two little thingiemaboppers.

Then we headed over to the printing shop to have our thank-you cards printed [finally]. I know, I'm like a month late getting them out already... sorry.

Then we had to go grocery shopping. Which is another one of my least favorite things, but John has to eat. And we all know how cranky I get without sugar in my bloodstream. It wasn't too bad today because we're going to Utah on Friday and I don't have to cook anything for the whole weekend!!

The last errand we had to go on was a doctor's appointment to have them look at my back. They gave me some exercises to do in the hopes that strengthening the muscles will take any stress off my spine and reduce the pain. Let's hope it works!!

Finally we got home, John went off to the gym, and I made some delicious hamburgers. We [and when I say we, I mean John] broke our Griddler last week :(


see how the left side isn't connected?

I'm pretty sure this will only affect the panini-press function, so I'm not very upset. But it did make me nervous that maybe the grease wouldn't drain into the weird little grease-catcher thing. Oh well, I'm sure it's fine!

John practically fell asleep at the table. I guess waking up at 6:30 will do that to you... So he's already in bed. Now I think I'll finish watching Shrek Forever After and then go rearrange our Netflix queue.

I hope your Monday was more interesting than ours.

i like this idea...

2011-06-17T22:53:00.000-07:00

This blog that I read sometimes does this little thing every Friday. She answers the prompts, and then opens it up for everyone else do answer them and link back up. It's so fun to read about what other bloggers everywhere are doing.

So here we go, fill in the blank:

The last movie I saw was Defiance. John and I are watching it right now, actually. I want to watch The Sound of Music. It's been in my head all day - and not just the songs. I know that whole movie by heart! Surprises are great! Especially if they're a puppy!! The best accessory is nothing. I'm so over accessorizing. Unless someone wants to give me a million-dollar gift card to Anthropologie so I can buy all their bags and necklaces. My favorite warm drink is hot chocolate, hands down. My favorite cold drink is water. And soda. And sometimes chocolate milk. Currently loving Pinterest and Polyvore and bulldog puppies.

There you go! Those are current random facts about me. Pretty cool, huh?

done.

2011-06-17T22:18:00.001-07:00

In less than 15 minutes. You're impressed, I know.

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midnight snack.

2011-06-17T22:02:00.001-07:00

There are 4 tacos in this bag. And the best part is: THEY'RE ALL FOR MEEEEE!!!!

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also...

2011-06-16T22:08:00.000-07:00

This just happened:

there are no little jobs, just little people. teeny tiny little people.

2011-06-16T21:34:00.000-07:00

Yes. I rented and watched Gulliver's Travels [with Jack Black]. And he says that, at the end of the movie. "There are no little jobs, just little people." Which kind of made me feel like a snob because there are some places I just don't want to work. Mostly anywhere involving food.

I dunno. Maybe the universe is just trying to teach me a lesson. I could probably find a job likity-split if I opened myself up to being a fry-cooker. But really?! I just can't do it.

So I'm sorry universe, but you're just going to have to try a little harder if you want me flippin' burgers.

honeymoon planning.

2011-06-14T23:27:00.000-07:00

John and I want to go on a *real* honeymoon. We're not willing to accept the 15-hour drive in a u-haul truck as anything more than awkward and uncomfortable.

So imagine how amazing it would be if we won this trip! It's a 7-day trip to PARIS!! The hotel and airfare are sponsored, so we'd only have to worry about feeding ourselves and getting around town.

Jordan from Oh Happy Day is the genius behind this giveaway, so go check her out!! I love her blog. You will too!!

[But don't enter the giveaway - John and I don't need any more competition!! haha.]

while john's away...

2011-06-14T22:45:00.000-07:00

Today, while John's been at work, I have done absolutely nothing productive. It's sad and pathetic. I've started watching a show on Netflix called Earth 2. It's about this group of people in the future that are trying to settle a new planet. It's full of bad acting and awkward story lines. So naturally, I love it. And, the episodes are 43 minutes long. Awesome.

My stomach feels really weird right now. Which is deterring me from doing the things that John asked me to do before he gets home. Maybe he won't notice...

do you see what i see?

2011-06-13T15:21:00.000-07:00

Look closely.

It's there, I promise.

Can you figure it out??

John is SO MEAN! He took my fruit roll-ups and stuck them on the highest possible surface.

Not that I can't just climb up on the counter and get them down... it's the principle!! He says I have to do good deeds to earn them.

He also says that a puppy is worth ten million good deeds.

I better start working!!

completely addicted.

2011-06-10T06:57:00.001-07:00

http://market.android.com/details?id=com.bayview.tapfish

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two-month-iversary.

2011-06-09T20:34:00.001-07:00

Today marks a whopping TWO MONTHS of married life! We are so impressed with ourselves.

To celebrate this momentous occasion, we took a little trip to Idaho Falls. And we all know that no trip to IF is complete without a Horkley's and some candy :)

We headed to the mall for some Muscle Milk [for John, duh.] and got a little side-tracked at PacSun. They were having a sale. We left with a couple new shirts. Each. One of mine only cost $2.50! Which sort of balanced out John getting a not-on-sale shirt.

After PacSun we did a little more browsing, and then headed over to Lenscrafters to try on some frames. John needs new glasses and I'm trying to convince him that he wants thick frames. But what we learned is that I NEED some old-school Ray-Ban frames. Maybe I just learned that by myself...

I also made John go to some furniture stores to look for a desk that I can use as a craft table. Right now I'm using a folding-table from Target. Which we just bought today. I had been using our dining table for my sewing-station, but that was getting a little too messy.

Once all our errands were finished we headed over to the Mongolian Grill for dinner. So yummy!!

Mmmmmmmmmmm.

And then - because Idaho is just so happy to have John and I living here and wanted to congratulate us on two happy months - a fabulous rainbow followed us all the way home to Rexburg!!

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first day of work. i wish!

2011-06-09T12:12:00.000-07:00

I've recently discovered Polyvore.

It's an amazing website - kind of like Pinterest - where you can collect your favorite things in one handy location. But what's different is you can then piece them together!! I made this outfit today - and you can expect to see a LOT more posts like this.

first day of work by Squyd featuring leather handbags

honest is the very best policy.

2011-06-07T19:57:00.000-07:00

I don't have a job.

But I like to sew things.

I made this tote bag today.

The lighting is funky in my apartment. So the colors look weird here. It's plain canvas with hot pink stripes on the pocket, back side, and straps.

please ignore the un-made bed.

Do you think it's cute?

Would you buy it?

Would your friends buy it?

Would you buy it for your friends?

I need to know.

I'd really like to start selling things on Etsy and/or at the Farmer's Market here in Rexburg. But I'm a teensy-bit nervous that nobody will like what I make. The tote bags are fun and really big. They can be customized with all sorts of things... different patterns, funky-fabric linings, buttons, monograms, phrases... the options are only limited to my artistic skills.

