Today is my pup's first birthday! As many of you know, we were able to get Zoram as an emotional support animal after my miscarriage. And when I think of the timeline, it's incredible how it all worked out. I learned about my miscarriage the beginning of November, but had lost my baby about two weeks prior... around the same time Zoram was born. Zoram was meant to come into our lives and he's my little baby until I can have a real one.
Here's a little bit about my pup in honor of his birthday:
-Zoram likes tennis balls, but if it's bigger than a tennis ball he's terrified of it.
-He barks way too much.
-He loves playing with my parent's dog Molly and my in-law's dog Max, though most the time Max and Molly don't seem to have as much fun with him.
-He loves to chew on things a bit too much and if he starts, he's determined to destroy it.
-Zoram loves being outside.
-His best trick is bowing to Chris.
-He loves snuggles and hugs, but only when he wants them.
-He's a fast runner and a lot of the time he seems to jump around while running.
-While he can be a big pain most the time, he really does do his job as an emotional support animal. If I'm ever crying, he knows to calm down and comes over to snuggle.
-He's afraid of everything. Just like me. And when he's scared he always comes to me to protect him.
-He's a mamma's boy, and I love it, though Chris is his best friend and playmate.
-Zoram is the cutest dog in the world. No contest. Don't you dare try to convince me otherwise.
Last Wednesday was my 25th birthday. Normally I announce it on here because I LOVE birthdays, especially my own (does that make me vain?). But this year I didn't do anything because it's easy to forget when you're in the hospital most of the day getting surgery for your miscarriage.
PS, as for the miscarriage, the only way I can explain it to people is saying "I'm okay, but I'm not okay at the same time." I'm slowly getting better everyday. Today was the first day I didn't break out in tears at work (yay progress!!) but I'm getting there. I know someday I will be a mother, but it breaks my heart that I can no longer say it's happening in April. I just really want to be a mother...
Anyways, I'm 25 now. A few months ago my dad and grandma were talking about how I was turning 25 and they were saying how I was about a quarter done with my life, then they asked what I was going to do with the next quarter of my life. My answer was to make lots of money.
It's partially true, but I do have other goals for my life, so here they are.
To become a mother.
I want this so badly. I've wanted it for years, I dreamed about it as a teenager, I love kids so ridiculously much. I have no doubts it will happen for me, and it will probably happen soon, but it's at the top of my priority list. I want a family and I know Chris and I are ready, but I do trust the Lord and his timing. He will help us have a family when He knows we're truly ready. It hurts that I want it so badly now, but I have to be patient.
To do more with this blog to help people.
This week while working, trying not to think about my lost baby, I've been thinking a lot about how I can make Charity of the Month work better on this blog. I have new ideas and starting in January it will start up again. Not only with Charity of the Month, I plan on doing a new service project every month. That may not start in January, I'm still figuring out the details of it, but I want it to happen. I am truly blessed and it hurts to hear about other people and their trials. Yes, I have depression; yes, I just suffered a miscarriage; but I have two families that love me and a husband who makes me happier than anything or anyone ever has before. I am so fortunate, not with money, but with blessings and love, and I want to give back to those less fortunate than I.
To help others with depression.
I have a story and I'm ready to share it. I want my story with depression to be heard and to hopefully help others with depression learn that it can be overcome and dealt with. I'm certain I will never truly get over my depression, it's something that comes back again and again, but I know I'm strong enough to fight it. I'm a warrior, and I want to share my story and hopefully have it help others to become warriors too.
To make money.
I suppose this is more, to save money. My problem is not always making money, it's keeping my husband from spending it on fast food and Monster Energy Drinks (sorry for ratting you out Chris, but you know it's true). Part of me has felt that this miscarriage gives me the chance to make sure I have enough money to provide for my child. I have been stressed and terrified over the last few months trying to figure out how I would be able to afford things for my baby. While I would much rather have kept my baby, I feel like this is an opportunity to start over and make sure everything can be perfect.
To get healthy.
I'll be completely honest here, I eat so unhealthily. I also don't work out. And tonight my scale proved that this is not working out for me anymore. Now I would love to lose a lot of weight and get back down to where I used to be. I know it's possible and I plan on doing it, but getting pregnant is my first priority, so I'm not going to lose a ton of weight while pregnant, so this may be put off a bit, depending on how things work out. But getting healthy can be easily achieved, pregnant or not. I got a Fitbit for my birthday this year I love being able to see my heart rate, how many steps I take a day, and an estimation of the calories I have burned. I plan on using my gym membership more (because how can I make money if I spend it on stuff I don't use?) and plan out more of my meals, so I'm not eating out all the time. This is one of the more difficult goals for me because of depression and self-image issues, but I believe in myself and Chris is ready to help as well.
