We really hate to do this

Dear Celeste, 

It is with a heavy heart that we infect your precious blog with pessimism, but we have been silent for far too long.  

Remember last semester when you left several of your major writing assignments and finals to the last minute?  Well, we cut you some slack because you were planning a wedding, but do you recall how you promised us that you had learned your lesson and that your procrastination days were over?  We are beginning to wonder if we have different definitions of the word "promise."

We can't take this much longer.  Is it too much to ask to get seven hours of sleep a night?  I mean, we prefer more like nine or ten, but we try our best not to get too greedy.  But every morning when that blasted thing cries out to us, we want to throw the alarm out the window and watch it shatter into a million, gajillion pieces.

In attempt to meet deadlines, you ask us to come up with creative intellectual remarks in the middle of the night, so you can hand in your papers and get your A the next morning.  Do you know what kind of pressure that puts on us?  And what were you thinking taking on a new job this week?  You realize there are still only 24 hours in a day, right?

Remember the glory days of fifteen minute, hot showers?  We hate this five minute in-and-out business.  Lamo.  Likewise, your hair has been permanently parked in some sort of knot on the top of your head every day this week--do you really think that is flattering?  And trust us, you DO look better with makeup.

We are officially filing for a raise.  We refuse to continue to work overtime without extra compensation.  And you owe us big time over Christmas break.

WE HAVE NEEDS TOO!!!

With kindest regards,

Your mind and body 

A Little Holiday Spirit For Ya

Send your own ElfYourself eCards
Just spreading some holiday cheer from the Miller elves
Thanks Michelle!

Sleeping with the Enemy

Jon and I cheer for a lot of the same teams, but when it comes to the NBA my loyalty is to the Jazz while his heart is with the Chicago Bulls. Last week, our parents and our friends Kevin and Michelle Walker ventured downtown to the Energy Solutions Arena to witness the showdown between our teams. Obviously the rivalry was a lot bigger in the days of Stockton/Malone and Jordan/Pippen but it's still exciting when they play.

Millers and Olsens

Unfortunately, Williams, Boozer, and Korver were still out, but it was still a really exciting game! It was a nail biter, and the Bulls pulled out the win with a buzzer beater! It was so close that the officials even reviewed the last play to make sure that the shot went up before time expired.

Me, Jon, Michelle and Kevin Walker

It's worth noting, Jon is actually a big Jazz fan too. He cheers for them with me all the time, except for when they are playing the Bulls. Also, I can't believe I am even saying this, but I cheer for the Bulls too as long as it's not against the Jazz. Back when we were dating, I went from absolutely hating the Bulls to finding myself cheering along with Jon. That's when I knew I must have really liked Jon!

Also, hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Here's Jon entertaining all of our relatives at our Thanksgiving feast!

Happy To Report

I just got back from my first ever Black Friday shopping experience and I survived.
I managed to secure a few of the doorbuster items I went for and now its 7:20 and back to bed!

Joy in the Prosaic Moments

A few weeks ago, Jon and I celebrated six months of marriage. I’m very aware that this is not very long, but I can’t believe how quickly time has gone since our big day. During this Thanksgiving season, I am extremely grateful for Jon.

On the night we celebrated, we just stayed at home and had a nice dinner. We talked about some of the best memories we have had since we’ve been married. We reminisced about our wedding and how beautiful and fun the entire day was. We had a wonderful wedding breakfast at the Lion House and were able to spend time with many of the people we love the most. Jon sang the song that he wrote for me last summer when we were dating. It was very special because when he wrote it he said that he was envisioning dancing together on our wedding day and that is what the lyrics are about.

The temple sealing was inspired and beautiful and it was so exciting to have so much support at our reception. We were overwhelmed by the love of our family and friends who came. Our first dance as man and wife was amazing and then we danced with everyone for hours at the end of the reception. We didn’t end up leaving until almost eleven. Half-way to our hotel we ended up at Walmart because we were hungry and most people who saw us made fun of us for being at Walmart on our wedding night! I don’t blame them, but of course I needed a late night treat before we got to our hotel!!!

