Let's hear it for New York!

So if you'll remember Taylor's Christmas present to me, it was a trip to New York for the 5th-9th of February. It came and went so fast! We had a blast, and here's a little run down of the trip. 

Taylor flew out with the track team on Wednesday around 10:30 AM, and I flew out on my own on Wednesday at 8:30 AM. He tried to get me on the same flight as the team but there were some complications, but everything still worked out really well. Just had to wait at the airport for a couple hours for him to arrive. We had direct flights to NY which was super nice, and then buses transported us to our hotel right in the heart of the city! We stayed at the Hilton midtown, and it was only about a 2 block walk until Times Square was surrounding us.

We thought we'd be getting a king bed in our room, but were greeted by this sight:

We probably could have gotten it changed but we were too lazy. I totally felt like Fred and Ethel from "I Love Lucy" in our separate beds, but let's be honest. I slept great. There were tons of other track teams staying at the hotel too, so it was a party. Here was the view from our room:

We had to be a little careful what we walked around in, as in that we didn't just wear our underwear with the windows open. The building right across the street was an office and let me tell you, we could see exactly what those people were doing, and they could see exactly what we were doing. Even though we were way up high in the skyscraper, the office was just as high as the hotel and I felt like if both our windows were open, we could easily have a friendly little conversation. Of course, we could have just closed the blinds.. but I liked the sights!  The streets in Manhattan are narrow! And they are all one way. 

Once we got to NY we went out immediately for some dinner and to see Times Square, which was a pretty impressive sight in my little Idaho mind. The next morning I slept in while Taylor ran with the team, and then we went and hit the Empire State Building and the World Trade Center Memorial.

It was pretty frigid while we there.. temps in the low 20's most of the time. The top of the Empire State Building was partially closed off due to ice (super lame..but luckily it was the most boring side of it that was closed) and we still got great views. BRR!! This is at the top. 

On Friday we took it easy so Taylor would be fresh for his track meet the next day, but we thoroughly enjoyed visiting 34th street and hitting up Grimaldi's Pizza, which was the best eating we did that whole trip. Goodness it was so yummy. We left stuffed and very pleased. It was a big pizza and we ate every last crumb. 

Later we went and checked out The Armory, which is where the track meet was going on. That place is electric.. it is so fun to be a spectator there. I've always rather liked track meets, which is good, cause on Saturday I sat there for like 7 hours watching races. That was pushing it… but they play loud music during the races and I don't know if it effects the runners much, but it sure made me enjoy the day more. Somehow it makes it more intense and fun to watch. Tay ran the mile and did well, he got 3rd in his heat and 6th overall.

After the race, we went to the Metropolitan Museum which was astounding to me in size. We probably only saw 1/3 of it at best before we were just exhausted. It was pretty neat, but slightly boring too? Is that bad? I felt very uncultured while we were there. I liked the statues/ etc. but I got really tired of looking at little spoons/pots/artifacts from a million different cultures. We are really glad we went, but I think Body Worlds or the American Museum of Natural History would have been more up both of our alleys. We did have an unfortunate surprise though.. as we were leaving, we thought we knew where a subway was to get us back to our hotel…but we were VERY wrong. We ended up walking like 24 blocks to get back, and let's just say I was more than a little hangry before we even left the museum, so by the time we got back… hah. We did a progressive dinner that night and absolutely stuffed ourselves by the end of it. 

My favorite aspect of the trip was seeing Wicked on Broadway….ahhhhmazing. Glinda was SO funny and Elphaba was fantastic. Couldn't have been more pleased with them, and I realized I'd been missing out on so much of the story! I knew all the music really well but you just don't get ALL the story from it. It's been stuck in my head for weeks now, and I'm totally ok with it.

Overall, things I like about New York: 

1) So many good places to eat 

2) clear air (kind of amazing it's cleaner there than it is in Utah!)  

3) public transportation is so handy 

4) lots of exciting things to do

Things I did NOT like:  

1) Public transportation is dirty and a rat ran out right in front of me in the subway.. shudder .. 

2) It was freezing cold every day and Central Park was basically an icy cold wasteland at this time of year. Perhaps my language is a bit strong there, but I'd imagine it is far prettier and more enjoyable when it's warm 

3) Public restrooms are sometimes hard to come by, which is especially trying if you happen to really need one for some reason or another (…not that I speak from experience or anything…) 

4) You are hounded on the subways and street corners for money constantly

Oh, and we really enjoyed visiting the shops in Times Square too. Especially M&M World! 

