And now I can breathe

Ahhh. That is how I feel right now. Why you ask? Oh well, because the last 6 months have been some of the craziest and busiest months of my life and I feel like finally I can sit down and breathe. Which, means I can sit down and write a little blog post. Ever since Thanksgiving we have really been going at full speed. Between helping Matt and Debi move to Seattle, moving ourselves, moving my parents, the holiday season, birthday celebrations, Sam being in school, helping Bethany and John do some remodeling to their house, lots of babysitting, taking on a full time position at my work, teaching a subject I have never taught before at my work, starting a side gardening business with my friend Haley after taking on a full time job, and all the regular things that keep a person busy these days, we have been busy. See why I feel like I can finally breathe? My life has felt as long and busy at that run on sentence. However, finally (and I mean finally), school is out, Sam is out of school, and my life is suddenly very open. It feels amazing!

Ever since April I have been teaching, Marketing, Business and Keyboarding at my school. I did a long term sub last year for 5th grade as well. It really was a good experience, but it was challenging going back to Jr. High since I have worked with 5th graders for two years now. I was so grateful for the opportunity though, and all my work and waiting has paid off and you are looking at the new social studies teacher at my school! Yes, that is me people. After two years of looking for a full time teaching position (in the subject I actually studied in school) I finally have one. I am way excited! I will probably be more excited in August since, like so many other teachers, I am still recovering from the month of May.

I am so excited for this summer and to have a chance to get on top of things in my life. Even though I complain about how busy we have been, I am truly grateful for all of the things in my life. All of them have been amazing opportunities, whether service, work, financial, or social. We have been overwhelmed with blessings, so much that we don't know what to do with all of them.

We are looking forward to this summer and the month of June is pretty much already booked. We are going on Pioneer Trek at the end of the month and then immediately after heading up to Seattle to visit my brother's family. I can not wait! We also just welcome my sister's little twin babies last week and so we have a lot of snuggles to fit in. Well, hopefully I can update our lives a little more now that I actually have some free time these days. For now enjoy a few photos of the last 6 months.

Happy Summer Everyone!!!

Happy New Year!

Well 2013 has gone and 2014 is here whether I am ready for it or not. On Dec. 31st I turned 27, which I have realized is a pretty uneventful age to turn. I had a pretty good day shopping with Sam, eating out with my family and playing games until the clocked turned midnight and another year was gone. We had a pretty low key night and since I was still recovering from being sick for the whole month I was ok with it. Of course with the new year comes reflection as well as making plans for the new year.

I would say 2013 was a pretty good year, not without it's challenges though. Here are some of the highlights for me:

• Moving into John and Bethany's house and inheriting 3 crazy cats, thus making us cat people.
• Planting my very first garden
• Celebrating our first wedding anniversary
• Finding Nala and having our very first pet
• Traveling to Boston to visit John and Bethany
• Running (mostly) a half marathon
• Helping Matt and Debi move to Seattle
• Moving to a new house

Last year Sam and I set a few goals, some of which we kept, some partly kept, and some hardly at all. We have set some goals for the new year:

1. Run a triathlon together
2. Attend the temple at least once a month
3. Do a 52 week savings challenge
4. We did not set too many because even though at the new year I feel a lot of ambition I don't want to be unrealistic.

Here are my personal goals for 2014:

1. Go to the dentist (yes that is a big goal for me)
2. Finish menu plans I started
3. Make a wedding album
4. Related to #3, I want to organize our photos
5. Start an etsy business
6. Have a booth at my local farmer's market this summer.

I wanted my goals to be things I have deeply wanted to do, which probably seem ridiculous to others but are important to me. I wanted them to be realistic and not your typical "New Years" resolutions. Of course I want to loose weight, or be a better person, but I think those can be obtained better through more specific goals. My hope for this new year is to be settled in a new place and to organize my life in a way that I have been wanting to for a while now. Happy New Year!

Christmas turned out just fine after all.

After all my stress about getting ready for Christmas and mustering up whatever Christmas magic I could, it all turned out great despite my worrying. I managed to get up a cute little tree and some stockings.

And that is about it for decorations. On Christmas Eve we had a small dinner with my sister Rebekah's family and actually watched about half of the movie Rad that my brother in law Sean found on Youtube. Nothing says Christmas like a good 80's movie. 

