Friday Night Double

I ended up working the evening shift with Kory last night. I forgot how much I dislike working until 8 PM. We had plans to go out to dinner with some friends afterward. So the last two hours of our shift we kept talking about how hungry we were, haha.

We got off work and hurried home to change clothes and take off for dinner. I still had my birthday meal to redeem, so we went to Tucanos with our neighbors Aubree and Blake. They are so fun! It was nice to change things up and go out with friends rather than have people over. Kory and Blake are such men, and were loving the variety of meats available. They were so entertaining, joking around and feeding off of each others' comments. Aubree had a camera but we totally forgot to take a picture, oh well. Needless to say, it was great going out to dinner to get to know Aubree and Blake a little better.

Now that it is summer we hope to spend a lot more time doing things with other couples. Going out to dinner, plays at the Scera park, Manti pageant, camping trips, and anything else entertaining we can think of. Every time we get together with other couples we have a blast. We have so many fun neighbors. We lucked out!

The Weekend Update, Full of Fun

We had a great weekend! Friday night we went and saw "Room Service" a Broadway play from the 1930's. It was pretty funny. We really enjoyed it. We invited a couple from our ward, the Kemps, and they really enjoyed it. That's the best when people are really appreciative that you though of them. I'm sad we don't have pictures. But we had a great time.

Saturday we went to work. Then we came home and made dinner for a couple of other couples in the ward, the Stonemans and the Botterons. We had BBQ pork ribs (Kory's specialty), salad from the Botterons, and pineapple from the Stonemans. The cool thing about the pineapple is that one of my Hawaii Del Sol roomies, Katie Hanks, got us a pineapple cutter as a wedding gift! We got to use it! It was awesome, it cuts the fruit out of the skin and core. I have included some pictures from the pineapple fun. After dinner, which was amazing, we played Ticket to Ride and ate vanilla pudding pie (yum!). I love that dessert because it is the easiest thing every and people are always glad I made it.






It felt like the night was over after dinner and games with friends. But Kory and I still had our own little date after that. We went and saw the "Humor U" stand up comedy show on campus. That was way fun. We really enjoyed it. Tickets for $3 you can't really beat that.

Sunday was a busy day as always. Kory got a new calling in our ward. He will be teaching Elder's Quorum. He will be really good at that.

Family home evening was really fun last night. Family home evening is something that we do every Monday night to help our family come closer together and to also strengthen our testimonies of the gospel (Because "families are the most important social unit in time and in eternity"). Kory and I got a really great book as a wedding gift "Family Home Evening for Newlyweds." We did an activity from the book where it give you a bunch of sentences that you have to finish about each other:

1. You make me laugh when...
2. You amke me love you when...
3. You make me happy when...
4. You make me feel special when...
5. You make me feel closer to Heavenly Father when...

etc. We had a lot of fun completing the 12 sentences. It was a really feel-good activity. Then we read part of a chapter from a John Bytheway book. It was great!

I've Been Dying to Blog! Here Are Updates :)

Oh my goodness I don't even know where to start I am so far behind! Things have been super busy. I am totally behind in homework and that is what I should be doing right now...but I really am dying to blog. Not only for you guys, my loyal readers hehe, but also for myself because it is kind of like my journal.

Tuesday, January 20
I threw a bridal shower for my friend Shantell. She married one of my best guy friends from college, Mike Bullock. I am not one of her bridesmaids or anything but it was an honor to throw the party for her. I think bridal showers really make a bride feel special. Throwing the party reminded me of my bridal shower. It is SO awesome to have so many girlfriends come to celebrate with you. When I had like 20 of my friends there it just reminded me how many great friends I have made. I value friendships and relationships I have with other people so much.

Anyway, I delegated food and desserts but got party prizes and decorations myself. I planned some fun games and I think it turned out really great! Mike was telling me that she couldn't stop talking about it and the really loved it. Yay! I love making other people happy. It is the most rewarding thing in the world.


Group Picutre! I had to set the timer and run in, haha. Oh by the way I cut like 5 or 6 inches off my hair. I'm still getting use to it.


This is how I set up. Moved the chairs, baloons, etc.


The candles were the prizes for the games (dollar store and super cute). Then I got her a cute pink sash you'll see on her in a second.



She had to chew a piece of gum every time she got some fact about Mike wrong. We did that at my shower and it was fun.

Saturday, January 24
Mike and Shantell got married in the Timpanogos Temple. It was SO awesome to go see a sealing, you hear a lot more when you aren't the one being sealed haha. The Provo Temple President, President Bateman, sealed them. He is so funny. One of the stories he told was about learning how to compromise. He talked about how he and his wife had completely different Christmas traditions. His family had always gone to bed at 10PM, woken up every two hours until finally his parents would let them get up at 6AM. Then they would all rush down stairs, rip their gifts open, and Christmas was done by 6:30AM. His wife's family would go to bed at 9PM, wake up 6AM, brush their teeth, then go downstairs. Then they would have a family prayer, eat breakfast together, go back up stairs and brush their teeth again. Then they would line up oldest to youngest. Their father would go in the room with the tree before everyone else so he could have the camera ready. Then they would walk in in order and were handed their gifts one by one and take pictures with each gift until they had gone through all of them. President Bateman said that when they got married they had to learn to compromise...so the kids DID go to bed at 9PM. They DID wake up at 6AM. They DID brush their teeth, then come downstairs for family prayer. Then they DID eat breakfast together and go back upstairs to brush their teeth. Then they DID line up from oldest to youngest and waited while dad went in the other room first...you get the point? They did Christmas HER WAY! That was how they compromised! hahaha. Kory and I were dying laughing when he was telling that story. So was everyone else in the sealing.

Here are Mike and Shantell Bullock.



Later that day we got go to Ivie's baptism (Uncle Lorrin's daughter). It was so cute to see her and be able to witness two covenants being made in one day. The blessings of baptism and eternal marriage are both so amazing. I know without a doubt that our Heavenly Father has created a plan of salvation and a plan of happiness so that we can be with our families forever and return to live with Him again. If you want to know more visit this website. Here are pics!



Saturday night we got some bar stools for FREE! And then we came home to find our super duper amazing vacuum was there! Yay! We absolutely love it. This is my celebratory picture haha.


Sunday, January 25
Kory and I had the wonderful opportunity to speak in our church sacrament meeting! We both spoke on the power of prayer, and ways that you can make your prayer more meaningful. We really enjoyed being able to speak in church.

Tuesday, January 27
My really good family friends the Ellsworths were in town! Heethe was entering the MTC on Wednesday. So I got to go meet them at Johnny Corinos to celebrate. I LOVE the Ellsworths with all of my heart. They are like my extra 6 little brothers. I didn't get any pics with the Riley, sad! But here are pics with Heethe, Cindy, Levi and Dallas, then Heethe and Brady, then Beau and me.






Friday, January 30
I got to go to a study abroad 2008 reunion sleepover (with just the girls of course)! It was so fun! We went to a cabin, at Sundance ski resort, in a gated cabin community! Can you believe that! The cabin was absolutely beautiful. I was sad Kory didn't get to go. We had SO much fun catching up with everyone. It was absolutely beautiful out too! I felt so lucky to be able to go.











And...HAPPY BIRTHDAY RYANN! My best friend in California's little girl turned 4! (The day before he Mom's birhtday). She is on the right, and her little sister Reagan is on the left.

This picture is a year old from the last time I was in Palm Springs, but I love it!



Saturday, January 31
HAPPY BIRTHDAY JENI!!! Jeni has been my best friend since senior year of high school when we met in summer school (we were both over-achievers haha). We were brought together and then were never found apart. We went to different high schools, but we still visited each other during lunch and still did sleepovers on the weekdays haha. Jeni is one of those people that I strive to be more like. She is an amazing friend, wife, and mother. I hope that I am half the wife and mother that she is. It has been an absolute joy to watch her over the years. I am so grateful that I have been able to go to California to see them as often as possible, and even run into them in Hawaii a few times. Jeni was one of my bridesmaids, she and her husband Hugh drove all the way up from Palm Springs to be there. I hope I get to see them again soon! I love you Jeni! This is the last time I was in Palm Springs with Jeni left and Karly Jo on the right.


We also got to go to the Jon Schmidt concert at BYU on Saturday night. That was so fun! We met up with a couple in our ward and apartment complex. We've been trying to really get to know the people in our ward. We have so many cool people to be friends with at church! The concert was amazing. We don't have any pictures. But maybe this sound clip will work? This is a sound clip of Jason Black, one of Kory's mission buddies, spoofing some of Jon Schmidt's songs. He is also an incredible pianist. I hope you guys get to hear it. Sound clip doesn't work, sorry!

Sunday, February 1
SUPERBOWL SUNDAY! We went to church, of course. Then later we went to our friends' house. They are in our ward, but they are also from Boise! I went to high school with Mallory and Logan Brown. Deena and Zach Taylor were also there. It was so fun to catch up with everyone and hang out. They are all so awesome. I wish we were able to have get-togethers more often! Boise people are such cool people :) Seriously, married couple parties are fun too. It is just so awesome that your friends are my firends and we always have each other.

Tuesday, February 3
I swear I have been writing this blog for like an hour or something! Things are going well so far this week. I have so much to catch up on, but I needed a little break to do something I love.

There's No Place Like Home

There's no place like home...especially when you don't have a place to call home!

I'm back in Utah now. Kory is a couple of weeks into school and he seems to be doing really well keeping up with everything. He has a pretty tough semester. He is taking the rest of his prerequisites for applying to the Business School. That includes calculus, statistics, and economics in the same semester. Kind of a lot to keep up with. I am only taking one class this semester. Kory and I are taking LDS Marriage and Family together. It is really fun to have a class together, especially one that supplements our preparation for marriage.

Other than my one class with Kory, my plan for the semester is to just work full time and do wedding planning. I have only been back for a few days, so I haven't made too much progress. But hopefully I will get more accomplished soon. My highest priority right now is finding a great job.

I am still living out of a suitcase. It is so awkward, and I really have a hard time staying organized but you do what you can. I have been living out of a suit case since the end of June. It is getting old really fast! Kory and I found our apartment for when we get married. It is a really nice one bedroom place. We are super excited about it! It isn't available until September 20th though, so Kory is homeless right now too haha. It will be a great story to tell our kids, "when your dad and I were engaged we didn't have anywhere to live so we just lived out of our cars." haha, no not really, we have been staying with friends. We are getting married November 8th so it didn't make sense for either of us to sign contracts in single housing apartments because then we would end up paying for November an December rent that we didn't even use. So that leaves us at friends' apartments until at least the 20th when one of us will move into our married apartment.

This last week we did some really fun things. On Thursday we went the dollar movie theatre and saw Hancock, starring Will Smith. I liked it. It's about a super hero who made everyone in the city upset with the ways he saved them because he destroying everything in his path along the way. But it turn out good, and has a cute ending. Friday Kory and I went on a little hike up at Sundance Ski Resort. We rode the chair lift up to the top and then walked along the trail. It was a lot of fun. We both love the outdoors, and it was something we hadn't done before. Saturday we went to the BYU vs. UCLA football game. We absolutely killed them 59-0 so that was fun. I like it when our team is good :) We were not very good the first two years I was at BYU. So overall it was a really great week.

I hope things are going well for each of you. Love you guys!