Trip to Utah

I know this is late, but I had such a fun time and want to remember it!

Jonathon had to spend two weeks in Wisconsin for work to train for his job with Sentry Insurance. I decided this would be a fun time for me to get away too and go back home to Utah to see some friends and family for the weekend.

SATURDAY OCTOBER 8, 2011

First, I got a very special pick up at the airport from my sister Shirley and her two adorable sons Ryan and Brady. Shirley lives out in Spanish Fork which is about 1 1/2 hours from the SLC airport so I felt very special! It was so good to see her and the boys smiling faces!

Jumping on the trampoline

After we were in the car, I asked Ryan if he wanted to open a surprise. I wanted to start a tradition that whenever I come visit, I bring surprises from Washington. He opened them in the car (some gold fish crackers-- He used to love playing a game called UZU on my Iphone and he called the little dots "Fissies!' :) and a potty training book) So when we asked what it was, he replied "A surprise. From Wash-ink-ton!" I LOVE him! I love everything about him.

We stopped by to visit our Mom who was at the deaf church volunteering for a craft day. She showed all of us off to her deaf friends. It was good to see her for a minute!

Then Shirley and I spent the next few hours SHOPPING. I love shopping at thrift stores and finding good deals. And second-hand clothes are cheaper in Utah than WA for some reason. Here is my haul:

Ten shirts, twelve jackets, three pairs of shoes, and a coat..

I think my closet is officially complete.

I had brought a huge suitcase from WA for the purpose of bringing back some of the stuff I'm storing at my mom's house and I ended up filling it FULL of new clothes!!

Shirley and I went to lunch at Cafe Rio. I had forgotten how much I LOVE Cafe Rio since we don't have it in WA! And Ryan got a sharp chip caught in his throat. It was so sad.

Spending the day with them made me really look up to Shirley as a mom. She does a great job and is an amazing mother to her boys. She said something like she was kind of embarrassed because Ryan is just so crazy when they go out and she just doesn't know how to control him and feels bad like she should be better. I was so surprised because all day long I'd been thinking just the opposite! I am amazed how well she handles having such a too-smart-for-his-own-good, gets-into-everything kid and little baby at the same time and how well she parents them and teaches Ryan good principles. He is a GREAT kid and he can owe a huge chunk of that from having such great parents. I hope someday I can have as cute and good of little kids as those two!

The most amazing Mom: Shirley, and my two cute nephews

A few hours later, Shirley dropped me off at my Mom's house in Sandy and I took a nap (I'd only slept two hours the night before from all the excitement!) and I got a special chauffeur to drive me up to Provo for the BYU football game... SHALECE! I was SO HAPPY to see her! I met her and Smallz when I used to referee their lacrosse games and they rescued me one night when I didn't have a ride home. We've been great friends ever since. :) We even went the scenic route through Draper to beat traffic. I love her and have really missed her friendship since moving up to WA so it was so good to spend some time with her.

Shalece and me at UVU

(I was trying to look Asian)

Another GREAT friend, my BOSOM BUDDY Kat came to pick me up and went with me to the BYU vs. San Jose State game (we won- yay!). Kat is another one that I've absolutely missed and yearned to find a friend like this in WA. She's been one of my best friends since 9th grade and even though we don't get to see each other near as often as we'd like, we can always start up right where we left off. I LOVE her!! We also sat with my brother-in-law Robby and his friend Chantelle at the game and it was fun to see him, as always. It was weird being at a game without Jonathon!!

Kat and me at the BYU vs San Jose State football game

We went to a weird Provo party (it made me remember all the reasons I hated the "single life"-- with awkward, superficial conversations, the sole entertainment was the laptop showing a stand up comedian.. etc etc) and then got some hot cocoa at some ghetto 7-11 in Provo then she dropped me at my sister's in Spanish Fork. Thanks Kat!

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 9th, 2011

We planned to spend the day doing crafts and making hair accessories, but we ended up taking a nice long nap instead! Ryan went with Grandma Lisa to church and we met up with them later that night at my Grandma Richards house.

