Book Review: Jurassic Park

Chris and I decided to become true Logan-ites and get library cards to the Logan Library. Although, to be honest, I miss the libraries back home. Chris checked out a bunch of books about fishing. I only checked out one book, Jurassic Park.

I've seen the movie a couple times before but have never read the book before. So I decided to give it a try... I finished the book in two days and hardly ever put it down.

Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton is about an amusement park of sorts. John Hammond buys an island and begins to create his amusement park/zoo. But unbeknownst to the rest of the world, the animals are being created from the DNA of animals from a long long time ago... they were recreating dinosaurs.

This book is terrifying and I for one was glad that I had seen the movie previously, because it kept me from freaking out. Despite the fact that this is the scariest book I've ever read, I LOVED IT!!! This book was so captivating that I literally couldn't put it down or stop thinking about it.

I loved the writing in this book. Michael Crichton is a very talented writer and an amazing story teller. He allows you to feel the same stress and fear the characters are feeling as they encounter the dinosaurs. Everything feels so very real while reading this book.

I highly recommend this book to others. It's thrilling and worth the read!

My Favorite Fictional Couples

When I was in my 8th grade Spanish 1 class, we (as a class) once kept our teacher from teaching us any Spanish by having him rant about how the people that you are around influence you and you become like them (which explains my lack of knowledge on the Spanish language).

That story is only partially relevant to this post.

See, as I'm sure we all do, I have some of my favorite fictional couples from books and movies. And if the above statement is true, I would love to hang out with these couples, because their relationships are so strong and beautiful and I love the way that they love each other. I aspire to be like these couples (although my relationship, in my opinion, is better than all of these ones combined) because these couples work hard at their relationships and love each other no matter what.

So here is my list of ten my favorite fictional couples (with pictures and videos!!!) in no particular order. I know I'll be leaving out some good ones but I can always make another list later. (WARNING: May contain spoilers! Read at your own risk!)

Fergus and Elinor (from Pixar's Brave) 

Chris and I keep trying to watch this show but our DVD player is broken and really hates this movie (apparently) so we've never been able to get through it. I absolutely ADORE the relationship that Fergus and Elinor have. I don't care that this is a cartoon, but when Fergus sees that his wife may be sick, him immediately begins to worry. When he finds his wife gone, he really freaks out. But it's all out of love. You can see it and hear it and it's the cutest thing ever. I'm not the biggest fan of this movie, but they're relationship is so adorable. And Merida is so cute in the picture above!

Chandler and Monica (from Friends)

I talk about Friends way too much on this blog but it's only because it's my favorite!! I love that going through all the seasons, Chandler was always partial to Monica, even from the very beginning. And it's just so cute to me that it pays of for them. Everyone always want to marry their best friend (which I did) and Monica and Chandler absolutely did and it was just so perfect.

Ron and Hermione (from Harry Potter by JK Rowling)

I'm currently going through all the Harry Potter movies and it's so funny the relationship that Ron and Hermione have in the first movie/book. Their relationship is just cute. It's another friends to couple story, but theirs was kind of always there. Ron always felt something there and I'm pretty sure Hermione did too. And it's just the cutest relationship to read and especially to watch them as cute little 11 year old kids then turn into adults and have such a strong and meaningful relationship. Bravo JK Rowling. Bravo.

Shawn and Juliet (from Psych)

This is one of my favorite Shawn and Juliet scenes. I don't care that there have been a ton of adorable ones since this moment, especially since they ended up together (he is seriously the cutest boyfriend to her). This scene shows the beginning. Shows that he loved her, not like, love, from the moment that he met her. There is no cuter relationship than this one, because he always always loved her and never ever stopped.

Jim and Pam (from The Office)

Jenna Fischer and John Krasinski played these roles absolutely perfectly because their relationship is probably the best there ever was on television. It always felt so real that I often forget that they are actors and that they're really in relationships with other people. Jim and Pam are perfect in every way. This show let you see their relationship grow from a crush to married with kids and it was just so beautifully written (their relationship, not always the show) that their relationship really captivated you and made you happy.

