time flies when you forget to blog. and take pictures.

we have been up to the following things:

last week: being sick, surprising Randy and going to see James Bond, a cousin baptism and seeing friends in Provo, another night in Provo with other great friends, a day off of work, shopping, grocery shopping, working, classes, tests, a broken down front runner and an extra drive to SLC, and lots of fun:)

this weekend was full of seeing Randy’s FAVORITE band in the WHOLE WORLD, the Rocket Summer. It was my first time seeing Bryce Avery live and it was FANTASTIC. What a fun concert, wonderful music, and great company:) Paradise Fears opened for Bryce and I LOVE them. They were wonderfully fantastic. Two clean, fun, and really talented bands.

Saturday consisted of driving to Kaysville to see Les Miserables performed by DHS. What talented kids I tell ya! It made me seriously miss being onstage. It was four whole years ago that it was Randy and I on that stage, young and falling for each other.

We then hung out with the family, and then went off to Squatters downtown to celebrate my beautiful coworker and friend Becky’s birthday! We loved hanging out with her and her friends, who are quickly becoming our friends too!

Then it was home to hit the hay because we were exhausted.

Sunday was teaching and watching some kids for the lady who I visit teach during Sacrament Meeting. Sundays are super wonderful because we get to regroup, and just spend time together which doesn’t happen a lot during the week.

guys I promise I’m going to be better at blogging! I’m currently trying to figure out how to print my blog for posterity and to have a hard copy, but there are like 600 posts to print!! EESH. So if you have any tips, lemme have ’em!

Happy Monday everyone!

(also, yes I only took pictures at the concert. SUE ME. JK don’t sue me. I will be better at taking pictures. PROMISE)

Everyone has been reacting to the news. It’s not unlike other church announcements we have been seeing recently. So I want to talk about this one specifically, and other announcements that have been made.

Let me start out by saying that I do not know everything about church doctrine. I don’t understand some things.

But here are a few things that I do know: I know that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love me, and every single person on this earth. I know that we have a prophet on this earth today, and as we read in Official Declaration One in the D&C, that prophet will not lead this church astray, God will not allow it. Prophets have agency, but when it comes to taking the church in a direction, they are 100% directed by God. I know that God has a plan for each of his children. I know that families can be eternal, and that the family is the basic unit in that plan that God has for us.

Here’s my take on the new policies; children of polygamist families cannot join the church except under similar circumstances to this new change, any type of child can’t join the church until they have parental permission or are of legal age. This is not to hurt them, but to protect families. People are welcome to come to church, attend activities, etc. They just need to wait until they are on their own to be baptized. This isn’t news; this is how the church has been operating for years. They’re just adding another type of family to the list of families that are important to keep together until children can really make their own decisions. They’re not being asked to disown their family, but they will be asked to understand what the church teaches and abide by that before joining. It’s the same for me; I have family members who drink and smoke, which is against what I believe. I don’t have to never see them, but I also don’t have to agree with them. We agree to disagree, and that’s OK.

This will be hard for some people to understand. I have many friends who are homosexual, and I love them. There are so many things that I don’t fully understand, but the things that I KNOW outweigh the things I can’t wrap my head around.

God is leading his prophets. I know that following them will bring me happiness. I know that Christ is at the head of this church, leading it. These are not mere men making decisions; this is God telling them what they need to do. And if you don’t believe that, that’s ok. I won’t judge you or hate you. But it won’t change what I am absolutely certain of.

God’s ways are not our ways. But “doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith” (Elder Utchdorf). Remember, this is the God of all the universe we are dealing with. I’m pretty sure He’s not up in heaven, wondering what to do next. There’s a plan. He has timing. He knows what He is doing.

Randy and I decided on a family motto a few weeks ago, I think it fits perfectly here:

“Trust God, and believe in good things to come.” (Elder Holland)

Trust God my friends. Spend time on your knees asking for guidance and understand. And know this: Either this church is true, 100%, or it’s not. Either Joseph Smith was a prophet, the Book of Mormon is real, we have prophets today guided by God, or not. There is no in between. It’s true, or it’s not.

And it is.

It is.

It is.