Oh, first we stopped by quickly at my GUEST FRIEND Shaun Morrow's house so I could see his new little baby Dax. He is the CUTEST little red-headed baby ever. Good job Shaun and Taya on making such an adorable thing. It was also fun seeing their family-- All his family was there for Shaun's birthday dinner. Shaun was one of my best friends through middle school and high school and his family was like my second family, especially his mom Linda. They will forever hold a special place in my heart.

Little Dax!

Grandma made a nice dinner and it was fun just spending time with family catching up and laughing. She always makes yummy dinners so I look forward to eating there every time! Then we played games and, of course, took some pictures.

Me and the little nuggets!

I'm obsessed with them- aren't they so cute??? They are good friends and cute brothers too!

Ryan playing with the 'mustache comb' I brought for Steven as his souvenir from WA

He went around brushing everyone's hair with it- haha!

Ryan and me

He loved the pine cones. We were playing a game where we'd pick up the pine cones and throw them onto the pool cover. He could have done this for hours!

Grandma and her two grandsons

I love this picture oh so much

Cute Brady and Shirley

The Whole Gang

Can you SPOT the differences??

This is our TRUE side shining through!!

I stayed at Grandma Richards house that night. We stayed up until almost 2:00 AM talking. This was like the old days. She's always been one of my best friends. I remember when I was in 7th grade just having a hard day and she came and picked me up and took me shopping. For some reason, that just made my day! And she loves doing things like that for her grandkids. She's always having so much fun and wants to let everyone have a good time. I'll forever be grateful Jonathon and I got to live so close by her during our college years to strengthen that bond. Finally we had to force ourselves to go to bed!

Monday, OCTOBER 10th, 2011

Grandma and I woke up and decided it'd be fun to go get some brunch. We waited and waited for my mom to join us and finally the three of us went to Lettuce and Ladles. It was tasty!

We planned to get pedicures but we ended up not having enough time because my grandma had tickets to the opera that night. We went birthday shopping for me instead. I got the BEST brown boots EVER and some cute little blue shoes. They are both my dream shoes and I get compliments every time I wear them. Thanks Grandma!!! I also helped her find some slip on Sketchers she'd been looking for for years and she was so excited! She got some in black and white. :)

My mom and I went and did a little shopping on our way back to her house and then stopped at Beto's to get some dinner. I LOVE BETOS and MISS IT SO MUCH!!!!!

Mom and I spent some time together chatting then started a movie. She fell asleep pretty quick and went to bed. Steven came home and we ended up talking for almost four hours! I guess we needed to catch up! It was nice spending that time with him and getting that connection back as brother and sister- even if it meant I was a very tired girl the next morning..

Tuesday, October 11th, 2011

Grandpa and Grandma Roush came to pick me up bright and early in the morning to take me ROCK HUNTING! I'd never been so I begged them to take me while I was in town. We stopped by McDonalds on the way for some breakfast and played the Monopoly game-- 6 tries and didn't win anything! haha. And then picked up a $14 disposable camera since we forgot ours at home.

They are so cute.

The view of Utah Lake- we were near Saratoga Springs

Me and Grandpa

Grandpa finding and picking up a big rock he liked

He said "I like the ones that have got character- bumps and unique shapes"

Loading it in the truck. He's so strong!

Grandpa has a real knack for finding rocks. He'd drive along in his favorite little gray pick up truck and keep his head out the window. Somehow he'd see a GREAT rock thirty feet away, park his truck, get out his gloves and little hammer and pull out the rock and load it into the truck. And those things were heavy! He is my hero. And Grandma is amazing in every way. I admire that woman so much. She has a genuine love for nature and the outdoors. She is taking a class at the Sandy Senior Center where they go explore local trails so she kept picking different flowers excited to bring them back to her class to ask her teacher what they were. She's so cute!

