The Token Thanksgiving Post

In order to not be a hypocrite, I'll post my "I'm grateful for..." post to my blog and not on Facebook. There's something special about this time of year. It isn't the sales, the Black Friday deals, the extra big meals, or even the gifts. It's the feeling that can automatically come (if you're open to it) when you're willing to give to others. With that, since today is Thanksgiving, I want to say that I am so grateful, not for the things in my life, but for the people in it. I'm grateful for my wonderful husband. He's given up so much for me in the short time we've been together, and I appreciate it every single day. I'm madly in love with this man and I can't picture my life without him. I'm grateful for my family. My parents have also given up so much for me and my siblings. I'll never be able to repay them for the sacrifices they've made for us. They're the best examples I have. I'm grateful for extended family. My family quadrupled in size when I got married. I'm grateful for the craziness they bring into my life. I'm grateful for the role they played in shaping John to be the man he is today. I know he wouldn't be the man he is today if not for them, and for that, I'm extremely grateful. I'm grateful for my sister. She's one of the most honest, selfless people I've met. She's always kept me on my toes and her sense of humor is one in a million. I'm grateful for Corey. He brings something special to our family. I can see how happy he makes my sister and as an older, protective sister, I can't thank him for that. I'm grateful for my baby brother. He's obnoxious, loud, and stubborn, but I wouldn't have him any other way. I love him for the service he's providing now and for the blessing he is, not only to me, but to everyone he's teaching now. Lastly, I'm grateful for wonderful friends. They've been there for me through thick and thin. Everyone says this, but I truly have the best friends any girl could ever ask for. They're more than friends, they're my family. I'm extremely lucky. I have amazing people around me who put up with all of my craziness and shenanigans. I don't need November or December to come around to remind me of the blessings I have, BUT it's nice to feel the thanksgiving spirit. I just wish it was like this all year round. Happy Thanksgiving peeps!

Bittersweet!

It's been a while since I've blogged but today seems like an appropriate day to write a little something. Today was very bittersweet. We were able to take my little brother to the MTC. As a sister, I could not be more proud of the young man he is turning into. While I was sad to see him go, I know that he is where he is supposed to be at this point in his life. I am definitely going to miss him and Sunday dinners are going to be very quiet without him but I'm hoping he comes back a little more mature! ;) My mom and dad should be very proud of him. I hope they know how blessed they will be because of the way they raised him and the things they taught him. 

As we drove to the MTC with my brother in the backseat I couldn't help but think of how lucky the people of New York will be. My brother, as annoying as he can be, has one of the biggest hearts any person could have. One thing I will never forget is the sight of all the white shirts wheeling their suitcases away while their families looked on, taking one last look, one last picture of the little boys they raised into selfless young men willing to put their lives on hold to serve and bless the lives of strangers. It was incredible to see. 
Things have been a little hard for me lately and I have been an emotional train wreck. My friends and family have really shown their support these last few weeks and for that, I could not be more grateful. My brother did not leave without (much to my surprise) imparting some wise words. The scripture he chose for his missionary plaque was oddly enough something I really needed to hear. "Be patient in afflictions, for thou shalt have many; but endure them, for, lo, I am with thee, even unto the end of thy days. (Doctrine and Covenants, Doctrine and Covenants, Section 24)" 
Mom,
Two years will go by fast. Remember what you told me this morning. He will be fine and The Lord will protect him. He is ready and you and dad taught him well. There is no other place in this whole world he should be right now. He has had great examples in dad, John, and Corey to help him prepare for what he will face. 


Buena suerte Elder Nisguritzer! Estas en mi corazon y oraciones!

Have I mentioned that...

