something to blog about

This weekend we had our friends Jeff and Natalia come down for a weekend visit from Idaho and Washington, respectively.  They are getting married in 19 days so we will see them again soon, but it was still fun to have some company, especially now.  We've been dealing with some personal things lately, and some close friends of ours have been having a rocky time so it was great to have a little extra support at a time when we all needed it most.  I am soooo excited to head up to Oregon for their wedding in a couple weekends!  I'm sure the trip will be too short, but I can't wait for a little getaway and a chance to see friends and family.

I was thinking last night as I was laying in bed, curled up with Zach and a snoring puppy, how grateful I am for them and for our life.  Things are hard and it's easy to get overwhelmed with everything, but I love Zach so much and I am so proud of him and so grateful to be where we are, I see only good things ahead for us and I need to remind myself how much happiness there really is in my life.  A great job, great apartment, great friends and great family... the promise of summer just around the corner... looking forward to a family of our own, hopefully in the not-too-distant future... and who can listen to a snoring puppy in the dark and not crack a smile?  Although we don't know HOW things will work out, I'm blessed to have a testimony that they always will as long as we're doing all we can do.

With that said, I am still struggling to get over the anxiety I feel about tomorrow.  I'm quitting my job, the one that I don't love.  So it's very exciting that I'm putting in my two weeks (I guarantee you the two weeks won't go by fast enough) but I'm basically dreading the conversation with my boss.   It probably sounds ridiculous, but he's always made me feel horrible about my performance at that job and will most definitely be upset at me leaving (stupid right?  if I'm sooooo horrible!)  and I just know it's going to be a 4 hour argument about why I'm quitting.  I hate confrontation.  Ok, verging on TMI for the blog, but just keep me in your prayers tomorrow... please.

March 8

Date of my last post.

Still nothing to blog.

Hmph

DUDE.

First of all, I really think I have SAD (seasonal affective disorder).  It must come on gradually, because when winter initially comes along I don't feel different, but I realize how down I've been when the first warm sunshiney day makes me feel AMAZING!  I have such a more positive outlook on life and such a better attitude when it's warm out.

Today hasn't been the first nice day in the past couple of weeks, but it DID just snow this weekend.  Big thumbs down.  So the chirping birds I heard when I woke up this morning held the promise of a beautiful day.  Then I took Roxy out and she got distracted by a bug in the grass.  A bug.  In the grass.  (Not snow!)  A hint of warmer weather, just around the corner. 

 Literally I can't even express the extent of my love affair with summer.  I feel a hundred times better when the sun comes out to play!  The next few things I look forward to:

1. Not having to grab my coat on my way out the door
2. Flip flops
3. Driving with windows down and music UP

 Can we add to this list: moving out of Utah.  Clearly I need more sun than this!

(Summer doesn't have to mean beaches, but this is heaven:)

Old friends

I've been lucky the past couple of weekends to spend time with OLD friends that I never get to see anymore!  They're everywhere from Arizona to Alaska... literally.

 

My bff, to whom the previous post was dedicated (I'll have to steal your pics, cause the one with Lo didn't turn out on mine!)  This lunch date was entirely too short... 2 hours every 2 years just isn't cutting it!  But we had fun :o)

 

My first-ever college roomies, united again (maybe next time we all see each other I'll have a baby too?)

 

He made the cutest faces, except when we tried to get them on camera!  I am in love with him!

 

I guess he does it for mom...

  Luke wanted a picture taken too... look how big he is now!

 

Can't entirely remember why we were posing like this... Ladies???

Love you guys!!!

this post is for b.f.f.

I've been told that I'm lagging in the blog department but I feel like I haven't had anything to write about.  That's really not true, so I guess I just haven't felt inspired lately.  I was inspired to check out the Anthropologie catalog after rave reviews from the bestie, and then felt really horribly unstylish because I didn't see many things I actually liked enough to wear.  I mean isn't Anthro like, the epitome of everything unique and fabulous?  Even TAMN blogs about it constantly.

Luckily I went to browse around on the website and -phew!- I found LOTS of items that I would gladly wear out in public!  Glad I could keep myself in check here.

This may seem silly to many of you, but I have sworn to myself that I would never "let myself go" even after getting married AND having kids.  I know it's possible to be a cute wife, and a cute mom.  This is Utah people.  We see them everywhere.  And I vow to be one of them!  (I probably would already be one of them, if I had lots of extra shopping funds.  I mean seriously... one shirt from Anthro is like $80 plus.)  So in the meantime I'll do my best to stay affordably in fashion and away from anything resembling mom jeans or ugly sweatpants.  Or am I just totally shallow?  Be honest.

Confession

I am addicted to photography, and not just the taking of pictures, but the looking at, the editing of, and the digital compilation of said pictures into cute albums.  What I wish I had:

1. a nice SLR camera with an actual lens, not just my little digital point and shoot, although its been good to me, and its pink, which I love
2. some kind of formal training with photoshop, because sometimes picnik just gets boring
3. any talent at all with scrapbooking... I think I'm too indecisive (with a splash of plain and simple UNcreativity) to be really good at it (hence the reason I've resorted to digital scrapbooking, because my options are limited, and I can fix it a million times)
4. a knack for uniqueness - I've always been awesome at reproducing other work, but coming up with something new out of thin air?  ha.  Specifically, seeing inanimate objects from a new perspective, and thinking of new ways for people to pose are my weak points.  I'm a self-professed hater of tree pictures... you know what I'm talking about!

oh, and maybe one more, a little bit of confidence.  Because that's the real root of my indecisiveness (does this look good?  does it look better this way?  which one?  what do YOU think?  I don't know what I'm doing.)  ugh I frustrate myself.  Wow, what a revealing post.  At least I'm not lacking in passion.  :o)

thoughts on love

Most of you know at least a little about our love story, since it is one of our favorites to tell.  Yep, we're pretty unique, or maybe just stupid for not getting married the first time.  At least we found our 'happily ever after' despite taking the long way around.  In the spirit of the holiday I wanted to share a song.

Brad Paisley has produced some of my favorite love songs in the whole entire world, isn't he fabulous?  I swear they can all make me cry.  Anyway, this is a song that really helped me through that hard time when Zach and I weren't together or even talking anymore.  As with any messy break-up and behind all the hard feelings I wondered if he completely hated my guts and really didn't love me anymore.  At the time I didn't really know this to be true for myself, but as the song says, "just have faith and you will see..."  I found so much hope in this message.  Now these lyrics speak to me even more because I know them to be true!  Love really is never-ending, no matter how much time has passed or how impossible it may seem.  I can't find exactly the right words to explain, but this song means a lot to me.  Hope you like.  :o)  And happy valentine's day to all you lovers!



Seasons come and seasons go
One day sun, the next day snow
Flowers die and flowers grow
But love is never-ending

You can't kill it with goodbye
It always finds a place to hide
Inside your heart for your whole life
Love is never-ending

[Chorus]
When the lights have all gone down
It'll still be hangin' 'round
Even when you think it's lost, it can still be found
When every memory has been made
And the pages start to fade
And every prayer you ever prayed is heaven bound
When you think the ride is over
You're back at the beginning
Love is never-ending

When a man and woman start growin' old
The fire of passion may grow cold
But what they got still warms their soul
Love is never-ending

[Repeat chorus]

It keeps goin' on and on
Long after we're all gone away

Time may change what you believe
But one day the truth will set you free
Just have faith and you will see
Love is never-ending
Love is never-ending