It’s funny though because most of our best memories are nowhere near as glamorous as our wedding. We spent most of the time talking about memories that occurred in our every-day life. We talked about how funny many of our days were when we lived in our first apartment. Our mattress was permanently parked in the front room because it was too hot to sleep in either of the two bedrooms. When we used the kitchen sink disposal, food would come out of the bathroom drains (gross huh)! And of course, there was the obvious awkwardness for Jon because we lived in a BYU complex for single girls.

Jon is my best friend. I can’t believe how lucky I am. He is such a good husband and person. He’s so romantic!

A few weeks ago I came home to an immaculately cleaned apartment. The disaster that I had left that morning had somehow transformed into a spotless home. The piles of dishes had disappeared, the floors were vacuumed, and the bed was made. On the bed, I found a dozen roses and an incredibly delicious cinnamon sugar caramel apple “just because.”

Yesterday, I stayed in bed late because I wasn’t feeling well. Jon opened the door to the bedroom and walked in with a tray of breakfast in his hands. It was a very yummy breakfast in bed and it was much appreciated!

Despite how much I love these especially romantic moments, sometimes it’s just the prosaic moments that are a part of every-day life that mean the most to me. When Jon’s alarm rings in the five o’clock hour, despite how tired he is, he always gets up and goes to work to help provide for us. He works incredibly hard in school and is determined to do well. I’ve had a difficult time sleeping for the last two months and when I wake up in the middle of the night frustrated and sad, he sings me songs and cheers me up. He’s constantly doing the dishes and cleaning the apartment. And at the end of a hard day, I can always find happiness just spending time with him.

Tagged...

I rarely get "tagged" on other people's blogs. Probably because most of my friends realize I won't have anything very interesting to say... but I was tagged by Michelle a few weeks ago and I am finally going to quickly jot down seven random facts about me...

1. I'm a huge NERD. I love learning. I was the Debate President in high school. I've fully accepted that I am a CLASS A geek.

2. I love to COOK. My sophomore year I had a roommate that was a great cook and its started to get me interested in cooking more. When Jon and I started to date, I would cook for him quite a bit and he was always so complimentary. I think his enthusiasm really caused me to enjoy cooking. I guess the little investment he put into boosting my ego/confidence sure paid off because he's only cooked three times since we've been married!

3. I am deathly allergic to PEANUT BUTTER. I found out when I was about six months old and my mom fed me a peanut on an airplane. Luckily, I survived and went on to spend every single lunch period in my Elementary school's office because I couldn't even step foot into the cafeteria with all the kiddos PB&Js. (Don't feel too bad for me, my friends used to fight over who got to bring me my lunch. In Elementary school, I guess there was some appeal to eating in the office.) Despite this one perk, the allergy is usually just a huge annoyance (not to mention potentially life-threatening...) I spent one Easter in the ER because I took a small nibble of a chocolate rabbit who had "peanut butter" hiding at the very bottom of its ingredient list. My doctor advised me to stay away from the "terrorist" Easter bunny in the future.

4. I love to WRITE. I enjoy any kind of writing. When I was 15, I actually wrote a poem to help me get over Jon. (I mean when you meet someone at DisneyLand, crush hard on them and then things don't exactly work out, what else is a teenage heart to do?) It's hilarious to me to read it now and brings back some fun memories.

5. I love TREATS! Mostly I want to share this one because I want reassurance that I am not alone in this. Every night a few hours after dinner, I get this little longing for a little something sweet. So I'll cut up an apple and throw it in the skillet with a bit of brown sugar and cinnamon, make cookies, or dig in the freezer for some ice cream. I swear, Jon THINKS I AM CRAZY. I never eat a lot, but I also never try to stifle a craving. I just don't think it's healthy for a happy, sane individual to block the brain waves that scream "chocolate, NOW!"

6. I love SPORTS. I grew up playing ball with the (much taller than me) boys on the street, watching games with my dad, and living for basketball season. I know it will probably shock most people that I played on the school team and for a local competition team since I measure in at an intimidating 5' 2 but some of my best memories growing up revolve around basketball. My love of sports has made my marriage a lot easier since Jon watches more college football than any normal human should be capable of watching. Saturday morning, I have to beg him not to jump out of bed too early to get ready for the pre-game shows and I am lucky if I can re-capture his attention before midnight. Thank goodness I enjoy some of the rivalries just as much as he does or that routine could get old pretty fast!

