Date Week

Because Jamba was moving all last week, I worked 8-5 and had every night off. For the first time ever. For a whole week. It was a rare occasion and Scott and I wanted to make the most of it!

Monday we just stayed home and enjoyed a delicious meal of stuffed peppers and watched way too many episodes of Secret Life. This is when we decided we weren't going to spend the rest of the week sitting on the couch.

The bae enjoying his cookies and milk

Tuesday we went to dinner at Zupas and I got Scott to give pesto a second chance. (He loved it) Then we drove down Redwood until we stumbled upon Nicklecade. I had never been before and it was super fun! Then we got sundaes at Arctic Circle.

Getting him to make a normal face is harder than you think

#selfie

This is what roughly 200 tickets will get you at Nickelcade

We clearly got our $10 worth

Wednesday we went "ballroom dancing". Scott is a Young Men's leader and attends mutual every Wednesday night. They were having a combined activity with a man from BYU's BDC and Scott invited me to come. The guy taught us a few different dances and I did pretty okay. I'm not really a dancer so it was nice to do something new! After we went to the Taylorsville library to check the place out and get some books. And I didn't take any pictures because I'm a bad blogger blah blah blah...

Thursday night Scott met up with me after I got off work and we got pedicures at the nail place next to the new Jamba. Scott actually enjoyed it a lot. He asked me so many times why more guys don't get pedicures. I think he's right. They're amazing!

Excuse my "I just moved for 8 hours" look

Friday Scott had work off and he got to come to work with me! He was such a good helper. It was nice to have him there! He gets along really well with the staff and we laughed a lot. I had to go to a work meeting that night so we didn't get to do anything fun, but it was nice to spend the day together. Again, with the bad blogger thing...

I loved date week so much. It seems like we're always so busy trying to fit everything in and we don't have nearly the time we would like to spend together. This week has been so much harder because we went back to our regular schedule.

Well, kind of.

Sunday night (as in five days ago) we were sitting around the fire at my parents house talking about places we could go for a summer vacation/honeymoon. My sister-in-law suggested that we go on a cruise. I kind of laughed because cruises are expensive and we probably couldn't pull it off this summer anyway. But, she found a super great deal for a cruise leaving THIS SUNDAY. We came home and realistically talked about it and decided that if Scott could get work off we could go. He texted me a 8 am and said he got the time off and that we should book it. I panicked and went to my parents house again and asked for help booking everything. It all happened so fast! But! We're going to Alaska. THIS SUNDAY. I can't wait to finally have a real honeymoon vacation since we couldn't miss school in February. It's going to be great. Yay for summer and yay for spontaneous vacations. I'm so so so excited. 

So this week has been filled with packing and planning and shopping and all sorts of things. It's been crazy and our apartment is a mess but I can't wait to get away and be with my cute husband. We deserve it. And we are SO ready for a vacation!

DFTBA

Ode to Jamba

Jamba Juice Jordan Landing

My second home

my sweetest friend

I can't believe

this is the end

All those times

you saved my life

You even saw me

become a wife

You watched me grow

You watched me cry

You even watched me

date a really terrible guy

You gave me money

And lots of it

I kinda wish 

I hadn't spent most of it on... crap

You've seen the spills, 

the cuts, and slips

You know our deepest, 

darkest secrets

You've made me friends

both young and old

You've showed me how 

to be more bold

You ruined two pairs

of my favorite shoes

You taught me how 

to deal with youth

I know it's hard

to say goodbye

But I'll see you soon

right next to Best Buy

We're moving on Monday

and it's kind of sad

But a brand new store

will make everyone glad

I love you, Jamba

with all my heart

I'll never forget 

what it was like to start

Working for you 

has been so fun

I cannot wait until 

this new chapter has begun

Spring 2014

Can we just have a moment of silence for all the times I just wanted to give up, quit going, and drop out... but didn't?

I. SURVIVED. THIS. SEMESTER.

I can't say it enough. I can't jump up and down enough.

All those 14 hour Wednesdays.

All those late nights writing papers at the last second that I magically got A's on.

All those tears and fears and worries.

I made it.

Oh, and I got married in the middle of February. 

So there's that. 