I adore this picture. 

We also learned that every time we entered the Hershey's store, we were greeted by a free piece of chocolate. We went in there every time we passed it :) 

We are so glad we were able to go and feel quite blessed, but feel no need to return any time soon! We got to do and see pretty much everything we wanted and NYC was everything I hoped it would be. If we do return someday, we decided it will be when it's warmer :) 

For now though, on to other adventures!

Oh what a wonderful life

..it is my favorite Christmas movie, and I fully agree with the title. Oh what a wonderful life I am living! Taylor and I had the best Christmas ever. At least I did, I didn't actually ask him.. I'm sure he would agree though. I was rottenly spoiled and had to keep telling myself that this Christmas will probably never happen again, so enjoy it now. And enjoy it I did, despite being annoyingly sick with a sore throat/extreme runny and stuffy nose. Couldn't breathe through EITHER nostril for 2 days.. I wanted to kill somebody. 

Highlights of the break were: 

-going to Frozen-- awesome. We listened to the soundtrack on repeat ALL day, and we didn't tire of it. 

-going to Saving Mr. Banks-- quite fascinating. It's a miracle Mary Poppins ever became a movie! 

-making gingerbread houses (aka graham cracker houses)- we decided to do it in partners and we had to pick a structure out of a hat to build. Taylor and I wound up with the Empire State Building, which ended up being quite fitting-- but more about that later! 

notice the taxi, road, and trees in Central Park :) 

-Christmas Eve German Dinner- yum. It's so pretty and fancy too, just a fun occasion for one and all. We also had a really nice little Christmas Eve program. Whenever I'm with the Farnsworths I love the music I get to listen to/participate in. They are such a talented group! 

-The annual Burnham bowling shindig. Seriously.. it's the best. My mom stocks up on $5 bills and we take to the alley. She hands out $5 for every strike, and $5 if you get two spares in a row. Last year I sucked it up and earned a measly $5 and that was IT! This year Taylor and I cleaned up, and we made $55! The overall winner also gets an extra 5, and I don't like to toot my own horn but.. toooooot. Guess who took that achievement home? Although had my dad played a full round, he would have easily taken that title away from me. My dad is a darn good bowler. It's very generous of my parents and it is just so fun. EVERYTHING is more fun when winning money is involved, right? 

Taylor looks like a dirty stripper but NBD. 

-talking to Dallin (Elder Farnsworth) on Christmas morning. He is doing awesome and has such a great attitude. I can't wait to officially meet him! 

-opening presents.. of course. We got spoiled by both sides of our families. We opened most of our presents at the Farnsworth's on Christmas morning, and I unwrapped a new purse and iPhone from Taylor--which I love-- it's so much faster then my dinosaur iphone 4. It was all I was expecting and more than enough since phones aren't cheap. Taylor kept apologizing that that's all he had for me and so I was totally confused when he brought out an envelope for me. 

He explained it by saying he decided he wanted to write me a Christmas card, so I thought that's all it was. Except his family all had their eyes glued on me and cameras out, and I noticed the envelope was pretty thick. So I got slightly suspicious.... and I opened it up and lots of papers started falling out. One was an email confirmation of plane tickets purchased... one was a picture of Times Square... etc. and I realized...HE SECRETLY BOUGHT ME A PLANE TICKET TO NEW YORK! I was SO pumped. It's a huge bucket list thing for me, and since Taylor will be racing there for track, it was going to be the cheapest time we could ever do it. His plane ticket/food/etc. is all paid for, so it was just my ticket to buy. And he was crafty and did it so I wouldn't see it on our account. Such fun. I love a good surprise. 

And now I get to see the Empire State Building in person! 

And now I realize this post is starting to get lengthy, but I just have to talk about my mom's gift for us too. It was SO special and something I want to remember. 

So my mom sang to us every single night when we were kids. She knew so many songs, and we absolutely loved them. My mom will sing them to her grandkids too, and they all love them as well. My sister in law started having my mom teach her some of the songs, because her kids were requesting them. My sister, Jan, sings them to her kids, and when I babysit they ask me to sing them. And they are SO impressed when I know the same songs :) 

Anyway, it's become quite the tradition and legacy of my mom. We have repeatedly asked my mom to record them, because even though we know most of them, I still forget a lot of the words and can't remember all the songs she would sing. So she did record them, and printed up all the words also. She also gave us some of the beloved songbooks we owned as children. She gave this gift to all her kids, as well as some homemade PJ's, and other things. It was such an awesome gift and one I will truly cherish forever. I can't wait to sing my own children those songs I love so much, and now I can always remember them. I just went away from Christmas this year feeling so incredibly blessed. 

