California Trip

What a wonderful weekend!!! I am soo glad I got to visit Josh, even though it was only a quick trip. We had the best time together.

I flew in to California Friday evening, right in time for dinner. Josh and I went to Duke's Grill, which is right on the shore of Huntington Beach. I had been there with my family two years ago and loved it, so I hoped it would be as good this time. I was not disappointed! I got the Shrimp and Crap Louie. It's a yummy salad with fresh crab meat and shrimp, avacado, mango, tomato. It is so light and delicious. YUM! The picture does not do it any justice. It's the best. And Josh was more than satisfied with his pineapple BBQ hamburger. Basically, we love Duke's. It was a great start to a wonderful weekend.

Saturday morning we were able to do a session at the Newport Beach Temple. I hadn't done a temple session with Josh for a month and a half, so it was so great. This temple is absolutely beautiful. Wow. What a treat. It was a great morning.

After the temple we grabbed a quick lunch at one of Josh's favorite places: Wahoo's. It has really yummy blackened fish tacos. We spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out at the beach. It was a great, relaxing day for Josh and I. Normally I like to have a set schedule for the day, but it was so nice just talking and hanging out without a plan. We ended the evening with a nice dinner near the beach and beautiful walk out on the pier and along the beach. What a perfect night. It was a step up from our normal walks in Provo!

After church on Sunday, Josh and I made a great Sunday meal. It was so fun because I haven't really cooked while Josh has been away. We made chicken in the crock-pot with mashed potatoes - one of Josh's favorite Sunday meals. He was a very happy husband!

The last highlight of the trip was haning out at a few beautiful look-out spots along the coast. I think our favorite was a beautiful spot on the coast of Laguna Beach. What a beautiful place! Wow. We got to this spot in perfect time to watch the sun setting. It was a perfect trip! I wish it could have been longer, but I'll take whatever I can get! Josh has five more weeks and then he'll be home for good. Yay! I can't wait.

One Year!

Today is our first anniversary! This has been the best year for both of us. We are so so so happy to be married. I can't believe it's already been a year. To celebrate our anniversary I flew out to visit Josh this past weekend, which was wonderful. (I'll post about the trip once I get the pictures loaded on my computer). I got back to Provo this afternoon and found a sweet note on my kitchen table with a beautiful bouquet of roses from Josh. (Thanks to Joe for helping him out with that one!) I am so lucky to be Josh's wife! He is soo good to me. I couldn't have found a more perfect husband. I've never been happier... and yet I'm sure it will just keep getting better!

Why did I wait so long?

I'm hooked! Josh has been trying to get me to read Harry Potter ever since I've known him, but I didn't think it was my type of book. I'm really into biographies, philosphy books, religious books, or classics -- and I didn't think Harry Potter would do it for me. I was wrong. I finally pulled out book one last week and finished book three last night. Book three has been my favorite so far, but Josh says they just get better! I can't wait to finish.

Baking Tip

I made a very useful discovery in my kitchen this past week. I've only been cooking for about a year, but this baking tip will certainly demonstrate my culinary maturity that is far beyond my actual kitchen experience. After whipping up a cinnamon coffee cake last week, I came to this important realization:

Baking Powder and Baking Soda cannot be used interchangeably.

The aroma and appearance of the hot coffee cake was as tantalizing as always, but the excitement ended after just one bite. Something was not right. Calling it disgusting would be an overstatement, but it definitely was not good. It wasn't until I was making biscuit dough the next day that I realized the mistake I had made with the coffee cake. I had used four teaspoons of baking soda instead of baking powder. (I guess this demonstrates a greater deficiency in my reading skills than my baking skills). It was only four teaspoons, but that was enough to make a diffference! So the next time you are tempted to use baking soda in a recipe that calls for baking powder, I would suggest sticking with the baking powder. I know, I know, they're both white powdery substances and they both start with "baking", but trust me - they are not the same thing.

Cookie Monster

It was so great having a husband for the weekend and I was so sad to see him leave on Sunday evening. I sent him off with a whole batch of his very favorite chocolate chip cookies - One large bag to eat while they're fresh and another container to freeze. He left a happy man!