I also want to start making cute little half-aprons, but I need to stock-up on fancy fabrics first.

This isn't going to be my whole life's work. I just think it would be fun to do on the side. I'm not expecting to support myself and John by selling crafts on the internet.

Anyway, please let me know what you think. And be honest.

love scrabble.

2011-06-07T16:15:00.001-07:00

This was our two-month-iversary present.

We play Words with Friends alllll the time, so I thought a real Scrabble board would be fun to have.

And yes, it rotates :)

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kentucky fried chicken.

2011-06-06T23:11:00.000-07:00

Today, after standing in front of the counter at KFC for at least five minutes, one of the workers noticed us and said,

"I'm sorry. I didn't hear you sneak in."

John and I are still trying to figure out how walking in through the front door qualifies as sneaking in.

corn-on-a-stick!!

2011-06-03T19:26:00.000-07:00

MMmmMmMMmMmmm. Fridays are the best day to live in Rexburg. This is why:

It's good.

Real good.

REEEAALLL good.

Someone told us last week that corn doesn't have a whole lot of nutritional value. Whatever. We'll be eating this every Friday until October.

After our corn-on-a-stick we headed down to the duck pond. We love it there. Especially in the summer when it doesn't smell like a bucket of duck poop. We took our engagement pictures there. And we used to make-out there a lot when we were dating. And it's where I told John that I love him for the first time.

Can you see the duckies?!

It was SUCH a pretty day.

you love us, right?!

2011-06-02T19:46:00.000-07:00

I really want a bike. [I just decided this earlier today.] I don't know what I'll do with it or where I'll ride it, but I need to have it in my possession. So I logged on to Urban Outfitters and designed one with pretty colors and a bell.

I think it looks pretty and spring-time-y and I especially think it will win me lots and lots of friends.

The UO Bike Shop customizer thing is really fun. And since John has been telling me he should have a bike to ride to school since before we moved here - I thought I'd design one for him too. [I'm such a nice wifey.] This is the manly one I made for him.

You can only kind of tell, but his tires and hand-grips and chain are dark blue.

Needless to say we would look smokin' hott riding down the street on these babies. So, if you're feeling über generous, you should buy these bikes for us.

I should probably mention that the last time I had a bike in Rexburg I never ever locked it up, which resulted in it being STOLEN. [Right here in River City!] But don't let that deter you from purchasing a brand-spankin' new one for me. In my defense that bike was awesome and had Miller Lite stickers all over it. So it probably would have been stolen whether it was locked up or not.

dear las vegas,

2011-06-01T15:54:00.000-07:00

Rexburg is getting a waterpark.

Did you hear me??

REXBURG is getting a WATERPARK.

This tiny little town in Idaho, that only barely gets three months of real sunshiney days, is getting a waterpark. And you, you big metropolis, with your 100º mornings and seven month long summers, don't have one.

That's all I have to say about that.

love, Syd

i give up.

2011-05-30T21:28:00.000-07:00

Somehow, my two g-mail profiles have been linked together so I can't, and I mean CAN'T log on to my old Blogger dashboard. I also can't follow any blogs using the account that's linked to this one.

Confused? Yeah - me too.

For some reason, whenever I log on to the Blogger dashboard it takes me to this blog... BUT if I go gallivanting around the blog-iverse and try to follow a blog I like, it links it to my old account. The one I can't get into.

I'm frustrated.

date day friday!

2011-05-28T21:28:00.000-07:00

Yesterday when John came home from school we had some errands to run. But not just any errands... IDAHO FALLS ERRANDS!! They're my favorite kind. Mostly because it means I get to spend bunches and bunches of time with my hubby, and getting out of Rexburg is pretty great too!

So, we started off the day with another trip to the Sprint store. That's right. It's only been a month since I lost my phone at the mall and I already broke the new one. But it was quick and painless this time.

After that we went to Sam's Club for lunch. We're classy like that. And John wanted to get some muscle milk for his trips to the gym. We also made him an eye-appointment for next Saturday. [I'm pushing for some big old-fashioned thick rimmed grandpa glasses!] And maybe picked up some snacky-snacks...

Once our bellies were full we went to a used book store to find some oldy moldy books for a project I'm working on. Don't worry, I'll show you when I'm done :)

Then it was off to Target!! I love Target. It's great. We needed a few random things, including but not limited to: face wash, swiffer refills, and kitchen towels.

Once we got back to Rexburg we went straight to the farmer's market behind Taco Bell. I know, best place for a farmer's market ever! The only real reason to go is for the corn-on-a-stick. It's heaven. On a stick. I love it. But I thought that maybe I should try to sell something crafty there... it could be fun. I'll keep you posted on what I decide.

For dinner we went to Frontier Pies. It's a country restaurant that's been in Rexburg longer than I've lived here - but yesterday was my first time. Loved it! John was über excited because they serve soda in mason jars.

I have to admit - it was really nice not having to wait for refills.

lemme take yo pictcha!

2011-05-28T20:32:00.000-07:00

I found some pictures to share with you all!!

John found this poster I made as a YW project while we were cleaning/packing my room. Man - I'm good.

Here are some long-lost pictures from our honeymoon!! The first is a view from our hotel room, and the second is a shot of me doing the "cotton candy dance"!!

Remember the great adventure we had with John's car our first week back in Rexburg? It was quite the doozy! Here's a shot of Juniper on the tow-truck:

And a few more pictures from our fancy dinner at The Roof:

Aren't we soooo cute?!

One day I'll get over my lazy-itis and dig my fancy camera out of it's box so you get a little better quality images. Until then, just squint your eyes and turn your head a little to the left.

get that corn outta my face!!

2011-05-27T17:57:00.000-07:00

I love living in Rexburg for two reasons:
1 - This is where John is.
2 - Corn on a stick at the Farmer's Market.

I would show you a picture of the deliciousness, but I ate it too fast. I'll try again next week.

home alone.

2011-05-26T22:00:00.000-07:00

John works nights. His shifts are every other two days, from 8-12pm. Except if he works on a Friday - then he usually gets home around 11:45.

Which leaves me all by my lonesome for up to 20 hours a week. In the middle of the night. When there's nothing else to do but sit on my bum, surf the internet, and watch Eureka on Netflix.

Sometimes I do crafts. Sometimes I sleep. Sometimes I watch other shows or the occasional movie.

But recently - I've been browsing Pinterest. It. Is. Awesome. It's like a huge conglomerate of all the internet's best stuff. And it's a great way to organize everything I find and want to remember.

So - the moral of this story is that you should check out Pinterest. And that I should really find a job.

dinner at The Roof.

