Pizza and Books

When I picked Zac up today after I got off work, he was starving. I told him to think of what he wanted for dinner, and I would make it for him. After thinking long and hard, he decided he wanted pizza. I said okay. But, before we went home to make pizza, we went to the city library, because I've been dying to read another one for weeks, since I finished my last one.

Here's a story about me and books: I really, really like books about the Holocaust. Stories about people who lived in the late thirties/early fourties in Germany and surrounding places who saw what happened during the war through their own eyes just thrill me. I love reading people journals and biographies about what it was like hiding from German police in bunkers, what little food they got to eat in ghettos, and what torture they went through at the concentration camps. Sad stories, yes. But somehow I love them. I love reading about how much courage they had when they saw their sister being shot and killed, and how much faith they had that the war would soon end when German policemen were living in their houses and walking through their streets. This is why, at the library, I checked out three books: Anne Frank, The Zookeeper's Wife, and A Woman in Berlin. I think they will be lovely reads.



When we got home, we started whipping everything out to make pizza dough. Zac and I, we're good at doing things together as a team. When I was making dough, he was doing dishes; when I was slicing the tomatoes, he was chopping the bell peppers. We're pretty good at that. When it comes to taste, though, we're pretty different.

This what I like on my pizza: tomato sauce, cheese, sliced tomatoes, chopped bell peppers, red pepper flakes, sliced mushrooms, and cilantro (LOTS of cilantro!), baked crunchy. This is what Zac likes on his pizza: Alfredo sauce, more Alfredo sauce, cheese, garlic powder, chicken, Italian spices, and a little bit of something green (which, in this case, was cilantro), baked soft. So, for this reason, whenever we make pizza for dinner, we always make two, and share our pizzas with each other. It works out pretty good. And did I mention that my pizza looked like Christmas? Look at my festive self!



Tomorrow is December. Do you know what this means? It means it's time to start the 25 Days of Christmas! I got this idea from this girl's blog, and I love it! For every day in December leading up to Christmas, you do something wonderful for someone else. If that not the best idea for the holidays? Just say yes, because it is.

• Go out of your way--befriend someone today that needs a friend and follow through to Christmas


• Tell someone you love them


• Make a tree decoration that will remind you of Christ


• In your prayers today, give thanks for every blessing without asking for anything


• Try to be as kind as possible to others today


• Try not to quarrel with family members today


• Do a good deed anonymously


• Make goals for yourself--seal a copy in an envelope to be opened in a year


• Visit someone sick or lonely or sad


• Do volunteer work for some worthy cause


• Do something fun for a child or younger sibling


• Try to forgive someone who has wronged you, be reconciled


• Make a "give list" instead of a list of gifts you'd like


• Improve yourself in some way to please the Savior


• Quietly reflect and choose uplifting activities vs. shopping


• Phone or send a card to an old friend or family member


• Listen to Handel's Messiah


• Make a Christmas treat for someone else


• Be a calming influence today and control your temper


• Accept the gift of forgiveness--pray for some weakness and ask for help in repenting of it


• Look at Christmas lights--where does all light come from?


• Sing carols


• Do something nice for someone without their knowing it was you


• Be the first to say hello to people all day


• Ask someone to tell you about a past Christmas

We'll see how I do on these, and I hope you get the chance to do some, too! I also have a whole Christmas list of things that I NEED to do before Christmas, mostly because they're awesome and festive.

• Watch tons of Christmas movies (namely The Grinch, Elf, The Santa Clause, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Babes in Toyland, and the collection of old Christmas cartoons we have recorded onto a VHS tape)


• Play in the snow at least once


• Drink hot cocoa and/or egg nog by a fire


• Go see the lights at Temple Square again


• Go see everything Christmas at the Festival of Trees


• Spend time with family

Have a happy December tomorrow. Christmas is on its way!