Dill and Rosemary (from Easy A (yeah, I didn't know their names either until IMDB))

Ha ha ha! They are just too funny! I absolutely love this movie! They are the greatest movie parents ever, but they also have a very funny and cute relationship. She always picks him as family member of the week because she loves him so much. It's just cute and funny and loveable.

Also in this movie I love Olive and "Woodchuck" Todd. He is just so darn cute to her and always stands up for her and believes in her. It's very cute. If you haven't seen this movie, I do recommend it, however I also recommend that you're comfortable with "adult" issues and maybe a bit older before you see it (AKA, I do NOT want my little brother seeing it just yet).

Steve and Peggy (from Captain America: The First Avenger)

(SPOILER ALERT) This might be one of my favorite ones on here. Their love story is so dang cute and tragic and it just breaks your heart. However, Romeo and Juliet is one of my favorite books so I'm kind of in love with tragic love stories. First of all, Captain America is pretty dang attractive (I'm sorry husband, I still love you!!!!) so I'm automatically going to like him on screen. But then you add a very strong female character, which I love. I love how brave and strong of a character she is, it's refreshing from the usually super hero movies where the girl is just a damsel in distress. But their little crush is so cute and it builds and builds to this beautiful love story... then it fades away and your sad but you secretly know in your heart that everything is okay, because they got to experience true love and they got to be together, even if it was for a short while.

Marshall and Lily (from How I Met Your Mother)

I've already written a little about these two here, so I won't say a ton more. When Chris and I were watching this show together, we realized how much alike we are to these two. This couple will always have a special place in my heart because they just remind me of Chris and myself, and I love my relationship the most.

And also...

Marshall is pretty dang romantic and smart. He is wonderful in a relationship.

Ross and Rachel (from Friends)

I honestly don't think there's anything left to say after this video. He's her lobster. :) (and I apologize for the weird song at the end, not my video)

Bart and Allison (from Emeralds and Espionage by Lynn Gardner) 

I first read this books when I was in middle school and I told myself that if I could marry any fictional character, it would be Bart. I don't have much to say except, please read these books and please learn about the beautiful and wonderful relationship that these two have which is so very real that it could easily be imitated in real life. Read this books and learn to love this couple as much as I do.

Little Blessings

I was in the process of writing a very different post. It was me venting about this horrible situation where I couldn't register for classes and had to re-apply to the school.... but then I got an email saying that a wonderful, kind-hearted had read my email and fixed my account, allowing me to finish registering for classes for Fall Semester.

That was just a little blessing that made my entire day better.

I was absolutely devastated this morning when I was told I would have to re-apply. It didn't make any sense to me! I was so upset! I was angry and I was sad. Things are already stressful in my life and I didn't like this added pressure.

So to get this email changed everything. I'm happy again. I'm so excited for school again! I literally cannot wait until August. Normally I'd be so excited for the summer, but not this year, I just want to go back to school!

My new husband is also a constant blessing in my life. Today he deserves extra credit for helping me when I was having an emotional breakdown, for making me a delicious dinner and for helping me clean up the kitchen. He is the most amazing husband there ever was and is. He always knows how to make me smile. We spent a long time looking at the Humor section of Pinterest and even when I didn't think it was funny, his laugh always made me laugh. He blesses my life everyday and I love him so much.

My sister is also a great blessing. I don't know why, but anytime we text each other it just makes the day better. She's so much fun and cute and I just love her so much (and boys, she's single (wink wink)).

Chris and I went and got library cards yesterday and I checked out the book Jurassic Park. I had forgotten how powerful books could be. I honestly haven't sat down and read a book in much too long, but yesterday I sat down and without even noticing it, it was suddenly the middle of the night and I had read over 200 pages. Books are always a blessing. Books are the best blessing.