On Christmas day we woke up and opened the presents we got for each other and the gifts my parents spoiled us with. We always say we are sticking to a strict budget but we end up spoiling each other. I did not really even create a Christmas wish list because life has just been busy and I have not been thinking about it that much. Sam was so sweet and for like the last 6 months he had been creating a list of things I had mentioned that I wanted or would like to have. So even though I did not really give him any ideas he surprised me so many cute and wonderful things. What meant more than the presents did was how thoughtful they were. That is what makes presents great. 

After a quick breakfast we headed over to Sam's parents. We got to talk to Sam's little brother Joe who is on a mission in Ohio. We got to talk to Joe for about 2 hours! We talked with him through facetime so it was cool to actually get to see him. I think he was a little homesick but he is doing great and is starting to become more and more comfortable as a missionary. Since most of my family was all gone somewhere else we just spent the day with Sam's family. We ate delicious food and we were thoroughly spoiled by Sam's parents. We watched a classic Christmas movie and just lounged most of the day. Pretty much all of us were sick so it was nice to just relax.

Overall it was a pretty great Christmas. I had a big realization that even if I do not do any of the normal traditions I love about Christmas, it will come anyways, and all you can do is just enjoy it. That is precisely what I did. Even though we were spoiled with things I really felt that this Christmas was not about the gifts at all. I realize that is really cliche but it is just so true. I am mostly just grateful to have family (especially when you spend a holiday without all of them). I am grateful to have Sam's family to spend the day with. I am most grateful for Sam who has taken care of me while I have been sick this whole month. He is so thoughtful and just being with him made it a wonderful day. Now I get to look forward to my birthday, the new year, and getting back to normal, or at least the life I consider normal :)

Merry Christmas!

It's really not beginning to look like Christmas at all.

This time of year everyone is eagerly anticipating Christmas and are finishing up the final touches on gift wrapping, decorations, and Christmas parties. Well, that is not the case for me and Sam. I have pretty much done nothing to get ready for Christmas and it is a little depressing. I love holidays. I mean LOVE. I love the planning and all the excitement. I love Christmas lights and decorations. I love turning on Christmas music while I hang ornaments on the Christmas tree and hang lights around all the windows. I have done nothing. Not one twinkling light.

The reason for this lack of holiday cheer really started with Thanksgiving, which we also did not celebrate this year. Well we did, just not on Thanksgiving. On Thanksgiving day we headed out with my brother Matt's family to help them move to their new home on Bainbridge Island just outside of Seattle. Even though we had a big Thanksgiving dinner the Sunday before, it was still a little weird knowing everyone was sitting down to a nice turkey dinner when I was driving through western Idaho. We were lucky enough to stop at my grandparent's house and my Grandma made us a delicious lunch with a little pumpkin dessert. The saddest part of the day was when we made it to our stopping point in Baker City, Oregon. We went in search of a place for dinner and not one place was open. NOT ONE. Not even McDonalds. Where did we technically eat our Thanksgiving dinner? Maverick. Yes, that is right. We ate Maverick gas station food while watching the Price is Right in our hotel room. My niece Leah may have shed a few tears that night, but the kids were really big troopers and they never complained. 

We finally made it to Seattle the next day and helped Matt and Debi move everything in to their new house, which is super cool and in such an amazingly beautiful place. I am not going to lie, it made me think of moving the the beautiful northwest someday. We spent the weekend with them in Washington and then had to say a sad goodbye to their family and head back to reality in Utah.

I say back to reality because being in Washington was really relaxing for me and as soon as we got home that meant we had to move as well. We are going to be moving into Matt's house now that he is gone. Here is the deal. My parents are moving into the upstairs of Matt's house and they are selling their condo. We have now moved out of Bethany and John's house (since they are now back from Massachusetts and Bethany is pregnant with twins!!!). So now we have moved in to Matt's basement and will be living with my parents. Are you confused yet? I don't blame you if you are. Anyways... we left Seattle late Monday night, and had to get back to work the next day. We then spent a crazy tired week packing and moving little by little all week while trying to paint our new bedroom.

Unfortunately I came down with a cold last weekend, and unfortunately that cold turned into bronchitis. And unfortunately I also caught a case of pink eye two days ago. So I finally made it to the Dr. and finally made it back to work after being out for 3 days. Let's just say I am grateful it is the weekend. But I am still surrounded by unpacked boxes with no Christmas cheer in sight. My goal is to get into the Christmas spirit, decorate a Christmas tree, and buy some presents no matter what this weekend. Oh did I mention that we are helping my parents move tomorrow? Let's just say I am a little tired of moving.