Trimming the tree

Tonight, we trimmed our very first Christmas Tree. I had this planned for a few days, and work went by so slow today, because all I could think about was going to the store, buying pretty ornaments and rushing home to our little apartment to decorate our tree. We decided on white and gold, mostly because I saw a Christmas tree at Temple Square that had white ornaments, pictured here, and I thought it was really pretty. As we decorated our little tree (that matches our little apartment oh so well), we listened to our old Christmas records, and drank Coca-Cola from their glass bottles. I'm pretty sure that our smiles got bigger, and our eyes lit up a little more for each ornament we hung on that tree of ours. When it came time to put the star on top, we each grabbed an end, and put it on together. It was cheesy, but mostly cute, because we're newlyweds. :)

We also got our very first nativity set (I want to collect these!) from Zac's parents on Sunday (thanks Lyle and Jill!). It's gorgeous, and I love it. We set it up on Sunday night, and all the little Bethlehem people and animals are sitting on top of our bookcase in our living room. I also hung up a wreath the other night--it's a green pine wreath with a red, plaid bow on top. Our apartment is really starting to feel like Christmas, and it gives me a wonderful feeling inside. I think I might just make a paper chain out of green and red paper like I did when I was young, to count down the days to Christmas--I am that excited!

As of tonight, there are 26 days left. I already have some plans of what to do during the 25 Days of Christmas, which include watching the old Christmas cartoons like I did when I was little, and service projects--both big and small. Zac told me tonight that he wished there was somewhere cozy and quiet where we could go to get hot chocolate somewhere close in this town of Provo, so maybe we'll go on a quest to find a place like that, too.



By the way, don't mind the picture in the 6th picture from the top... We got that frame for our wedding from the wonderful Shanny, and we haven't gotten around to putting one of our pictures in it. In fact, I'm pretty sure that 95% of all the frames in our apartment are not filled. So, we need to go get some pictures printed. Merry Christmas in 26 days!

A trip downtown.

Yesterday in the afternoon, Zac and I headed up to Draper to hit up the Ikea there. We went a couple of months ago, and that's when I saw something fantastic. It was a mirror inside of a fancily designed frame. I told Zac I wanted it, and he decided that I could have it for Christmas. So we spent about an hour walking through that huge store, and finally found my mirror! We also bought some Swedish food there (because it's tradition!), like mustard basil sauce, chocolate bars, and orange ginger thins, and snagged some lunch at the cafe, too.

When we finished our activities at Ikea, we drove another 20 miles north toward Salt Lake City. Zac and I here, we love a little store called Urban Outfitters. Unfortunately, the closest one to us is 45 miles away, in Salt Lake City. So we made the drive up there to shop. Because the store is so over priced (I seriously saw a shirt there priced at $250), we usually find ourselves in the sale corner of the store, but that doesn't mean that I don't LOVE to adore and admire the pretty bedspreads, dishes, books, records, cameras, and clothing that are not on sale. While browsing through the sale rack, Zac found a nice (and I mean nice!) pair of green pants. I've been wanting colored pants (preferably yellow, thanks) for the last little while, so I was kind of jealous when he found these babies. However, I did find two belts that I loved. Zac found a shirt to go with his pants, and we made our way up to the registers. Everything we got was on sale, which made me happy inside.

We left Urban Outfitters and the crisp, cold air hit us as soon as we did. It was a cold night, but the Christmas lights and people running through the fountains (are they crazy?!) made it fun.



When we were done watching these crazy people run and scream through the fountains, we decided to walk the four or five blocks to Temple Square to see the magical Christmas lights. It was a nice walk. It was chilly, and my arm was in Zac's. On our way, we saw the prettiest little house called the Devereaux Mansion. I wanted to live there right away, but decided to take a picture of it instead. When we arrived to Temple Square, it was wonderful. The lights were everywhere! I've been to Temple Square to see the lights every year, and it still impresses me when I go back. We walked around and saw the Nativity scene, and the temple that Zac and I were married in. I love everything about Christmas, and going to Temple Square just makes it that much better.