My four classes were actually really good though! I learned so much. I really feel like I'm gaining knowledge and skills that I will need for the future.
News writing turned out to be pretty great! I ended up with a B+. But! It wasn't because I was lazy or negligent... I just suck at journalism. So at least I know I shouldn't pursue that as a career. But I'm glad I took the class. I learned a lot about writing and the way the news industry works. I appreciate it so much more now. Scott and I have a subscription to the news paper on weekends and it makes me happy. I feel like a real grown up.

Living in a media world was a freakin cake walk! I only had formal class once a week. The busy work was obnoxious but certainly not hard. I got an A and enjoyed having an easy, entertaining class to help me get through Wednesdays.

Communication theories was the most terrible experience of my life. I spent the whole semester with a 59% average and I panicked. There were only 5 assignments, 3 tests and 2 papers, one of which got dropped and the four remaining scores averaged out to our final grade. I thought for sure I'd have to re-take it. But! My teacher showed us some mercy and gave us a stellar study guide for the final, WHICH I GOT 90% ON! Thankfully I got 80's on my papers so I ended up with a B-. I cried. I feel like I conquered the hardest grader I've seen yet.

Visual communication was super interesting. It was supposed to be a three hour lecture every Wednesday night but my teacher was a cool guy and made sure we only went two hours. I was thankful for that. I learned a lot about advertising and how different languages and cultures play into visuals. I did really well on all my tests/quizzes/assignments! It was a lot of work but I liked it. I never knew I would find visual comm so interesting. Plus who doesn't love another A? :)

These were definitely the hardest classes I've taken so far. I know it's only going to get harder, but I've only got five more semesters *hopefully*. I know I shouldn't be so excited to rush through it and graduate, but I am. I like school, but I really just want to be done and start real life. As much as I love living in this basement apartment I would rather own a house one day ;)

I'm so glad I had Scott by my side to help me through it. Even though he worked twice as many hours as I did and took just as many credits, he still helped me with homework and proofread papers for me. He stayed up until the wee hours of the morn with me while I panic-wrote last minute essays and such. He was a really good sport and he did really well in his classes too. Go us! We definitely proved that we can do basically anything. :)

Happy summer! I know this is the last summer I'll ever have, so I am going to live it up!

Don't Forget To Be Awesome

I Love My Mom

Since Mother's Day is Sunday I wanted (like the rest of the world) to share why my mom is an awesome mom and why she's the best mom on the planet. Because my mom really is the best mom on the planet.

For almost thirty years my mom has been a mother. She has taken care of four children and sent three off into adulthood so far. Since moving out three months ago, I've appreciated my mom so much more than ever before. Not because I learned that I can't live without my mom, but that I can. 

Every day I am thankful that my mom taught me how to cook, clean, and most importantly shop. She taught me the importance of making my bed daily. I never once made it a habit at home, but now that I have my own house, I see why it's important. I make our bed every day and it makes the whole house seem happier. Scott and I eat dinner together every night because she set that example for me. I love making her recipes and remembering her tips and tricks when I cook in my own kitchen. And I can't forget to be thankful she taught me how to live on a budget. Making a shopping list and sicking to it helps me not go crazy at the store. I love her for that. I wouldn't be able to do it without her.

My mom has so much faith. I can't even begin to write all the stories of times she has prayed and been helped because of her faith. I used to see her wake up early to read scriptures or conference talks before going to work. I always wondered how she stayed so happy and positive throughout the stresses of life and I didn't understand it until I followed her example. Taking time for spiritual things helps keep everything in perspective. 

My mom is the hardest working mother I know. Ever since I was little she went to work every day and never complained about it. She went from being a kindergarten teacher to the headmaster of Challenger's Salt Lake campus. I admire her for standing out and moving up and proving to me that hard work will pay off.

My mom is the sweetest, most loving person. When you think of a "mom" you think of my mom. She's the one that comes into your room at night when you have bad dreams. She's the one who lets you cry about people who are mean. She's the one who will always make you feel better when you are sick. I've had friends tell me that my mom is really nice. My mom IS really nice. You can always find her doing something good for someone else. She's just that kind of person.

My mom has always made sure that my siblings and I have everything we've ever needed. She loves and supports us in everything we do. I will never forget when my mom was sitting in the pouring rain to watch one of my marching band competitions. Even though she had seen our show a million times, she wouldn't miss a performance. I appreciate her so much for always building me up.

I appreciate her for giving us a good father. I love my dad! As great as my mom is, her and my dad as a team is even better. She always knew the kind of man she wanted to marry and have a family with. She stuck to her standards and gave us a wonderful dad. 