To be happy.
A few years ago I wrote a post about why I was leaving college. The main reason was because of how miserable it made me. Living with depression is incredibly difficult sometimes and college was completely draining me of happiness. After that I made a life goal, to do things that make me happy. I left college to make me happy. I got a full-time job to make me happy. I got pregnant to make me happy. Well the fact is, I am no longer happy. I promised myself I would only do things that would make me happy and I'm failing at it. I need a change and I'm going to do everything in my power to only do the things that will keep me happy.
25 feels kind of old to me, but I'm excited for the new opportunities and changes it'll bring (like being able to rent a car!). Also, I love you guys. Thank you for your love and support during this difficult time in my life. This miscarriage was so unexpected and so difficult and it will probably take a while for me to heal emotionally and I have truly appreciated your love as I'm coping with this. You're all amazing and I love you!
A week ago I turned 24 years old. And I felt that perhaps maybe this year I should set some goals for myself. Yes, I'm very big on making New Year's Resolutions, so I already have goals for myself but these are a little bit different.
Despite now being twenty-four, married for a year and a half (as of today exactly), having a full-time and very grown up job, and being all around considered an adult, I certain don't feel like one, or act like one, to be honest.
Now this isn't necessarily a bad thing. I think it makes life more fun to act like a child sometimes, and, as some of you know, my most current goal in life is to do things that make me happy and not acting like an adult can be a pretty happy thing. It's very freeing and reminds me of the time before I was fully aware of my depression and everything seemed so much happier.
But I'm twenty-four now and Chris and I are settled in our marriage and making plans for our future, decided future jobs, when to have kids, and where to live. So while I enjoy acting young (and am mistaken for a teenager quite too often) in a way, I feel like it's time to start acting like an adult.
Here are my goals:
To create a daily schedule and task list for myself with all the responsibilities I need to complete for the day.
Stick to that list!
Stop being so lazy.
There's only three, and that way I should be able to accomplish them by the time I'm 25 (ew, that sounds gross!)
These may seem simple, but I am notorious for my laziness. I get home from work and sit on the couch and watch Gilmore Girls, sometimes even to lazy to eat. This is a problem. Sure I do work for eight long hours every day but I have to keep up my energy and motivation at least for a couple hours after work as well, and that's the plan here.
When I was in school the best way for me to keep up with homework was to make a checklist of what I had to do each day and it would work for daily tasks as well. This is something I need to start doing again to keep my life in order and make sure that I get stuff done.
The past few months have gone by so fast and it feels like my life has taken a huge shift. But I'm excited to make changes and I work on being the kind of person that I want to be. I don't want to be lazy anymore and I'm ready to make that change.
Twenty-four sounds like it could be a pretty good year.
What? February's over? What is going on here??? I'm sorry but these last two months just flew by and weren't very good for me, so if this is any indication of how the rest of the year will go for me, I'm not looking forward to it.
Anyways, let's step into my brief review of February. Because nothing monumental happened, I'm just making a quick list of events. You can click on the links to read about them from any existing blog posts.
And tonight I'm seeing Brian Reagan (and I'll write about it later).
I don't understand why this year isn't going well for me. If you have any advice, please let me know!
Now onto reviewing my New Years Resolutions to see how well I've been doing on them. You can read more about my resolutions for 2014 by CLICKING HERE.
[To gain 100 blog followers] When I add up the followers from my five social media outlets (GFC, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram) I get over 150 followers!!! However, I wanted this goal to be more centered towards a single outlet. Facebook, for example. If I get 100 likes on Facebook this year I'll feel like I've fully accomplished this goal. I'm not saying I'm not happy with my current state, because I totally am, but I just want to branch out more.
[To run a 5k]As I said earlier in this post, I signed up for a 5k! I am super excited for it! It's the Color Vibe in Cache Valley and I'm doing it with my family so it will be tons of fun. I would love to see my blog followers there as well, so don't forget to sign up and I'll see you there! (Read my full post HERE) I wrote this section before the whole Texas thing. Because we will be in Texas we won't be doing the Color Vibe in Cache Valley, but we'll try to find something in Texas or do something here when we get back. I'm upset I can no longer do the run, but I'm excited for Texas!
[To get six pack abs] Not yet, but I've been using the My Fitness Pal app to keep track of my calorie intake. The last time I used this (with an additional diet) I lost eight pounds! So with this app and training for my 5k, I'm sure my six pack will be here soon!