Even though the holidays have not been very conventional for us this year it has also really put things in perspective for me. Between Thanksgiving and now I have had a hard time feeling holiday magic and cheer, but I have been trying to really focus on the true meaning of Christmas. I keep trying to tell myself that the decorations are not that important and that there is no need to feel any stress about not having any of the traditional Christmas things done. I am trying to focus on the fact that I will get to spend time with family. I am going to focus on the fact that Sam only has one more week of school and then I will get a lot more Sam time for the next three weeks. Tonight we are going to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas concert and I am so excited that I get to hear about the true message of Christmas in such a beautiful place.

So hopefully I will recover from all the sickness soon, get a tree up, eat some peppermint ice cream and eggnog, and try to feel a little Christmas magic soon. I have a feeling that even with all the craziness in my life, it is going to be a great Christmas either way.

And all of the sudden life got busy.

I think it is funny because I have gone back and looked at my posts from the summer, and man I must have been bored. I think I was wallowing in the frustration of life because I had a lot of time to think about how frustrating life can be. Well not anymore. Since I have started back up at my job and with Sam being full time at his job plus at school, not to mention all the other little things that make us busy, I don't have time to think about those things as much. I thought that before the holidays hit I better do an update before things get REALLY busy. And since this blog is really for me more than anything else, I really need to get everything down before I forget.

Well Summer was good, but long, and difficult when you only really work 9 months out of the year. So I was happy for September to come. The month of August was crazy busy. I watched my sister Rebekah's kids for 2 weeks so she could take a CNA course during the day. Needless to say we were both ready to be done with that (not that I don't love my crazy little nieces). Then we took a quick trip to Idaho to visit my grandparents. They really put us to work by hauling logs, digging ditches in the horse pasture and leveling a part of their garden to make a horseshoe pit. But we are always glad to help them out.

I finally started work and I am grateful to be getting two pay checks again, although it really does not feel like we have any more money, it just feels like we are spending more. Well September was great and October was even better. We took a lovely trip to visit Bethany and John in Massachusetts. A trip to New England in the Fall? It really can't get any better. Here are a few (okay a lot) of pictures.

Yes we walked 294 steps up to the top of that thing.

Things we did that may or may not be pictured above: See the Fall foliage in New Hampshire, visit Hanover (where I spent my summer as a camp counselor), walk the Freedom Trail in Boston, eat clam chowder and delicious authentic canolis, drive to Connecticut, drive to NYC, see the 9/11 memorial, sit on the 2nd row of the Late Show (and be on TV for like 2 seconds), eat real NYC pizza, see Times Square, go to Cape Cod, go to Boston Harbor, see Plymoth Plantation, drive to Rhode Island, eat lobster for the first (and last) time. It was a great trip. But we were pretty tired by the end and ready to go home. Thanks Bethany and John for the great time! We couldn't have done it without you!

Then, a week after returning from out lovely vacation, I ran a half marathon with my sister Rachel. Well to be more correct I ran half of a half marathon with her. After that point I let her go on ahead without me (I am a really slow runner). I kept on running until about mile 8 I reached a nice steep hill and had to give into walking. I kept on running after the hill, but then got two giant blisters on each foot that basically made the last 5 miles total misery. Even though I felt like a 109 old woman by the end, and had to walk about 3 miles of it, I crossed that finished line in which I proceeded to cry into Sam's chest and claim that I will never do that again. Thanks Rachel for pushing me to train and to do something that showed how far I can push myself. 

This is what I came home to after the race, sweet huh?

We had a wonderful and thankfully quiet Halloween. All we did is eat delicious Fall themed food, pass out candy, and watch Wait Until Dark as we cuddled on the couch. It was a great end to an amazing but very busy October.

Well a lot of other things happened in the last 3 months like my niece Izzy getting baptized, hosting a get together with my friends, and a college friend reunion, lots of family get togethers, birthdays, etc. 

Now time to move on with the past and look to what is ahead. We are happy to say that we will be moving at the beginning of December. We are moving into the basement of my brother's house in Centerville. Sadly that means they will be moving. My brother accepted a job in Seattle. Sam and I are going to drive up there to help them move, so we get to squeeze in another little trip (kind of) before the end of the year. My parents are going to sell there condo (anyone interested?) and live in the upstairs of the house while we live in the basement. We are excited for the change and excited for the Holidays. Well I think that this post is long enough don't you? Until next time. Happy November!