Grandma with some pretty yellow flowers she liked

Me and Grandma sittin on a big ol rock

I loved being out there in the desert with them. It was so quiet and peaceful- we were the only ones there. The weather was perfect for us! I am grateful to Heavenly Father for blessing us with beauty in the world.

Our haul! Grandma and I collected lots of little ones in that white bucket

We stopped by Smiths deli and ate some fried chicken on our way back to my Mom's house.

My mom drove me down town for my massage appointment with Angela- the best massage therapist in SLC! It was much needed and awesome. This was the perfect ending to my trip!!! Then she got me a healthy lunch to eat before getting on the plane. It was so sweet of her to think of that! She dropped me off at the airport where I flew back home to Washington.

In summary... it was a wonderful trip! I LOVE all my friends and family in Utah. To those of you I didn't get to see, I hope I can see you next time. I love you all and am so grateful to have you in my lives. I'm a blessed and lucky girl. :) And come visit me up here!!! I'll take you out and show you the town!

Feeling Sour?

I'm planning my lesson for the Young Women's class I teach on Sunday. I came across this gem! LOL for some reason this made me laugh so hard!

My lesson is "Association with Others" so I wanted to talk about how service can help you view people in a new light and make new friends, etc, etc.

SO... don't be a sour puss this week! "Squeeze in some time for others; kindness and service bring sweetness to your life."

Last week I taught the lesson on "Being Dependable" and for my introduction, I held up a package of DEPENDS underwear. After the lesson, I handed out little diapers full of chocolate candies with a card on front that said "Be DEPENDable- and your life will be filled with SWEETNESS." They turned out really cute! I took a picture but it somehow got deleted. :( The girls were embarrassed to be walking around holding diapers after church! Haha!

Can you tell I like to have some fun in my lessons? I love being in YW!

Updates

1) Jonathon is in Wisconsin for a couple weeks for training with Sentry. He's really enjoying it and learning lots! He even got hit on by his waitress at the local restaurant- My J's still got it! haha

2) I am going to Utah this weekend! I am probably going to the BYU football game, get to see good friends and catch up, and of course, my great family-- and I'm so excited!

3) I have a JOB INTERVIEW either tomorrow or Thursday!

My phone rang this morning at 10:06. I took some Nyquil last night and was pretty out of it so I woke up when it rang. (I swear my alarm was set for 7:00-- where did those three hours go??) I had called and cancelled an appointment for 10:00 this morning at the hair salon so I thought maybe they didn't get the message so they were just calling to check where I was. When I got the voicemail, it was Marly calling so set up an interview for a job I'd applied for online! I jumped out of bed and SCREAMED!

I've been looking for a second job for a few months now and it has seemed like there are no offices in need of a hygienist right now. Is there anything more frustrating than trying to find a job?? I LOVE the Gillespies and have been so grateful to have the 1-2 days a week there. But getting my student loan bills each month quickly remind me that I need an increase in my income.

I called her back and she said she'll talk with the doctors and call me today to let me know if Wednesday or Thursday will work best for the interview. I looked up the office online and it seems perfect. From what I saw there, it looks like we'd be a great fit. Soooo... wish me luck! I am SO EXCITED!!!!!

4) I start my SEWING CLASS tomorrow night! I got a book from the library called "Sewing with Nancy" to help prep before I go. Heh!

5) I have a hair appointment tonight.. and anyone who knows me knows I LOVE getting my hair done! :) Me and Jonathon made a deal a long time ago that he gets to spend money on electronics and I spend mine on hair. It just works.

Actually, I should add that I go to this cute lady up here named Janet who has her own little salon at her house. The last two times I went, she only charged me $30 for a full color! I've been places in the past that charge $120 for the same thing! So, she's been awesome. Love her!

6) I bought Cosmo bad breath spray and I'm excited to see if it works. I also bought more batteries for his bark collar, which was probably one of the top five purchases I've ever made.

7) I'm going to Utah this weekend!! This is deserving of two of the top ten update spots. :)

8) I bought BedHead dry shampoo for 60% off from Ulta this week. And it is awesome.