[To improve my math skills] I haven't worked on this one at all yet. To be honest, I'm scared to because I have such a horrible history with math, but it's something I have to do for my resolution, for my major, and for my future career.
[To make school more of a priority] I don't know if I've done this. I spend a lot of time on campus and I've been doing my assignments, but I don't know if I'd consider it my main priority right now, so there is still work to do.
[To eat healthier] Major failing here. However, with My Fitness Pal I know I'm not eating too many calories. I eat awful things like pizza and cookies all the time, but I don't go over my calorie intake goal. So that's a start, I guess...
[To save up more money] Next month my husband and I are doing a "Money Free March", we are going to try to spend no money except for bills, fuel, and groceries. We eat out way too much and we both like to shop so next month we are going to stop and take a break and see how much money we can save up. I'm planning on writing blog posts about it and I'll tell you how it goes.
[To not procrastinate] I don't think I'm doing very well at this one. I tend to wait to do my assignments until the last minute. (Because why write an essay when I could be working on my blog?) So I'm a procrastinator and being a horrible one at that by procrastinating at this particular New Years Resolution. Fail.
[To read more] The only things I've been reading lately are my school books and Sparknotes for when I don't read my school books. This semester I really don't have the time to read for fun so this goal (along with my Book Club) will have to wait.
[To pray and read my scriptures everyday] Once you get out of a habit, it can be so hard to get back into it. In high school I was so good at praying every night. I've never been good at reading my scriptures though. But I really want to work harder at this, I'm just trying to get back into it.
Well there you have it. My February Review. To read my other monthly reviews CLICK HERE and don't forget to follow my blog on any of my social media outlets to keep up with new blog posts and upcoming giveaways!
For this post I'm starting at the very beginning, which means Valentine's Day morning. It all began with me waking up and getting ready like it was a normal day, because at the time it was. I've never been a fan of Valentine's Day so the fact that it was February 14th didn't faze me (except that I was happy for my parents because it's their anniversary).
When my husband woke up he hurried and got ready and we decided to head to Kneaders for French Toast. I was super excited because I've been wanting Kneaders French toast since forever but things always come up and we could never get there in time for breakfast. But this time we did and it was delicious!!
P.S. All the pictures were taken with my new phone and are shaped weird, but they honestly turn out better than if I take them with my camera.
Then I had class to get to and Chris went off to go find my Valentine's Day gifts, which included beautiful earrings, chocolate covered strawberries and a super cute card! It was simple, but honestly, we both knew we were going to St. George and we're trying to save up our money so it was perfect.
After class Chris went and got his new driver's license because he's 25 and old now. Then we ate at Carl's Jr. and started driving through the snowy canyon to my in-law's house.
Ugh! Worst picture ever! And why is it a different size? I don't get it!
Once at my in-laws, we transferred all our stuff to their car and we took of for St. George!! I was super excited to get away from the stress of school and just relax! On the way there we stopped at a gas station/petting zoo where I found a souvenir with my name spelled right!!! It's honestly a rare occurrence.
We arrived in St. George late that night and we visited Chris's Grandma Joyce before heading to our hotel (which was beautiful and amazing). We fell asleep soon after in the most amazing bed and now I really want pillows like that...
The next day was MY HUSBAND'S BIRTHDAY!!!! We woke up, ate pancakes and bacon and went off to the soccer tournament! My father-in-law coaches a team of twelve-year-olds that were playing in the tournament. While there, I ran into my best friend! Her dad is a soccer ref and he was down there for the tournament and I got to talk with my best friend Lauren and her mom, which was so wonderful! I miss them so much! They are seriously like a second family to me.
After soccer we went bowling! And I sucked!! I seriously don't think I've ever done that badly before! However I think I know why. Friday in class we learned about Social Anxiety Disorder and they gave us a mini-test to see if we had it and... yeah... there's a very great chance I have it. And looking back on my life I realize just how much I really do probably have this. I don't know what it means for my future, but I suppose it's a good thing I finally figured it out. Anyways, while bowling I feel incredibly anxious and stressed because I don't like being put in the spotlight, so when I go up and bowl and they all either cheer for me or say "oh, that's alright", I get this tension throughout my body because I don't want to be the center of attention. It's always happened, but I never knew it was a part of Social Anxiety Disorder. When I'm bowling with just Chris, I don't feel that pressure because I'm so in love with him and everything is comfortable and different around him, but apparently when I'm with other people I suck at bowling.