Dance is a huge blessing in my life. Dance has always made my life so much better. I've danced my whole life and never plan on quitting because of the absolute joy it brings me. And while I didn't end up dancing today, I watched dance and it certainly made me smile. And to see all my old dance friends and to be welcomed back in like it was my own home, was one of the greatest blessing I could have received today.

Cake is a blessing. Despite the fact that our stupid, messed up oven burnt the edges before the whole thing was cooked, cake is always a blessing and always makes me feel better. Yum! (I added extra things I found off Pinterest to make it better as well, I'll let you know what those are later)


I'm always grateful for the little blessings in life. I've been so blessed with the best family in the world and now with the greatest husband in the world. I love little blessing, and they changed my whole day today.

Web Video Wednesday: Saves By Simon Mignolet

... my husband picked the video this week. Enjoy great soccer!

My Life Without a Job

I have this annoying tight feeling in my chest because I'm constantly worrying about how on earth we are going to pay our bills next month. I'm pretty sure it's impossible. We don't have enough money to do it. Chris's job doesn't work him enough for him to be making tons of money and I still can't even find a job!

Here's how I spend my typical days at home: I wake up around 10:00 AM (8:30 today because of the freaking loud lawn mower outside our window that literally sounds like an airplane about to crash through our window, it's happened three times since we've moved in and every time I'm terrified). I eat breakfast. Tell myself to workout, but don't. Shower. Then sit and watch episodes of Friends while my hair dries (except now I've gone through all the seasons of Friends so I'm not quite sure what to do). Then eat lunch. Look for the nonexistent job opening available. Then sit at home and watch movies while my husband goes to work. Then I go to bed. Half the time, I don't even do my hair or makeup. Because why would I when I literally have nothing to do and no where to go.

I've applied for at least fifteen different jobs and haven't received a single phone call, email or interview. I went through the phone book and wrote down numbers for all the places I would most like to work, I called a page and a half of businesses, and only one of those was hiring. I applied for it online, but it was perhaps the worst job application I've ever filled out. It didn't ask for anything. They don't know anything about me from that application. It's a good thing it let me upload my resume, because there's a lot more information about me and my work history on there than in that whole application.

I absolutely, positively, 100% HATE not working. I've been working since I was fifteen. That's seven years of working with probably only six months of unemployment during that time. Oftentimes I would be working more than one job at a time. I LOVE working! I love that feeling of accomplishment. I love feeling like I'm helping people through my job (I've been a childcare provider, custodian, cashier, receptionist and more and all gave me that special feeling you get when you do service). I love feeling responsible. I love working hard to make my own money and working to afford my life.

...but I can't afford my life anymore. And I don't even do anything! I sit at home literally all day and never spend a single cent, yet I'm almost positive we won't be able to pay our bills next month.

Next week I'm going to go to a temp agency and see if they have anything available for me. I'm going to keep applying and calling and dropping off resumes and doing everything I can to get a job, but quite honestly, I'm feeling so discouraged and upset that I haven't found a job already that I'm losing hope.

I hate being unemployed. It makes me feel awful and sad. I have so much work experience in many different areas of work that it's just so frustrating that I can't find a job. I'm sad and upset and bored out of my mind.

I just want to find a job soon.

Ashley's Headbands

Hey everyone! One of my friends is selling homemade headbands and hats. She can also make blankets and baby cocoons and scarves and maybe more, you just have to ask. She's very pretty and talented and great to work with! Her business is called Ashley's Headbands. Here are examples of what she's made:

To get in contact with her, check out her Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ashleys-headbands/235343026497197. Thanks readers! 

Five Days Away From Home

Chris and I spent the weekend away from our apartment and had an amazing time! It was so much fun spending time with family and doing things we wouldn't be able to do in Logan.

So we left Friday night after Chris got off work. We met his brothers and their friends at a movie theater in Layton. We saw Man of Steel. To be honest, I was feeling very sick and tired that day and was practically falling asleep during the whole movie. Now this is partly because of how exhausted I was, but maybe also because it was a really long movie and it couldn't keep my attention enough to keep me awake. But I don't feel like I can give an accurate review of this movie, because I was just so darn tired.