2011-05-25T13:41:00.000-07:00

You've all seen the pictures... a pretty bride, standing next to a window overlooking the Salt Lake Temple. They're everywhere. And to be honest - I was sick of it. Because I had no freaking idea where they were taking those pictures from.

But it's ok. I figured it out.

They're on the top floor of the Joseph Smith Memorial building. At the most genius idea for a restaurant ever. The Roof is a buffet. But not just any buffet. It's a delicious buffet.

Did I mention that the desserts are buffet-style too? :) MmMMmMmMMmmm.

Anyway - John and I had a fancy dinner there to remedy the fact that we didn't eat any fancy food during our stay at Aria.

The windows were a little dirty... but this is the spectacular view from the dining area! When we first got there all the shades were down, but about thirty minutes into dinner the sun went low enough for them to open the lovely view. It was incredible.

And Moroni is a lot more impressive when you can see his face, let me tell ya!

what you've all been waiting for...

2011-05-25T13:32:00.000-07:00

The dresser!! It's finally finished! And I just LOVE it. I couldn't be happier with the way it turned out!

While John and I were in Utah, I dragged... drug... forced him into Anthropologie to look at drawer knobs. And we hit the jackpot! They had all the ones I'd found online and started coveting. I was so happy. I probably stood there for twenty minutes trying to pick out the most perfect knob of each design.

Here they are:

They're a little blurry - because I took the pictures with my phone. But aren't they all so perfect?!!

And here's what the dresser looks like now:

Well, basically. I switched the top two knobs for the ones on the bottom drawer - it helps with the awkward tiny-drawer dimensions.

I officially LOVE this dresser now. I'm so glad I decided to bring it up to Idaho with us and so SO glad we painted it that nice dark grey color. It made such a difference in our mix&match living room furniture. Things are actually starting to look like they belong :)

Now - if I could only motivate myself to finish filling the bookshelves the whole room might look a little bit more presentable!

um... yeah.

2011-05-24T19:16:00.000-07:00

I can't be trusted with fancy electronics.

First, I lost my phone.

Then, I messed up my SD card, rendering my phone almost useless.

Now, I water-logged my phone, rendering it completely useless.

That's it. I'm going Amish... tomorrow.

on the road again...

2011-05-20T11:14:00.001-07:00

I just can't wait to get on the road again...

That's a lie. I hate being in the car. John doesn't like it either, because I don't let him listen to his books on tape and then I fall asleep anyway.

BUT - we're on our way to Utah! It's my friend Mikalyn's bridal shower tomorrow, so I'm gonna do that and John gets to play with his buddies Timmy Rich and Garrett and Aubri. At least I think that's what his plan is... We're also going to have dinner with my friend Meagan and her hubby!

On a separate note - I think I broke my ear. Is that possible? I heard a really loud crack in there this morning and now it hurts. But I can hear just fine. Weird, right?

I thought so.

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fancy schmancy.

2011-05-18T16:35:00.001-07:00

I love my sewing machine! It does all the hard work for me. I just need to learn to keep my fingers out of the way :)

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my phone loves me again.

2011-05-17T17:34:00.000-07:00

Prepare yourselves for pictures.

I finally figured out what was wrong with my SD card. It just didn't want to be my SD card anymore. So I replaced it.

Tough love, people.

adventures in the kitchen.

2011-05-16T21:29:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a BAD day for me. It started with me feeling yucky at church and making John bring me home early and it ended with one hot-oatmealy-foot and one cold-pickle-juicy-foot. Traumatic.

I made breakfast-for-dinner last night. John had waffles and I decided to have oatmeal. Well, as I was sitting down on the couch to get all cozy and eat my healthy goop the bowl slipped out of my hands and fell upside-down on top of my foot!! Ugh. It was grody. Oatmeal is really hard to clean out of oatmeal-colored carpet. Lucky for me, John swooped in to save the day. Unlucky for me the oatmeal was still pretty hot and my poor toesies were suffering. So I thought what better way to make me and my toes feel better than to munch on some pickles?? Pickles are my fave. I hobbled over to the fridge, grabbed the jar, and hobbled back to the couch. But this was a brand-new jar, so I had to rip off the plastic seal and unscrew the lid - which is always a little tricky the first time - and I spilled pickle juice all over my lap and my non-oatmealy foot. Did I mention that I'd changed pants between these events? I was a mess. All I wanted was a little snack and the universe was playing all these tricks on me.

Needless to say I went straight to bed sobbing like a little kid. That's when John swooped in to rescue me [again]. He's such a stud. I just love it when he holds me and runs his fingers through my hair and kisses my poor sad little face.

Today was better. Probably because I didn't try to eat anything on the couch... I perused the internet and applied for some jobs in Idaho Falls until John came home from school. Then we had Arby's for lunch and by dinner time I was ready to brave the kitchen. Spaghetti didn't sound so hard. While I was cooking the ground beef I asked John to fill and pot with water and put it on the stove. So he did just that. Just that. He didn't turn the stove on to boil the water. Then after all the spaghetti was cooked and ready and on the table John said, "I want garlic bread too." So I huffed - like a good little wifey - and preheated the oven. When I opened the 425° oven to put the bread in I found a smoking pizza box. John had put our leftovers in there from Saturday and I didn't notice it. [I'm actually under the impression that I'm the only one who uses the kitchen, which is completely not true, but it's a whole different world inside my noggin.] I freaked out thinking it was on fire and grabbed the oven mitt - spilling the bag of spaghetti noodles in the process. At this point John was just laughing. So I charged him. And then stumbled over the trash bag and his feet trying not to spill the juice he was holding.

It was pretty hilarious. It was the kind of moment that makes you wish you had a hidden camera so you could go back and watch it later.

Today's moral? For all my efforts to make dinner on a semi-regular basis, I really don't belong in the kitchen.

official idaho-ean-ites.

2011-05-14T20:55:00.000-07:00

Yep. That's right. We are OFFICIAL residents of the Potato State.

I think it's actually called the Gem State. But potatoes are more delicious, so I'm gonna go with that.

I don't really know what the legal requirements are that make a person a resident of any given state - but I'm basing our Idaho residency on the facts that we live here, I have an Idaho driver's license, and we registered both of our cars in Idaho yesterday.

Here's the proof:

Go ahead. Be jealous of our awesomeness.

super cute projects.

2011-05-14T14:02:00.000-07:00

I found these ah-mazing diy projects while I was laying around being sick today. I wish I was this awesome.

I'm absolutely in love with that bookshelf. You can find the whole article on the soda crate display stand here. And for the bookshelf and wall cabinet here. You know, in case you wanted to see the full transformation.

That's all.

john's taking a nap.

2011-05-13T18:22:00.000-07:00

Which leaves me all alone to surf the internet for things that I don't need but really think I should have anyway.