We have a baby, a baby cat.

We are crazy people. Now we have a crazy little cat. A kitten. Sam named her Nala. She is adorable and she tries to bite my feet and hands all the time. We love her already and at the same time I am seriously debating my lapse in judgement that caused me to take her home. On the 24th of July we just happened to stop by at Dick's market. We heard a meow. A loud meow that I had heard before. Flashback 4 years ago. I was on a walk in Logan and heard a little black and white kitten meowing at me from across the road. I took him home. I gave him to my brother-in-law. No harm right? I gave a helpless kitten a good home. Well now I am living with this kitten and his name is Moe. And he is the biggest butthead cat. So why on earth would I ever take in another stray cat? Well I did. And I didn't even have to. We are not the ones who even found the kitten at Dick's. Another family found her and were carrying her around looking for her owner. It was my idea to take her without even seeing her first. When we opened up the box and saw her cute little face and gray striped fur we fell in love. Especially Sam. He is such a softie. So there you go. Meet Nala.

The problem that we did not realize is that adult cats don't really like kittens. We thought, hey, we already have 3 cats, what is one more? Well apparently it is a big deal. I don't think one of the other cats really likes her so we have to keep her in a separate room and only let her out when the other cats are not around. It is kind of a pain. But over time hopefully things will get better and if all else fails she will grow up and be able to hold her own against the other cats. She came from the streets after all. It is a big responsibility but I figure if we can't raise a cat then what hope do we have at parenthood? So here is our first test and I hope it is successful. Either way, Nala is now the third member of our little family.

Patience

This last week at church we had a lesson in Relief Society about patience that really rang true to me and my life. I am positive that I am not the only one who feels this way but sometimes it just feels like I am. Something that Sam and I have been struggling with is the problem of the waiting game. We are always saying to each other "when such and such thing happens we will be happier" or "when we have such and such things our lives will be easier." I have realized that our whole lives we are simply waiting for the next thing to happen to us and thinking that life will get easier or better when those things happen. Ever since I have finished school and got married I have been struggling with this a lot, I mean A LOT. I guess it just feels like I did my time at school (twice), I went off and did some adventurous things, I dated a few weird boys before I found the right one, I have had about a dozen different jobs and moved about two dozen times to various houses and apartments. This problem I think can be summed up into three different parts:

The first: I am not a college student anymore, but still live a semester to semester life because of Sam. Even though I don't have homework anymore, I still feel the stress of deadlines and midterms, but I can't do anything about it. Confession: one time I actually wrote a paper for Sam and it felt great. It is so hard because Sam is studying Spanish and business and I can't help him with either one of those things. I just feel like I am in an eternal school waiting game. I can't wait for the day when tuition is no longer an expense and all my student loans are paid off as well.

The second: That awkward place where everyone around me is a parent and I am not yet. Sam and I are the only couple in our ward who do not have kids. We have only been married a year and I think I am the only one who is pressuring myself about this issue, but I still feel the pressure. I think part of it is that I am around kids pretty much every single day, but they are other people's kids. I want to be around my own kids, I just don't have them yet. And because of things like problem number one, I feel like it will never happen.

The third: I am not in college, I am not a mom, and yet I do still not have a career. One giant frustration this summer has been trying to find a teaching position. I have not been successful yet. After 5 interviews and many tears after being rejected every single time, I have been left very confused and frustrated. When I went back to school I really felt like it was the right thing to do and it seriously NEVER occurred to me that I would not find a job. The moral of the story is to not go into social studies education without and ESL endorsement or without being a coach. Let's just say I have some bitter feelings against coaches lately.

With those three problems weighing on my mind daily I keep living in the past, worrying about the future and feeling unhappy with my life, which makes me feel like an ungrateful crazy person. A piece of truth: I do have a good life, a great life! I have an amazing husband who loves me no matter how crazy emotional I am. I have a family who supports me. I do have a job to go back to during the school year. I have a comfortable home to live in. I have all the things in my life that I really need. So what is my big problem!?

I guess this whole post relates back to the lesson I had on Sunday. It related perfectly to how I was feeling and truly was an answer to a prayer. I realized I have had the answer all along, which is just to be patient. I have been trying really hard to enjoy my life in the moment and to accept things as they come. I am trying to be grateful for what I have and for where I am in my life.