I just love my mom. I could go on and on about her. I hope one day I can be as great of a mother as she is! I'm glad that my mom has taught me everything I've needed to grow up and move out and be a good wife for Scott. She turns every minute into a teaching lesson. She just wants to know she's doing all she can to make sure her children turn out to be good people.
Even though I live on my own now, I still love to go back home and see my mom. I still have questions and concerns about life and she's always there with an answer. I'm glad that even though I can live without my mom, I don't have to. Because no matter what, she will always be my mom and she will always have something to teach me.

I love you, mom! Thanks for everything you do!

And if you feel like crying, go watch this.
Seriously. It's amazing.

Don't You Quit

Remember this? It seems like a thousand years ago to me.
But it was ONE year ago... roughly.
It was a recap post of miserable April.
April 2013 was easily the worst month of my entire human life.
I really, truly hit rock bottom.
It was probably so bad because I didn't know in just two short months I would be living this super fantastic moment:

Our first second date.

Cause I was too scared to ask for a picture on the first.

Ha, I should have just asked. 

Accompanied with this wonderful blog post.

I never dreamed I would be living this in five months: 

This in ten:

And this in twelve:

General Conference cuddles

:)

The point is, you should never give up because you have no idea what is going to come next. Life is FULL of amazing blessings and second chances. I know I say this a lot, but I never thought I would be where I am today. I honestly didn't think I would ACTUALLY marry Scott Simpson. I didn't think I would ACTUALLY be able to finally get my hands on a temple recommend after going so long without one. I didn't think I would ACTUALLY pick a major and stick to it. I didn't think I would ACTUALLY move out of my parent's house and survive. 

But hey, it happened. I made it happen. I worked my little tail off and look where it got me. I'm dang proud of myself. I'm dang happy with where I've gone in the last year. I wish I could go back to my little self and say, "Self! You hang in there! It's all gonna be alright!" 

Either way, I'm okay now. I'm doing okay. And that's what matters. :)

DFTBA

Honeymoon!

This post is probably way too long and way too boring but I wanted to be able to remember the fun things we did! It wasn't a huge fancy thing but I enjoyed it. We actually laughed about the fact that we were good enough friends that we didn't need to plan a big fancy honeymoon because spending three days alone in a hotel room would be fun enough. And it totally was. But we also had a few adventures :)

After we left our reception we had to go to the car wash to get all the oreos off the windows. I was so sad that we couldn't even enjoy our decorated car. But, it was a safety hazard and it had to go. So we drove through twice and then headed to Salt Lake. We decided months ago that we were going to stay at the Little America. Since we were in school we couldn't go anywhere super far away and we thought this would be perfect. The Little America is the most perfect adorable hotel on the planet. I love it so much! We pulled up and Scott went and checked in. He had ordered us a romance package for the first night so we came into our room to this:

And this:

It was basically perfect.

That night I woke up around 2 and could not for the life of me fall asleep again. I checked my Twitter and Facebook to see all the happy wedding wishes people had sent us. I wrote Elise (my bff who is also a missionary) and told her about the wedding. After I had completely stalked my social media sites and sent my letter, I got ultra bored. Eventually I just woke Scott up and we watched TV and ate snacks from the honeymoon basket my sister gave us. We joked about just getting up and beginning our day right there. It was about 4 am and Denny's was open! Instead we fell asleep again. Thank heavens.

We eventually got up and got ready and headed to breakfast. By the time we got our food it was noon and we were starving. We hadn't eaten an actual meal since the luncheon at 1 the day before. We enjoyed our breakfast and giggled about the fact that we were married. We decided to go to Walmart to get some more food and a DVD player so we could watch some of the movies we brought. We went back to our room and watched three movies. I napped and we were in bed all freakin day. It was marvelous. I hadn't relaxed like that in so long! It felt really nice to have nowhere to be and no one to bug us. 

We finally got up and headed to dinner at the Coffee Shop downstairs. They had remodeled it since the last time I had been there and it was super adorable. We brought the bottle of sparkling cider that they had given us and had it with dinner. We were being so fancy ;) After dinner we went to the front desk and requested to stay another night. I sure as heck didn't want to wake up and go home in the morning! 