Hey you! It's me, you. Happy 17th birthday! It feels old doesn't it? Just wait until you're 23 like me, you'll feel super old then. I hope you're having a good birthday and your cake is good. It sure looks interesting. To be honest, I don't remember anything about our 17th birthday. I just remember being 17, but I'll get to that in a minute.
In about two months you'll meet a boy named Colton. You'll make a complete fool of yourself by the first thing you say to him, but that's alright, because he's something special. Never forget he's someone special. He will end up being your best friend, and the only one you can turn to when things go wrong. He's important and changes your life for the better. And while you love him and everything he does for you, he's not the one. Be kind and show him you care. If I could only ask you to change one thing, don't hurt him the way I did. He didn't deserve that. He will be your best friend, and he doesn't need you to betray him the way I did.
Also this year you'll be going to San Antonio with the school choir. You'll become better friends with people there and have a lot of fun. Try to keep those friendships alive, because after high school friendships change.
I know you're upset that you didn't make the ballroom team this year, but don't worry, you'll make it next year. And you'll get better and better at dance. You'll even (finally) be able to do the splits. Then in college, you'll make the team there, and you'll be a favorite of the coaches. They'll end up becoming your friends. You'll make lots of friends through ballroom. You'll also meet someone who tries to destroy your life. Don't let him destroy your life, keep your head up and keep dancing.
Also keep writing. Someday you'll start a blog that will end up being fairly popular and will bring you so much joy! You'll also think of the idea for that award-winning book you've always wanted to write. It'll take quite a few years to write it, but you know it's good because it's the first book you never give up on. For a time in college you may doubt your writing abilities, but please don't. You know you love to write and that it makes you happy, so don't stop doing it.
You already know you want to go to Utah State, and you're right. USU will be one of the greatest things you'll ever do. You'll meet so many people, learn so much, experience new things, and end up meeting the love of your life.
Oh yeah! You're probably wondering about marriage. You'll get married at 22. I know you're thinking 21, but you start dating him on your 21st birthday, so it still works. His name is Chris. But not the first Chris you date, he'll just leave you and hurt you. Be patient until you find the right Chris, and you'll know when you find him because he's perfect and he will make you happy for eternity. He's super attractive and the nicest boy you'll ever meet. He has a great family and gets along very well with yours. You pick a winner, don't worry.
Oh, and at the 11/11/11 party, be sure to eat as many pumpkin chocolate chip cookies as you can. You'll get super sick, but Chris will be there for you, and it'll be the first time you realize you love him.
While you're already close, after moving away to college, your siblings will become your best friends. Nick will grow taller than you, but at one point you'll be the same height, and everyone will think you're twins. Michelle is always so kind and has so much wisdom, she'll be your rock as you grow older.
Treat mom and dad better. It's not that you treat them badly now, but once you move away you'll realize how much you really miss them. They are incredible parents and they deserve to get more of your love. In a few months, mom will give you letter that changes your life, you'll realize just how important you are to her, and your bond will grow. Mom and Dad love you and they always will no matter what you do.
I know your heart is feeling heavy right now. You're conflicted because a boy is in love with you but your best friend is in love with him. They'll end up together eventually and you'll be a bridesmaid at the wedding. It's a beautiful wedding and you'll get to drag along your husband with you. You'll be happy for them.
...I know you don't want to hear this, but being 17 is hard.
I know what you're feeling inside.I know all about the blackness inside of you. I know you hurt. I know you cry every night. I know you cut yourself sometimes just to feel pain that makes sense, that you can see. I know that you stare at passing cars, wanting to jump in front of them. I know that you drive around for hours, trying to clear your head and get all the tears out before anyone can see you. I know that you feel alone even with so many people around you everyday. I know you think you're ugly. I know you hate yourself.
But despite all the pain, you'll make it through. It'll be one of the hardest things you ever face. It'll make you so much stronger! Your relationship with your Father in Heaven will grow and you'll learn more about the atonement of Jesus Christ. You'll realize your place in this world. You'll learn that you are important, and you are loved. YOU ARE SO LOVED!!!
When you're sitting on your bed, wanting it all to end, YOU WILL SURVIVE. You will make it through and live a wonderful, beautiful life! You will find happiness! You don't have to live in the darkness forever!!
And while you'll still struggle with depression your whole life, once you make it past 17, you'll be able to make it through everything else! You become someone who helps others, who is confident and proud, who learns to love, who is happy.
Kaylee, 17 is hard. It'll be so so hard. But once you get past 17, you'll become a hero to yourself. You'll become someone important. And you'll finally become you.