I work on the fifth floor in an office on Main Street, downtown. I sit by a huge window looking out onto a cafe with a great breakfast special, apartment buildings where the pigeons congregate and the funniest people come and go. We have a grid system set up so we can call out when something funny is happening at a number and corresponding letter that matches a window. It’s a little like Battleship and Bingo mixed together for people watching. There’s an older woman who always wears a mumu and walks a Corgi in and out and in and out. She’s one of my favorites. The skyline out my window is perfect; I’m just high enough to feel elevated, but not too high where people watching won’t work. It’s the perfect floor.

When I arrive in the morning, 4 out of 5 days of the week there is a paper going around for a breakfast delivery. We usually order from Toasters, a delicious coffee and sandwich shop that makes an amazing Nuetella Croissant. The delivery people know us very well there, and even though I don’t order all the time, I know what my favorite things are.

Ambulances and trains and cars bustle past my big window all day long. People randomly rap or sing or dance while they are waiting for the crosswalk, others are rushing around and others just sit and wait for who knows what.

We walk to lunch most afternoons when we aren’t so busy that we brought food to eat. I’ve gotten really good at navigating the city. I know where the best places to eat are, and they’re not the places you hear about. They’re the random little corners with mountains of fries and hot curry and the freshest sushi. My heels clatter as our group quickly walks to and from lunch, trying to take as little time as possible most days so we don’t have to stay late. All the other business people are at lunch at the same time, so we grab take out instead of a table and hustle back to the office. We pass other people from our building and wave, rush across streets to make the light, and take shortcuts that I didn’t know about a few months ago.

My favorite time in the office is when I’m one of the first, or the last, left. It’s quiet, the city is quieting down, and the sun hits the buildings in the best ways.

Sometimes I’ll be done at the office before Randy is done, and I have some wandering time. I have learned how to navigate the train almost flawlessly. I stand at crosswalks and can give directions to the confused couple next to me. I know how to avoid the people who are talking to themselves or the ones who are already drunk. I know there is construction right in front of one of my favorite pastry shops that could slow me down. I love the feeling of knowing where I am going, having memories on side streets and shops that I pass. I love the bustle of people at City Creek, and the feeling of answering emails while wandering through the stores.

I spend some of my wandering time at the beautiful place where I got married. I talk to people and help them if they are lost, answer questions about the Church, and ponder.

Working downtown and spending 40+ hours here each and every week has made me fall for the city. Knowing the numbered streets and how many blocks it takes to get to the best doughnut shops is a delight for me.

The bustle
The buildings
The people
And little old me.

I love it.

halloween has already come and gone! where does the time go??

friday my work had a huge halloween party, and everyone dressed up, and my dear friend Becky and I decorated our office space so it was spoooooky. it was a really fun day with some really great costumes.

This is a woman. My boss Sariah. In the scariest mask I have ever seen in my life.

then after work, Randy and I high tailed it to Provo for Halloweenie dinner courtesy of Heidi! We have done Halloweenie dinner for a few years now and it’s so much fun. It’s awesome to see my old roommates and our group of friends, dress up, and eat tasty food with a Halloween theme (like mummy dogs, spider cupcakes, etc.)

Randy and I were Lucy and Ricky from the 1950’s show I Love Lucy. We had a BLAST and it was so fun to dress up! I ordered the costume online, Randy went and bought a bowtie from H and M and wore his suit, I got some red lips and then put my hair on sponge curlers, then pinned it up! Super easy but SUPER fun and I have to say, I think it was a hit!

then after Halloweenie dinner, we headed to Park City for a weekend at our friend’s cabin! We met up with the crew in Park City and grabbed a few things from Wal-Mart, then it was a long caravan to the cabin in the woods. I felt a little crazy for going to a cabin in the middle of nowhere for Halloween weekend, but we didn’t get murdered so it all worked out!

we snacked Friday night, played games and music, watched a scary movie (Randy and I were chickens and went to bed – HA) and had a blast. Then Saturday morning Randy and I went for a run (which proved to be CRAZY HARD. Nothing but hills, the altitude, and the cold! But it was SUPER pretty and a fun run).

