Dietbets and Arizona

Bullet points because I wait to long to post nowadays so it's easier...

• Had a birthday on the 14th. Celebrated on a plane to AZ to have a Jeff Earl girl weekend with my SIL's. Brandon's parents are renting a house in Gilbert for a couple months. They are looking at possibly moving there, so this helps them get the feel of what it would be like. Here's what it would be like: Amazing. It would be amazing. 
• Arizona happened from the 14th-18th. We shopped, and I actually shopped and had a great attitude the whole time! For those who aren't aware, I have a genuine dislike/borderline hate for shopping. I like to get what I need and get out. It's rare when I can browse shop. It makes it easier to do when you have your girls with you giving you all the Ooo's and Ahh's about how great your butt looks in those jeans and how tiny your waist looks in that dress. We ate yummy food from tapinyaki, carne tacos, BBQ, homemade bread, and some random diner food (WE REGRET NOTHING). We got pedicures. We went and looked at model homes, and all realized we need to contact the decorator of these said model homes. We had all the conversations. We hottubed. We did inititories at the Gilbert temple. Side bar, Gilbert temple is my new favorite temple. The celestial room was absolutely stunning. We visited Uncle Doug and Aunt Connie, and had wonderful conversation. Post visit picked fresh lemons off a nearby lemon tree in someone's backyard. We talked make up. We read our books in peace without kids needing you to watch their newest trick. All the while husbands back at home survived being Mr. Mom. I will say, since this trip Troy has been more about Dad than me. I won't be leaving for a while. Need to reestablish our friendship. Ya know? 

• We went to a wedding in San Diego for our good friends Brock and Katie who FINALLY sealed the deal. Literally sealed, (boom).  It was one of the most spiritual experiences of my life to watch them  kneel across the alter from one another and make their covenants to each other and to Heavenly Father. We have been blessed to have been able to watch them find each other, fall and be in love, and now be our new married friends. We are so excited for them and can't wait to see what their beautiful future holds in eternity!

• While we were in San Diego, my great grandma was admitted into the ER after visiting my aunt with my Grandma for the holidays. She was diagnosed with lung cancer recently and was having issues breathing when admitted, after which they diagnosed her with heart failure. We visited a couple times to see her and visit with my family. It was heartbreaking to see my great grandma, who I think of as this strong and free willed being, in such a frail state. I'm grateful for my Grandma and aunts who were all there to help her mend enough to get her home to Seattle where she is now. As of right now she is stable at home. She just celebrated her birthday yesterday! Happy birthday Grandma Great! Love you like crazy.
• We went on a double date this last week with our friends Lindsey, Garret, Ken, and Taylor. We ate at Kona Grill, then went and watched Ride Along 2. Super funny! 
• Troy is getting 4 teeth right now and trying to kick a cold. Poor dude. He's had a wet cough and runny nose for a couple weeks now. He's still eating, sleeping, and acting just fine so I haven't felt prompted to take him to a dr just yet. Rub some dirt on it, right?
• So Kelsey Edwards and I are doing this Dietbet with Our Best Bites. Basically you put $35 into a pot with other players and bet that you will lose 4% of your body weight within the next 30 days. If you don't, you lose out on you $35. If you do, not only do you get your money back, but you also get a portion of the pot from those who didn't lose their 4%. It's sweet and super motivating! Plus 4% is so easy to lose. I've been eating paleo friendly, and straight up this is how I live with the exception of a cheat meal once a week. My mom got me a paleo cookbook for my birthday with awesome easy recipes that keep you full. My dream would be to throw away everything in my house that is not paleo compliant and say, "If it's not there then this is what you eat instead." Maybe someday B will be on board? Eh? Anyway, we have been doing Zumba M-W-F with her friend's mom who teaches a class for free at a church building. I love Zumba. It's so fun! Then on the off days I'll do an at home crossfit routine or an online Zumba workout. It's fun guys it's fun! With money on the line how can you not be motivated to get your butt in gear right?

K peace out.

Love

In spirit of valentines day, let's take a look at mine:

He's my person. He's the only person that can make me laugh or smile when I'm grouchy, he always sees the best in people until he's proven wrong, he's hard working and pushes himself to provide for us, he's intelligent and educated, he's had life experiences which have made him wise and thus my counselor, he's forgiving, he's loyal to the end, he's encouraging, he honors his priesthood and seeks for opportunities to use it, he's active and enjoys being outside, he's loving and caring, he's always the first to say "I'm sorry," he's wise with our finances, he's a missionary and never let's an opportunity go by where he can share the gospel, he's humble in areas I wish I could be, he's a listener, and the greatest example to me that I have ever or will ever have. 