I wish you the best of luck! I love you and know you'll make the right decisions.
I love this boy more than words can express! He is the kindest man I've ever known and he treats me with love and respect everyday. He's such a great fisherman, adventurer, cook, soccer player/lover, Lego builder, Pokemon trainer, and husband, and I know someday he will make an incredible father as well.
Chris, I fell in love with you the moment you cared for me that day I was sick. You lay beside me, even though we hardly knew each other at that point, and took care of me despite how gross and sick I was. I have never forgotten that moment because that was the moment I knew I loved you. You stayed by my side, and you cared for me, and because of that I fell in love with you.
We've been together for over two years and these two years have flown by! I cannot wait to spend the rest of eternity with you! I love you so much and can't imagine life without you! You mean everything to me, you make me happy, you make me brave, you make me a better person, and I thank my Father in Heaven everyday for bringing you to me, because my life was made whole once you came around.
We've been married for nine months and I love having you constantly by my side. You complete me. You make me so happy everyday. You make me feel beautiful even when I'm at my worst. You tolerate when I throw little fits. You cook because I hate doing it. You take me where I want to go. You let me act like a child. You play in the rain with me. You give me lots of hugs and kisses. You take care of me when I'm sick (which happens a lot). You provide for our little family. You get along with my family, who mean so much to me. You are absolutely perfect for me.
Chris, I love you so much and I hope you have the best birthday ever! I cannot wait to celebrate every birthday with you for the rest of eternity!
Happy 25th baby! You're still looking sexy as ever!! ;)
I honestly have the greatest mom in the world. She has stood by me and supported me through everything. She wanted me to live out my dreams and helped me through dance my whole life. She helps me in school, even since preschool and still now in college. She gave me the greatest wedding in the world, which I will forever be grateful for. She helped me when I didn't feel like myself and I was truly unhappy, she helped me to feel better, and is always there to help me feel better.
She is one of the smartest, strongest, bravest, kindest people I've ever met and is one of the greatest influences on me. She taught me to be myself. She taught me to live my dreams, and that I am capable of doing anything. She taught me to be kind to others, no matter if they are different than me. She taught me about the church that I have grown up in and learn to love more each and everyday. She taught me to love.
There aren't enough words in the world to describe the greatness of my mother. I love her so very much and sometimes it's really hard living two hours away from her, I miss seeing her everyday.
Happy birthday mom! I hope your birthday is the greatest and you have a wonderful year! I love you so very much!
Okay! This November was full of stress! So much stress! But it was a good month, I suppose. :) Things are looking up now so hopefully this December will be better. But I always love November because it's my birthday month and Thanksgiving was fantastic. To read all about my November, keep reading! To see my other Monthly Review posts CLICK HERE.
First I have to add something from the very end of October. Halloween night after work one of my coworkers hid in a garbage can and scared me. We then pushed him around in the garbage can, scaring other people as well. It was so funny when he scared this random girl walking down the hall, she screamed so loudly! Later, after I had left, they scared one of the nightshift girls and recorded it. I watched it on Facebook and it was so funny and sad! She fell on the floor, screamed, it was crazy! I wish I could share the video on here, but I can't, it's not mine. So I'll just share this random trashcan scare video:
...Luckily that didn't happen at my work. :)
This month went by in the biggest blur of my life. I had so much school work today I honestly don't remember doing anything but homework. But I'm going to try and do this post as accurately as I can.
November 4th was my birthday and one of the best birthdays of my life. You can read all about it by CLICKING HERE. It was so wonderful and I'm so grateful for my family and my husband for doing so much for me that weekend. I had the best time!
I started up Month of Gratitude on my blog again, this time using my Twitter account to write my daily gratitude. My goal was to write a post at the end of each week with all my Twitter posts of the week, but I was only able to do it that first week. I can't decide if I'll write a blog post with all the other Twitter posts, but leave a comment if you'd like me to.
My husband and I celebrated 6 months of marriage!!! Half a year! That's more than some celebrities. Our marriage only gets stronger every day and more than that I just keep loving him more every day. I love Chris so much and I think I could never love him more the next day, but it always happens. It just keeps getting better every day.
We ran out of money at an extreme level and had to make some major changes. I wrote this post and it became my most popular post this month. I'm glad people enjoy the tips that I put in it. Next year I have another post planned with a similar feel to it on how to save up your money and make extra cash, but it won't be written for a while, so stay tuned. THANKS FOR MAKING THIS SUCH A POPULAR POST!!