When our noses and feet were too cold to bear, we made our trip back to the car, with the other dozens and dozens of people. On our way home, we stopped by Kneaders and ordered a cup of hot cocoa to share and sat by the fireplace. I recently discovered their hot cocoa, and have decided it's my new favorite. There's a hint of coffee to it, and I think that's why I like it so much, which is weird, because I've never had coffee--I've just smelt it. When we finished our hot cocoa at Kneaders, we went to Walmart to do some grocery shopping. Among other things there, we bought our very first Christmas tree: a four foot pre-lit tree. We set it up last night, and it brings magic into our home, I swear. It's glorious. We are going to hang ornaments tomorrow night, so I'll post a picture of what it looks like when it's finished. I'm so glad Christmas is here. I can't wait for the nights where Zac and I are snuggled up on the couch in our jammies with all the lights turned out but the ones on our tree, drinking hot cocoa, and listening to our old Christmas records. That just sounds like heaven to me. I'm excited to start new Christmas traditions with my little family, and continue old ones, like watching old Christmas videos on Christmas Eve. This time of year is wonderful, isn't it?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Zac and I spent Thanksgiving this year with my family. On Thanksgiving morning, we all woke up really early to go out to breakfast at Village Inn at 7:45 AM. We met my dad's entire side of the family there. We sat at a booth with Sara, her boyfriend, Josiah, Daniel, his girlfriend, Erika, and Rachel. Zac and I both got chicken fried steak, mostly because it's delicious. I also got a strawberry crepe for the two of us to share. It reminded me when we made crepes at home a few weeks ago, with raspberries, strawberries, bananas, and nutella. That was a good night.

When Thanksgiving dinner came around, we had quite a few people there. My entire family was there, as well as both sets of grandparents, and my aunt Marsha and cousin Parker. We had a table full of people, and such great food, like mashed potatoes, stuffing, sweet potato casserole, and turkey, of course! I love feasts. And afterward, we had pie: apple pecan, pumpkin, and pumpkin cream cheese. My good mother even sent us home with a small little feast of leftovers. And the whole entire apple pie. Sweet.

Now Christmas is coming up. I've been listening to Christmas songs since early November, and I'm not even sick of them. We bought our first Christmas tree last night, and I was overly thrilled. I think we're going to decorate it tomorrow for Family Home Evening, so pictures will be up soon.

October and November

The last couple of months have flashed before our eyes. So, without any more delay, here's what we've been up to.

The first weekend of October was General Conference. Zac and I wanted to go up to Salt Lake City and listen to it in the Conference Center, but we had no way of getting tickets, so we drove up to my parents' house on Sunday morning to watch with my whole family. A tradition us Barlockers have every General Conference Sunday is to make apple dumplings together in between sessions--the kind my Grandma Deenie used to make. We usually end up using a turkey baster to squirt refreshing ice water in each others' mouths, though. Thank you, Matt, for starting that trend.



On October 22nd, my best friend, Emily, was in town. We met halfway in American Fork and took pictures of each other there. We also went to the American Fork DI where Emily bought some belts, and I bought the cutest little baby sweater I've ever seen. I don't care if I'm not going to have kids for a few years. We're both pretty awkward-looking in front of the camera, but aren't these pictures cool beans?



In the middle of November, we got to go up to Park City for a couple of nights with Zac's family. There, we relaxed in one of the many hot tubs of the Marriott Mountainside Resort, went Christmas shopping at the Outlets (where I got two gorgeous coats for $65 total) and sat in the hotel room and spent time with family. It was fantastic to get away for a weekend. It kind of makes me want to plan a road trip. In the summer of course. I'd be crazy to want to drive all day in the ice and snow.



That's the gist of what Zac and I have been up to the last couple of months. Well, that's all we have pictures of. I used to be so good at carrying my camera around everywhere I went. Now I don't. That's my new goal. I need more pictures of my new marriage.

Tonight Zac and I are at my parents' house. We are spending Thanksgiving with them this year. I'm excited for family and food. I'm excited for everything about tomorrow. I love the holidays. Happy Thanksgiving!