The next day we went to Chilis for lunch and it was fantastic. Then we walked around the Grand America and went to my favorite little toy store. Thankfully Scott appreciated it as much as I wanted him to haha it was fun! Then we went to Gateway cause I needed new bras. I'm such a lucky duck in the sense that ALL of my bras broke right before I got married. And by all I mean all but one. But who wants to live life with only one bra? Not this girl. Anyway it was a huge misfortune because bras are expensive and replacing a lot of them at one time is hard ): But, Scott insisted that I get what I need and we went to Victoria's Secret (because I just won't go anywhere else). We browsed some of the other stores and then went on a hunt for a present for Scott. What's a shopping trip if you don't even get anything? Eventually we got something for him and went back to our hotel. We watched another movie and went to the pool! We chatted with a few couples at the hot tub and told everyone we could that we just got married. I totally soaked up all the congratulations. 

We went to dinner at the Coffee Shop again and brought another bottle of sparkling cider that my sister had given us. We indulged on mac n cheese and french dip sandwiches. It was absolute heaven. 

The last night was sad cause we had to get up and go home the next morning. I hated that our precious time together had ended and it was time to go back to real life. I packed up super slowly and wished that a miracle would happen and we wouldn't have to go home and move all the rest of our crap to our new house. 

Well, miracles don't always happen. We had to leave and we went to our apartment. The family we live with had given us groceries for a wedding present and I actually cried when I saw them. They had given us a week's worth of food and various staple items to last us a while. We ate some cereal and unpacked our things. We headed to our parents' houses to collect our things and packed it all up. We rushed home and put everything away and then went back to my mom and dad's to open our wedding gifts. HOLY BALLS WE GOT SO MUCH STUFF. Thankfully we still needed almost all of it and I spend the next week opening all the boxes and putting everything away. After we had everything loaded up we said goodbye and went home to spend our first night in our new house. 

We had alfredo for dinner and went to bed around 2 am. When Scott got up at 6 to go to work I wanted to cry. I hated going back to real life. I hated getting up at 7 to start my 14 hour school day. I just wanted to go back to the pretty hotel that was warm and beautiful. But, we've adjusted to life and I feel pretty good. I'm happy here. I feel like I'm living in a dream. We are both so busy and so tired but we somehow make it. We enjoy the precious time we have together and laugh a lot. :)

DFTBA

3 Weeks

So since I've been married for three weeks, I'm obviously an expert on marriage now. Not.
But I have learned a few things in the last little while.

-I learned how to turn on my oven. Life would have been over if it was really broken.

-It takes 67% longer to make brownies in said oven, but they still turn out delicious.

-I have made dinner every single night since we came home from our honeymoon. A fed husband is a happy husband. Also, eating dinner together as a family every night is very important to me... even if we have to wait until 11 pm to actually eat.

-I'm probably going to spend every minute of the next 20 years thinking that I'm pregnant. Props to me for worrying about literally everything in the world.

-Laundry piles up FAST when there are two of you. Also, I wish with all of my heart that we had a washer and dryer. I think my parents are about to stop letting me come over every week to do laundry. Thankfully we always have the Simpson and Simper homes ;)

-Sometimes it's nice to just lay down and watch TV. It's okay to ask for nights off work just to spend time at home.

-Scott eats more cereal than anyone, ever. I had no idea milk was so expensive.

-I am a shopaholic. This isn't new information, but now that I can't justify buying clothes and shoes, I just splurge on case lot sales and grocery runs. I can totally justify stocking up on things while they are on sale. Guess who currently owns 18 pounds of pasta? Me. And I paid $9 for all of it. Suck it.

-Remembering to transfer trains is harder than I thought it would be. I have yet to actually forget and end up somewhere I really shouldn't be, but I'm not saying it couldn't happen.

-Taylorsville/West Valley isn't actually as scary as I always thought it was. People are really nice here. And it really isn't that different from West Jordan.

-It is so much easier to keep a tiny house clean than a big one. I can honestly say I would have gladly accepted guests in here any time after we moved in. High five to me for keeping this place neat and tidy.

-The people that live upstairs talk super loud. Sometimes our entertainment of the night is being really quiet and laughing about the stuff we hear them say. I know it's probably an invasion of privacy, but they know we live here too and they still choose to yell. So I really don't feel that bad.

-There are so many things that are more fun than doing homework...

-I love Scott even more now than I did before. I appreciate him so much. He works so hard and does so many nice things for me. I don't understand how he gets it all done, but he does. He's basically Superman.

I'm just really happy.

Please enjoy one of the three pictures I took on our honeymoon. Elevator pictures are a must.

