Saturday, January 29, 2011

Confession of a Lame Blogger

I really shouldn't be blogging right now. I have so much homework to do and laundry to fold. I don't know why I am. It seems like I go weeks without even looking at this thing and then I have a weekend where I am on it ALL THE TIME. The inconsistency is probably why hardly anyone reads this any more. Heck, I probably wouldn't read this blog anymore either.

The truth is, the last six months of my life have been the hardest few months I have ever experienced. A combination of health problems and events out of my control have really caused me a lot of anguish. I was glad to see 2010 go. No, glad doesn't adequately describe it. I was ECSTATIC to see 2010 end.

So, I guess the reason I haven't been very consistent with blogging is because I didn't have many happy things to say and I don't want this blog to be a whine fest. Your welcome.

Life is full of ups and downs. This life is a time to grow and that means hurting sometimes. We can't pretend that away. Despite the fact that life has been the pits for the last few months, I have to say, I really have grown. I have felt the healing power of my Heavenly Father and have seen direct blessing from Heaven. I have become even closer to my spouse and found that he loves me even though I am not perfect and that makes me joyous. I have found that even though he isn't perfect, I love him more everyday and that makes me giddy. I have been blessed by the love and support of loving parents. Their wisdom, care, and love for me have overwhelmed me with gratitude.

(Just one example of my parents' awesomeness. I was surprised to get this amazing fruit basket in the mail on an especially hard day. How did my Mother know that it was just the expression of love I needed to help me get through?)

Maybe, most surprisingly, I have found that I have a strength in myself that I didn't recognize before. I have learned that I can be strong even when I feel so very weak. That recognition has filled me with confidence and self worth that I haven't had before and I think that's pretty cool.

So, I am not apologizing for having a lame blog. It is what it is. But, I hope you won't give up on me. Please be patient with me and this lame blog because the truth is, I need good friends like you.

Friday, January 28, 2011

Love is in the Air


One thing I LOVE about being married (besides being able to spend the rest of my life with my handsome husband, of course) is that I have my own house. Now don't get me wrong, I've had some AMAZING roommates over the years. In fact, most of them I consider my dearest friends. However, there is just something WONDERFUL about having your own place that you can make yours. Since we've been married, I've been way more into home decor than ever before. I love that I can make my house mine. That also means that I get into holidays way more than I ever used to. So, I decided today that I needed our little apartment to be "Valentined." Since we are on a budget, I decided it had to be cheap but awesome. So, I got some printables from the lovely ladies at the blogs below, found some old frames that I had lying around, bought some Valentine letter blocks for $1, and whoala! My house is in the full Valentine spirit!


Find the Keep Calm and Kiss On printable HERE
Find the All You Need Is Love printable HERE


Find the Valentine Subway Art printable HERE
Find the Dr Seuss printable HERE


I love that I have a big window sill to decorate. I have now fallen in love with printables. And I LOVE that I get so spend my Valentine's day with my favorite guy.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

The Holidays

  The Holiday/Finals season got away with me and I have failed to blog about our WONDERFUL holiday! We were able to go back to Oregon for a few days and visit our family. I CANNOT tell you how much I needed to go home. My parents really are my best friends and I just needed to spend time talking and laughing with them. It was so rejuvenating!  
Joe and I were able to participate in all the Harris and Flager Christmas traditions. The annual Harris candle-light dinner was nothing short of amazing. Here's a picture of my parents carving the duck we had. 




We played lots of Ping-Pong with the Flagers and just relished every moment. It was a great Christmas!

We had to come home on the 26th because Joe had to work on Monday. :( So, I worked on a paper I had to write all week. Our 1st Anniversary was on December 29th and Mother Nature celebrated it as she celebrated our wedding a year before--with TONS of snow in Utah. It even snowed in Oregon too. I wonder if snow on our anniversary will be a yearly occurrence.

To celebrate, we at the top of our wedding cake. Some of you may think that is weird, but it is something my family has always done. You freeze the top layer of the wedding cake and then eat it on your first anniversary. Joe could NOT wait to have it. It was so yummy at our wedding.


It reminds me of a marshmallow.


All the black stenciling came off with the foil, so it looked grey. But, I still love the flowers.


It was Cookies n' Cream flavored cake with Cookies n' Cream flavored icing in the layers. YUM!



So, it wasn't as good a year later. (That wasn't really a surprise.) It was still pretty good, but just a bit dry for our taste. But it was fun anyway. I LOVED my wedding cake and it was great to relive how wonderful our wedding was.

Then on the weekend, we REALLY celebrated our anniversary and the New Year. My wonderful parents reserved an ADORABLE room at The Inn on the Hill bed and breakfast in Salt Lake City. we got to stay for two nights and it was a PERFECT weekend.

First of all, the room had an amazing view.


Then, on New Year's Eve we had quite the fun and romantic evening. We started with dinner at The Roof restaurant which is across from Temple Square. The food was SO YUMMY and the view from our table of the Salt Lake Temple was simply stunning.


Since it was New Year's Eve, they gave us hats and noise makers. Joe looked like a member of the Rat Pack in in his hat (so handsome!).






Then we went to see Savior of the World at the Conference Center. What a wonderful show! The actors were SO talented and the music was amazing! It was great to start the new year with our thoughts on the Savior. Before we headed back to the hotel, we enjoyed some of the activities that were around Temple Square, including a presentation of Polynesian dancers. It was so fun!

At midnight they set fireworks off at Temple Square and we could see them from our hotel room. I can't think of a more perfect way to start a new year!



Now, the vacation is over and reality has set in. I've already completed one week of school and Joe is back to work and starts classes tomorrow. We are grateful for all the Lord has blessed us with in 2010 and hoping for a wonderful 2011.



Looking Forward to 2011


  • Draw Closer to God
    • Personally
      • Personal prayer morning and night
        • Don't wait until too tired to pray
      • Personal scripture study
        • Start the day off right
    • As a Family
      • Family prayer daily
      • Family scripture study daily
      • Family Home Evening Weekly
        • Tuesday night preferable
        • Plan lessons on Sunday
      • Church attendance weekly
      • Temple attendance monthly
  • Strengthen Marriage
    • Let Joe make his own choices
    • FORGIVE
    • Date Night once a week
    • Family dinner 5 nights a week
    • Show acts of kindness daily
    • Be intimate often
  • Lose Weight
    • Weight Watchers for at least 3 months
      • Track food
      • Weekly weigh in
      • Eat healthy
        • More fruits and veggies
        • Lean meats
        • Whole wheat carbs
      • Drink 64 oz. water daily
      • Treats moderately (within the weekly allowance)
  • Improve Academically
    • Be at school at 8AM Monday –Friday
    • Stay until 5PM Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday
    • Stay until 8PM Monday and Wednesday
    • Stay on top of reading
      • Schedule homework in Google Calendar
      • Do all reading the night before the class
    • Keep current outlines
      • Outline every Friday
      • DO NOT PROCRASTINATE
    • Get help
      • Ask questions and make sure to understand concepts on Friday
    • Memorize Weekly
      • Memorize what was outlined the week before throughout the week
      • Review outlines on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
  • Be More Financially Responsible
    • Make a budget with Joe
    • STICK to BUDGET
    • Make dinner 5 times weekly
      • E-Mealz
      • Do grocery shopping on Saturday mornings
    • Eat Out less
      • Bring lunch to school
      • Stick to eat out budget
    • PAY TITHING AND FAST OFFERING