Here they are:

from anthropologie

from urban outfitters

from sandwich

from express

from gap

And that's only the beginning. I would, however, like to point out that the items from Anthropologie, Express, and Gap are all on sale. That's how I limit myself... otherwise we could be here for days.

. . .

John woke up and we went to Nielsen's Frozen Custard :) It was delicious. But I can never finish an entire ice cream treat. It's a blessing in disguise, I guess.

oH! I also really really LOVE this rug from Anthropologie and we NEED it for our bedroom. Or the living room. Or both, because I love it that much!!

free time.

2011-05-10T22:45:00.000-07:00

Have I mentioned that I don't have a job?

It's true. All that hard work in college and still no one wants to hire me. Sad day.

Anyway - the UPside to not working is having loooooads of free time to do whatever my little heart desires. The only problem is that my little heart desires to be at the mall all day buying myself cute dresses and there aren't really any pretty dress shops in The Burg. So instead I go to Walmart and surf the interwebs and watch Nacho Libre over and over again until I've got John singing along to the song about Ramses...

I do however dabble in crafty things - as you may remember from my last post. And today is no different. I am painting the crusty old dresser in the living room a dark grey color. Mostly because none of our furniture matches, and also because it has about twelve different wood variations that just confuse me. So... the idea is to make it look like this [sort-of]:

I say sort-of because it's not really that shape, but the color and the knobs are what I'm trying to show you. Anthropologie.com has this tricky little helper where you can stick their fancy knobs on pieces of furniture to see what they'll look like. It's pretty awesome. I spend hours on it every ~~day~~ week. :/

It's this dresser, the one hiding behind the world's most awesome couch:

It has three drawers and a little cabinet door at the bottom that you can't see here, but that's where we hide the internet modem and router and the printer.

So far I've painted the drawers and the door, and I must say it is looking pretty amazing!! I got the paint at Walmart [the only place to go! literally.] and it had some goofy name like Greyhound Bus or Charcoal Dust.

It's called Garden Urn. I was so close.

Anyway - I'm hoping to finish all the painting tomorrow, so I'll try to get a picture of the nearly-finished project up by the end of the week. I know you're all at the edge of your seats... But you'll have to wait a little while for the real deal since I'm too chickeny to buy the drawer knobs online. And with no job I'm a little hesitant to fork out the $6-8 a pop. Marriage has made me so boring and responsible. :(

Well - John's almost home from work, so I better go get our midnight snack of milk & oreos ready. Let me know if you wanna come help me paint tomorrow :)

one month!!

2011-05-10T11:44:00.000-07:00

We made it!

Hallelujah!

After the first crazy week and a half of our married life things really started to settle down. We are now totally moved in and unpacked - minus the boxes of office supplies that I'm still avoiding. And the one in the kitchen...

Ok - so I still have some rearranging and decorating to do... but who doesn't?!

John's been doing really well in school and kind of likes his job. He does the night lock-up on campus. Which basically means he wanders around until 11:30 and then goes and locks the doors to all the buildings and makes sure no one's inside. It's boring. I went to visit him the other day [and maybe sneak him out for ice cream... shhhh!] and he pretty much does nothing. He claims to do his reading assignments and other homework-y stuff, but I don't have any proof of that...

I still don't have a job. So I pretty much just sit on my booty and surf the internet for job postings in the greater Rexburg area all day.

I also do random crafty things.

like paint this mirror...

and hang pictures...

and use wedding decor to spruce-up my living room!

and hang shelves in our teeny tiny bathroom...

and design artwork for my momma!!


and make fancy pillowcases! that don't match our bedspread :(

And sometimes when I'm feeling nice I cook dinner for John.

like this too-cheesey lasagna...

and questionable huevos rancheros...

and the eggplant parmigiana from last night that turned out DELICIOUS!

Overall we are having a FANTASTIC time being married and getting to know each other on this whole new level. I was a little worried in the beginning that it would be too much for us to be together all.the.time since we'd spent so much time apart, but it's been the exact opposite. I can't imagine life without this guy. He makes me smile everyday - even when I don't want to. He brings me treats and rubs my feet and forces me to be healthy and exercise. It's great! [minus the exercising.]

There are still a few things we have to figure out... like ways to keep his flailing arms from breaking my nose while we sleep. [His solution is that I wear a helmet and I say we strap his arms to his sides... any other suggestions?!] And how to fit all the food we buy in the teensey-weensey pantry.

To wrap things up - here's a look at what we did today:

NACHOOOOOO!!!

cooking is so hot right now...

2011-05-08T17:51:00.001-07:00

Literally.

I just attempted to make eggplant parmigiana for the first time, and whoa-momma!! I may have actually broken a sweat. I can't tell from all the tomato splatter and oil all over the kitchen and my shirt...

but I can tell you that I am enjoying a nice rest on the couch with my mother's-day-Pepsi in hand :)

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what married people do.

2011-05-05T11:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was DATE NIGHT WEDNESDAY!! [woot woot.]

While John and I were dating we created a schedule for the week... mostly so we wouldn't eat at Taco Bell six times over the course of four days. This is how it panned out: cheap chicken Monday [fried chicken at the grocery store], awesome Arby's Tuesday, date night Wednesday, and Taco Bell Friday. [We took a break on Thursdays - and I was taking a photo class that went on some action-packed fieldtrips, rendering me completely useless by the time I got back.]

Unfortunately, this fast-food regimen didn't bode well with our metabolisms. So we've since had to eliminate all but our weekly date night. And John's job means that we have to switch up the day every week. BUT yesterday it just so happened that we were going on a real-live-honest-to-goodness date night Wednesday!

[We cheated a little bit and had lunch from McDonald's for a pre-date night treat.]

Around six we headed up to the Teriyaki Express for dinner. mmMmmmMMm. Then we went to the Craze to play mini golf! There were some very heavy wagers on this game - I won't share them - but they made it a LOT more fun when I started off the game kicking John's booty!! Eventually, I lost my luck and actually hit a person with my golf ball. Needless to say there was a little bit of tension when I had to make some adjustments to the placement of things [i.e. John's ball].

Eventually we decided that it was a tie, and we got some cupcakes to celebrate.

To end the night right we stopped by Horkley's for a soda and a movie and snuggled-up on the couch. I still don't understand The Tourist, but I do really enjoy seeing Johnny Depp on a boat :)

failure.

2011-05-01T16:32:00.000-07:00

I tried to get a driver's license with my new name on it the other day but I couldn't :(

Turns out, you have to re-take the written portion of the test before they'll issue a new driver's license in the state of Idaho. And I didn't pass. I would feel about about it, except some rules are different here. So I picked up the book to study from to ensure that I pass next time. [And, no, I haven't opened it yet.]

