new year's resolutions.

via.

 

When I was thinking of some New Year's Resolutions I wanted to keep, I kept going back and forth from I just want one, maybe two, so I will actually keep it to I have way too many things that I want to do.

 

Then I saw the idea of setting 52 goals to complete within 52 weeks--a whole year. And then I thought, Oh yeah! I have an entire year to get things done!

 

So I'm running with the 52 things idea, because I love making and keeping goals, and some thing really need to change around here. And it'll be so nice to look back a year from now and see most, if not all, of these things completed.

 

And I'm sorry this list is so long.

52 things in 52 weeks:

1. Go on a road trip together
2. Have family pictures taken
3. Read 12 books
4. Visit the zoo
5. Take at least 1 picture a day
6. Visit a city we've never been to before
7. Throw 6 parties
8. Decorate each room in my apartment
9. Perfect our pizza recipe
10. Make a Brazilian dinner
11. Spend a day canning with my mom
12. Get out of the house everyday for 3 months (after work)
13. Get crafty and make something each month
14. Learn to watercolor, and paint something to hang up in the apartment
15. Learn to sew, and make an article of clothing to wear
16. Learn HTML
17. Learn how to use photoshop, and take a levitation photo
18. Wear at least one piece of jewelry everyday for 6 months
19. Stop biting my nails
20. Take a day trip and visit a far away friend
21. Learn to laugh at things that upset me
22. Decorate for holidays
23. Buy a car
24. Go to a concert together
25. Knit a scarf
26. Only eat one dessert each week for 6 months
27. Only drink 3 pops this whole year
28. Try 50 new recipes
29. Run a mile without stopping (I'm a terrible runner)
30. Go on 3 different hikes this summer
31. Eat vegan for one week
32. Buy a juicer, and drink only juice for 3 days straight
33. Give up desserts for one month
34. Learn to make an entire meal from scratch
35. Work out 5 days a week for one month
36. Do yoga 3-5 days a week for 3 months 
37. Learn to cook with natural and whole foods, and replace ingredients in my pantry
38. Don't eat out for one month
39. Buy a bike and ride it at least once a week in the summer
40. Make 72-hour kits for our cars
41. Donate blood
42. Organize every nook and cranny in the apartment
43. Compile 3 months worth of food storage
44. Get rid of things we don't need at the end of each month
45. Stick to a strict budget for 3 months
46. Go to the temple once a month for the entire year
47. Have family home evening each week for 6 months
48. Serve someone every week for 6 months
49. Have personal scripture study everyday for one month
50. Count my blessings everyday for 3 months
51. Visit my grandparents and listen to their stories
52. Let people know I love them more often

 

Lately, this quote from Thomas S. Monson has been playing through my head a lot, and I want it to be my motto for this next year. It's simple and beautiful and powerful, and I think the world would be a better place if people did this.

 

"Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved."

 

Isn't the prophet of my church just the greatest?! Plus, he's a cute old man.

 

Here's to 2013!

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happy first day of autumn!

I woke up this morning before it was light outside, and looked out our bedroom window at the dark skies. It looked like it was stormy, and I felt pretty cozy snuggled up to my Zac.

It's officially autumn, my very favorite season of the year (which I share with so many of you--yay!). Today we plan to be outside for the majority of the day going to a fair up Provo Canyon, and a concert later tonight in the heart of Provo. 

It's also time to start shopping for fall clothes, right? :) It's a good thing I have a few girl friends for that.

For each season, I like to make a list of things to do. The Autumn Frolic List goes like this:

• Try to find our way out of a corn maze on a dark, October night.
• Visit all the witches at Gardner Village.
• Shop for Halloween costumes.
• Pick the best pumpkins from a pumpkin patch, and carve them.
• Pick some Gala apples from an orchard and make apple sauce and homemade apple crisp.
• Make our home look scary.
• Spend Conference Weekend at the Swensons' cabin.
• Go on a ski lift ride under the full moon (like we did for our first date!).
• Get some goods at the Farmer's Market.
• Go on an Autumn hike.
• Rake up some colored leaves and jump in them.
• Throw the best Halloween party ever.
• Make donuts, cookies, caramel apples and every other Halloween treat imaginable.
• Pick out some new records for our record player.

Happy Autumn!

...

the best day ever!

Today was one of them. Because...

...I went to the dentist this morning, and had absolutely no cavities. Not one.

...I listened to the radio on the way to work and back, and it almost felt like I was listening to Christmas music.

...I went to Hobby Lobby to buy a glass canister with my 40% off coupon, and they all ended up being on sale for 50% off, so I bought lots, and they're really pretty.

...Last night Zac and I had a talk and figured out what we'll do with our life in the next two or three years (and we totally changed plans, but we feel that it's right). Today we take the first step.