DFTBA

My Husband in a Nutshell

                               

I'm trying really hard to teach him the difference between "food" and "candy".

Valentine's Day

Since Scott is literally the most wonderful man on the Earth, he still wanted to celebrate Valentine's Day even though we were getting married the next morning. 

We had planned to go to the temple at 10 and spend some time together before I had to go do last minute things. He came over while I was still getting ready and surprised me with peach roses, a stuffed puppy, and a sweet card that said "to my wife". I laughed a little because I almost got him a card that said "to my husband". I got all my things together and we left for the Jordan River Temple. 

There was a wedding going on and I was really excited to see all the family waiting in the lobby. I couldn't wait for our turn! We got dressed and just waited for the session to start. 

I love being in the temple because it's so calm and quiet. I love just sitting and forgetting about everything else going on. It was nice to go to the temple again and be able to pay attention and understand better than the first time. It was nice to go with just Scott and follow our own agenda. It was so wonderful and so peaceful. It was the perfect pre wedding Valentine's date :)

We asked one of the workers if we could go see the sealing room we were going to be married in. It was absolutely beautiful and I was so excited! Eventually we left and went to pick up the puffy underskirt thing for my dress. We went to Golden Corral and indulged on mac and cheese and chocolate strawberries. We talked and laughed and enjoyed our date. He helped me run a few more errands and then we went home. I was so sad when I had to leave him. I couldn't wait until the weekend so we could spend more time together. 

I just love my Scotty. He's the most perfect man. :)

DFTBA

Best Friends, Forever

We spent the night before putting together a playlist for dancing and talking and laughing together.

At 11:49 we said goodbye for the last time. 

I didn't sleep much.

I got up at 7, tired as can be.

It took me 40 minutes to shower and shave.

Never before have I taken so much time on my knees.

Threw on my makeup, almost cried.

Went to my hair appointment, almost cried.

Came home and fixed my disaster of a face.

Put on my black dress and mom told me I was beautiful.

Loaded up everything and checked 4x.

Only temple in the valley open = nowhere to park.

Almost cried again.

Couldn't find mom, couldn't find Scott.

Started to panic.

Finally got everyone together.

Hugged my boy and told him he looked so good.

He did look so good. 

Put on my dress and just stared. 

Mom and grandma oohed and aahed. 

Came out and saw his face drop. 

*finally*

Said goodbye to our parents and went up the elevator.

Temple worker said the sweetest words,

"We aren't going to separate you any more."

Sat and waited with my sweetheart with the calmest, most peaceful feeling.

Almost cried again when we walked in and saw all of our family and friends.

Heard the most beautiful blessings and promises, ever.

Filled with joy.

Hugged everyone, my brother was my favorite.

Came out of the temple to so many happy faces.

Pictures, pictures, pictures.

Windy and kind of cold, 

but at least it wasn't snowing.

Had a moment of realization that we were actually finally married and screamed a little.

Drove to reception center for lunch.

Delicious food and happy family. 

Bagpipers. SO COOL.

Random advice that I don't remember.

Elise's parents taking pictures to send to her.

Being so happy every time because I knew it was like she was there. 

Setting up for reception.

Making out in the groom's room.

Getting ready for pictures.

Photo sesh with our mute photographer.

Props to her for being the ultimate trooper.

And Austin for being her voice ;)

Packed reception. Worried about brownies.

Saying hi and hugging everyone.

Felt like a princess.

I lost a bet I thought for sure I'd win.

Cake, bouquet, garter, dances. 

HE PULLED IT OFF WITH HIS TEETH AND I COULD NOT STOP LAUGHING.

Time to go change and leave.

Bubbles and goodbyes.

Oreos and balloons everywhere. 

Had to go through the car wash twice so we could see out the windows.

Good talk with Scotty, actually cried.

Little America check in.

Stayed in the tower on the 12th floor.

Rose pedals on the bed, sparkling cider on ice, and chocolates & berries.

It was adorable and so big and so beautiful and it felt like heaven.

Sister's snack basket that saved our lives.

It was the best ending to the best day.

I loved falling asleep next to Scott and not having to wake up and go home.

I loved that we were ALLOWED to be alone.

That no one was going to call us and bug us and ask where we were.

It was magical.

Being married to Scott is magical.

Our wedding day was perfect. 

I wish we could do it again.