We stayed most our trip at my in-law's house and we slept in the most comfortable bed of my life. Honestly, I want them to give us the padding that was on that bed, because that was some of the best sleep of my life. The room also had a large TV that we probably get to steal once Chris's brother's leave for their missions next week (I can't believe they're leaving next week! That's so crazy! I'm going to miss them!) and we watched a lot of River Monsters on that TV at night. It was great!

On Saturday I helped my mother-in-law Michelle at Costco and other stores to buy all the food for the mission farewells. After shopping she dropped me off at Bountiful pond to go fishing with my husband and his brother. WE CAUGHT A FISH!!! Well Chris did, but I was positive that I was bad luck because on all the fishing trips Chris goes on, if I went with him, we would never catch anything. But we actually caught something and I was so excited!!! For dinner on Saturday we ate at Red Lobster. Oh my gosh! I love Red Lobster! So yummy! Except Chris and Kellin freaked me out and I may never have lobster or crab again...

Sunday was Devin and Kellin's farewell talks in sacrament meeting. They both did a fabulous job! They are going to be such good missionaries and Washington DC and Mexico are both very lucky to have them. Afterwords we had a great lunch of barbeque pulled pork sandwiches and many other delicious treats. We went fishing again that night and had a fun relaxing day.

Monday we didn't do much. Chris worked hard all day to get Tuesday off of work and we went to Kohls to return some of our wedding gifts and to get me a swimsuit for Tuesday...

Tuesday we went to Cherry Hill!! I had never been to Cherry Hill before! I was so excited because I absolutely love swimming! Chris and I went to a pool a while ago but I couldn't swim because of my stitches (which I realize all my readers probably don't even know about, but they're mostly healed now so everything is fine). I really liked Cherry Hill except the dragon slides because I kept falling over and a bee was on me and attacking me and it was really scary! :)

Also on Tuesday we drove down to Sandy for the US soccer world cup qualifier! IT WAS AMAZING!!! My face got sunburnt, I got a scarf and I got to watch an amazing soccer game! It was super fun to be there with Chris and his family! It was a blast! That night we stayed at my parents house in Sandy and I got to catch up on all the Dance Moms episodes I've missed since Lifetime doesn't allow me to watch it online for free anymore. I'm still upset about that, but knowing my mom will always record the episodes for me makes things better.

Wednesday we drove back to Logan. But not before stopping at a Blockbuster that was going out of business. We bought six movies for seven dollars! Totally worth it spending an hour searching through DVDs. I love car rides with my husband because we always sing really loudly to music and take a tally on how many people we see driving distractedly (more on that later).

I love spending time with my husband! This weekend was incredible! Now it's back to reality and searching for a job... I LOVE MY MARRIED LIFE!!!

Web Video Wednesday: The Baby Bachelor

Thanks Bridesmaids!!

I know it's been a month, but I wanted to publicly thank my beautiful bridesmaids for being there for me on my very special day! I love you girls so much! You mean everything to me and I miss you so much right now! I can't wait to be there for your special day!

THANKS MICHELLE, LAUREN, LINDSAY AND KRISTINA!

My Wedding Dress

So I had a lot of posts leading up to my wedding dress. But I couldn't ever show it because I couldn't risk letting Chris see it before the wedding. And I'm so glad he never did, because that moment that I walked out and he first saw my dress was magical. The look on his face was priceless. He made me feel beautiful. I loved my wedding dress!!

I shared many stories of the events leading up to my dress. But everything was worth it for that moment. So here's a picture of my dress, the very first wedding dress that I tried on back in November.

I fell in love with that dress immediately and I knew it was the one for me. Even after trying on ten more dresses, I couldn't stop thinking about that dress. So finally we bought it. I wanted my dress to be modest so sleeves had to be added. That was a whole fiasco but everything turned out for the better. Because I got my big poofy, princess dress, and I had never felt more beautiful in my entire life.