And my parents also threw in these for us... dream come true :) 

We have wonderful families, we are lucky to be in school and have jobs, and the future is as bright as our faith. I am so grateful for my Savior for making a happy life possible for everyone as long as we come unto Him.
Happy New Year! 

series of un-unfortunate events

The first un-unfortunate event was our trip to Indiana, which was an all-expense paid trip to the thriving metropolis of Terra Haute. It actually reminded me a little bit of Pocatello, only even dumpier. No offense Pocatello...I love you. But the "armpit of Idaho" phrase doesn't come from nowhere.

BYU qualified for the NCAA Cross Country National Championship, and if your husband is going, then BYU pays for the wife to go too. This only happens at the national race, so I was reaallly hoping Taylor would get to go. And he did! The team is only allowed to take the top 10 runners, 7 of which would actually run, and 3 of which would be alternates in case someone got hurt. Taylor was the first alternate, so he didn't actually get to run, but he still went and so did I.

And we had such a fun time. There were five other wives that went too, and when our husbands were off practicing and running the course, we would go to the mall/go out to eat...whatever our hearts desired really. On the day of the race, we all piled into a van and went to watch. It was a HUGE meet, tons of runners and people watching the runners. It was kind of funny actually, because all the running fanatics were sprinting across the course to cheer people on and I saw more than one person get slightly trampled.

It was sooo cold that day too.. according to the weather it was 29 but felt like 10. Everyone was FREEZING, I literally have never had colder toes than I did that day. I felt like if I took off my shoes, my toes were going to be black. It had been raining all week leading up to the race, so the course was extremely muddy and wet. We all got pretty dirty. BYU got fourth overall! The top 4 teams get on the podium and get trophies/etc. so it was awesome. We went home, warmed up in the hotel's hot tub, ordered pizza, and went to Catching Fire later that night. SO great. I loved it, even more than the first one.

The weekend after this was Thanksgiving, and unfortunately both Taylor's and my family were out of town with other family members. We decided we would throw our own Thanksgiving bash, which included hiking the Y, a pumpkin waffle breakfast, going to Despicable Me 2, eating Thanksgiving dinner at Cracker Barrel, and doing a little black Thursday shopping. It was so fun. The next day we rode the Trax down to Salt Lake and saw the lights. They don't have quite as many lights up this year, but it's still pretty amazing. And aren't these clouds amazing? I love the sky in this picture. Thanksgiving Day was GORGEOUS.

Last Wednesday, we went to my work's Christmas party. They took us to Tucanos and we had a blast. So fun to see everyone in something other than scrubs and meet everyone's spouses. I work for such an awesome office. They gave us a Christmas bonus, and then they doubled the amount, and told us to use the second half to do something nice for someone else, and not to spend it on ourselves. I thought that was so unique. I'm so impressed by the dentists for encouraging the spirit of Christmas and giving. I left that night feeling uplifted and happy. And then Taylor and I bought a little Christmas tree for our apartment and I'm obsessed with it. Literally... it's on all day long and I look at it over and over.

And now I will leave you with a funny, and a question. Do all you other girls shed as much as I do?? Seriously, my hair is everywhere...... screaming infidelities..... yeah everywhere. We find it on skateboards that I never use, in Taylor's shoes, in the trunks of our cars and pretty much anywhere you can think of.. we've found it there. My roommate in college found it weaved into her mattress once---and I didn't even share a room with her, OR ever really go into her room. Anyway, Taylor told me that if I was going to be an "inside pet" then we were going to have to vacuum on the daily to keep this hair at bay. That's one reason we can never have a dog inside... my hair PLUS the dog's hair would make our house nasty. Sigh.. I guess it's just a #girlproblem. And #firstworldproblem.

April 26, 2013

Well, Tay and I have been married for 7 months now! It's been fun to think back on the memories of our wedding day, and then see them come to life in our wedding pictures. Here is how I felt that day... 

It all went by almost in a blur. We were dating long distance our entire courtship, up until the day of our wedding! Taylor took a final the morning before our wedding, moved out of his apartment, and drove home to Pocatello at about 10 PM. I was at the church with my mom getting the reception all set up still, so he stopped by and we had a few minutes to ourselves to talk about the next day and marvel that it was REALLY here!