As many of you SHOULD know, we are just a couple of cheese balls. We are all about mushy gushy romance, getting lost in each others eyes, and being in awe over our relationship. 

Side note, do you notice a theme with the pictures thus far? Winter is really hard... Anyways. We have so much fun together. Battling wits over the others humor and give a high five when we make the best "that's what she said" joke. Sorry parents.... Here are some other parts of our relationship that are my favorite...

Football is the only sport we are passionate about. Okay, only certain teams. Okay, I only have certain teams I care about. Okay, only certain games I care about. Then we both get passionate. For example, our friendly rivalry of BYU vs. UofU. Or any team against BYU do I cheer for. The only time we have ever been on the same teams is if it's BSU for college or Seahawks for the NFL. 

We play really well together. We enjoy being outside embarrassing Heavenly Father's creations and toys via technology. RIP motorcycle.... May your new owner embrace you as my husband has ;) Truly though, my valentine loves creating new memories with me and trying new things. It keeps that spark alive. Shooting, camping, biking, water sports, winter sports, etc. 

We have the travel bug. We can't stay in one place for too long. Road trips or coastal ventures we will happily attend. We have been many places, and plan to go elsewhere. Oh the places you will go....

We are cooks. Specialties in Mexican and Asian. We try new recipes and either give the other a thumbs down and rate it on the negative scale of "Never make this again" or "Don't feed this to me until you fix it." OR we give the thumbs up and rate on a positive scale of "Feed this to me everyday all day" with a two snap in Z formation, or "That was bomb. Make it again next week!"

We invest in good music. Playing off of the others ears. 

My favorite part of it all, is the reciprocation, honest, and pure love that is ours. My favorite is even during the times when we have bickered, at night we come together and say "I love you." Never have we gone to bed without saying those words as a reminder. He's truly my best of best friends and partner in this life and in the eternities. Happy Valentine's Day :)

BUT WAIT! Don't you want to know how we celebrated?!?! 

So last year we went to this place called "The Springs." It's a spa and natural hot springs in a huge pool outside under the stars in Idaho City. They serve you drinks as you kiss a lot. It's so relaxing and absolutely beautiful. We went with Brock and Brooke. Afterwards we ate at iHop because, hello, iHop. Why not? 

Love each other. There's no reason not to. 

Why we work

My heart is full. My mind is nostalgic.
Life is crazy. It throws curveballs, forces you to climb steep mountains, sticks it's nasty hairy hobbit foot out and trips you, but then grants you a break and lets you rest a whole until it tricks you into falling in a ditch. For what? It's not because our Father in Heaven enjoys seeing you fall on your face, it's the lesson you learn in watching out for those branches and learning to walk around them next time. Maybe to also let another hiker know what to watch out for.
We've all had those trials. That's nothing new, but isn't it funny to look back on those hardships and reflecting back to when we thought that was the end? The world is over? Yet here we are. We picked ourselves back up, brushed off the dust, and climbed our way back to the top. We may even had others give us a boost.
I've learned a lot from my stumbles, and from the stumble of others rather it be by watching it happen or hearing about it later. The number one lesson I've learned throughout such experiences is that it all leads up to the grand finale. The reason for the falls. As I've shared before, mine was my husband.
Getting to the realization and "ah-ha" moment was never easy. It was difficult, and quite a bumpy ride for us both. However, I wouldn't change a thing. Otherwise I may not have ended up as blessed as I am now. I worked through the trials to receive this blessing.
After we got engaged, I prepared myself for my marriage. I studied my scriptures, prayed with and without my then fiancé, and studied my temple prep manual like crazy. I'm grateful I did, otherwise I don't think I would have expected that first year of marriage. I'm grateful we did those things together and separately to prepare for each other.
Those first few months after we got married, we were asked to give a talk in our ward about how we can strengthen our marriages. Personally I thought it was funny they asked the newly weds because of course we would just say, "love each other and you're set. Duh." But here's what we gathered:

1. Love as He loves YOU! This basically encompasses everything, but simply remind yourself of how much our Savior and Heavenly Father love us, and more importantly HOW they love us.
2. Don't be prideful! You aren't always right, and you don't need to be. Recognize when you've made a mistake, FORGIVE, and move on. Plain and simple.
3. Communicate! You know how everyone says that the key to any successful relationship is communicating? Totally 100% true. It's the foundation for success. Tell each other how you truly feel, express yourself lovingly, and don't do them the disservice by bottling it in.
4. Date each other! Dating doesn't stop once you're married. The flame only burns brighter after that as long as you keep it alive. Flirt with one another, be spontaneous, wear the black dress and heels! Make it a goal to go on a date at LEAST once a month. Make that special time outside of work, school, kids, etc for just each other.
5. Participate in wholesome activities! Going to the gym together, bike riding, watching a clean movie, board games, service projects, actively attending church, or outdoor sports are all examples that keep the spirit in your hearts while being a part of fun activities. It can also unify you more as a couple.
6. Always say 'I love you' no matter what! We all know it can be difficult during any disagreement to tell the debater you still love them. However, it's important to let them know that just because you are upset that does not mean you don't still adore them and love them. This can also tie into never going to bed mad? Also true.
7. Be unique! This is totally something Brandon and I gathered just ourselves, and didn't necessarily read on the internet that would bring us together. But from the beginning of our relationship we created this sign to tell one another we love each other without saying it out loud. What we do is we squeeze the others hand 3 times to symbolize "I love you." It's cute. It's goofy, and something just between us. Find that within your own relationship!
8. Be one another's cheerleader and counselor! I can't remember for the life of me which talk I read this in, but I read somewhere that you are each other's best counselor. In our marriage, any struggle or decision I need help making, I turn to my spouse. He knows me best, and knows what would be the best decision for me. One of the things I seek from him and vice versa is his support in those times, and he seeks mine. You need to be their biggest cheerleader! Encourage, uplift, and help each other.
9. Serve each other! One of the love languages! Service. Give a head rub, run an errand, pick up their dry cleaning, make their favorite meal, get them a present just because, or simply help them get tucked in bed after a long day at work. It goes a long way. There's a scripture that comes to mind in mark 10:45, "for even the son of man did not come to be served, but to serve. And to give his life as a ransom for many."
10. Point out the pros! This also ties into being a cheerleader, but it is more imperative to tell your loved one of all of the great and wonderful characteristics and traits they carry. Recognize them. Point them out. Love them. We are our own worst judge, and at the end of the day, we don't need to be reminded of our shortcomings.

Those were the top ten lessons we have applied and learned throughout our relationship and marriage. We continue to learn more as we journey down this wonderful road together.
I'm eternally grateful for those stumbles and falls in my life that led me to Brandon. I'm grateful for the trials Brandon went through that led to me.
I'm grateful for the time we took in preparing for the temple covenants we made together to honor, serve, and love one another. I'm grateful for the memory of kneeling across the alter from my best friend and superhero and being sealed to him for not only this life, but ETERNITY. I'm grateful for that knowledge. I'm grateful for his example to me in being a worthy priesthood holder in my home, and provider for our family.
Love your spouse. Tell them that, and don't just assume they know. Remind them.
Remember your wedding day.
Honor your covenants.
And by golly, laugh together.
Yes this post was a "just because" where I needed to turn my thoughts into words. Hopefully y'all can take away something from this.
Thanks for reading ❤️❤️

Belated vacae, halloweeny, utah, and real life update

In unorganized pictures....
So we went to Puerto Rico to be a part of my Grandpa's wedding celebration. No big deal or anything. So here's how it all went down...

We stayed about 2 hours away from San Juan in a city called Rincon. The resort was right on the beach. This is a picture of the roof top pool over looking the ocean.

Here's another view from the roof top.

View x3

We were just really happy about our vacae.

The second night we were there we threw a bachelor/bachelorette combined party for Kim and my grandpa on the deck.

Setting up the music to set the mood ;)

The happy couple :)

Look how stinkin' cute my grandpa's new wife is you guys. She was opening her presents. They both got glow necklaces, normal party necklaces, nerf guns, puerto rico picture frames, etc.

My grandpa. He couldn't quite figure out the nerf gun thing hahaha

Kim with my grandpa's cousins. He's Slovic and immigrated here when he was in his early twenties. The best part is none of them speak english but two which was broken english. It's so awesome!

At the combined partay

We had sunsets like this every single night. This one was our favorite. Can you guess why? Think football.

WEDDING TIME

After 8 years, finally tied the knot! Hip hooray! During the ceremony the tide kept coming in and got all our fancy clothes wet, but luckily didn't touch the bride and groom! The reverend was a woman, and did half the ceremony in spanish, and the other in english. A very unique experience. 