Note: This post may be edited when i get all my wedding photos back and have access to my bridal photos. I currently just have photos taken by friends and family.

Why Being Married Is Fun

While Chris and I spent our day doing boring "adult" activities, today was a really great day in our marriage? Why? Because we're starting new lives together and we're doing everything together! Here is the basic schedule of today and why it was so fun.

Working out.

Chris and I did Jillian Michael's Six Week to Six Pack workout DVD this morning. It was really fun struggling, sweating and accidentally hitting each other during the video while also working towards healthier and fitter bodies. 

Going out to lunch. 

We went to Paradise Bakery for lunch! I don't think I've ever talked about Paradise Bakery on here before. I love Paradise Bakery!!! My favorite thing there is their Cheddar Broccoli soup. It is so dang good! Their cookies are also amazing! If you like coconut, get their chocolate chip with coconut, but the plain chocolate chip is good too. All their cookies are good. And usually buy one get one free (but don't get mad at me if that's not true for you).

Starting a new bank account.

Chris's friend Ben works at Mountain America and helped us start our new bank account! We got to deposit all the checks we got for our wedding. We have money now! It was a fun experience to share together because it's like we're really starting a new life together. We share a bank account now! 

Make wedding returns and purchases.

We had to return a few duplicate gifts and we received in-store credit. We had a buy a few things for our apartment but also some fun things for us. 

Cleaning Chris's car.

I think it's so funny cleaning Chris's car. He always tries to spray me with the thing. His car was filthy inside and out, and there's still paint permanently on the tires from our wedding. 

Cleaning the kitchen.

I've finally got Chris trained to help clean the kitchen (that's a joke, but he is good at helping out, much better than the week we moved in here). And I like working together to get the dishes done and the counters cleaned. 

Now reading through this you're probably like, "What the hay? That's not fun! Those are all chores!" So let me explain. I love Chris and any time that we get to spend together always ends up being the best of times. Today was fun because I got to spend it with Chris. More than that, we were truly starting an "adult" married life together (adult in quotations because we won't be acting like adults for a while). We have an apartment that we get to pay bills on and buy things for, and I love it! It's those little things that make marriage fun to me, because we're changing our lives so that we can be together forever. I love married life! 

Tomorrow is our one month wedding anniversary! Wa hoo! I'm so happy that we're married! I'm so happy that we're together! Our lives have changed in the greatest ways in the past month and I'm so happy that I have eternity to spend with my new husband! :) 

Happy Birthday Devin and Kellin!!

I want to wish a very happy birthday to my new brothers-in-law!!
 HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEVIN AND KELLIN!!! 

Happy Birthday Michelle!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE GREATEST SISTER IN THE WORLD!!! 

Things I've Learned From Being Married For Three Weeks

I realize three weeks is a very short amount of time, especially considering we're sealed together for eternity, but when you move in together and start new lives together, in just three weeks you can learn a lot.

1. You can't let the little things bother you.

When Chris proposed and I happily said yes, I had no idea that he had the tendency of leaving his socks around the house or left drawers open (one of my biggest pet peeves). But I knew that I loved him, and that I still love him, and if it's possible, I love him even more now than I did back then. The truth is that despite these little imperfections, I still love him. And even though it may be annoying that he leaves drawers open, it's not like it's that hard for me to go and close them.

2. Not all ovens like you.

In our apartment we somehow got some demon oven that you have to watch carefully or you'll burn your food. Yesterday I was making these biscuits. I set the temperature correctly, I put them in and set a timer. However, like eight minutes before the timer went off, the biscuits were done. Almost daily we end up burning something in that oven. We're trying to learn it's ways, but it doesn't want us to figure it out. It's a demon oven. Not all ovens will like you.

3. I have more clothes than I thought.

We have a beautiful two bedroom apartment. Each bedroom has two, fairly big closets. My clothes currently fill two of the closets and a large dresser. One of those closets is entirely for my coats, jackets and sweaters. I have a lot of clothes. I'm using some organization techniques that will help me visually see what I don't wear, so by December I want to donate some of the clothes I don't wear.