If I could buy three things for every woman I know, it'd be:

1) dry shampoo

2) pepper spray

3) floss

9) Jonathon and I found not just one, but TWO whole sand dollars at Seaside beach last weekend!!! That is good luck, you know! Which is probably why I got this interview!

10) I got a new calling at church a couple weeks ago to be in Young Womens. I am the newest Laurel Advisor. I have loved it so far! I also get to be in it with Annie, Jonathon's youngest sister. We have a lot of fun together so that is just an extra plus.

I plan to post the pictures and blog about our quick weekend trip to the coast-- it was SO AWESOME. I officially love the coast. But I need to wait until I get the pictures off of Jonathon's camera so I'll do that when he gets home.

And I will see some of you soon this weekend!

Hanging out with Mozilla Firefox

I was laying down on the floor about to start doing sit-ups when this cute little guy curled up right next to me. He loves sleeping in a tight little circle and looks like Mozilla Firefox. Hence, Cos-Mozilla Firefox. :)

Isn't She Lovely - FUTURE BABY SONG

"Isn't She Lovely" by Stevie Wonder

Isn't she lovely
Isn't she wonderful
Isn't she precious
Less than one minute old
I never thought through love we'd be
Making one as lovely as she
But isn't she lovely made from love

Isn't she pretty
Truly the angel's best
Boy, I'm so happy
We have been heaven blessed
I can't believe what God has done
Through us he's given life to one
But isn't she lovely made from love

Isn't she lovely
Life and love are the same
Life is Aisha
The meaning of her name
Londie, it could have not been done
Without you who conceived the one
That's so very lovely made from love


This ISN'T an announcement, I promise! I heard this song though and thought it was really sweet. I thought I posted it a long time ago but it was just saved as a draft. So, you're welcome, and enjoy!

Labor Day

We had a fun, lazy Labor Day today. We scheduled to get lots done on our to-do list and woke up full of excitement. And then... we had so much fun sleeping in and laughing we just forgot about our to-do list and enjoyed the day.

We had a bar-b-que and had some awesome hot dogs. We watched TV, hung out with Jonathon's little sister Annie and discovered Del Taco's new mac-n-cheese tater tots (amazing.) took a great nap, played games, and had a lot of fun just hanging out with the family together.

Bob, Jonathon, Annie, and me went blackberry picking last night and got a bucket of them. Nothing is better than FRESH, organic blackberries!

I baked my first ever blackberry pie- and it actually turned out pretty darn good!!

I'm sure there is a better way to criss-cross the top of the pie... and I will learn someday.

But this is okay for now!

Jonathon also made "hor dourves" out of little swiss cakes. It was cute!

I've enjoyed cooking and baking lately. It's been a lot of fun and for the first time, things have actually tasted GOOD.

My first time GRILLING.

Chicken drumsticks, veggie shish kabobs, tin foil bell peppers, zucchini, and onions.

SO GOOD! And healthy!

I love to see the temple

Jonathon and I decided to stop by the Portland, OR temple on our way home from his cousin Kendra's wedding reception. This is where we got married!

It was fun to be there together again. :)

Coming out of the temple doors...

It's crazy thinking about how different it is NOW compared to that day- August 4th, 2007.

We were so scared and nervous. We had no idea what to expect and how our future would work out. I had felt sick for two months before from all the nerves and couldn't even really ENJOY our wedding day because I was so young and scared!

We had no idea if Jonathon was going to get accepted to BYU or what his major would be if he did.

We had no idea if I'd make it into dental hygiene school.

No idea where we were going to live, where we were going to work, how we were going to be able to pay for LIFE and COLLEGE the next few years..

We had no idea what MARRIED LIFE was going to be like.

And now, four years later, it's all worked out perfectly. We've had so many fun memories and learned and grown together. We really lucked out to find each other so young.

I love Jonathon and I am grateful to have him as such a good friend, wonderful husband who makes me laugh every single day. He is caring and fun and sweet and knows me better than anyone else in the world. And he helps me be closer to who I WANT to be each day.