Excuse me while I brag about my handsome husband. Like, really? Look at that smile. Such a stud.

Centerpieces at the reception

Bar (don't worry we ordered virgin ;)

Buffet

Arriving to the reception Mr and Mrs :)

She's awesome and such a young hip thang. I told her when she starts getting grey hair then maybe I'll call her grandma, but until then she's just too cool for it. Haha

Also, she has a really hard time taking funny pictures because all she does is laugh. So this is the best one I got ;)

Cake topper

Cutting their wedding cake. Side note, my grandpa (oh and FYI I call him Paca Nick. It's a thing) has a hard time staying in fancy clothes, plus it was super humid in PR. So when they initially got to the reception he went straight in after the dinner to change, but totally spaced about the cake and first dance so everyone had to chase him down to have him change. It was hilarious. Poor guy.

First dance

Paca Nick dancing with my Aunt Valia

DANCE PARTAY

Okay, eventually he changed, and busted out the moves. #mygrandpaiscoolerthanyours

We went snorkeling at a beach called "Steps Beach" and it was awesome. 

We went out and walked to this restaurant called "Lucky 13" we found on trip advisor and it was THE BOMB! B got a pulled pork sandwich, mac and cheese, and slaw. I got this taco called the Squidward which has fried calamari, wasabi aioli, marinated carrots, and slaw. All of it was amazing.

Again, SUNSETS?!

We took a drive into town to go explore, and were amazed by the greenery. Kind of reminded us of fort canby driving through this canopy of trees.

May or may not have gone back to Lucky 13 because we loved it so much

B got super sick the last day, so being in and out of airports coming home for 12 hours wasnt making him too happy.

This is after 11 hours. Don't judge

We stayed in Denver over night on the way home, and woke up and flew into SLC to play with Kelsey and Jon. But it was just really hard going back to an airport. BUT ONE LAST TIME!

I'm the baby whisperer. Love my little niece cozy loving to be cozy with her auntie tay.

Um, so I know Kelsie #3 already posted this, but literally had a New Girl moment watching these two do their shoulder exercises. 

Kelsey(ie)x3 

He looks good with a baby, eh? ;) Can we all just appreciate the cute babies Kelsey and Jon make? Cozette is adorable and so lovey.

Back to real life, but I uploaded some more pics from B's phone, anyways, for Halloween my office the girls dressed up. I was a cat. 

It was fun. Love them.

For halloween we went out to a new restaurant called the yard house at the village in meridian. B got the enchilada stacks, and I got fish 'n chips. Both were amazing. I was super happy that the fish 'n chips were finger food which makes it easier to enjoy, ya know? Then went trick or treating with our friends, then watched a scary movie. 

We watched Ryan and Nena's kids for a week last week. They were such fun kids! Always had so much energy and wanted to go out and do things active. Loved it!

We took them to this place in Meridian called Dart Zone which is an indoor dart zone play house. They split up into two teams, then attack! It's so fun!

Britney Jason and their kiddos were in town this weekend. We ate at this taco truck place and went to the village to enjoy the water show they display with this huge fountain. Look at these sweet faces! They got balloon toys at a vendor. Love them.

So back tracking, when we were on our way to PR we took an overnight pitstop in Denver to play with  Mandi and Collin. They treated us to dinner at an hibachi restaurant which was yummy! So sweet of them to think of us on our anniversary. 

Then we thought it would be cool to go to a haunted house. But we bonded over it since we all clung to each other the whole time. Here's a funny story, so they split up the haunted house into two, right? The first one was based off of scary movies. At one point they had one based off of the movie "The ring." So we turned a corner and there was a well, where the creepy long black haired girl crawled out! B was behind me, and I was attached to Mandi, and I seriously think B peed a little. He kept saying, "YOU GUYS SHE'S COMING! SHE'S RIGHT BEHIND ME! HURRY UP!" It made my life.

Here's a real life update...

So we are still waiting to hear if B got into PA school. BUT, HE GOT AN INTERVIEW!!!! :) He's scheduled for next Monday, so please keep us in your prayers!!! Thank you thank you!!!

B also got a new job at Mattress Firm, (it's a mattress store), as a salesman. Full benefits, sweet compensation and pay, and works well with PA school. We've been looking for paramedics, but it's super saturated here. So it's such a blessing that this job came into the picture.

As for me, I'm just working and waiting for the next chapter to start, (aka PA school, babies, house, blah blah). Everything happens in the Lord's time I know, PATIENCE.

That's all I got.