I would, however, like the world to know that I failed on the very last question. You have to answer 34 of 40 to pass. But silly me - I skipped all the hard ones for last thinking I would just answer enough of them right so I didn't have to worry about the hard ones. But NOOOO. I missed 6 before the very last question, and then I missed that one too.

Sad day.

official stuff...

2011-04-28T20:06:00.001-07:00

The other day John and I went down to campus to get my spouse i-card... it's basically just for me to use the gym on campus.

BUT we also went down to the social security office to OFFICIALLY change my name.

Pretty cool, huh?

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do you believe in the easter bunny?!

2011-04-27T22:25:00.000-07:00

Yep. I'm that cheesey. I'm gonna blog about our first holiday together as man and wifey.

It was EASTER!!

Big surprise, I know. Anyway... John does NOT believe in the Easter Bunny. I was very upset when I learned that. It almost made me rethink this whole eternity thing - KIDDING!

But I was really bummed out. Easter has always been really fun at my house. Thanks to my mom and her killer basket-hiding skills [that year with the string? genius!] So I wanted to do something special for John to get him into the whole Pagan-y side of the holiday. It only kind-of worked. I'm not as awesome as my mom is - YET!

I pretty much forgot it was Easter until Saturday, and then I was too lazy to go to Walmart during the day [and I didn't want John to come with me so it would all be a surprise] so I went after he left for work. BAD IDEA. Living in a town with one Walmart and waiting to do holiday shopping until 10pm the night before is not a good recipe. There were people everywhere and the shelves were ridiculously bare :( But I managed to find a few tasty treats and a small basket to fill up for John.

Then! the Easter Bunny showed up and gave me a copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows to add to the basket and told me that John could have a new pair of brown dress shoes too, but we'd have to go shopping for them ourselves since he was so busy that night, what with all the egg hiding and basket delivering and posing for chocolate sculptures...

Anyway - John got home before I could finish the basket and I tried to hold him off until morning but how was I supposed to say "No, you cannot come into the living room and snuggle with me after a long night of work because I am busy creating a treat for you that you can't have for another six hours"??! I just couldn't do it. So he immediately tore into all the candy and treats and I finished making a little banner for the wall and then we went to bed before the sugar coma could get us.

that's the banner - nothing special. just to make John believe!

It was a really nice time, but it would have been better if I'd finished before John got home so I could have hidden the basket and put all the decorations up while he was sleeping so it really looked like the Easter Bunny came during the night to do everything instead of just stopping by like he did...

When we woke up on Sunday morning we had to get ready for our first day in our new ward. It was really exciting - until we got there and it was 10 minutes early and we couldn't figure out where to go. Apparently there are 4 wards in our building that meet at the same time and nothing is really marked of where you should go, so we wandered around and then I finally asked some people with a cute baby and they were in our ward so we just followed them. And then I found five dollars.

Church was really nice. We went to the new member's class to meet all the other new people in the ward and some of the important figures [Bishop, Exec. Secretary, RS Pres. etc] and there are a lot of really neat couples in the ward so we're really excited! There was a special musical program during Sacrament and it was really beautiful and spiritually moving and a great way to remember that Easter isn't ALL about candy and bunnies. I also colored a picture.

After church we came home and took a nap :) Then it was time for me to get dinner started. We had ribs and corn on the cob. I'd marinated the ribs the night before - it was SO GROSS cutting them up and squishing them in the barbecue juice...


blec.

They started to look a little tastier as they cooked...

this is about 20 min. before they were done. so juicy and delicious!

i don't have a beautiful platter for meaty things... but this is Easter dinner!

I'm not a professional-enough chef to make more than two things at each meal - and we're lucky if I get both of them done at the same time! We had to microwave the corn because it had cooled down too much by the time the ribs were ready... I really should have taken the ribs out sooner because they were just a little dry. I cut the recipe in half, so I think next time I make these I'll make more marinade and cook them a little less... if we die of food poisoning you'll know why!

For dessert I made SHMEEPS!! They're smores. With peeps!!! I love peeps. They're my absolute FAVORITE way to eat sugar. Think about it... they're basically sticky whipped sugar covered in sparkly PINK sugar shaped like snuggly chicks and bunnies. What could be more delicious?!!?!?!

they start out life like this...

and then you SMOOSH them and gobble it up!! i ate 3.

That pretty much sums-up our Easter. We read the Easter story - skipping around the different accounts to read our favorite parts - and watched Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. It was a really great first holiday together and now that I've got John's foot in the door on this whole Easter Bunny/Santa Claus/unicorns thing the next few Pagan holidays should be a blast!!

:)

2011-04-25T15:09:00.001-07:00

impressive, huh?

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week one.

2011-04-25T11:15:00.000-07:00

i'm blogging right now because i don't want to put my clothes away.

in our first week of marriage John and I were fortunate enough to experience a great many things...

we drove 700+ miles in a U-haul.
and experienced the extreme opposites in hotels.
we shopped for furniture.
and spent days putting it all together.
we were stranded on the side of the busiest street in Rexburg.
and spent two and a half days without a car.
we [read I] lost a cell phone.
and wondered what the world is coming to if there are THIEVES in Idaho Falls...
we get in fist fights [the nice kind].
and rarely eat vegetables with dinner [I claim no responsibility if he dies of scurvy].

as bad as it all seemed while it was happening, we really can't complain. we have a nice-ish apartment and plenty of furniture to fill it up. we have a bed and clothes [that I still need to put away] and food in the pantry. we have each other, in the same place, at the same time, which is really REALLY awesome. we're blessed. we can't ignore that. so whatever happens next, we'll be ready. we'll be fine. and we'll come out laughing [probably].

*since I lost my cell phone, there won't be any pictures from the honeymove or from the first few days at our apartment. i'm sorry. just use your imagination.

the BIG day.

2011-04-20T16:04:00.000-07:00

John and I have officially been married for ELEVEN DAYS! haha. That seems like such a joke compared to the lady I met in Utah who was going on 52 years with her hubby... but we'll get there, eventually.

Our wedding was ah-maz-ing! I loved every minute of the day [except maybe waking up at 7 to start getting ready]. My fabulously pregnant friend Rachel came over bright and early - and against her doctor's strict bed rest orders - to do my hair. And my gorgeously talented friend Jaime came over to do my make-up. I've known both these girlies since forever and I am SOOO grateful for them. I'm not the greatest when it comes to having my hair and make-up done, but these girls are so great and know me so well that I didn't have to worry about coming out looking like a completely different person! And the result was fabulous, if I do say so myself!

After all the prep work was done, John and I drove out to the temple with my mom and Grandma Hazel and started going through all the paperwork to make sure we were all set to be married. The lady helping us was very impressed with how we had everything all organized and ready. She said that another couple had forgotten to bring their marriage license and some other documents to the temple that morning and so things were a little crazy for them - yikes!