...I ate a microwaved cheese quesadilla when I got home from work today, and thought about my sweet husband (that's his snack of choice, besides pretzels and nutella).

...I found this awesome picture taken two years ago (from tomorrow) of me, Zac, Erica, and Wes the week we met. Notice our four-way spooning session. And yes, we are holding spoons. (Also admire how fat I was back then. You know it's a good picture when you still like it even after that.)

...

this weekend...

This weekend, Zac and I...

• slept in three days in a row.
• spent a day in Salt Lake City.
• discovered our new favorite sandwich place.
• shopped for three hours straight.
• went to my favorite Salt Lake restaurant.
• celebrated our first anniversary in a hotel downtown.
• listened to church hymns playing at McDonald's on Sunday morning.
• drove home in the pouring rain.
• ate breakfast for dinner.
• played way too many rounds of Speed on our bed.
• played around with our new dehydrator, and made dried mangos and tomatoes.
• found our new favorite cupcake cafe (we think...).
• and enjoyed another one.
• finally bought a wreathe for our front door.

How was your weekend? Oh, and Happy Memorial Day!

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goodbye, provo.

This week, we will pack up our tiny apartment and move northward to a different town. There have been good things and not-so-good things about living here in downtown Provo. We've been here for nearly a whole year. We're sad to see some things go, but at the same time, we're happy for the change.

Things we'll miss about Provo:

1. The beautiful, tall trees that lined every street for a 2-mile radius.
2. The antique houses, almost falling apart, in their bright colors.
3. The free concerts and outdoor events that were so close that we could take a stroll and arrive in minutes.
4. The fun hole-in-the-wall restaurants that occupied the old business buildings on Center Street.
5. Sammy's Cafe. There's hardly anything better than living 5 1/2 blocks from that little place.

Things we won't miss about Provo:

1. The traffic, especially on Center Street.
2. Our neighbors screaming, smoking, and taking our stuff out of the washer.
3. The leaks, cracks, smells, bugs, and lack of insulation of our apartment.
4. Having to park on the side of the road, and getting our spots stolen.
5. The lack of big grocery stores--Walmart, Winco, Costco--where you can get all your shopping done.

We're gonna be pretty excited come Thursday. Not exactly for the moving part, but for the new home, new people, new city part.

via

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we are moving to a different land.

Well, mostly just 3 miles closer to work and school.

Next month, Zac and I will pack up our little Provo apartment and move to Orem over a weekend. Hopefully this move will only take a day or two (any helpers want to volunteer?).

There were a quite few things that really motivated us to move, and I'll get into the details of those later, but the top three are these:

1. We need more space. This 500-square-foot apartment just isn't cutting it for us anymore.
2. We don't like our upstairs neighbors. I'm almost positive they are drug dealers.
3. Zoobies. We're in the middle of Provo. The Zoobies (and all the traffic that comes with it) are getting bad.

We're ecstatic to be starting this new chapter in our lives, and excited to live in a new apartment in a new town with new people and new surroundings. Did I mention I'm so ready for change? I think it'll be good, especially since Summer is coming right along with it (I have waited so long for you, Summer!).

I've got quite a few plans coming on with this new place, too. We'll see how they lay themselves out.

|One of my fondest memories in our first apartment: Zac cutting up a slice of bologna to put in his mac & cheese, August 2011.|

...

ten reasons why i love being married...

...in no particular order...

1. You always have a buddy--at the movies, on roller coasters, even when you're bored and just need someone to bug.
2. You get to snuggle with someone at night (and all the other times you're together).
3. Inside jokes, signals and signs.
4. Helping each other out: he zips up my dresses and tells me if he likes my outfit, and I make him lunch and massage his back.
5. Having things in common, and sharing those things (like collecting vinyl records and listening to them while we make dinner).
6. Talking about the future together--kids, houses, locations, jobs--and having that person be just as excited for it as I am.
7. Being able to entertain each other for hours, and not getting tired of it.
8. Unconsciously turning each other into ourselves. Zac dresses in more of what I like, and he's gotten me into listening to his music. We're even starting to act like each other more, and it's just funny.
9. Sharing a 500-square-foot apartment, and learning to live with each other and each other's habits.
10. Still missing the other one, and getting excited to see them after work, even after 8 1/2 months of marriage.

Me and Zac when we were in the early stages of dating, Oct. 2010.

...

sometimes...

Sometimes, you just need to eat ice cream in your unmade bed, because it's more cozy than sitting at the table.

Sometimes, you stay up past midnight playing Mario Brothers with your husband, because it's so much fun.

Sometimes, you and your husband parallel park, [purposely] sandwiching a car so tight that it can't get out, because the driver took your curbside parking spots.

Sometimes, you go to see ryan innes at the new pleasant grove Sammy's, and leave before he goes on because there are too many people there.