On November 13th by brother-in-law Sheldon came home from his mission. Since then he's spent a night with us in Logan, we spent a weekend down there with him and I've gotten to know him really well! He's so much fun and it's great to have another brother around!
On November 15th I developed a fear of boxes due to a traumatic experience at work. I don't think I'm as scared as I was near when it happened but it still was a crazy experience. I didn't like it. But it was nothing compared to the experience my favorite blogger had around the same time.
This month I got over 30,000 page views and I can't explain how much it means to me to see that number! I just feel so continually blessed by my blog readers! You guys mean so much to me and I love that you support me in what I'm doing. THANK YOU!!!
I announced this month that my husband and I were moving. It's a big change for us and the place we eventually found isn't nearly as pretty as where we are now, but it will save us money and it will be good for us. Here's the story though, we were hoping to get into the University Family Housing because it would be the best deal (about the same rent price but utilities, cable, and internet was all included, and it was closer to campus so we could save on gas money). We paid the $150 application fee and filled out the form and were excited to move in. There had been constant ads in the paper so we knew they had openings, but we were wrong. Apparently the ad is just constantly in there and they didn't have anything open.
At the same time our current manager told us that our apartment had been rented out and we had to move out the 20th of December. So we thought we might be homeless. I cannot begin to describe how stressed I was at the time because of this (and a ton of tests, presentations, and essays due in school at the same time). My wonderful husband quickly realized how stressed I was and told me to focus on school and he'd find us an apartment. In one day he visited about five different places and texted me and said "I found our new home!" I'll be honest, it wouldn't be my first choice, I'd much rather stay where we are, but we just can't afford it. We can afford this new place and I figure we're only going to be there till we're done with school in about three years, I can handle that.
So in a few weeks we can start moving into our new place. It'll be a crazy time for us but I'll be happy when we get all settled in and can finally start decorating for Christmas. We have so many friends willing to help us and both our parents have trailers and want to come help. We are truly blessed! But the place is unfurnished, so if anyone has a couch they'd like to give us, that would be fabulous. :)
On November 26th I donated plasma for two reasons. 1. I love helping people and 2. I am desperate for money. But the experience that happened did not go as planned and I went through such a stressful traumatic experience.
My Thanksgiving this year was fantastic! It was the first Thanksgiving I wasn't with my family, so that was weird, but my in-laws are great too. We had a traditional dinner around 1:00 on Thanksgiving day, everything was very delicious and I loved it all! Afterwards I played ping-pong with one of Chris's cousins and we were jumping around, claiming that it helped us do better. :) Then we watched The Hunger Games so Sheldon could see it because we were going to see Catching Fire that night. I then got to experience Walmart Black Friday... on Thursday... and it was crazy!! I wish I had brought my camera in there to show you all the crazies I saw. We got a ton of movies for way cheap and my in-laws bought them for Chris and I for Christmas. Yay! Then we saw Catching Fire...
I cannot fully describe how much I am in love with this movie!!! When I got out of the theater I was jumping around so happy and wanting more. Yes the movie made me cry multiple times but it was made so brilliantly that I just loved every second of it. I highly recommend seeing this movie if you haven't already! So so good!!!
On actual Black Friday I went shopping with my mother-in-law and she got me a very cute infinity scarf. She's fantastic! Then we got burgers and Chris and I drove back home so he could get to work.
After all that it was the end of November and nothing substantially exciting happened. I went in to donate plasma again but they denied me because I don't have a proof of address, how rude. But they sent me a card so I can get my proof of address and a $10 when I bring it in next week.
I hope all my readers had a fantastic November! I hope your Thanksgiving was amazing! I love all my readers and am so grateful for each and everyone of you!
This song and this 24 hour video are just so incredible! It honestly just makes me happy to listen to this song and it's been great with all the stress I've been going through lately.
FAVORITE FOOD: WILD RICE MINNESOTA SOUP
At my brother-in-law's homecoming talk luncheon, we had this soup that was so incredible!! It was some of the best soup of my life and I have soup a lot, so I should be an expert by now. My mother in law gave me the recipe so I will eventually put it up here and share my experience making it, but we're dealing with a move and finals right now so it won't happen for a while. Sorry!