4. My husband likes fishing a lot more than I thought.

I knew Chris liked fishing. I've been fishing with him a lot and I enjoy it. I knew that he had been going fishing a lot with his friends and his brothers. I did not, however, know that even when we're married, he'd want to leave me at least three times a week to go fishing. I'm fine with fishing and I'm fine with joining him, but I currently haven't, because I'd rather get this apartment all fixed up first. I just never imagined he would fish this much without me.

5. I am much more like my mom than I thought.

My mom loves to clean. Everything in our home always had to be clean. There couldn't be any dishes in the sink, there couldn't be things on the floor, the counters had to be clean, etc. Apparently, when I moved in to a place of my own, I brought all those qualities with me. I hate when there are dishes in the sink. Because it's MY sink. I own (fine, rent) that sink. Those are MY dishes (fine, mine and Chris's). They can't be dirty! All the dishes have to be clean because they're MINE. What's more, I feel like I'm constantly cleaning. I stress out when things aren't clean. It has to be perfect. I don't know why I'm suddenly like my mother now, but I like it. I love having a clean apartment (but it still has a lot of work) and I'm so much more like my mom than I ever thought I was. Thank you mom!

6. I don't handle unemployment well.

There's an episode of How I Met Your Mother where Marshall is unemployed and he just goes around to all his friends and is like "What are you doing?" Because he has nothing else to do with his life. (I was trying to find the clip but couldn't, the episode is called "Do I Know You?" It's the first episode of season four.) That's how I feel. I don't know what to do with my life besides clean and watch Friends (but now I really want to start watching How I Met Your Mother again...). I'm losing my mind. And I've applied for some jobs, I still need to apply for more, but I better get a job soon, because we can't live off of Chris's job right now and we're getting low on funds and have bills to pay (anyone want to donate to the Help-Chris-and-Kaylee-Afford-Their-Apartment fund???). Or if anyone knows of a job in Cache Valley, just let me know. :)

7. I spend too much money.

We got a whole lot of money from our wedding. TONS! We felt rich! But now it's gone-ish. Why? Because life is expensive and I like shopping way too much. I'm trying to resist, but it's hard. Chris and I need to sit down together and discuss our finances better because we're losing too much money and certainly not making enough.

8. Communication is important.

Chris and I have been together over a year and a half. We know each other very well. I'd say one of our best qualities as a couple is that we've always been able to communicate in a mild and friendly manner. Even when we're upset with each other, we know how to communicate without starting a huge argument. I've always been told that fights are good for a relationship and it helps you to grow. Chris and I have grown so much as a couple because of our communication skills. With marriage, our communication skills have only gotten better.

9. We love spending time together!

...which is very good consider we're with each other constantly except when Chris is fishing or at work. I know someone getting married in a few months. She's been with her man for over a year, but she still says things like, "I don't know how couples can be with each other all the time, sometimes I just get so sick of him and need a break." Needless to say, I'm a little worried about their relationship. Chris and I have never had a problem with being together. Growing up I was a very private person, I would sit in my bedroom alone and hate if anyone in my family bothered me. And while I still love my alone time, for some reason things are different with Chris. I don't care if he interrupts my private time. I just love having him around.

10. Love always grows.

This past week I had a medical procedure done (I will possibly be writing about this later). I was lying on the medical chair thing and Chris was sitting in the corner of the room, watching as my whole body was shaking with nerves. He got this strange look on his face. He was genuinely worried about me. He kept telling me over and over again that everything would be alright, that everything was going to go well, I would be okay. After his words and a short prayer my body stopped shaking. Later that day, when the numbing was wearing off and the pain started, I squeezed his hand so hard because of the pain, but he didn't care. Chris loves me in every way. He always has and always will take care of me. And after a silly thing like that I could feel my love for him grow even stronger. Love always grows, I'll never be done loving Chris.