Happy Sunday!

I absolutely loved this video...A little something we all need...

A little bit of....

I've sort of been missing from the blogging world as of late. The past week....we finally put up pictures on our wall! As great as it was staring at empty frames with random families in them....I think I like ours much better.

I have loved getting used to using the word our. Coming home to our house. Cooking dinner in our kitchen.       Our lives are simple for the most part. However....I'm a girl of simplicity....which means....I absolutely love it.

Let me give you the inside scoop of our lives the past month:

David has started school again. Which means he spends lots of hours studying.. And studying....and.... getting distracted by youtube videos. As for me, David being in school also means I automatically move up to patient status. The past week has been special tests and joint mobilization. (Which I think is also code for....let's see if your arm can be pulled off or not...) What can I say. I'm a lucky girl.

My grandparents celebrated their 56th anniversary. How incredible is that! My family took them out to Joe's Crab Shack in Salt Lake.....but as for us....We have a Joe's Crab Shack around the corner! So...we went out pretending we were there with them. As good as it is, I have concluded that if I were dying of starvation...and only had a crab. I would probably die before I could get the meat out.

(Drumroll....) We were called to teach in the primary! We are now the highly esteemed teachers of the 5 year olds. I think it is officially my favorite calling. And it has only been a week.

We also had the chance to watch a musical at the Smith's Center. Which....is probably the fanciest place I have ever been in my life! After visiting with an older couple in our ward....they gave us tickets that they weren't going to use. The moment we stepped out of the car...we got a golf cart ride to the door. The whole building was incredible and so beautiful.. As David discovered...the bathrooms even had folded toilet paper. Why I think that's fancy...who knows.

(Right before the musical!)

The rest of our days have been filled with countless games of Nerts....walking to Smith's (we're lucky to live only a few blocks away)....eating ice cream from Baskin Robins....(which is also up the street. 99 cent Mondays may be the death of me)....watching movies at the discount theater ..and making a few trips back to the temple.

So. There you have it. A little bit of our lives. I couldn't be happier. Especially to have a husband like David. (I also like using that word). Everyone deserves to have a person in their life who still thinks they're beautiful when their hair looks similar to a tangled jungle.

On a final note...we also got some pictures from our wedding!

The Start...of Something New.

Cue High School Musical theme song.

(Kidding)

Well folks.

I've been a married woman for officially about a month. And you want to know a little secret? It's even better then they say! A whole new adventure of sleep talking, stealing blankets...and gaining an appreciation for microwaves...to cover a pinch of our lives thus far.

Of course, since it's January, I've been thinking a lot about the past year. About planning, and goals, and expectations. Looking back over the past year, so much happened that I hadn't planned for, or expected. However, those were all of the best and greatest things that could have happened.

I think that's always how it goes. We all tend to have a plan of how things should work out. How we're going to get from point A to point B.......yet somehow...in getting from point A to point B....we end up at point 5. That doesn't even make sense right? My thoughts exactly. Most of the time, life happens....and takes us where we never would have expected.

But I think that is the beauty of it. Because those unpredictable moments are what we remember the most. The ones that make up who we are. Not to mention....more than half the time, it's even better then what we had planned for ourselves.

So here's to 2013. With new goals and resolutions. And, to new...unpredictable adventures. What ever those may be. But mainly.....to end the next year hopefully a little bit of a better version of myself.

However, in saying goodbye to 2012....I ended the year happier then Willy Wonka in his Chocolate Factory.. I'll forever be grateful for all of the support and love from so many of our friends and family. Especially these past few months. For any of you who happen to stumble across this, I wish there were enough "Thank you's" to even begin to cover it!

More updates on our lives?

Stay tuned. 

Also....for all of you who are actually freezing back in Utah...here's a little something just for you!

Life as of late...

Unpredictable. Exciting. New. Surprising....

And so much more then I could ever begin to put into words.The past couple of months have flown by! At this rate, I feel like if I blink my eyes, a whole week will suddenly disappear.

Looking back, so much has changed the past few months. And by that I mean....just about everything has. To be honest, sometimes so much change can be a little intimidating, and slightly scary..

However, I wouldn't trade one pinch of it. Not even the frequent moves. (I've become great at living out of a box..) As you could put it....I have loved being in love.

I know....hopeless sap coming out again. But the thing is. It's much deeper then that. People have tried countless times to describe what love is...how it changes a person... how it should be.. yet they always seem to slightly miss the mark.

Love isn't superficial. It isn't something temporary or fleeting. At first, everything seems so much brighter....because that special someone is in your life. Then love helps you to realize how much you have needed that person in your life. How just simply knowing them makes you a better person. It touches each aspect of your life...and enhances the good. It's like the comfort of a good book, a warm blanket..and hot chocolate combined. Most of all. It makes you incredibly happy, because if all else fails...you will still have that one person to face the world with.

And with that, my friends, you can get through anything.

That's not to say that everything will go perfectly. Let me assure you, 98.72% of the time, things haven't worked out perfectly. (In a perfect world...I'd be asleep by now...instead of rambling to the keyboard...)

Mostly. I'm grateful for life as of late. For my incredible friends who never fail to be a phone call away...for my family, (especially my sister this past week...handling my phone calls...multiple times a day)..also for the new family I've gained...