FAVORITE TELEVISION SHOW: COMMUNITY
Every night on TV Chris and I watch two episodes of this show from 11:00 to midnight. It's so funny and it's just a great show to watch. :)
FAVORITE MOVIE: CATCHING FIRE
NOTE: I feel the following video gives away stuff that the other ones don't, so just beware. :)
Okay. OKAY!!! This movie... I saw it Thanksgiving night... SO IN LOVE!!! And the more I think about it, the more I love it. And dare I say it, I think I might like the movie better than I did the book. This movie was done so incredibly well and I came out of the theater jumping around and wanting more, it's been a long time since a movie has done so much for me. I HIGHLY recommend you go see it, as long as you've seen the first one beforehand. WATCH THIS MOVIE!!!
FAVORITE SONG: HUMAN
This song is absolute perfection! I honestly have no words, it's just amazing and everyone should listen to it and realize just how incredible Christina Perri is. She's so wonderful!
Thank you to everyone for making this such a popular post! Followups to come, but it really is so amazing to see a good response from this. :)
FAVORITE EVENT: MY BIRTHDAY!
You can read all about my birthday weekend by CLICKING HERE but just know that Thanksgiving was a close second for my favorite event of the month, I will write about it soon.
So this Monthly Favorites post this month is kinda short and boring but I'm having issues with my laptop so this is the best I can do. THANKS FOR READING!!!
So this month I am participating in #monthofgratitude on Twitter. I would love it if you would join me! These are my Tweets for the first week, days 1-7.
Even though Halloween was the day before Day 1, I was still so grateful for it and wish I could upload the video on here. But it's not my video so I can't.
This included my immediate family and my in-laws. On the second day I celebrated my family with all my family and it was such an incredible day! I honestly don't know what I'd do without them!
Over the weekend I ate so much food! Ihop, Olive Garden, chicken curry... I didn't really gain 10 pounds but I certainly ate a lot! Also, as an incredibly poor and starving college student, I honestly meant the "real" part, because what I usually eat (AKA Ramen) isn't real.
It was my birthday! You can read all about that by CLICKING HERE. It was such a good birthday and I looked great that day! ;) Also, I always just feel 10 times happier on my birthday, and I'm grateful for that.
Honestly all the good things about my birthday can be drawn back to my husband and family. They mean everything to me and I love them all so much! It was truly the best birthday ever!
Honestly that cookie was so delicious!! It was the greatest! I love my coworkers and how they radioed us to tell us to go get cookies. Work is so much fun!
I shouldn't have been grateful for sleep though... because I slept in too late and missed class... But it was a good hair day. :)
Todd is so much fun and we have such a great time at work every day! He's the best! ...and I just want him to go on a date with my sister. We already fight and tease each other like siblings, we might as well become brother/sister in-law. :)
These are my first seven days of #monthofgratitude! If you are participating I'd love to see your Tweets or Facebook posts as well! Just leave a comment below with a link of where I can find them. If you'd like to follow me on Twitter you can find me by CLICKING HERE.
THANKS FOR READING!!
PS: I don't know why my pictures always turn gray... sorry!
one
It was my birthday week! I had the best birthday ever! I'm 23 now! That's so old! Just kidding, but I honestly feel like I'm growing up. I got married this year, I'm getting my college future figured out and tweaked, I'm just making big decisions and acting more grown up. It's kind of weird.
two Omeros. I'm reading it for class. Or at least, trying to read it for class. For anyone who doesn't know (which I didn't know about this until recently, so don't feel embarrassed) Omeros is an epic poem written by Derek Walcott. It's over 300 pages. And a poem. So it's confusing. I feel so lost! So anyone who has read and understands Omeros, HELP ME!
three
This is the month of spending no money because honestly we have none. All my birthday money went to my birthday dinner with my husband. We keep craving Subway, but don't have any money to get it. It's difficult, but it's 100% necessary in order to get back into a safe financial state. Our goal is to be out of debt by next month which is very possible if we don't spend anything this month. It's hard, but it will all turn out good in the end.
four The Secret Life of Bees. That is the new book for Book Club this month! These link up posts tend to bring quite a few new people to my blog, so I'm shamelessly advertising my Book Club in the attempt that I can get more people to join me. Basically I just pick one book a month to read and encourage all my blog friends/readers to join me in reading. Around the 20th of the month I put up a discussion post where anyone can leave comments and questions about the book. We also have a Good Reads Group that is available for anyone to join. And I'd love to have you join! I've never read The Secret Life of Bees so I'm excited. I haven't started it yet because I'm super busy with school but I'll find time this weekend I'm sure. :)
five
My coworker's birthday was yesterday and as a joke I made him a Christmas sweater from scrap paper. I also just blew up some balloons for him and wrote on them saying "Happy Birthday" and "You are old". But honestly, this kid has been listening to Christmas music since September. And the bookstore at work put up Christmas trees and other Christmas decorations. So while I hate all the hype about Christmas before it's even December, I'm getting really excited, and I'm kind of hating myself for that. I'm breaking my own rules!
