365 + 2

I could never, ever find the right words to describe how amazing this last year has been. But, I would be ungrateful if I didn't try.

Scott and I were sealed in the Jordan River Temple on February 15, 2014 and it was such an excellent day. Our wedding was perfect for us and I loved every minute of it. But, The 364 days that followed were even better than our one special day.

I've known Scott for about 8 years, and really well for almost 6. He has been one of my best friends and has stood by me through a lot. I never knew he would be my husband one day. I always hoped, but I never knew. Scott is a person I wish everyone could have. I know a lot of girls married to people like Scott. I see how happy they are and I'm grateful because I know I have that too.

After Scott and I started dating, I learned a lot more about him than I ever knew. I thought I knew him before- nope. As we spent more and more time together, I fell even more deeply in love. I've always been in love with him. He's always made my heart pound and my cheeks red. He's always given me fluttery, nervous feelings of excitement. But, when we started dating, that love turned into so much more. I started to care for him even more deeply. Everything I did was for him. Some people might think it's ridiculous to tie yourself down to one person at the age of 19, but I was happy to do it. I knew my life would never feel complete until I was sharing it with someone who wanted to be with me just as badly.

Scott and I dated for nine months before we got married. That was probably way too long, but that's what we did. By the time we moved in together, it felt like our lives were already combined. The transition into marriage was not difficult in the slightest. Sure, communication wasn't perfect, and it still isn't, but I've never, ever thought to myself "oh what have I gotten myself in to?" I really believe that the time we spent preparing to be married was precious. It was necessary. I am grateful for every single night we had to say goodbye at the door because it makes me appreciate crawling into bed with him so much more.

Marriage is about learning. I'm definitely no expert, but I can say that my husband has taught me a lot. And in turn, I've taught him how to eat vegetables and save money. We build each other up. I think it's awesome. I want someone that challenges me and continually makes me want to be better. Not just for him, but for myself.

I have loved this last year so much. I can't believe how fast the time went. I really, really don't know where I would be without Scott. I've said it before and I'll say it again, he saved my life and I could never thank him enough for it. I appreciate that he pushes me to stay in school and get my homework done. I love that he encourages me to go out and make friends. I admire that he works so hard every single day to build up our savings accounts for the future. I know I can rely on him. I can't wait to see what our second year of marriage is like.

I love you, Scotty :)

Weekend Getaway!

Earlier this year Scott and I started to talk about what we were going to do for Valentine's Day and our anniversary. We discussed St. George and then decided it would be too hard for me to get four days in a row off of work so we sort of dropped the idea of going anywhere. Well, the semester began and I got super depressed so we decided we would go stay at the Little America and relax for a few days- basically exactly what we did for our honeymoon last year. I was stoked! I've been looking forward to our trip for several weeks!

Friday night we had planned to do laundry and pack so we met up at home after work. Scott surprised me with red roses and chocolate :)

Saturday morning was Valentine's day and we woke up pretty early and gave each other our presents. I got him a Utes shirt and a Nike hoodie and a card. I also wrote him 14 letters (one for each day from the 1st to the 14th) of reasons why I love him and he read the last one. He wrote me the cutest poem and gave me a little stuffed dog. He also surprised me with a ring! We had gone shopping about a week before because I wanted to pick out a few for him to choose from so that I could still be surprised but also get what I want... cause, ya know... Anyway when I opened the box I was so happy and said "YOU GOT ME THE ONE I WANTED!" and he was like "I know." I loved all three rings I picked out, but I secretly hoped I would get the ruby. Scott is such a little gem ;)

 

I absolutely love it!

We got ready and headed to Chick Fizzle for some breakfast on our way to the zoo! Neither of us had been there in forever and it was super fun! We got there a little before 10 (an hour after open) and we got a chance to see almost all of the animals active before it got too warm and crowded. I loved the lions! And teaching Scott about what makes a grizzly bear a grizzly bear. My dad would have been so proud ;)

 

By the time we left there were at least 5,000 people standing in line at the gate

 

Inside the bird room!

 

They had written Valentiney things in honey on the glass so that the bears would come over to see the people! This one was licking so much! It was adorable.

We paid (WAY TOO MUCH) to ride the train (SERIOUSLY IT'S SO LAME IT SHOULD BE FREE) and then went to the gift shop to sit down for a while. We walked around the whole zoo one more time and by 2 there were just way too many (very sweet and adorable) children to really enjoy anything. Also everything was asleep. We went to Jimmy John's for lunch and then Target for new swimming suits. We checked in to the hotel and immediately went swimming!