:)

We really are best friends, forever.

photo credit

The Happiest Place on Earth

Saturday was one of the best, sweetest, most wonderful days of my life.

Why?

Because I got to go to the happiest place on Earth.

I never want to forget the way I felt in the temple. I never want to forget how sweet of an experience that was. I never want to forget how good it felt to be surrounded by family members and my sweetheart in such a wonderful place. I never want to forget how calm and peaceful I felt. I never want to forget the way Scott looked and me and smiled and told me how proud he was of me.

I'm so grateful to have the temple in my life, even more now than ever before! I can't express how happy I am to be surrounded by so many temples. It's so wonderful to know that I can always go back. It's not just a once in a lifetime thing, it can be a part of you all the time! That happy and peaceful feeling lasts even after you leave. You get to take a part of the temple with you and cherish it every day. 

We have such a wonderful Heavenly Father who has blessed us with such an amazing place to go and be closer to him- to come closer to our family members and to ourselves. I can't describe how great it is to go somewhere and be free from all cares. I never once thought of the homework that needed doing or the price of rent and the amount of my paychecks. I never once worried about what was happening on Twitter or what my friends were doing. All I cared about is where I was and what I was doing. I absolutely loved it. And I absolutely can't wait to go back! And I'm even more thankful that next time I go, I get to marry my best friend :)

It's been a long, difficult journey to the temple. But, I know that the fight was worth it because there's only one way to happiness. 

DFTBA

So This One Time...

Remember Fall 2013 where I like...
fell off the planet?

I FORGOT TO TELL YOU ABOUT THE BEST THING THAT HAPPENED!!!!

Okay. So.
Marching band did one good thing for my life. (Okay really like MB isn't that awful. I just like to pretend it was.) WE WENT TO CALIFORNIA! It was great! So fun! Yay!!!

The band fund usually gives us a couple free game trips a year. This time we went to USC in October and it was the worst football game ever. But, that's not the point. The point is Scott and I got a free trip to California!

Since we aren't THAT important we had to drive. I think there were six giant buses total. Since Scott's a drumline person we rode bus 4, the drumline bus. It actually wasn't as bad as it sounds. Everyone was either drunk or tired enough to just be quiet and fall asleep. We left about 1am on Friday morning and drove all the way to Southern California. I slept most of the way there (unlike band tour 2010. Sheesh that was terrible.) and it went by super fast! We got to our hotel and threw our crap in our rooms and then went to Six Flags. SIX FLAGS. And since the band gives you tons of money to use for food and stuff, admission was pretty much free cause we got a group discount! I hung out with some peeps while I waited for Scott to get there (cause his dumb instructor made them go on this stupid factory tour thing).

HOLY GIANT ROLLER COASTERS. The lines were pretty long and that was sucky but whatever. It was Six Flags and it was free and I didn't care. We rode some stuff and then I finally met up with Scott. We went on warm up ride and it was great! So fast and so fun! I was shocked that such a cool ride only had a 15 minute wait! We just screamed and enjoyed our time together. We rode this one that straps you in, lifts you up and turns you so you are staring straight at the ground, and then takes off super fast. You feel like you are flying the whole time! There are so many different kinds of roller coasters and rides! You know that when there are three different things strapping you in, it's gonna be a good one! It was so much fun and I loved every second of it.

We had dinner together and it was the most delicious thing I'd ever eaten. Probably because I was starving to death.. But man, it was great. We just sat and talked and laughed and reviewed our day. We discussed our favorite rides and the ones we wanted to squish in before we left. We got assaulted by some creepy people and got super annoyed of the "spooky" areas. But, it was still great.

Eventually we had to leave but I wasn't too upset because I was way tired and so ready to shower. We got back to the hotel and I hung out with Eva, Elise, Ash in our room and then Michael and Scott came over and we played some games. And then we had to sleep so I walked Scott out and we made out in the stairwell for thirty minutes. It was great. There's something so thrilling about knowing you're being "bad". hahahaha.

We woke up and had to get ready for game day. Scott and I had a fancy breakfast at the hotel together and enjoyed some more time alone. It was nice to kinda feel like we were on vacation for a while.

We packed up all the buses, drove to the stadium, got dressed, did a mini version of Ute Walk, had lunch, and got set up for the game. We were tucked away in a little corner and it was super dumb. We were all so tired and our drum major scolded us for not being excited. But it was like a total beatdown. Whatever. Plus it was like ultra hot outside and we all wanted to die because we were in full uniform.