But, their poor planning worked out for us in the end! That couple ended up being right ahead of us to be married by the same sealer, so we were about 15 minutes behind schedule. While we were waiting John and I had the opportunity to finish the last two chapters of the Book of Mormon. We'd been reading it together throughout our engagement and really wanted to finish before we were married, and we did! With about two minutes to spare!! So - I'm sorry if anyone was a little upset by the time delay for our ceremony - but it really was a blessing-in-disguise for us!

After the sealing I went down to the bride's dressing room and put on my amazing dress. I love that dress! I'm kind of bummed I don't have another reason to wear it :( And Rachel was there to help re-do my hair. [My hair hates being curled. It tends to fall straight about 25 minutes after being done, necessitating having Rachel pretty much on-call all day]. After I was all dolled-up it was time to take pictures outside the temple! We had a friend from BYU-I come down and shoot our wedding. It was so nice actually knowing the photographer, Kristopher Orr [no relation!]. And he brought my good friend Blake along to assist! I was soooo glad that Blakey could be there!

Right before John and I stepped out of the temple, the rain cleared up and there was a beautiful cloud-cover. PERFECT for taking pictures in the middle of the day, when the sun usually casts some awful-looking shadows on faces.

After everyone dispersed, John and I stayed to take some more pictures with Topher and Blake. We had a lot of fun, and I can't wait to see them! [I'll post a link as soon as I can!]

Then, we headed down to the "Fabulous LAS VEGAS" sign to take a couple pictures with our bridesmaids and groomsmen. As a local, it's kind of unbelievable that I'd never done that before, but I'm SO glad we did for our wedding!

After all the pictures were done, most of us headed back to my house to rest and finish setting up the backyard for the reception. IT LOOKED AMAZING! Seriously, if you'd ever seen my backyard before, you might not have recognized it! The lights and tables and decorations looked INCREDIBLE! [Thank you to everyone who helped! And especially my lovely aunts who were there Friday night AND all day Saturday to help get everything ready!!]

Rachel came back to touch-up my hair one last time before the reception started, and my friend Aubri was there to help me get into my dress!! That lace-up back was tough work!

Once John and I [and everyone else] were all spiffied up, we went outside to see the finished product. And WOW. I know I said it before, but the backyard looked amazing. The food smelled delicious [I never did get a hotdog :( sad day]. And everyone there was totally stylin'!!

It was a FANTASTIC day. We were completely overwhelmed by all the people who came to show their love and support for us. Especially all those who traveled so far!!

Here are just a few pictures [via my Aunt Lori's facebook!] of the reception. I PROMISE to post more as I get them :)

that large cupcake-shaped thing in the center - ME!


we wrapped all the silverware in vintage-y looking handkerchiefs! they turned out SO cute. please ignore the dirt.

mmMMMmMmmmMMMMmmmmMm.

super simple centerpieces and ah-maz-ing lights.

coming soon: the first week as Mr. and Mrs.!! It was quite the adventure, let me tell you!

i never did finish reading that countdown chain...

2011-04-17T19:36:00.001-07:00

Sorry baby.

BUT we did finish building all of our stuff from Ikea. And our kitchen table from Target. And we hung up our ginormous clock. And the plate rack. And the bathroom is about 95% complete.

Now we just have to finish putting away all our clothes, filling the bookshelves with all our smarty-pants books, organizing the kitchen, setting up the office, hanging up pictures, and arranging the living room so it looks normal.

We also have to go grocery shopping.

Other than that though, we are all moved in and ready for John to start school on Tuesday.

Then maybe I'll start looking for a job :)

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my baby gots a job!!

2011-04-17T19:28:00.001-07:00

he's so cute in his uniform :)

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i love tomorrow.

2011-03-26T19:14:00.000-07:00

tomorrow john will drive away from san diego for the very last time.
he will show up on my doorstep around eleven.
this is the second to last time that he'll be doing that before we get MARRIED.

i'm just a little bit excited.

there's still a lot of stuff to do before the wedding.
and there's a half-finished list around here somewhere.
i should probably find it and get everything else checked off, huh?

i just want him for his body.

2011-03-22T21:54:00.000-07:00

that was one of the reasons John loves me this week... and i figure it's all good as long as he's ok with it!! :)
he also loves my guppy face, which is a smooshed up version of the traditional fishy face.
he loves how we sometimes just lock pinkies instead of holding hands.
and pulling my hair.

slacker.

2011-01-26T00:19:00.000-08:00

i have a pile of "reasons that John loves me" sitting next to my computer waiting to be recorded. i also have pictures of our trip to Utah just chillaxin on my phone waiting to be uploaded. and i have some wedding news :)

John loves:
- that i name inanimate objects.
- that i'm patient with his cynicism.
- watching me fall asleep on skype.
- the IDEA of having twelve babies with me.
- my awesome dance moves.
- that i love the disney channel.
- that we both love pickles!
- that we both love Jesus!
- that we both love German pancakes! [not necessarily in that order, of course.]
- that i have an English degree.
- the way my voice sounds when i'm sleepy.

I love:
- that John will drive through the night so i can sleep during long roadtrips :)
- listening to John sing along to the radio.
- that John doesn't complain when i burrow my icy-cold toes under his bum to keep them warm!
- talking about our future together.
- planning out all of our pretend honeymoons.
- that he asks for my help on his homework... sometimes :P
- the way he talks to my dad about politics and sports and manly stuff.
- listening to him recite D&C scripture masteries to help my mom for seminary.
- that he always makes a mess when he eats.
- the way his head kind of tilts to the side when he's reading.
- the way he always kisses me on the cheek when he's leaving.

and now, Utah!
we drove up on Thursday night and had dinner with two of my old roommates and their fellas!! we probably should have taken a picture. whoops!

Meagan and her hubby Jordan were nice enough to let us stay with them! it was a lot easier being able to stay in the same place, instead of two completely different towns like we were planning on doing. they're the BEST!!

on Friday we got a late start so our first stop was lunch at J Dawgs in Provo. YUM!

then we went ice-skating at the Peaks Ice Arena. i love that my feet look small and dainty next to John's!!


he pushed me into the wall right here so i was just a little grumpy. i have bruises on my arm and knee as proof.

after ice-skating we wandered around the mall for a while. then we went to Nickel City to meet my friend Brian for some fun! this is John playing a 360° game. it was really funny to watch - but you get really disoriented with your face inside the helmet-thing!

we went back to the mall on Saturday. this is my shake from Iceberg. John and I eat. we eat a lot.

that night we drove up to Salt Lake with Tim and Aubri for dinner at The Pie and a walk around Temple Square. the boys were a little over-excited to see each other. it had been a long time since they had been together.

and then Tim dropped John on the ground.

oh, and John bought this at an antique store in Cedar City. he thought it was awesome and HAD TO HAVE IT - and then he left it in my living room.