 

The stupid train that doesn't even take you around the zoo >:/

 

This was BEFORE we knew where the train was taking us

  

Lions sleep 20 hours a day so we were lucky to see them moving around before the left one decided it was nap time

 

They were doing tricks with the baby elephant and it was so cute! Watching them eat and drink is really neat!

We had a nice dinner at the Coffee Shop downstairs and enjoyed a bottle of sparkling cider. They were pretty busy and it was getting late, so our waitress forgot about us for like 45 minutes. We just chatted and she finally came back with the check. She was a sweet old lady :) We watched the NBA All Star Saturday events and really enjoyed the slam dunk contest. I'm happy we were able to have actual TV to watch it because otherwise we wouldn't have!

 

Hallway selfie on our way to dinner :)

Sunday was our (FIRST!) anniversary and we slept in a little bit and Scott surprised me with more jewelry. He's such a little punk. He got me a necklace and earrings to go with my ring so that I would have a whole matching set :) I gave him a watch and then later we bought him some new shoes. I wish I would have known he was going to spoil me so much! I would have tried to stop him given him more stuff. Oh whale, he's still sweet :)

 

I love it soooo much!

Also I don't have a picture of the earrings but I'm sure you can imagine yourself some ruby studs ;)

We had breakfast at Village Inn and went swimming some more. We napped and watched a couple movies and lots of episodes of Friends. It was a pretty low key day and I loved it. We watched our wedding video that was made by Scott's grandma and uncle. It's definitely not fancy but it's such a sweet keepsake. I had no idea anything would ever come of all the video grandma shot of our wedding day but I'm so glad it did! It's so fun to see everyone and remember the perfect day :) Maybe one day we'll watch the uncut version (it's like 3 hours long!) but for now the edited version makes me so happy.

I decided that I wanted to take Scott to Cheesecake Factory for our anniversary dinner so we headed off to City Creek. Since it was Sunday we didn't see much of it but we did have a short wait time and that's more important than anything. I wanted to get cheesecake SO BAD but we were just too full. :( We're definitely going back soon!

So,quick story... Scott loves to give money to sign-holders. It drives me nuts because I'm a terrible person I feel like they are just lying, so going downtown with him is not my favorite. Anyway, we had some leftover bread (cause their bread is BOMB) in a takeout box and we were sitting on the train riding back to Courthouse. A guy came up to us and started telling us his story and asking for money or food, but I knew Scott didn't have any cash so it would be up to me if we helped him or not. I was thinking, "hey, I'm never ever going to eat this bread so I might as well give it to someone who might" and I handed him the bag. I told him it was just bread but he still looked really happy. He ran away and ate it and Scott was very proud of me. It was so not a big deal but it did make me feel better than just giving random strangers $5 bills. So yay for our waiter for giving us way too much bread :)

Monday we had to check out and I was so bummed. I always hate leaving! But at least this time coming home wasn't so bad because we were already moved in to our apartment, unlike last year. We drove up by the U and ate lunch at The Pie. It was so heavenly! Then we headed for home and dropped off our stuff and went to the dollar theater by our house to see Big Hero 6. It was SUCH a cute movie! We went home and then watched more movies/TV and played some card games for the rest of the night. It was such a perfect weekend and I loved celebrating our first year of marriage. I sure am thankful for my sweet Scotty :)

 

I told him to smile cute and this is what I got. Whatever.

 As hard as it was to come home, I really love having our own little apartment to live in.