Again I slept most of the way home and when we got there it was freezing. My mom picked us up (bless her soul. It was like 6 am Sunday morning). She tried to make small talk but we were both so tired I didn't care to talk about anything. I hated having to leave Scott after having so much fun together for a whole weekend. It made me want to be married that much more. I knew we probably wouldn't get to do something like that again for a while and I was grateful for the experience. It was a lot of fun :)

Of course, I took like zero pictures. These are the only shots I captured from the whole entire weekend.

This is what our first sleepover looked like ;)

Scott wearing my new sunnys...

In his sexy V neck shirt that he bought to make me happy.

:)

Me and Swoop at the game!

DFTBA

Dear Boys Part 9

As a goodbye to my past life and a hello to my new one, I'm going to write my last Dear Boys post. It's been quite the journey. I've come a long way. I've learned so much. I'm so thankful for all these boys for not quite having what it takes to handle this girl and leading me to my perfect man. The one that means everything and more to me.

With that being said, let us begin.

DEAR PROPHET,

I'd like to thank you for being my very first love. At three years old, that's a lot to handle. 

SINCERELY, PRESCHOOL

DEAR LET'S GO SHOPPING,

I had THE BIGGEST CRUSH ON YOU for like 6 years. I'm not even lying. I hope your mission is treating you well. And thanks for always being such a good example to me. 

SINCERELY, DANCING CELERY

DEAR AWKWARD,

Thanks for being the gateway drug into the wide world of hand holding. West Hills Middle couldn't have ever witnessed a more awkward encounter, ever.

SINCERELY, STILL AWKWARD

DEAR WAFFLES, 

I'm sorry for totally crushing your entire world. I hope one day you can realize what the important things in life are. I hope everything is okay. Thanks for always being there for me and helping me through those two years. I couldn't have survived high school without you.

SINCERELY, KJ

DEAR UTAH,

I hope you know that YOU are the reason I became a Utah fan. And YOU are the reason my favorite color is red. I don't think you'll ever understand the influence you had on such a young, dumb girl. You literally determined where I would go to college one day. Bravo.

SINCERELY, PASSING NOTES

DEAR SHARPIE,

I'm not quite sure what's up with your life right now, but I'm assuming you're still the same. You're just one of those unchanging people I guess. Anyway, take care of Lauren for me. She'll need it.

SINCERELY, KIZZLE

DEAR BINGHAM,

I can't say this enough- I'm eternally grateful I got out of that awful situation. I was only hurting myself and you got all the enjoyment out of it. I can't help but dream about kicking you in the face over and over and telling you how close you were to ruining my life. I wish I could just push "delete" and pretend it never happened. But you still haunt me. And it's still so awkward. And I hate it.

SINCERELY, HAPPY TO BE LEAVING

DEAR TEDDY,

I couldn't be happier to know that I really dodged a bullet there. I've only heard rumors, but I can't help but cry for you and they way things have turned out to be. I'll never forget how silly our whole relationship was. That was before you experienced 35 years of life way too quickly and became someone even your best brothers couldn't handle.

SINCERELY, PRETTY EYEZ

DEAR MY BFF,

Be happy and work hard. Good things will come to Jay one day :) Thanks for always talking to me about everything and being my best friend. Thanks for not killing me for being so annoying and getting through senior year with me. I'm glad we know what we know. ;)

SINCERELY, YOUR BFF

DEAR MANGO,

Thanks for putting up with my obnoxious self. And for laughing about the whole fruit thing. You're a real gem.

SINCERELY, REGION DANCES

DEAR BOY,

I always just wanted you to be happy. I still do. Seeing you open your mission call was the most relieving thing. You've been talking about it for years and now it's finally here. I can't help but be so proud of you, and a little jealous. Keep that head of yours up. And thanks for all those happy memories. That seems to be the only thing I can ever remember about you.

SINCERELY, GIRL

DEAR TRAX,

I still laugh when I think about it. The whole thing was just hilarious. Thanks for making life not so awful and for making the transition to the U a whole crap ton easier. It was nice to have a real friend.

SINCERELY, POKEMON

DEAR BLONDE,

I hope you know that I died for ten whole minutes when I brought my picture for show and tell and you said it was very nice. I used to daydream about us. Kindergarten was rough.