I have the best husband ever? I have to confess a little something here. So, we had the very wonderful blessing of having our engagement ring given to us as a gift from the most wonderful family friend. She knew I wanted an emerald (which are very hard to find and also quite pricey) so she GAVE us a ring that her late husband gave to her as a gift. Being the girl that I am, I cried for days on end at the generosity of this amazing woman (she really has a heart of gold). I loved loved loved this ring. One day at work, I took the ring off to put some lotion on (a jeweler told me never to get any lotion on the emerald as it would eat at it and make it soft and susceptible to chipping). I set it on my desk, dropped it, and then while bending down to pick it up, I gracefully rolled my chair over it and busted the emerald. Again, being who I am, I instantly went to the break room, called John hysterically telling him what had happened and how awful I felt. He reminded me (as did my mom and dad) that I had it insured so State Farm would actually give me the money I needed to have it fixed. I started doing research (and getting impatient) and I found a different ring that I loved that was actually cheaper to buy than to get my original one fixed. Since I'm all about saving a buck or two (or three or four hundred), we opted to buy the new one and bank the rest of the money from State Farm. Fast forward 2 months and Happy Easter! I took my ring off to shower (because I had been too lazy to get it sized down half a size) and lost it. Yep. I lost it. Heartbreak once more. We turned our apartment upside down. We moved EVERYTHING. We took the sink apart, the garbage disposal apart, moved our washer, dryer, oven, dishwasher, couch, EVERYTHING. And no ring. My parents and my brother came over to help me look for it and we had no luck. I cried a little more, fell asleep...and woke up at 2 AM to find John still looking for my ring. He came to bed and woke back up at 5:30 as I was leaving for work to look for it again. See? Best husband ever. A few weeks later with still no wedding ring, John made the decision to have my original ring fixed. We're a little tight on money right now and I did not want to spend more money fixing my ring because I'm too stupid to keep track of the one I had. He would not have any of that and told me to find someone to fix my ring. Enter my mom's friends. They know everybody. Literally, everybody. He was able to hook me up big time. He was able to get me a stone at a killer deal and have a jeweler fix it for again, a killer deal. Moral of the story is....I should not have had my ring fixed because of my stupidity....especially when we're trying to save money. Sometimes, I complain that things are a little hard for us right now, but I've been extremely blessed. Blessed to have such a great family who will give up their Easter Sunday to help me look for my ring (for 6 hours or so), blessed to have a husband who will do whatever he possibly can to make me happy, and blessed to have friends who have been so generous towards us. I'm a lucky girl.

My Bucket List...Well the Beginning

I've just realized that I am inspired by the dumbest things. There's this t.v. show called "An Idiot Abroad"...if you guys haven't seen it, you should. It's hysterical. They just did this series that had to do with a bucket list. So, I started thinking...what would be my bucket list. Here we go...in no particular order: The most important I've already done, getting married in the temple!
1) Learn to surf
2) Have kids
3) Pay my mom back (yes, mom. It's on my list)
4) Graduate from college
5) Visit Rome
6) Go scuba diving
7) Swim with sea lions (again).
8) See Messi play live
9) Serve a couple's mission
10) Visit Iguazu Falls
11) Visit the pyramids in Egypt
12) Visit the Mayan Ruins
13) Go parasailing
14) Sleep in a castle (I don't even have to own it...just sleep in it)
15) Go whale watching
16) Go on a safari
17) Get out of debt!
18) Visit my uncle's grave in Argentina
19) Go to a World Cup game (bring it to the USA!)
20) Pet a tiger
21) Visit France
22) Help a stranger
23) Learn to box

I need a lot of money to do this. So winning the lottery is another one.

Wove, Twue Wove

Oh yes. I've finally done it. I guess this is what married girls do. They cook, clean, and blog. I must say, getting married was the best decision I've ever  made. Ever. Hands down. I get to come home to my best friend every day and he CLEANS. I never have to worry about being alone (even if I wanted to be!), I'm never the only one laughing at my own jokes anymore, I have someone other than my dad telling me how beautiful I am everyday, and I have someone who listens. We get to play house and cook and clean and work and pay bills. See? Best decision ever (minus the paying bills), also the easiest. It's been a blissful and adventurous 7 months! Here's to a million more. Who would have thought?

P.S. My neighbors are loud. They bump their music WAY too loud.

P.P.S. Parking Wars makes me happy I live in Utah.

P.P.P.S. Last Chance Driving School makes me really fear other drivers.