I NEED YOUR HELP!! Last month I wrote about Halloween decorating under $10 and I'd like to know if you'd like me to do the same for Thanksgiving and Christmas! Please leave a comment below and let me know. Thank you so much for your help!
So apparently I'm completely spoiled because I got a whole weekend to celebrate my birthday, and IT WAS AMAZING!!! This was such a good weekend and the best birthday ever, and, dad, I know you think I say that every year but honestly, this year was the best.
On Friday I opened the mailbox to find a $5 off coupon from DSW for my birthday and a beautiful birthday card from Chris's grandma! I love being a part of my new family! That night after work we drove down to Kaysville to my in-laws. We were returning the car I had borrowed so we are now left with just one car... because all my cars get taken away for siblings. We didn't get there till very late so we just ate some Wendy's and went to bed.
We woke up Saturday morning and went to Ihop with my in-laws. It was super delicious! I got the strawberry stuffed French-toast, and honestly it's the best breakfast ever! While there they gave me a cute birthday card with fish on it, because I married a fisherman, and a gift card to Kohls! ...which I've already used to buy two new shirts that are very cute. :)
Around two we drove down to Sandy to my parent's house and I watched my brother play Sonic and then I talked with all my family. Then we all went to see Ender's Game which I absolutely loved! I thought it was such a good movie! And now I want to read the book (Book Club option?). After the movie we went to Olive Garden and it was so delicious! Chris and I played our little game where we determine who ordered best, he did. He had the seafood alfredo (I think) and I got the chicken scampi. Both were very good but Chris's was better.
After eating we went back home and I got to open presents! And since my family is known for our crazy picture taking while opening gifts, you can see everything:
My brother and I like to dramatically throw the tissue paper in the air. :)
My sister gave me gloves, a head wrap (that I'm wear in most of the pictures), sparkly hair bands and an eyelash curler! :) My parents gave me a Walmart gift card, gray cardigan, mint/navy scarf, and super cute gray boots. And my grandma who was there gave me $10! :)
Honestly, my family is the greatest!
After presents we played Family Feud which was so funny because my mom is incredibly competitive. We first played Boys vs. Girls then Youngins vs. Adults. Although the "Youngins" were Chris, my sister, and me and we're all adults.
So the scarf my mom gave me has skulls on it and my mom is very much against skulls, especially when my brother wore it like this:
But I love him anyways:
Sunday we went to Stake Conference in the morning and then had delicious chicken curry that I am so in love with and I got to choose for dinner for my birthday. Later that night we had some cheesecake which was super delicious! We added raspberry sauce and it made it so much better!
Then Chris and I played games with my little brother all night and watched the losing RSL game before driving back to Logan late at night, and taking my grandma with us to drop off at my aunt's house, who wasn't used to staying up that late.
After getting home at midnight I acted out this scene:
:) Because my actual birthday wasn't till Monday. My birthday started fairly normal. I woke up early and got ready for class. Had class at 8:30, volunteered at 10:00, went to class again at 1:00, went back home and did nothing, then Chris took me out for lunch at Paradise Bakery, because it's my favorite. Then we went to Kohls so I could use my gift card. Then I went to work but I got to leave early so Chris could take me out for dinner.
We went to Chili's because it's one of the best and our favorite restaurant in Logan. Our waitress was fantastic! She was incredibly nice and they sang to me and she gave us extra salsa to take home. She was great! We weren't able to eat much but took it home for lunch today. For desert we got their skillet cookie, and I'm sorry Loganites who think Firehouse Pizza's skillet cookies (FH'zzookie) are the best, but honestly Chili's is better.
After dinner we went back home and I got to open my presents from my husband while wearing my birthday crown.
I GOT ARIANA GRANDE'S ALBUM!!! I've been wanting it since forever and Chris got it for me! He also got me Warm Bodies which I absolutely love!!! He always writes the cutest things in my cards and I just love him so much! After presents we watched Warm Bodies and I fell asleep on the Love Sac.
I know this post is long and probably really boring for you to read, but it's sort of like a journal entry for me to come back to and look at someday. It was such a good birthday and even though Chris and I are incredibly poor, he spoils me rotten not with gifts but with love, I know that's totally cheesy but it's so true.
This was such a great birthday! Thank you again to everyone who wished me a happy birthday! You are all amazing and I love you all! Thanks for reading!
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