Also, Meet the Robinsons <3

DFTBA

Keepsakes

If you know anything about me, you know I love to save literally everything. If it is even remotely important, I stash it somewhere and stumble upon it years later when I'm cleaning out my car/wallet/nightstand and smile and then continue holding on to it. Maybe it's a problem... who knows. My very first grown up temple recommend was no exception- I really wanted to keep it. I had worked hard for it and it had the signatures of two men who mean a lot to me. Plus it's a cool keepsake for my wedding album. But, the policy exists that when you are issued a new temple recommend, the old one is turned into your stake president and destroyed. I'm sure it's for security purposes, but I hoped they would bend the rules for me just this once.
A couple months ago I went to get a new recommend because I wanted it to be from my current stake and have my new name on it. As I sat and waited for one of the members of the stake presidency, I thought about how I would go about asking if I could keep my old recommend. I figured it was a dumb idea because I knew the rule, but I just wanted it so bad. Then I realized that it doesn't matter if I keep my first recommend because I'm always going to have one. Sure, they might change the design of the paper or make them a different size, but I'm always going to have a temple recommend. I never have to be without it and I can hold it dear to me.
I went in to my interview and handed my old recommend to President Peterson. I mumbled "I sure wish I could keep it..." After taking a long look at it he said, "I sure wish I could let you keep it." And then I said "It's okay, because I know I'll always have one." It felt good. It feels good knowing I'm worthy to carry around my recommend and be in the House of the Lord.
I had the opportunity to go through the temple for the very first time a year ago yesterday. It was a sweet day and I'm so grateful for that experience and the blessing that have come from that decision. I'm grateful for Scott for sticking by my side and helping me prepare for the most important thing in my whole life. I'm grateful for President Chappell for pushing me and making me work so hard to get my first recommend. It truly made a difference. I love the temple and I am so grateful to be surrounded by so many beautiful castles.

If I had seen this picture five (or even two!) years ago I wouldn't have believed it. 

Seriously, #lifegoals

DFTBA

Happy and Boring

Oh hey there, blog. I haven't posted much in the last few several months. It kills me. I want to document my life and remember the little (and big) things happening. But, I'm just so unmotivated. Maybe it's because I only have 9 followers who, let's be real here, have all probably given up on me. Or maybe it's because I'm a working student who also has a home and marriage to attend to. I don't know exactly why my blog has been neglected for so long, but it does make me sad. And I think I know what's up... My life is ultra boring.

I mean that in the nicest way possible. And it DEFINITELY doesn't mean I'm not happy, cause I'm happy! My life is wonderful (duh), but it's stable and therefore boring. Now before y'all get your panties in a wad let me explain some things. I am more than halfway through my 3rd year of college at the U. I've been here since I was a freshman and not much about that aspect of my life has changed. I love my major and my classes are interesting. They definitely keep me busy! But they are nothing new. School doesn't seem as exciting as it did two years ago. I love the campus but I'm kinda at the "been there done that when is graduation" stage. So, I don't really want to write about school.

Also, I've been working at Jamba for almost three years now. I love my job and I always have. Jamba is a great place to work and I love my new boss and our new store. But again, I don't have much to say about it. The fruit is still frozen and the blenders still blend. And I'm still afraid to talk to the new hires.

Being married is 100% awesome. I couldn't ask for a better companion. But, at lot of the things we do together and talk about are personal and too much for the internet to handle. I so badly want to write about the hilarious things he says to me while he cups his hands and throws water at me in the shower, but those seem like things the whole world doesn't need (or want) to hear about. 

Basically, I'm too private for this. And too lame. I was chatting with my primary teaching partner about how I physically can't stay up late anymore. Scott and I used to be up until at least 3 am every night and now I can barely make it to 10. I told her I felt so old and boring. But she, being the wise woman that she is, told me I'm not old and boring I'm just stable. Scott and I are together forever. Our relationship isn't ending tomorrow. We have our own place. Sure, we won't live there forever, but we know that it'll be home for as long as we need it to. We're both settled into our little life together. We don't have to stay up talking until 3 because we have tomorrow. And the next day and the next day. I'm grateful for that. I love knowing he's not going anywhere. And if we don't decide on each of our children's first and middle names TODAY, we can do it tomorrow and we can go to sleep. 

I'm grateful for my boring life. Even though I don't feel like it's exciting enough for the blogging world, I love it. I hope that I can pull myself together and document more of the good times. Plus, I love reading about other people's boring lives so maybe I'm not alone. Keep being patient with me, guys. Eventually I'll be more exciting ;) 

I'm gonna go get some Zupas and wait for my 4:35 class to start, because that's just what my life is right now. 

Also, real quick...

I was searching my phone for a picture to put on this post and I stumbled upon this beaut. So basically I was so excited to have a cute Christmas Eve pajama picture with my husband and then we found ourselves alone in our apartment on Christmas Eve with no one to take our picture. We improvised by moving one of our full length mirrors into the living room to take a picture of us and our tree. This was the result.

I love him and I loved Christmas.

I guess my life isn't that lame after all, I'm just lazy ;)

DFTBA