Utah was so much fun! we had a blast seeing all our friends and doing fun things in Provo, Orem, and SLC. we drove home in the middle of the night on Saturday - and would have made it in less that 5 hours if anywhere in Southern Utah believed in 24-hour drive-thrus!

on Sunday we had a meeting with the caterer :) they came to the house and we talked about our vision for the wedding and the food that we want to have. they loved our ideas and really helped us figure out some of the finer details. John was a little distracted because the AFC game was on in the living room and he really wanted to be watching it - but he was a champ and helped make decisions with me.

i'm so excited for the next couple months and all the planning that we'll get to do! mostly because it means that the wedding date is that much closer, but also because i just like to party!! haha. seriously though, i'm excited to share all the love and happiness we'll be feeling that day with all of our friends and family!!

"Distance is only an obstacle, hardly a match for a Miracle."

2011-01-14T05:00:00.000-08:00

Does everyone know what I am talking about when I say that I hate that choking feeling you get right before you're going to cry........you know, the one that feels like Jabba th Hut is sitting on top of your throat inhibiting you from swallowing or announcing any number of syllables. I've gotten to know that feeling well this week. This whole opposite schedule game Sydney and I play is getting really old. The bonus round where Sydney is staying at a house where the internet connection sucks game has run its course as well. I knew what we were getting ourselves into when we decided to be practical and wait till April to get married, but it feels like jabba the hut fiddled with the clock too ! ! ! ! It just hurts sometimes. I love Sydney so much and all I ever think about is the next time I get to see her.

Amidst all my grumbling this week, I found a silver lining to this lugubrious cloud. The lining being that the pain i feel, the ache, the heart wrenching only confirms to me more than marrying Sydney is the absolute right decision. I think Mother Teresa hit the nail on the head when she said, "I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love.” I should really just be saying to myself that there are only 85 days left till I don't have to let her out of my sight. 85 days ! Thats half a baseball season ! Thats nothing. I don't have the audacity to label myself a "history buff" but I'd like to think I dabble in American history. I don't know how John and Abagail Adams did it. John Adams was away from Abagail almost half their marriage, so certainly I should be able to hack a couple more months.

I would do it all over again if I had too, Thank Heaven I dont have to, but I would for Sydney. I do anything for that pretty face(Yep, that face, she knows which one I'm talking about.)

I think I find the greatest consolation in the fact I grow to love her more every day.

To quote a song she likes:
You make me smile like the sun, fall outta bed
Sing like a bird,
Dizzy in my head
Spin like a record,
Crazy on a Sunday night
You make me dance like fool,
Forget how to breathe
Shine like gold,
Buzz like a bee
Just the thought of you can drive me wild
Oh, you make me smile!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

the gift that keeps on giving.

2011-01-10T13:33:00.000-08:00

for my birthday last month, John did the best thing ever! he made me a HUGE countdown chain of 105 reasons that he loves me.

isn't that sweet?!

anyway - since he did such a great thing for me, i'm going to do a great thing for him. only i'm a little lazy so i'm going to cheat :)

i'm going to start trying to post more on this blog. so much has happened that i haven't documented that i really think we're going to want to remember, and to help me get on here to keep a record i'm going to put up his daily reasons that he loves me [and reasons that i love him!]

here are some of my favorites so far:

- because you sent me the picture of me in snow-boarding goggles for my birthday.
- because you hate camping!
- because you scratch my back during sacrament meeting.
- because you always talk me out of spending money.
- because you don't want to get a dog right away.

i love John for all these reasons too... except that one about spending money :P

anyway - recently we've gotten a lot accomplished for the wedding. and when i say a lot, i mean i've done some shopping!!

we found dresses for my bridesmaids on super-sale at jcrew, and MY DRESS is hanging in my closet!
my mom and i went to st. george with her friend Teri today and we hit the jackpot for teal/blue mason jars at a creepy antique store. i just bought a couple pairs of shoes for myself [possibly for the wedding - possibly just because they're super cute], we've almost got the invitations done and ordered, and we're slowly but surely getting things all planned for the backyard reception.

i am just SO excited about all of this. even though i've been getting a little stressed about things and have been more cranky than usual, i can't help but get caught up in how much fun it is to plan the most important day of our life together!! [so far!]

Lest wE forGet

2011-01-07T03:42:00.000-08:00

So for those of you who don't know, my fiance(and wife to be in 92 days) is a genius. She has a degree in English from BYU-Idaho and she can breeze through a novel like Usain Bolt. Furthermore, she isn't half bad at writing. I don't know how she is so good at expressing herself, but she is! If writers were ninjas, she'd be Splinter from the ninja turtles, but cuter, a lot cuter. My favorite part about her is that she could do whatever she wants, which leads me to my point.

Someone once said the most important word in the English language is "remember," and yesterday I think I forgot. I may have forgotten that Sydney is foregoing a lot of opportunity to move back to middle-of-no-where, Idaho with me. She's brilliant, she could go to grad school, get some shazny job somewhere and make millions, but she's decide to forgot all of that and spend the rest of forever with me. The me who has about 5 years of school left. The me who she has to support when I go to law school. I hope she knows how grateful I am for her. I hope I tell her enough, and, more importantly, that I show it enough. I think yesterday, for about ten minutes, I let myself forget how lucky I am. I forgot that she deserves the world, and I have responsibility of giving it to her. I forgot that she gives me so much while asking for so little in return.

Good thing I caught myself, because I promised myself today that I'm never going to forget the sacrifice she is making to be with me. I'm going to remember that so I can work my hands to the bone to make sure she has the life that she always wanted.

I'm going to remember I don't know how to love anything more than I do her.

And all you better remember that I'm serious when I say, SHE'S A GENIUS !!!!!

surprise!!