Sometimes, sammy's serves really messy, but really delicious burgers and shakes.

Sometimes, you skip the rest of church because a skirt is an uncomfortable thing to sit in for so long.

Sometimes, you miss your grandpa.

Sometimes, you get sick, but stick it out at work.

Sometimes, you decide on a whim to live life as a health freak, and it feels really good.

Sometimes, you order a salad at outback steakhouse, and your dad thinks you're weird.

Sometimes, you buy new socks for $1.80 a pair, and love them more than everything else you bought.

Sometimes, you make green smoothies and mess them up, but eat them anyway.

Sometimes, that cookie jar you ordered for your mom's christmas present arrives in broken pieces.

Sometimes, you realize that you're married to the most wonderful man on the planet, and get really happy inside.

happy new year!

the new year has come--six days ago, to be exact. with all the business of going back to work, my grandpa's death and funeral, and zac being sick the other night, i've finally found the time to expound on last year's joys and memories. the year 2011 has been extra good, mostly because of a little something that happened in may. along with that, so many fun and exciting things have been going on, and we've learned so much. in 2011, i...

• got a diamond ring put on my left ring finger.


• watched moulin rouge on valentine's day with zac.


• made lots of meals from scratch.


• went to bear lake for the first time with zac's family.


• started the semi-semesterly mexican fiestaurant tradition with erica and rachel.


• celebrated my 21st birthday by going to bridal veil falls, and then los hermanos.


• celebrated zac's 23rd birthday by going to gloria's little italy.


• moved out of my student housing apartment, and into a tiny basement apartment.


• planned a wedding.


• walked around downtown provo on many occasions.


• got married.


• went to newport beach, and missed it every day since (if you're ever down there, try mama d's italy kitchen. divine.).


• went to a lot of free concerts.


• went to bear lake again and tasted the most wonderful chocolate-raspberry shake.


• went through 4 jobs, and eventually got the best one.


• started eating healthier foods.


• graduated.


• visited the swensons' cabin, where we ate s'mores, told ghost stories, and played many games.


• totalled my car in the middle of nowhere.


• killed a lot of spiders in our apartment.


• went shooting for the very first time.


• went to our annual family reunion at cherry hill.


• shot a few photoshoots with a few lovely people.


• celebrated holidays, watched movies, discovered new restaurants, started new traditions, carpooled to work with my love, switched up my style.


• put up our very first christmas tree.


• gained a greater testimony in the atonement and the plan of happiness because of my grandpa's death.

i already have about a million new year's resolutions going around in my head, but i'll only stick with a few, or else i won't stick with any. my new year's resolutions are...

• eat even more healthy foods.


• say my prayers and read scriptures daily.


• serve more. way more.


• buy a house (well, a condo, but house sounds cooler).


• blog more.


• find joy and be happy and positive.

we'll see if this happens. i hope it will. happy new year! i have high hopes for this year of 2012. i think it will be grand!

happy list.

i am happy today. why? let me tell you the reasons.

1. my husband misses me as much as i miss him when we're both at work.


2. reuniting after those 8+ hours with a bunch of kisses and hugs.


3. it's christmastime!


4. homemade pizza, homemade salsa, and clementines.


5. getting a completely-filled-out cafe rio stamp card from my boss for no reason.


6. longing for newport beach. even just thinking about it makes me happy.


7. pretty things all over the world, like the dark clouds in the sky at night, and christmas lights that light up neighborhoods.


8. beautiful clothing. on people, on mannequins, on me.


9. the scriptures and everything that relates to christ.


10. little teeny tiny babies.

Ryan, Erica, Wes, Rachel, Zac and me just three weeks after Zac and I met.

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!

Things to be excited about.

It seems like this week I have a lot going on that I really, really can't wait for. It's nice, because before I got married, I was excited about my wedding day, counting down the days. It's great to know that there are still things to look forward to, even after something exciting happens. By the way, Zac and I have been married for three and a half weeks. It's the very best.

Here are my exciting happenings for this week:

1. My sister, Rachel, gets home from China. She's been there for the past four months, teaching little Chinese kids how to speak English. I haven't seen that woman since before I was married! We'll pick her up at the airport on Friday!


2. The Manti Pageant (otherwise known as the Mormon Miracle Pageant). Zac and I are going together this weekend, and I'm so excited to share that with him. We also have a goal of visiting each temple in Utah by our anniversary next year, and this just means we can cross one more off. Awesome.


3. I ordered my first Bountiful Basket yesterday, and we get to pick it up on Saturday morning! I'm so excited for fresh, local produce! And for $15 for roughly 6 fruits and 6 vegetables, that just puts a smile right on my face!