Alexon our good friend cooked a big breakfast for everyone which was super awesome. He was the designated chef for the whole weekend, and let me tell you we all owe him! The food was SO good and we were so lucky he wanted to cook! Saturday was filled with more games and music, hiking, four wheeling, horse shoes, lots of chatting, and cooking.
We didn’t have much cell service at the cabin, and it was so fun to just get to chat and hang out with all our closest friends. Alexon then KNOCKED IT OUT OF THE PARK again with an amazing dinner (think shish kabobs and chicken and steak and potatoes and shrimp and DELICIOUSNESS)

Randy and Caleb and I then headed home, and I couldn’t believe how sad we were to leave! we had a blast and we can’t thank Sean enough for letting us all come, Alexon for cooking, and Caleb for getting the whole thing rolling!

Saturday night we popped to my parents house for pumpkin seeds and baseball and a few trick or treaters (Randy really wanted to pass out some candy and kids don’t come to our complex!)

Sunday we headed to church, I taught and it was SO fun, then we went back to Kaysville for a fun dinner and dessert night with my family.

So all in all, it was a really awesome Halloween weekend, and now the holiday season is coming! It’s a little stressful now that I have a full time job, and Randy has his crazy work schedule; figuring out when we will have time to do different holiday things is hard, but I can’t wait!

happy Monday all, hope you had a happy Halloween!

Let’s play a quick game of catch up!

Since I last blogged we have:

worked, and gone to school and worked and gone to school and worked.

gone to a Jazz game with AMAZING seats thanks to my work! we saw lots of friends and ate Cupbop (Randy was on cloud nine) and had really interesting drunk cowboys to deal with and the Jazz WON. So it was a truly wonderful night.

we had Japanese food night where we made sushi (SO FUN) and ramen and had to call Randy’s mom for some sushi rolling tips.

we also went to Gardner Village which, let me tell you, was quite the adventure. lots of witches and not a lot of breathing room. still a really fun night!

we also played volleyball with a bunch of friends which was really fun.

and then we went to ihop wayyyy to late at night and had a blast and a half there.

i also taught Sunday School again and the class LOVES Randy. I don’t even need to show up hahaha.

and I also had a sick day. i couldn’t sleep much sunday night, woke up monday with a horrrrrible fever, and spent the day working from my bed. i was surprised how much i liked working from home; i got a lot of stuff done while just chilling in my PJs and watching the TV in the background.

so, things are just great, we are so stoked for Halloween and our 5 month of marriage anniversary.

life is good for the lows.

happy wednesday everyone!

SO. Randy and I are no experts at marriage. In fact, we really don’t know much at all with our 5 months of expertise. BUT, I have quite a few engaged friends who ask me questions here and there, so I want to share the few things I do know. Scrolling through instagram, you don’t get an accurate picture of what being newly married is like. You hear your parents and church leaders tell you this and that, but you don’t think that really applies to you guys. After all, you’re INCREDIBLY in love and you’ve never wanted anything more. And you KNOW it’s not going to be easy all the time, but probably most of the time, or it’ll be easy until you have kids, or once you get a job, or this or that.

So here’s a more accurate look on marriage based on my own experiences. Some of these things really may not apply to you, but most of them will. Every marriage is different and unique, but there are some things that I feel are universal. So take what you will, and laugh off the rest.

to my engaged friends.

congratulations!! this part is amazing and wonderful. but let’s talk about the parts coming up after the perfect day with the beautiful dress and all your friends. sure, picking out dresses is stressful, and making time for a date in between dozens of showers isn’t fun, but i think all of that is the easy part.

i wouldn’t say that marriage is hard. but it does take hard work. and a lot of it.

there are moments, hours, and days when you really, really, really don’t like the other person. at all. but you still love them. while disliking so many things about them.

you give the power, and are given the power, to utterly destroy the other person. with words, actions, and anything else. you have that power. and you also have that vulnerability. it’s an intensity of honesty that you probably have never felt before. it would be so easy for them to crush you, just as easy as it is for you to crush them. and in those ugly fights, you’ll want to pull out those words. and you’ll fight within yourself not to do it.

you will get to know their ugly. if you’re lucky, your spouse will still love that ugly side of you. you will know you made the right choice because you adore every side of them, even their ugly side. but it’s hard to see that in someone, and it’s hard to realize you’re showing it in yourself. not many people get to see your utter ugliness.