2010-10-26T13:26:00.000-07:00

john is just the best thing EVER.

so, a couple weeks ago we were looking up cheap hotel prices for when he cam to visit me this weekend. he got a couple of guys at his work to trade shifts with him [or so i thought] so he was going to be able to spend thursday through sunday here with me. we haven't seen each other since the very beginning of october, so it was pretty exciting for both of us and we were glad for a chance to spend more than just two days together.

so this week finally got here and we were soooo excited that we would finally get to see each other on thursday. i told him it felt like christmas was coming early! and it did. at work on monday time just seemed to speed right on by. and then this morning it was going pretty quickly too. i was e-mailing john and we were playing a game [naming state capitals... because we're awesome like that] and he was taking forever to e-mail me back each time. so i was just sitting at the desk looking at wedding websites and there he was!!!

john surprised me!!

he lied about trading shifts with anyone and so he had his normal tuesday-wednesday off and took the rest of the weekend off too!! isn't he just the BEST?!!

i was so excited i couldn't even move. i just sat there staring at him and barely believing it.
i'm just so happy. i have the best fiance in the world!

i love you, john! thanks for surprising me :)

Fifty hours a week= a walk in the park

2010-10-18T03:23:00.000-07:00

As the Spring semester of 2010 was coming to a close Sydney and I were at a pretty intense crossroads(eh, I just shuttered at the word "crossroads", anyone who knows me understands). I guess I should say that Sydney was at a crossroads(eh I did it again!) because she was still trying to figure out if she wanted to spend the rest of her life with me or in piles of dirt as an anthropologist. Me, on the other hand, I knew that I wanted to marry her at about week three of the relationship(I'm not weird or anything, however, I do use parenthetical statements a lot). So when that day finally came and my pretty girl told me she wanted to spend forever with me I became the happiest kid in the western hemisphere. However, along with that happy moment came a myriad of difficult decisions. There was one concrete plan, Sydney was going to move back home and I was going to spend six weeks protecting families in the hell I like to call Orem, UT. Why do people live there? It's kinda like living in a big city with a bunch country folk that aren't quite sure they live in a city. Also, whoever decided to put 200 million stop lights in that town should not be allowed in heaven, but I digress. I say I was protecting families because I worker for the self declared, renowned security system tycoons, APX Alarms, in the monitoring department. In a nutshell I wasted the precious time of law enforcement and American tax dollars, and sometime H.O.A fees. No matter how you look at it, that job was like trimming bamboo(I wonder if you think I'm really cynical yet).

So one day I was sitting in my lugubrious excuse of an apartment in Orem and I was contemplating how Sydney and I were going to move forward with this marriage idea, and then it hit with me like a ton of bricks. This crazy idea floundered into my head. This idea that would launch me back to sunny San Diego and only 5 hours away from the most important thing in my life. See I had two options in front of me, go back to Rexburg and attend school full time or go back home and attempt to get my old job back as a graveyard security officer. I was leaning toward the going back home part because I would only be 5 hours away from Sydney, instead of 10, and I could save up a bunch of money. Also, I could still go to school half time taking online classes. The only question was if I could actually get my old job back. Yikes! The crazy thing was that my buddy who took over my job when I quit was going to quit at the same time I was going to need to come back to San Diego. It was perfect. The only thing that made it more perfect was the fact I was able to get my other job back at a law firm. After that all fell into the place the decision seemed obvious. I moved backed to San Diego and now I work anywhere from 40-55 hours a week, and one of my jobs is a graveyard shift.

Its great now, in between all these decisions Sydney got her pretty ring, fluffy dress, and reservation for the "big" sealing room at the Las Vegas temple. I don't think we could be happier. However, I think Sydney worries about me a lot. I think she worries that I work so much and sleep so little. It does take a little getting used to but I draw so much strength from the idea that I do all this for us, not just me. I do it all for my pretty girl. I would work 100 hours a week if I had to. I don't know how to love anything more than I love Sydney and I will always be grateful that I had that idea bounce into my head, because now I am only 5 hours away from Sydney and I have the opportunity to earn some extra scratch.

Besides, I have no room to complain, Sydney has to drag herself out of bed at six every morning. I'll always love her for that.

sorry i was grumpy yesterday.

2010-10-15T10:33:00.000-07:00

to my johnny monster -
you are the best thing in my life. you make me smile, even when i don't want to. you light up my heart every single day and you remind me that it's never going to be dark again. thank you for always doing what you say you will. thank you for always being there, even when i didn't ask for you to. thank you for telling me that you love me every chance you get. thank you for my pretty ring and the promise of forever that you attached to it. thank you for not thinking i'm crazy. thank you for being lazy with me, and letting me take naps. thanky you for telling me the truth - even when it's hard. thank you for holding me close, and holding my hand, and kissing my head when i'm sad. thank you for letting me meet your family and friends in san diego. thank you for liking my friends and family and not thinking we're too wierd. thank you for being the driver on long road trips. thank you for making my lunches before school. thank you for holding my hand when we'd cross the street. thank you for taking an online class while your home and working. thank you for calling the apartment complexes to find out more information and get us on waiting lists. thank you for trying to explain things to me because i don't understand them, and not getting too mad when i give up trying and need to take a break. thank you for giving me a reason to go back to rexburg, because i wasn't quite ready to leave forever. thank you for being driven and wanting to be the best student you can so you can get into a good law school and support me and our family. thank you for thinking i was cute in a pathetic sort of way. thank you for loving hot dogs and slurpees and horkleys and pickles as much as i do. thank you for all your efforts to get me to go to the gym. thank you for reminding me of the things i need to do. thank you for inspiring me to be better and to really study my scriptures. thank you for being my best friend, and the best thing in my life, and for wanting to spend the rest of forever with me. thank you for calling and reserving our date at the temple. thank you for calling my every morning to make sure i'm awake and to tell me that you love me. thank you for staying on skype every night until i fall asleep. thank you for letting me bug you with a million e-mails a day and responding to them whenever you have an extra minute. thank you for letting me call and wake you up in the middle of the "night" and talk to you while i'm at lunch. thank you for getting days off work to come and see me for halloween and for our trip to rexburg. thank you for everything you do for me. thank you for all your prayers. thank you for thinking about me. thank you for boris, and ghoti, and marcus, and the flamingo whose name escapes me... thank you for loving me even though i'm an absolute mess all the time. thank you for kissing me before i brush my teeth. thank you for thinking i'm pretty when i'm sick, and haven't showered, and just woke up, and especially when all of those things happen at the same time. thank you for letting me take you all over the place to take pictures and then not even showing them to you because i don't really like them. thank you for letting me have a secret engagement story. thank you for introducing me to the two-story target phenomenon. thank you for metting me be me. thank you for laughing at my silly jokes. and thank you for laughing at me when i'm trying to be serious. thank you for working graveyard shifts, even though you hate it. thank you for telling everyone you meet how much you love me. thank you for washing dishes. thank you for fluffing herman. thank you for telling me that i have too much stuff. thank you for all of it - the whole package. thank you, john. i mean it. i really don't deserve you.
i love you, forever and ever, times a bazilion, plus infinity, with everything i have.
love, your pretty girl

hey baby :)

2010-10-11T11:26:00.000-07:00

so, this is OUR blog.

eventually we'll change it so it reflects our personality.
but i just wanted to get it set up so we could start posting.

i want this to be like a journal of all our experiences together.
and we can both post, so we can remember both perspectives.
i guess all our friends and family will know that stuff too, then...
haha. might be kinda cool :)

i love you forever!