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)