I'm so glad we made that choice to be married

and especially to be married HERE in this beautiful temple

for time and all eternity.

Pot-Luck Award

I won the Staff Meeting POTLUCK AWARD at the Gillespies office today for my Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars for:

"Participation, presentation, compliance, and excellence in being cool."

You could say they were a pretty big deal! So I decided I'd share the recipe with all four of my readers! :)

-Easy, yummy, all-American peanut butter and chocolate bars-

Ingredients:

-1 Cup butter, melted (I just used 1 1/2 sticks)

-2 Cups graham cracker crumbs

-2 Cups powdered sugar

-1 Cup peanut butter

-1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (I love ghiradelli)

-4 tablespoons peanut butter (I used natural creamy from wal-mart, but any will do!)

DIRECTIONS:

1-In a medium bowl, mix together butter, graham cracker crumbs, powdered sugar, and 1 cup peanut butter until well blended. Press evenly into the bottom of an ungreased 9x13 inch pan

-For best results, refrigerate for 15 mins

2- Microwave chocolate chips and peanut butter, stirring occasionally until smooth. Smooth over prepared crust. Refrigerate for at least one hour before cutting into squares.

Perhaps someday YOU too could be the next Potluck Award winner with these delights!

Mid-life crisis

What is UP with me?

I feel so lame. And.. blah.

**I want to be working full time. I'm tired of working 1-2 days a week.

1) To get rid of all this boredom

2) I love being a hygienist! and

3) I NEED MONEY. Jeez louise- Our student loans are going to take FOR-EV-ER to pay back at this rate. :(

**I want to have my HOME. Jonathon and I are still living upstairs in a room at his parents place. Don't get me wrong, we are GRATEFUL to be here and have loved it. BUT, I am tired of having boxes all over the place and being surrounded by CLUTTER. I want a quiet place of my own to go. And my big comfy bed. The family downstairs bought a house and should be moving in September 8th so we'll be moving down to the basement sooner than later and I'll finally get to create my little home.

**I am in a spiritual RUT. I have this sense of WANTING to become more knowledgable in the Gospel and learn more about myself. I just haven't made any sort of plan to put it in action.

And I've learned the importance of reaching out to new people-- whether it is in your ward, neighborhood, whatever- WELCOME THEM! It is TOUGH to be the new person. I am the type of person where I feel okay to go introduce myself, but it would still be nice. It makes me wish I'd done a better job in the past for new-comers.

AND Jonathon and I want church callings! For some reason when we move into new wards, it takes forever for us to get callings. Our first ward, we set up THREE appointments with the bishop for this very purpose and Jonathon never got one before we moved a year later! We've been here 2 months now and I've asked twice but no news yet. :(

**I am also in a physical RUT. I'll preface by saying I know I'm not FAT, but my body just feels gross. I've eaten so much sugar and unhealthy foods and haven't been running and exercising like I got in the habit of the last 8 months while I trained for my marathon. I miss that happy, healthy feeling.

**I miss having friends. :( This one has been especially tough. I miss having friends nearby to call up to go to get ice cream with me or go shopping. I miss seeing my family at parties and KNOWING and recognizing faces when I go to the grocery store. I didn't realize how much I took this for granted in Utah.

My friend Brad Butler said the other day "Isn't that what your husband is there for?" which is true. And I LOVE Jonathon (I think everyone knows that by now, right??) and we've had a lot of fun but it's also important to have your own separate lives and some independence. I want a GIRL friend who is my age I can call up and hang out with. But.. where do I just FIND that? A friend website? The local friend pound? Puh.

Again, I LOVE it here in WA and don't want people to go around saying "Did you read how MISERABLE Nancy is up there? I can't believe Jonathon would drag her up there!" This is NOT the case!

I'm simply saying I am in that awkward growing stage.

I have had some AWESOME experiences so far in Washington and met some wonderful people. I know this is where we are supposed to be- no doubt about it. I just need to get some direction back in my life.