there will be so much stress. your stress is multiplied, because what’s mine is yours, and yours is mine. there will not be enough time for homework, jobs, families, friends, and each other. you will find yourself going to be some night realizing you didn’t really get to talk to your spouse. and they’re already asleep. you will find friends telling you how lucky you are, because your social life lives with you, and you’ll laugh and agree, and deep down you will feel so guilty because you haven’t spent quality time with your spouse in a while.

there will not be enough money to live like your friends on social media. you will see their trips and new cars, and you’ll wonder if you have enough to get gas to go to work. you will splurge on a slurpee or a single ice cream cone. you will come home with the weight of finances on your mind, and argue about budgets.

you will miss things. you will see your friends hanging out, and they don’t invite you. so you’ll invite people to things, and they won’t show. when you’re engaged you flake on things a lot; you just want some time with your fiance. and then once you are married, the people flake on you. keep in contact with your friends, and you’ll figure out very quickly who puts in effort for you. those are the ones to keep close. your spouse will be your best friend, but both of you need other friends to spend time with. don’t disregard your friends when you are engaged, and most of them won’t disregard you later. be present with them, and put out the effort now. then continue to put out the effort. some will fall by the wayside, and that’s ok.

compromise. you think you like the same kinds of everything when you’re engaged. and then, poof, you don’t. there are different movies you want to see, different foods you want to buy, different jobs you think you should or shouldn’t take, the list goes on and on. small and big compromises. all the time. but oddly, most of the time you won’t mind the compromises.

happily ever after doesn’t mean there isn’t sadness. you will be happier than you could have ever imagined, but there will be times when you are sad.

but then there will be times, early in the morning, when you wake up and see this person sleeping next to you. and your heart will be filled with more love than you ever understood. there will be nights of dancing in the kitchen, lazy days of cuddling and reading, surprises, clean houses and dinner on the table. there will be days when your spouse goes off to work or school, and you miss them. you miss this person who you spend all of your time with. there are moments when you find the giddy little girl with a crush thanks to a text or a note. there are deep talks about the future, ones where you are excited instead of scared. there are times spent on your knees, together when you feel you could never be closer. there are so many opportunities to serve, and you are excited to take them. there will be days when you glance over and your spouse driving, and your heart will stop, and you will be amazed that you ever lived without this person.

marriage is hard work. it is not something that is always easy.

but the things that take the most work, give you the most happiness.

so to my engaged friends, i am not perfect. my marriage isn’t perfect. few marriages are.

so here is what i am working on.

loving less selfishly.

apologizing and forgiving more easily.

serving with a smile.

putting him above myself, and everyone else.

happy engagement and happy marriage ahead!

So I feel like all I do is post about our weekends. I just don’t have time during the week to blog as much as I would like! BUT that is all alright.

So last week/weekend was filled with staying at our parents house and getting my sister off to Boston.

The weekend was filled with Randy being the biggest sweetheart ever. He ran and got me pho after the restaurant was already closed (not sure how he did it…), grocery shopped moved around furniture (and yes put our mattress out in the living room. it’s becoming a regular thing here.)

Saturday we went to a corn maze in Provo with my sister! It was a BLAST. And Randy kept the awesome husband thing rolling and swapped me socks when my kept falling off in my boots. There was a big corn box (it’s my favorite part of corn mazes), getting lost and trying to figure out what happened to Farmer Joe in the maze, and zombie paintball, which was awesome.

Sunday was filled with teaching (I LOVE teaching Sunday School to all those youths in my ward. they are so awesome and it is WAY too much fun), and then being lazy and eating yummy pancakes and homemade buttermilk syrup.

Guys work is crazy right now and I’m doing some freelance stuff on the side and life is BUSY. BUT it’s wonderful and I feel so so lucky, especially to have an amazing guy like Randy by my side.

Guys. It is like 80 degrees outside but it’s fall. THE BEST TIME OF THE YEAR. The time of year when every single girl pulls out her boots and pumpkin hot cocoa and cookies and everyone drives up to see the leaves and IT IS MAGICAL.

So let’s do a quick catch up of our fall so far.

Baking. LOTS of baking.

Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies and apple crisp. Two of my all time favorites.

Last weekend was just wonderful. I love getting to listen to General Conference.

Randy and I spent Saturday morning with some awesome friends watching the first session, then watched the second session at our house.

We then headed off to Kaysville for some family time with both sides of our family, and stayed down there for Sunday.

Let me just show you a few of my very favorite quotes: