Finally!

I finally did something fun!  Wednesday night on the way home from taking John dinner I decided it had been far too long since I did a craft.  So...I made this wreath for my sister.  Ok I didn't make the actual grape vine wreath part but I did make the roses out of fabric and put it all together with the pearly things and ribbon.  I wish I had a better picture but oh well.  One of my favorite things is that I made it out of scrap fabric from other projects.  The salmon colored fabric is the extra 4 inch strip that my mom cut off of my senior ball dress to make it fit me.  Gotta love sentimental crafts.  It turned out pretty cute so I'm going to make myself one now. :)

Day 19-30

Alright I am done with the 30 day challenge!  Basically after doing it for 19 days I realized that I have the most boring life EVER.  So...I will now only post when I have something interesting to say.

Day 18

Ok I am going to be honest.  This challenge is lame.  I am a little sick of the prompts so I might just see if I can write about something for the next 12 days.

Today I want to write about my husband.  We had a lazy Sunday lying around our apartment and watching DVDs.  I love being around John even if we aren't doing anything in particular.  I also had fun reminiscing with him about some fun times like the first time we held hands after his mission, which he likes to point out that I initiated.  Or our first post-mission kiss, which I guess I also initiated.  Maybe I will write about that tonight.  John had been asking me out relentlessly for a few weeks and I kept telling him no because I didn't want him to get any big ideas.  Finally he was smart enough to invite me to a sporting event, a Bee's game in SLC.  So...I couldn't turn that down.  Sometime during half time I gave him a little kiss and about 15 seconds later everyone around us started saying "Kiss her!".  We looked up and we were on the kissing cam on the big screen.  I was so embarrassed I thought I would die.  Anyway, I guess that's a good ice breaker :)

Today I am grateful for Sundays.  One day a week when we don't have obligations and can finally relax!

Day 16 and 17

I had intended to post last night but decided I'd rather watch The Big Bang Theory and post double today. I am a little tired of the prompts that this challenge has given me so I am just going to write about yesterday and today and what I've done.  Yesterday morning John and I woke up squished onto our small, not so comfortable couch.  I guess we were too tired after watching TV to walk into the bedroom.  Also, we woke up at 10:45 (John's classes start at 8:30) so we decided to take the day off.  Haha.  John went to work at 2 and I hung out with my mom.  Then I got to go to one of the most awesome concerts of my LIFE!  There was a celebration for the beginning of the Caine College of the Arts at USU and Craig Jessop managed to get Audra MacDonald to perform!  For those of you who actually read my blog you should know that Audra is my FAVORITE!  She is seriously so amazing.  I have loved her since I was little and it has been SO awesome to see her perform live twice in the last six months!  Amazing!  Anyway...John and I ordered pizza after the concert and relaxed at home.

We haven't done much today except take my little brother to see Mega Mind.  It was pretty good.  Not my favorite but it did have a pretty sweet soundtrack.  John and I are heading to Ogden in a little while to have dinner with one of his mission buddies and his girlfriend.  Should be pretty fun.  :)

Day 15

Day 15: Whatever tickles your fancy

I don't have a ton to write about today except well...today.  Today John and I slept in (YIPPEE) and went to Costa Vida for lunch.  My mom decided she doesn't like Costa Vida anymore (because it is a Cafe Rio knock off) so she gave me a couple of punch cards that she didn't want anymore.  So John and I got a free meal.  That's really the only reason we went, because we are trying not to eat out anymore.  We've been doing pretty well.  John even said he feels healthier since I've been cooking. Such a compliment!  We then ran to the bookstore before John had to go to work.  I then hung out with my mom for a couple of hours before I went to class.  Now I'm eating McDonalds and watching TV.  Probably the most boring day ever.  I should have chosen a better topic.  Oh well.  Too late. 

Day 14

Today was SUCH a long day.  I went to school in the morning, took a short break to drive John to work and then went straight back to school.  I got done at 3:30 and headed straight to teach my second acting class of the week.  This time I taught 5-7 year olds.  I did a few of the same activities I did with the younger kids and they worked SO much better!  Though there is a boy in the class and all of the girls are super distracted by it.  I will have to figure out how to keep them on task and off of him ;)  Anyway, after that I literally ran to the grocery store, headed straight home, threw together some fajitas and took them to John (I made it to the store, fixed dinner and was at Thermo Fisher in 45 min.  Phewph!)  I had a nice dinner with John, came home and cleaned the apartment.  My mom got me a steam mop and I just LOVE it!  We have nice, new tile in our new apartment so I've been trying to keep it clean, the mop does a great job!  Now I am relaxing and watching American Idol :)

Day 14: A non-fiction book:

Ok...I'm lame but I don't know what non-fiction book to write about.  So I'm going to write about a historical fiction book that I love.  Close enough right?  I am a big fan of The Work and The Glory.  I got into them when I was in middle school and just couldn't put them down.  I remember my grandpa Ballam reading them when I was little and I always just figured they were "grown up books" but I have to say, they are great for teenagers.  There is a lot of great plot mixed with historical fact that I think is great for students.  I hope to someday own the entire set.  (I borrowed them from my grandma when I read them)

Day 13

Today was an interesting day.  I got a call this morning asking if I would substitute the "Theater Tots" class this afternoon.  I agreed, assuming I could just use the lesson plan I had written for my drama class tomorrow.  I guess I forgot to factor in that the kids were going to be 4-5 years old instead of 8-9.  So...I pretty much just winged the whole thing.  Luckily they didn't see through me .  I have a feeling the lesson plan will go a lot better with the older kids.  :)

Day 13: A fictional book

I guess this means one that I like?  Well, I am a HUGE Harry Potter fan, that goes without being said.  I always find it interesting when parents won't let their kids read Harry Potter because of the magic and "darkness".  I admit it is pretty dark at some points but the whole plot of HP is the battle between good and evil.  There is a strong theme throughout the series of good triumphing over evil which I think is wonderful.  I think it is a great book for children to read and if it gets them interested in reading books then it can't be all that bad right?

Anyway, last week in my Literature class we talked about censorship which was interesting to me.  The final thought my teacher left us with is that she believes that censorship boils down to parents' ability to choose.  She said "Parents have the right to choose what their children read.  They do not have the right to choose what other people's children read".  I thought that was interesting.  We had talked about how they are trying to get the "n word" taken out of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn.  I personally think that is ridiculous.  it is amazing to me that you can listen to stand up comics like Chris Rock who use that word in every sentence and no one bats their eye...and yet they are trying to take it out of a classic novel?  They are talking about replacing the word with "slave" but to me that takes away the meaning of the word.  They are talking about African American people who were freed slaves and yet the white people still labeled them with that horribly derogatory term.  I think it is important for students to read those books to help them understand how hard it was for these people, even after they were freed from slavery.

Anyway...what was I talking about?  Oh yeah..fictional books.  Another book I kind of want to read is "Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief" (I'm a nerd)  John and I got it for Ben for Christmas because we liked the movie so much.  I am waiting for him to finish it so I can read it :) I'll let you all know how it turns out.

Day 12

Day 12: Whatever tickles your fancy

Today I actually had a little bit of time to do a craft!  John took me to Hobby Lobby which inspired me to do a little Valentine's Day craft.  I made a little heart wreath for our door and one for my dad's office door.  Turned out pretty cute.  It is always nice to have a day off!

I also found some from Christmas time that made me laugh so I decided to post them.  John and I were heading to dinner with my family after Christmas.  When John opened the car door he said "What the?!"  I looked in and it looked like there was some type of broken glass all over the seats so I thought are car had been broken into (guess I didn't factor in that all of the windows were still intact"  Anyway, it took us a few minutes to realize it but we finally figured out what had happened.  John's grandma had given him a can of diet Pepsi for Christmas and it had been sitting in the cup holder for a few days.  I kept meaning to take it in and put it in the fridge but never did.  On this particular night it had gotten so cold that the can literally exploded, the top blew off and the whole can split down the side.  The contents went everywhere, all over my coat and shoes that were on the seat, all over the dash, carpet, seats, steering wheel and even stuck to the windows and ceiling.  It was all frozen in little chunks all over the car. We had a good laugh about it.  Luckily it was diet so it wasn't quite as sticky as it would have been otherwise.  I snapped a few quick pictures, though it's pretty hard to tell what is going on.

We ended up eating at Savannah's BBQ which was delicious.  My niece Mia had fun trying out my lipstick, chapstick and lipglosses from my purse.  They go nicely with the baked beans smeared on her face :)

Day 11

Sundays are one of my favorite days as of late.  I just love sleeping in and relaxing all day.  I also love not having to cook and eating dinner at my mom's.  :)

Day 11: A picture taken of you recently.

I have been HORRIBLE about taking pictures lately. I guess this is the most recent picture of me...from New Year's Eve :)

Day 10

Wow day 10 already!  Today was a good day.  John and I drove down to Magna with his grandma for his niece's baptism.  It is always fun to get out of Logan and visit with family.  (We also ate some awesome ice cream so... can't beat that right?)  We are now headed over to my grandma Ballam's to watch Miss America.  Yay!

Day 10: A photo of you taken over ten years ago

Ok my selection of pictures 10 years or older is very slim on this computer.  This picture makes me smile.  It is of me and three of my nursery buddies.  I love it because I have stayed good friends with two of these girls after all these years!  Hooray for great friends!

Day 9

Today is a happy day.  First...it's Friday.  Second...Monday is a holiday.  Third...John is taking a half day at work to take me on a date.  Sounds silly but it totally makes my whole day.  I can count the number of real dates we've been on since our wedding on one hand.  (More like a couple of fingers) So I'm excited.

Day 9: A picture you took.

I chose this picture because well...I took it.  Also, because after walking miles (literally) all over campus today in the snow it is hard for me to believe that the sun ever shines in Logan.  This picture is proof that it is possible to sit on green grass, in the sun, on campus.  I might need to print this out and take it with me to school to remember that there is light at the end of the wintery tunnel!

Day 8

Ok today has already been a rough day for me.  Do you ever feel like you are surviving life day by day and then suddenly something happens that just sets you off and you can't not be grumpy?  Anyway, I had that kind of morning.  Luckily my sweet husband bought me some french fries and I feel a little better. :)  Thursdays should be pretty good days this semester.  Since my only class doesn't start til 4:30 I can make John breakfast which always makes me feel good.  Anyway, to go along with my grumpy morning...check out today's prompt

Day 8: A photo that makes you angry/sad.

What?  Why?  Well as I thought about this prompt a specific picture did not come to mind.  So I started thinking about things that make me sad.  Mostly I came up with things I miss.  So...this is a picture of something I miss.

This is Ester and I on Easter Sunday probably 17 years ago.  I remember these little outfits so well.  I felt like a million bucks.  I miss the days when the biggest problem in my life was having to take a nap or deciding which friend to play with.  Life was so simple when my mom chose my clothes and cooked my food.  I miss being "twinners" with my sister in our matching outfits.  On a more positive note, hopefully someday I will have two daughters that I can dress in matching ruffles. :)

Day 6 & 7

Ok...I swear I posted yesterday.  I am so confused.  I guess I will make today, Wednesday, day 6 and day 7. :)

Day 6: Whatever tickles your fancy

Ok I knew that today's prompt was basically to write whatever I wanted so I thought about it at school and I came up with this little list. These are all either things that have happened to me or things I have seen happen to NUMEROUS other people.


Common awkward moments on USU campus:

*Getting hit in the face with snow falling from trees along the sidewalks
*Seeing others get hit by snow falling from trees and trying not to laugh
*Slipping and falling on your face from the wet floors in the TSC
*Running into an old friend from high school who doesn't know you are married...and telling them...after they ask you out.
*Being 20 min late to class because you can't find parking
*Getting to class and all the seats are full
*As a freshman asking someone where the TSC ballroom is and having them laugh in your face and say "Wow...you MUST be a freshman"
*Having someone tell you that they are failing Creative Arts...and then telling them that your dad is the professor
*Realizing after your first math assignment is graded that you purchased the wrong edition of the book
*Walking toward someone you know in a hall or on a sidewalk and having that awkward "I said hi already but still have 20 feet to walk before I pass them" moment.
*Wearing white sweat pants while trudging through muddy rain water and arriving in class with brown water soaked up to your knees
*Trying to get they key in your car door for 5 minutes before realizing its not your car
*Walking to your car and finding it covered with neon warning papers, 2 tickets and 4 boots

Ok... Now for day 7 I guess

Day 7: A photo that makes you happy

This is my nephew Scott.  Bet you can guess the scenario that preceded this picture.

Day 5

Day 5: Your favorite quote

Hm...favorite quote?  I guess a favorite quote is one that you remember regularly and apply to your life right?  If that is the case my favorite quote is one my dad has used often during my life, "Never let school stand in the way of your education".  He usually would say it as a joke to my teachers when he was about to take me out of school for an extended trip or something, but I think about it often.  He always advises me to not focus to much on grades. (Apparently when my mom was in high school she worried so much about being valedictorian that she didn't have as much fun as she should have, according to my dad)  I think this quote has been especially important to me during my time at USU.  I LOVE learning.  I hate grades.  I find that the classes I do best in are the ones that I learn the least in.  Interesting right?  I think I am so focused on cramming information into my head for tests that I forget to actually learn it.  Since I am approaching the final stretch of my university career I am getting into classes that are difficult, but rewarding.  I love learning things that I will actually use sometime in my career.  (So much better than Chem 1010 or Stats)  To me this quote is also about looking for learning experiences outside of school.  I have tried to do this in the last year and think I have benefited from it.  Learning new skills, reading interesting articles or even just doing silly brain puzzles are so much more beneficial to me as a person than watching mindless TV shows.  Anyway, that is my quote.

Today was the first day of a new semester.  Ugh.  John and I both woke up feeling sick so I actually missed my first two classes but luckily pulled myself together and made it to the last two.  It is going to be a tough semester.  Luckily I won't be doing practicum so I will have a little more time.  It was nice to be done with class in time to make John a home cooked meal.  Hopefully I can keep it up.  John made a New Year's resolution to not eat out during the week.  So far we have done pretty good.  We only ate out one night and it was when I was too sick to cook.  Pretty good.  I feel like a much better wife when I cook for him.  :)

Day 4

Day 4: Your favorite book

Finally an easy question!  My favorite book, or series I guess, is Harry Potter.  Hands down.  If I had to choose my favorite from the series I'd probably say the last one.  Harry Potter is one of those books that you can read over and over and love it more each time.  That is what it means to be a good book.

I also love The Work and the Glory Series, though I have only read each one once.  Another good one is Deception Point by Dan Brown.  So good.  I actually liked it a lot more than Da Vinci Code.

Anyway, boring post today.  Not much has happened since I posted last night.  John and I slept in and came for lunch at my parents.  Now we are just going to enjoy the final day of our Christmas break.  It has been a good one and I'm sad to see it come to an end.

Day 3

Day 3: Your favorite television program

Another difficult question.  Right now I've been into Parks and Recreation.  Since John worked all week I spent my time streaming it from Netflix.  I also love Modern Family and we are starting to watch The Big Bang Theory.  Though I have to say...I am most committed to watching Ellen.  I am pretty sure I have seen every episode in the last 3 years.

Today was a fun day.  My nephew Zack got baptized so we went down to Highland for that.  It was fun to have John be in the confirmation circle and everything.  We then had lunch and visited at their house.  We stopped at Tai Pan on the way home and went to Gaucho Grill for dinner.  I LOVE Saturdays because I get to spend the whole day with John.  Nothing could be better than that.  :)

Day 2

Day 2: Favorite movie

Phewph!  This one isn't quite as hard for me to answer as yesterday's.  My favorite movie is probably "Love Actually".  Edited of course.  Seriously...don't see it if it's not edited.  It's not even the same movie unedited.  (If you are looking for a copy of the edited version Ester ended up with one when Flix closed)  Anyway, super cute movie.  

Also...Hot Rod.  Definitely a classic of its time.  So hilarious.  Definitely the most quoted movie at my house.

I am also a fan of old musicals.  My sister and I grew up watching classic musicals as much, if not more than Disney cartoons.  My favorite is probably Meet Me In St. Louis or Singin' In the Rain.  

P.S. I am cooking some pesto chicken and my apartment smells like a garlic.  It doesn't smell like garlic.  It smells like it IS A GARLIC.  Also...there is smoke coming from my oven.  Better check on that!

Day 1

I know a lot of people who have done a 30 day blogging challenge and I have decided to try it out.  I am TERRIBLE at writing in a journal.  I was really good for the first year of John's mission and then I majorly started slacking.  Last week I sat down and reread some of my old blog posts and had so much fun reliving those memories.  For my challenge I am going to try to post every day.  For 30 days.  Each day I have a little prompt but most of the responses for them won't be more than a sentence or two so hopefully my blog won't get TOO boring.  

Day 1:  Favorite song.

I hate this question.  I have so many favorite songs.  I guess it depends on the mood I am in?  I don't know.  However, there is one song that will make me smile every time I hear it and that is "How Much is that Doggy in the Window".  Sounds weird right?  When I was about 15 and dating John he used to sing me this song to cheer me up.  When he sold security systems in TX for a summer he would call and sing it to me on the phone.  Now he sings it to me when I am grumpy or had a bad day at school.  So sweet.  (He may kill me if he finds out I wrote about this.  Luckily I think he stopped reading my blog.  I guess we shall see).   

Another song that is close to my heart is the song "The Last Touch".  If you don't know it you HAVE to look it up.  It's by Lex de Azavedo.  I think it means a lot to me because even though I'm only 20 years old I have been in love with the same boy for more than 1/4 of my life already.  It is about how true love only grows stronger with time.  Similar to "I Thought I Loved You Then" by Brad Paisley. (Also one of my favorite songs).  Anyway, I had my dad sing it at my wedding...it's that good.  So...check it out.

Well...that turned out to be an incredibly cheesy post.  Hopefully the ones to follow will be a little bit more exciting! 

2010

My year in memories...

January: Started off the New Year with John at the Israelsen cabin.  Went to a Jazz game and reluctantly started school.

February: Valentine's day roses from John, prettiest ever.  Date to Calloways.  More weekend visits and nightly calls.  Trips to Centerville and date at The Mayan.  Grandpa's funeral.

March: Decided, on a trip down to Centerville on my birthday, that it was time for John and I to get married.  Went ring shopping at the Gateway.  Tearfully said goodbye at the airport and headed to NYC and DC for Spring Break. Drove with John to St. George for our 2nd Spring Break. John had "the talk" with my dad as he drove him home from the airport.  

April: After visiting every store in Logan and many in SLC area I finally decided on a ring... and the waiting began.  After a few dates and thinking that they would be "the" date I decided he wasn't going to do it in April. Fun dates to the FunPark

May: More waiting.  Proposal on May 17th!  Happiest moment of my life up until that point.  Calling siblings, setting dates, making plans.  Preschool graduation, Ava's graduation UFOC time, summer break!!!  John moved to Logan. I found my dress!

June: Found our little apartment on W. Center.  Operas continued. I picked up my dress!  Engagements taken.  The search for the perfect bridesmaid dresses began.

July: Attended John's sister's wedding.  Felt weird being in family pictures but excited that things were becoming more official.  Saw Audra MacDonald in 110 in the Shade.  AMAZING!  Operas ended.  Had surgery.  Felt sick for the rest of the month.  Formals taken.  Bridal shower fun. Fairy camp.  Apartment painting.  Found free carpet on KSL and had it installed in our living room. Boating. Israelsen Reunion

August: Operas end.  Parents leave the country.  Floral bid for wedding THROUGH THE ROOF.  Search for Plan B commences.  Finally decide on centerpieces, shop all over looking for glass bowls of the right size. Found a bed.  Got temple recommends.  Ordered invites.  Sent out invites.  Took a trip to visit family and deliver wedding apparel. Move into our apartment.

September: Parents return home.  Wedding prep finalized.  Endowment received Sept. 2nd.  Wonderful night.  Had almost my whole family there.  Went to Aggy's after and then set up decorations at Hamilton's ALL night.  Finally got home around 1 AM, showered, painted my toenails, packed for my honeymoon and spent one last night in my bedroom.  Woke up the next morning, fixed my hair and make up and headed to the temple.  After the sealing headed to the luncheon with amazingly good food.  Took a short nap before the reception and then partied til it was over!  Headed to SLC, stopping once because I forgot my only pair of shoes for our honeymoon, and once more to wash the car.  Had a BLAST in Hawaii and didn't want to come home.  First day back I threw a baby shower for my friend Whitney.  SO much fun.  Then back to school. 

October: Hardest semester of my life.  Hardly see John.  One month anniversary and Conference in Bear Lake.  John buys a new HD TV. Excited for Halloween.  Did a Pumpkin Walk scene with my family.  Dressed up as a nurse and John as an army man.  

November: Found mold in our apartment.  Happy 2 month anniversary!  Moved in with my parents and began searching for an apartment.  Enjoyed having Mom's cooking again.  Stressful school.  Fun new practicum.  Thanksgiving in Park City with the Blair's.  Turned out different but very fun.  Had a fun date with Ruth and Forrest at The Melting Pot.  Back to school.  Found an apartment at the end of the month.

December: Moved most of our stuff into our apartment.  Still slept at my parents because all of our clothes were there.  Finished up the semester with some awesome test scores.  Bought John's Christmas present.  Picked up my Christmas present at RC Willey but couldn't wait til Christmas to set it up.  Finally spent a night at our apartment. Celebrated Christmas with the Ballam's and got some sweet gifts!  Spent New Year's at the Ballam's eating Mexican food and watching Despicable Me.  :)

What a year. I realize now that most of the year centered on wedding preparations.  It was a year I will never forget and cherish forever.  Let's see if 2011 can top it!