7. I brush my teeth in the shower. If you haven't tried it, GIVE IT A CHANCE. Jon made fun of me too, but now he's a believer!

Now that I have shared seven random facts about me, I now TAG:
Kimmy, Marci, Hannah, Christina, Val, Beverly, and Cheyenne!!!

Halloweeeeeeen

Our Halloween week agenda included:

-Bundling up to go on the Provo River Halloween Cruise

-Enjoying Hocus Pocus on campus at the Varsity Theater ($2 well spent)

-Attempting to watch Nightmare Before Christmas on YouTube (we had to click the next clip of it every ten minutes, and we both ended up dead asleep during Part 3)

-Relaxing with pizza and hoping we would get some trick-or-treaters at our apartment (but not too many since we already ate most of the Halloween candy)

-Raiding the goodies at our Ward Halloween party as pirates (argh, matey-we even won the Monster Mash)

Outside the entrance of the Halloween cruise 

Scared for our lives during the boat ride

We survived!  We especially loved the pirate jokes...

They inspired our costumes for a few nights later

Our friend Julianna is from Brazil and was so excited for her first Halloween 

Ok, this was a crack-up.  Hint:  She's pregnant.

I can't believe how creative everyone was.   Moses and the burning bush even showed up.

The coach for Ohio State caught our eye..

And of course, as Michigan fans, we took care of him.

(He was such a good sport)

It's Miller Time...

Last weekend, it was really fun to get together as girls for dinner while the guys were at Priesthood. My silly little sister didn't come at the last minute, but it was still fun to have dinner with Yvonne, Mary, Chris (and kids), and my mom. Highlight of the night for me was probably taking Bekah to the bathroom and hearing all about the fairies pictured on her pink panties...she's so dang cute.

Our brief but wonderful meeting over Conference weekend made me a bit heartsick for the other Millers all over the map though. Jon and I are so jealous of mom and dad right now because they are out in Memphis visiting Josh, Val, Noah, and Eli. We wish we were there. We are also extremely excited for Jared and Tonya’s big news and happiness in Chicago and miss them heaps too!

In honor of Miller Time, I'm finally going to post some of the fun pictures from Jared and Tonya's wedding. What a wonderful couple and a beautiful day!
(J and T, feel loved--your wedding day is making it on our blog before ours even does.)

Me and Jon playing with baby Eli at our group Family Evening with Tonya's family and friends

Isn't Eli so cute?

Me cuddling with two of my favorites

Above: The Many Millers- aren't J & T a good lookin couple?
Below: The Miller kids smile for the camera

Miller girls trying to stay dry

I'm so crazy about him

Jon and I on the Salt Lake temple grounds after the wedding

AND THE WINNER IS...
So me and Jon, Josh and Val, and Chris and Rob had a "kissing photo" contest
Needless to say, it was a pretty fun photo shoot (bless Yvonne's heart)
I'm pretty sure this picture took home the gold,
but let's be honest--I'm a little biased!

Get Your Head In The Game!

Ok, this is not good! It is only October and I am already having a difficult time staying focused with my school work. This is usually the time where I start motivating myself with stupid little rewards like telling myself "Celeste, if you finish that assignment, you can eat a handful of gummy bears" or "Just four more hours of reading and you can watch The Office."

Well, the Vice Presidential debate disabled that technique last week. (I really shouldn't complain about the debates, since I am a Political Science major...) The other problem with my usual methods is that I don't usually need these until at least November! Where did the savvy student in me run off to so quickly this semester?

I'm not sure, but I can tell you where I sure would love to be:
Warm weather + DisneyLand + the beach + Jon =
BACK ON OUR HONEYMOOON!

To honor my wishful thinking, I am finally going to post some pictures from that fun week. Any suggestions or comments on how you ward off your procrastination would be appreciated! Or, if you just want to sympathize with me and tell me what you do to procrastinate, that works too.