I got to bed about 11:30 that night, and since we had so much family at our house, I slept on a foam pad in the living room along with my brother, Mark, who was also kicked out of his room to accommodate family. I found it pretty amusing that I slept in the living room on the floor the night before my wedding, but I could have cared less. I remember sleeping very well until about 5 AM, and then I woke up and could NOT go back to sleep. I had a hair appointment at 7:45, so I went to that, got back at 9 and then my friend Rachel did my make up (she is the sweetest, and such a pro) and had to be in the car by 9:30 to get to the Idaho Falls Temple by 10:30. Except we were not in the car until about 9:50. I got to the temple and saw some of our guests there before we were.. oops. But it was fine, I met up with Taylor and we got our records verified, we changed, and they took us up to the Celestial Room to wait.

It was then that I started getting really nervous. I wasn't nervous about getting married, I was just nervous because I didn't know what to expect and everyone was going to be watching and I could already feel my emotions going crazy. Taylor was so sweet and so stable though, and I gathered myself together...

Which lasted about 5 minutes, until it was time to go do the thing. The second I walked into the sealing room, tears came to my eyes and I was just overcome with happiness that so many people were there to celebrate with us, all of whom I loved so much, and that I was marrying someone in the temple who I knew I would have a wonderful life with. I had to work hard to keep the tears off my face. I hate crying in front of people. Our ceremony was really short, but it was perfect. 

And honestly, the rest of the day went off without a hitch. It wasn't stressful at all. Nothing went wrong, everything was taken care of and we had a beautiful day. We went to the luncheon after taking pictures at the temple, and then on to the reception. We stayed at the Black Swan that night and left the next morning for Park City, where we stayed in a big condo for the next 3 days.
I couldn't have asked for a better wedding/ honeymoon. And the transition to married life has not felt like a transition at all. It's been the easiest, most natural thing in the world. We have yet to have a fight, which I'm pretty happy about. I hope it stays that way forever.
And now here are some of my favorite pics from the day!

The last two pictures made me laugh the hardest...
Cutest little Austin and all his drool. And as for me.. I was just trying to get a piece of hair out of my mouth. I think I had just barely succeeded when the picture was taken, but I still had that disgusted look on my face. Don't worry, it wasn't directed at Taylor :) 

many much updates

I think I've had the best fall ever this year. I know that's bold, but I'm committing. 

Since I last posted, I've had the pleasure of enjoying a birthday, running a half marathon, reading a few excellent books, going to Indiana with the BYU XC teams, having a memorable Thanksgiving, and many more things. So, I'm gonna break this down. This post will be broken up into a few posts, so stay posted :) 

I suppose I'll start at the beginning. I had a GREAT birthday. Taylor made me feel so special. He said he would rather celebrate my birthday than his own even. And I actually believe him ! He woke up with a huge smile on his face to wish me a happy birthday. Love that man. And he knew just what I wanted somehow...

A haircut/color, and a new book. It was a good one. One of my favorite books of all time is A Thousand Splendid Suns written by Khaled Hosseini. He also wrote The Kite Runner. This book was less awesome than Splendid, but still very interesting and enjoyable-I would recommend it. He also gave me permission to buy new boots.. which I never ended up actually buying. I am so picky about what I buy now.. I have to LOVE it, or else I am not going to spend money on it. I never did find the boots I LOVED (at least in a reasonable price range) so the hunt continues. 

On October 26, I ran the Halloween 1/2 Marathon down Provo Canyon. I felt so awesome for the first 10 miles. I was running at the pace I wanted and was enjoying all the costumes. Then mile 11 came and things went awry. My outer left knee started throbbing, so I slowed down to walk and it felt even worse. Then I tried running again and could barely manage a hobble. So I walked most of the last 3 miles, which destroyed my time. My goal was just to beat my previous 1/2 marathon time, which didn't happen. I was disappointed, but I suppose I couldn't expect much less... My training was pretty pathetic. I've continued to run since then, but my knee is still giving me grief. Not to worry though.. Taylor has lots of suggestions and tips for getting it better :) 

Rachel and Steven also ran the 1/2, which made it way more fun. Don't they have the cutest costumes ever?! I love it. 

We also got our wedding pictures back this fall. Woot woot. Here is one of my favorites 

It is so dreamy. I just love the lighting! 

I'm writing another post about our actual wedding day. I never did go into many details, and that's definitely I day I want to have documented. I'll add a few more pictures on that post, even though you've probably seen them on facebook already. I think this is getting long enough though, so onward we go! 

oh what do you do in the autumn time?