4. Summer! Today is the first day of summer! It's the longest day of the year! I think I want to stay up and watch the sunset with Zac... after we go to a BBQ, of course! I love the summer, and everything that comes with it: rodeos, demolition derbies, parades, popcicles, picnics, and swimming! Wonderful!


5. Zac's cousin, Tannon, gets his endowments tomorrow, and we were invited to attend the temple with him! I love the temple, especially when we get to go two weeks in a row (Zac and I went last Tuesday).


6. The Provo Farmer's Market is on Saturday! Zac and I went to a Farmer's Market on our honeymoon, and I love them! All the wonderful colors and smells and sights! It just makes me automatically happy.


7.  I got a new calling in church, and it's not a teacher! I'm in charge of enrichment night in the Relief Society. I get to plan the activities, which is probably the most fun calling I know of! I'm so excited to start, and already have a few ideas of things to do. I get sustained on Sunday.

That's all for now. See how exciting my life is this week? I love it! I am one happy girl. Not to mention that I have a wonderful and handsome husband to do all of this with.

Full moon.

Today, I was on a roll. I kept busy from 7:00 in the morning, when I woke up, until just about ten minutes ago, when I finished getting ready for bed. That's over sixteen hours. I feel great, because I got so much done today. Here's how it went:

7:00am: Woke up, took a shower.
7:20am: Got dressed, made lunch for Zac to take to work, finished getting ready for work.
8:05am: Left for work [late].
8:10am: Arrived at work, and did my priestly duties.
2:00pm: Got home from work, changed my clothes, and started cleaning the front room. (There were tons of stuff everywhere, mostly our wedding presents.)
3:00pm: Zac called.
3:05: Continued to put stuff away, organize, find places for everything, iron the table cloth, sweep the floor, do the dishes, hang frames up on the wall, vacuum, fold clothes, make the bed and clean the table.
4:45pm: Zac came home and gave me a long, tight hug.
5:00pm: Continued to put things away and finish everything up, and then went and helped Zac take all of our boxes to the dumpster on the other side of the house. (Our whole porch was occupied with said boxes. Can you say white trash?)
6:00pm: Started dinner: homemade fettucine alfredo, while Zac played Magic: The Gathering.
6:45pm: Ate dinner.
7:00pm: Our new neighbors, Kristi and Scott, came over and introduced themselves. (I'm really quite fond of them.)
7:30pm: Decided to make cookies (from a mix--I regret it) for the Bishopric when they came over.
8:30pm: Bishopric came over and chatted with us, and gave us advice. (I'll extrapolate later.)
9:00pm: Gave cookies to our new neighbors, mentioned above.
9:15pm: Went on a walk with Zac around the neighborhood, and ended up at a park playground.
10:30pm: Came home and got ready for bed.

You see?! My day was filled with never-ending tasks. I kind of liked it. I've never been so busy before, nor so... not bored. I have a goal of becoming more productive. I've always admired my friend, Celeste, because she isn't afraid to get out there and get things done. I've always wanted to have that kind of attitude, but was always too lazy or too scared to start things. But today, I started (and finished) things that I've been wanting and needing to do for a long time, and it felt so good!

My favorite part about today was the evening. The Bishopric coming over and visiting us, eating dinner and meeting our new neighbors, and spending the night outside with Zac.

While the Bishopric was over, the Executive Secretary (I can't remember his name--it was a weird one) gave us some advice. He said to get involved in the ward, because the more you get involved, the more people get involved in your life, and you are able to bless each others' lives, and make friends, too. Then Bishop suggested that we both keep up on our home teaching and visiting teaching, because "it's like Heavenly Father giving you two people to take care of, just for you." Cool. I'm going to like this ward.

When Zac and I escaped out of our house (after the Bishopric had left, of course) to go on our walk, we first ended up at a gazebo just two blocks from our apartment. We talked about how we like being married so far. Then I had the idea of going to a park and watching the full moon come up over the mountains. We walked four more blocks, and came to Maeser Park. We climbed up on the playground, and talked about things we used to do as kids. For example, I used to jump off our old fort into the snow in the winter, and walk to the local Maverik gas station with my sisters to buy an Icee or a bag of candy, and walk in circles on top of the humongous tractor tire in our old backyard until my feet were black. Zac used to go to his church parking lot and skate board there for hours on end, and go to Fast Gas gas station and get treats. It was fun to get to know Zac a little more, because I never knew that about him. I kept glancing towards the east mountains, but never saw the moon come up. It started to get chilly, so we left for home. The air on the walk home smelt like lilacs and pine trees, which was a lovely plus to a great stroll.

You might be wondering what our apartment looks like now that I've got it all organized and clean. Let me tell you this: at first, our bedroom was clean and our living room was a mess, but now, our living room is clean and our bedroom is a disaster. I will post pictures as soon as I get everything situated. And as soon as I can figure out why there are so many bugs in this house.