Cougartown USA

RISE AND SHOUT...

THE MILLERS LOVE COLLEGE FOOTBALL!

After last week's controversy over the excessive celebration call made right before the Cougars stepped up big with the game-winning block, our team was obviously looking to make a statement that would silence all the skeptics. Boy did they ever! UCLA-who??? I couldn't go without mentioning how much fun this game was for us, but I have a lot of homework so this has to be very brief...

Luckily, I think 59-0 pretty much speaks for itself!

My Kimmy Loo!!!

Well, I wanted to post this yesterday, to wish my dearest Kimmy Loo (also known to the rest of the world as Kimmy Poo) a HAAAAAAAAAPY BIRTHDAY!!! Unfortunately, the internet was simply not willing to cooperate yesterday, so I had to settle for waiting until I was on campus today.

Everyone has that friend, you know the one who no matter how long its been since you have seen each other, whenever you get to talk to them, you pick it up like you haven't missed a beat in each other's lives? Thats Kim for me.

We met when her family moved into my ward my senior year (her whole family is adorably wonderful)! We sat next to each other in Young Womens and after striking up a conversation, I swear we were best friends overnight. She came into my life right when I needed a good friend, I am so grateful for her!

I have so many awesome memories with Kimmy, mainly just the things girls love to do--talk about boys, have sleep overs, watch movies, talk about boys, go shopping, eat gelato, talk about boys, go on double dates, talk about boys... Remember when we rode our bikes to Blockbuster in Layton?!? Beyond the fun times, Kim and I were there for each other through heartbreaks and hard times, and I couldn't have asked for a better support. She's such a good friend.

I cried a ton at her wedding, knowing things would probably never be the same between us again. Let's be honest, she's got a much better sleepover pal than me now! The tears on her wedding were also happy tears--Chance and Kim are perfect for each other. And their baby girl Marley is absolutely beautiful! I can't wait to hold her.

Kimmy, I hope you had a wonderful 21st birthday! I love you!
P.S. I owe you a birthday lunch!

MY DAD COULD BEAT UP YOUR DAD!!!

Do you remember using a comeback like this when you were a kid? To be honest, I don't think I ever did, but it seemed like a good way to start off my birthday wishes to my wonderful father today!!! (Plus, the title "Happy Birthday" already went to our blog last time. Wasn't really thinking ahead on that one, was I?)

In honor of my dad on his special day, please enjoy this Top Ten Tribute to him:
(now the hard part is going to be narrowing this list down to ten things!)

1. My dad's number #1 priority is his family.

Family Picture outside the Provo temple where my parents were married over twenty-five years ago.

2. My dad is an incredibly hard worker.

My dad has been a pilot for SkyWest since April 22, 1985-with hours starting as early as 2 a.m.
He works long days to provide for our family.

3. My dad has a great sense of humor.

My dad jokingly pouting that he was too tall to ride the kiddie ride.

4. My dad is an amazing example to me.

Everyone in my extended family looks up to my dad. I have always admired how he doesn't have to tell you what to do, because he leads by example with his actions. (I love everyone's face in this goofy picture, especially my dad's.)

5. My dad is a good husband to my mom.

After watching my dad my whole life, I had pretty high expectations of a future spouse.
Luckily Jon has a lot of the same qualities I respect so much about my dad.

6. My dad is incredibly generous.

Dad sharing his oysters with Danielle.
He and my mom have blessed my life so much with their generosity and I have always been so impressed as I have watched them give so much to others.

7. My dad cooks a mean steak on the grill.

Not only does is he a mean griller, but he also whips up an incredible spaghetti sauce and is definitely the melon expert.

8. My dad is a ton of fun.

Gotta love Dad's face here as we are about to take off on another fun rollercoaster ride at Busch Gardens.

9. My dad has been there for me at all the important times.

From coaching my basketball games to seeing me off to Homecoming dances, my dad has always been a huge support to me.

10. Any man who can live outnumbered by so many women deserves props!

Dad has miraculously figured out how to deal with us girls!


HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!!