SINCERELY, MERMAID GIRL

DEAR ADAM & ETHAN,

You have no idea how awesome this is going to be. You just wait :)

SINCERELY, ONE DAY

DEAR FUTURE HUSBAND,

Looking back, I can see perfectly how we got together. All the pieces coming together to form the ideal picture. I wish I could explain it. I wish I had words to describe the way I feel about you. I wish I could tell you how thankful I am that you stepped in, picked me up, brushed me off, and told me to keep trying. You blessed me with so much love and forgiveness that I almost can't stand it. You mean everything to me. I can't wait to be your wife. I really can't.

SINCERELY, FUTURE WIFE

To Never Say Goodbye

I really hate that

EVERY. SINGLE. NIGHT.

I have to make Scott go home.

I literally have to be the bad guy 

EVERY NIGHT 

and tell him it's time for bed.

I think he's starting to think

that I don't even like being with him.

Not true.

I wish we were just done with this already.

I'm quite dang sick of it.

Meh.

Thankfully, only 16 more nights.

I love him so much.

Why Working at Jamba is Sometimes Really Annoying

Public Service Announcements:

This is what work is like sometimes.

I just kinda give up and sit on boxes that crumble beneath me.

Just like my patience.

Basically we can entitle this photo

"Over Worked and Under Appreciated"

!!!!!DISCLAIMER!!!!!

Honestly, my job is a lot of fun.

I really enjoy it and I work with some stellar people.

But after two years of building up these pet peeves, I had to let them out somehow.

-You really don't need to grab your own straw. Really. I promise you that I will put one in your cup before I give it to you. And I PROMISE there's a really good chance you just grabbed the wrong one anyway. And I PROMISE WITH ALL OF MY HEART that every single one of us working is secretly laughing at you for banging your straw on the counter to try and open it. Only fools open straws like that. We know what we're doing. Please just stop.

-If I am doing dishes (or anything, for that matter) (but ESPECIALLY when I'm doing dishes) don't come up behind me and take over and start washing dishes like a tortoise. I GUARANTEE I can wash dishes faster and more efficiently than you can and I would REALLY appreciate it if you'd go find some other task to fulfill while I take care of the sink. Many hands don't necessarily make light work, but many productive hands make your manager happy. And by happy I mean not angry.

-In case you weren't aware, we have hired you as an employee and expect that you treat your job like a job. This isn't playtime. You don't come to work to hang out with your friends and be super obnoxious and unproductive. I understand that you're a teenager. But you are a teenager that has elected to apply for a job, accept said job, and have agreed to be a valuable employee of said job. Now do it.

-Peanut Butter Moo'ds have got to be the most annoying, time consuming smoothie to make. I can't even begin to describe to you how long they take to produce. I would rather die than make a PBM. I'm not even kidding. I hate everything about them.

-Can we please stop with the sampling when we are busy? Like. Stop it. I bet you $500 that whatever is in that blender is gonna get made again tonight and maybe you can have some later. But when we have a line and six orders to get out, your tiny half an ounce sample is NOT THAT IMPORTANT. Stop stopping what you are doing to go pour your half an ounce into a tiny sacrament cup and go put it in the back before getting back to what you're doing. The ONLY reason I don't scream at you right then and there is because there are customers in the store. You can guarantee it.

-AM I LITERALLY THE ONLY PERSON THAT KNOWS HOW TO DO LAUNDRY? And why does the entire store fall apart if Leah, Shambray, and I have more than one day off?

-Speaking of closing, if you are going to come in at 9:55 with your entire family, AT LEAST KNOW WHAT YOU WANT. You standing there for ten minutes just attracts more people. And that's when I start throwing blenders into the sink.

-Can we PLEASE stop with the Isis free smoothies thing? Please? I mean it was fine when it was one, but now cell phone companies are saying you can come in and get six. SIX. What the hell does a normal person need SIX smoothies for EVER SINGLE DAY?! I wouldn't be so mad about it if they weren't free. Like we don't even get paid to make them. Like. You make us so busy and it doesn't even show up on our hourly sales. And I then want to throw things.

-And finally, what is up with people who can't simply clean up after themselves? Like. Flush the toilet. Throw your empty cup away. Jamba Juice is not your mother. Stop acting like a teenage boy and be respectful of public places.

I bet you can tell that I'm a really patient and understanding manager, huh?

Whatever. It needed to be said. 

Oh also, 

I'm getting married in 17 days. 

HOLLA

DFTBA