Here is what I like to do...

watch the leaves change color

via

make these tasty pumpkin bars (or have them made for me... ya know..whichev..) 

via

think long and hard about what Halloween costume I want to wear

via

And don't even try to deny this isn't your lifelong dream to be the "NEXT CONTESTANT ON THE PRICE IS RIGHT!!!!" 

Watch this boy run cross country

And when I can't watch.. at least hear about it from some very good sources! 

Start wearing boots again

And last but not least, celebrate my favorite holiday. 

He he... you thought I was going to say Halloween, which is also a favorite. But not as favorite as my own personal holiday, which is my BIRTHDAY of course! The big 25! Quarter of a century! 

Every year, I've made a wishlist of birthday gifts I could stand to see in my living room on the morning of October 7th. This year, my wish list has been comprised of things I NEED... not things I really WANT. For example, this year I am getting a haircut/color for my birthday, and some new scrubs and shoes for work. Boring. So, in order to get sufficiently excited for my birth, I am making another wish list of my birthday in a perfect world.

Stay tuned... for I will reveal it soon. 

In the meantime, I know you are probably dying to see what I've wished for in years past (one of which DID come true- woohoo! I write this post on my newish apple laptop--see, dare to dream) 

You can find my 2012 birthday list here

And my 2011 birthday list here

Don't you guys just LOVE BIRTHDAYS?!? I could never understand those people who don't want anyone to know it's their birthday. Shout it out peeps. It comes around once a year, and I think everyone deserves to feel special at LEAST that often :) 

Ah.. fall really is the best time of year. The crisp mornings and evenings, and the beautiful perfect days.. it makes my heart happy. 

And guess what else makes my heart happy? 

I got a job! So I work Tuesday afternoons in Orem, and then I work Wednesdays, Thursdays, and every other Friday in Springville. With the potential for more hours soon, because they are expanding. The two offices are very different, one is pretty big and the other is pretty little. I like the change up, it keeps things interesting. They are both great places to work and I am feeling very blessed. 

Happy Fall Ya'll!! 

But I already know you will be :) 

inspiration

Some days, do you just need a little inspiration like I do? 

Now I don't feel like I need to lose 140 lbs. I don't feel like that's my challenge at all right now (although it was after my freshman year of college.. good heavens) 

but I do feel like I have other challenges, just like everyone else does. 

Right now, that challenge is finding a full time job. I have a part time job, and I love it. But let's be real.. I am done with school, putting my husband through school now, and I don't have a child. Why wouldn't I be working full time? 

Well because, it is not so easy to find a full time dental hygiene job in Utah Valley. I have been continually frustrated and humbled during these few months I've lived here. I felt like my job was part of my identity back in Idaho, and now.. I just feel lazy. I've taken my resume around to over 50 dental offices and applied for every stinking craigslist post about hygiene (and some assisting jobs) and luckily I've had lots of chances to sub in offices. And the offices I've subbed in have been amazing. A few of them have told me they wished there was an opening for me. One of the offices I subbed in offered me my current part time job. One office has even taken it into their hands to look out for jobs for me and recommend me to other employers. But for some reason, it just has not worked out. I have tried to stay positive through this, but it's been hard sometimes. I hate talking about it with everyone, because I realize how it sounds when I say I work 2 afternoons a week. It is not for lack of trying for more.. believe me. 

But I am not going to give up, and I have full faith that something will come along for me that will be wonderful. I'm used to having jobs handed to me on silver platters, and I guess I've taken it for granted. This is the first time I've ever had to try to find a job. It hasn't come in the timeline that I want, but if there is one thing I've learned over the past 5 years, things rarely do come when you want, but rather when it's the right timing.

I feel a little silly posting about this... I feel a bit exposed, but I can't wait for the day when I can post, hey guess what! I got that job! And maybe it will help someone else who needs to hear that that day. 

But here is what I've been doing with some of my down time..

Oh yes, those are stuffed zucchinis and homemade breadsticks (2 different meals). I always forget to take a picture of a complete meal. Or the breadsticks, before they are in the bag. Haha but I have found a lot of joy in cooking that I didn't know was in me. Seriously, I hated cooking before I got married. But it's a real nice feeling when Taylor loves something I make. So I experiment a lot with different recipes and it's been fun! Who knew?? 

I also get to spend lots of time with two of the cutest little girls I know, and one of the chunkiest, hunkiest dudes around. 

Old picture-- but these two little faces make me so happy. 

And this face makes me the happiest girl ever...

Have a great weekend everyone!! I know I will-- I get to watch this stud race right here in Provo. 

Go BYU!