And of course, for David. The person who has shown me what it's like to truly love someone. Who will do anything for those he cares about.  I love his sense of adventure, and the way he always tucks pens behind his ears. I love that he does so many little things for me....simply because he knows it will make me happy. That he has so many of the same little quirks his dad has. The way he treats the people around him and when he laughs really hard. I love his curly hair...though unpredictable...it's something different everyday.  I love that he opens my door...and listens to me ramble. And that he plays with my hair...even if that means I miss half of most movies because I fall asleep.

Also, how could I ever forget....his slight* nerdy-ness. But I'll keep my sappy love rambles a little short.

Just five more days...I'll get to spend my forever with that boy. (That may sound like it was written calmly...but it was meant with a much more dramatic WHOOHOO attached...)

I. Can't. Wait.

On that note....here are a few pictures to catch up the past couple months!

Brandon Flowers fireside!

David is really great at doing hair.

Working on our picture taking skills... (For Aimee!)

The coolest dinner....ever. Thanks especially to David's parents! Everything just dumped right onto the table. Literally.

Bass Pro Shops!

My sister came to visit for the weekend....along with my little niece!

Drumroll....I went through the temple! Two words: Beautifully simple.

And finally.. A couple of our engagement pictures!

Danke. Gracias. Merci.

Not that I speak any of the above languages....but this morning....I have felt like bursting with heaps of "thank yous. You know the feeling? Sort of similar to Christmas cheer, but Thanksgiving style. (I just envisioned people going about handing out pies dressed as a turkey....that's not what I was going for...it's the overactive imagination...)

But I do have so incredibly much to be thankful for, especially this year. If asked, I don't think I could simply pinpoint just one thing. That would be like asking Willy Wonka what his favorite candy is. I have been blessed with the people in my life, my family, friends, past room mates, and even strangers. I have been on the receiving end of so much love, kindness and happiness. I have got to begin such new, exciting adventures. I have found even greater love through my family, and of course, have even been lucky enough to gain a whole new family as well.

And that's just skimming the surface. Transportation...health..beautiful weather....hot chocolate... boxes of soft kleenex.... I could go on and on. (Yet. My goal was to keep this short...)

The main point is, I'm so grateful for all that I have in my life. For all the things I have be able to learn, be a part of and experience. Of course it's not always perfect. My shoes come untied, I return library books back late, and occasionally, the car leaks oil. Plans fall through, roads become snowy...and some days can just simply be frustrating.

Yet, I think that's the great part of it all. As they say, "Life doesn't have to be perfect to be wonderful." Even when the road gets a little bumpy, or possibly filled with potholes....there can still be so much good through it all.

For the days when you're "Thankful List" is running a little short.... just look around.. Find something.

To everyone else....Thank you for being such a great part of my life! Watch the video. I love it. Sometimes, it's the simple things we forget that are the best!

 Also. One month from today.

30 days if you're counting....

But who does that... (Oh wait. I do..)

Talented.

Some people can effortlessly play Stravinsky's 3 movements on the piano....upside down....with their eyes closed. Others can paint masterpieces that would put Picasso in the dark. Some can create food that makes you want to keep eating for days....and days. Others can hack down giant trees, simultaneously run three computers, run marathons, be crafty, design, draw.... or even jump rope (to name a few).

Me....well...I'm also rather talented. I have perfected the art of loosing things. Now, before you shake your head in disbelief...let me explain. I loose things at least on a daily basis. Keys. Phone. Glasses. Drivers license. Shoe. Shoes.. Sometimes, this talent even increases, and I loose multiple things throughout a mere couple of hours. Each time resulting in a frantic search throughout the entire area.

You see....this talent goes beyond just merely misplacing things. I know I have a tendency to loose things. So I try to outsmart myself to overcome this "talent". Here is an example: Most people come home and set their keys in the same place every time. My thoughts? "Oh....I'm sure if I set my keys on top of the fridge behind the oatmeal...I can't forget...because it's too absurd." But you know what happens without fail? I forget. And who even thinks to check behind the oatmeal..or in baskets..or under blankets.. when they're frantically searching for their keys!

I even tend to misplace random things. Here is a running total of my "lost items" the past week: The garage door opener, the can opener, stamps, floss, my purple sock, and last....but certainly not least....my favorite pair of pants. Now....one may ask....how does that even happen! Well let me assure you ladies and gents, it's because I'm talented.

Last Thanksgiving...I almost didn't go home because I had lost my keys so well..

However, I'm grateful for such a talent. (I may regret saying that in the next five minutes..) No matter how frequently I loose things....after frantic searches, and apologetic prayers for loosing something yet again...and asking for help to find it.....I always somehow stumble across whatever I'm looking for. Sometimes.....It only takes minutes. And sometimes....it takes a couple months. Either way, the lost is again found.

So ultimately...I'm thankful for an absurd talent...and many simple answered prayers.

And also for this boy. Who still loves me through my faults, freckles, and uncanny knack for loosing things.

37 days folks.

On a final note....in case you were worried.. My pants were found. Folded in the bottom of the blanket bin. The can opener and floss however...are still taking an extended vacation.