Luckily, I'm flying out to California for our anniversary, so I'll see him in just over a week! I can't wait!

River Trip

We stayed at a hotel in Moab on the 4th, then did a fun river rafting trip on the 5th.

(Before I continue with the 5th I just have to give a shout out to the hilarious tourist at our Moab hotel! At breakfast we heard a loud explosion and everyone turned in the direction of the plump little tourist standing by the microwave. He attempted to heat up boiled eggs and they blew up, completely covering the inside of the microwave with white and yellow goo. He just stood their with wide eyes, shaking his head, saying "I thought it was a bomb!")

The River Trip was almost as entertaining as the egg explosion. There was a large raft and also several two-man "duckies", as they were called. It was such a fun day. The only ones to tip were Josh and I...of course. We were in one of the little duckies when we came up to one of the biggest rapids. The other two-man duckies were going to the side, so they wouldn't hit the rapid right on, but Josh and I are fearless so we charged ahead. Too bad we didn't really know what we were doing. As soon as I saw the three foot drop and the wall of water I knew we were goners. And we were.

Thanks Mom and Dad for a fun trip! And thanks Josh for coming home from Cali to join us!

Best Weekend Ever

Josh paid a surprise visit to me for the fourth of July weekend! I couldn't have been happier to see him! He and Mark left California Wednesday evening and arrived in Provo early Thursday morning. It was soooo good to be with Josh for four days - even though the weekend flew by way too fast! I didn't have work until 1:00 pm on Thursday, so we slept in and made a yummy pancake breakfast around 11:00 am. It was so great hearing his voice again, talking, laughing, and having a good time.

4TH OF JULY-

Friday, the 4th, we drove up to Sandy and helped Jae with a big community carnival that Jae was in charge of. (It was his ward calling to organize it). It was really fun. I painted faces (my favorite!) and Josh ran another booth. After a long day at the carnival Jae, Josh and I took off for Moab. We met the rest of my family at Delicate Arch around 8:00pm. I had never hiked to Delicate Arch, so it was really fun. By the time we hiked back down it had gotten completely dark, so it was an adventure stumbling through the dark, trying to find our way back to the parking lot. Luckily Dad and the boys had their trusty head lamps.

The moment Dad puts on his head lamp, he turns into a kid again - straddling large crevices and happily posing for pictures. Gotta love him!

There was another little Japanes couple and their two children who were stuck in the dark with us. We thought we were doing them a service leading them down the mountain...until we realized we were way off the path and we had taken them with us. They would have been better off without our help! Feeling bad for them, Mom kept offering "You want water?" "You want candy?" in her little Japanese accent. Awesome.

Craving...Satisfied!

I haven't been cooking very much lately because Josh has been gone and he was my big motivation for cooking. I've found it's really difficult cooking for one! All my recipes make so much that I just haven't be able to eat it as leftovers before it goes bad. I tried freezing the rest of a big pasta recipe a few weeks ago, but now my freezer is packed full of the pasta and it doesn't even sound good anymore. I'm anxious for Josh to be back from his internship, so I can cook again! I'm getting a little tired of eating soup, grilled cheese, cereal, and other meals for one. I have actually been craving a yummy turkey dinner lately. Of course, a whole cooked turkey is not a reasonable meal for one, so I had the not-so-brilliant idea to just buy a little frozen turkey dinner. Bad move. I've never had frozen dinners in my life, so I didn't realize what I was getting myself into. I was so excited to heat it up and hopefully satisfy my craving, but it was far from satisfying. Below you will see the packaging and then the actual dinner. Notice how the box shows several thick pieces of turkey breast, while the actual dinner just has two or three little chunks of meat on the side.

This frozen turkey dinner definitely did not fulfill my turkey dinner craving. Luckily, my all-knowing mother did the job. Without even knowing about my craving she came down to Provo a few days later and gave me a container of "just a little something she thought I might feel like." What was it? A full turkey dinner (for one!) I couldn't have been happier! Thanks mom for saving the day, filling my stomach, and convincing me even further to never buy frozen dinners.

One Down, Two to Go!

My first trimester is finally over, and so is my morning sickness. (thank goodness!) I have felt soo good this last week. I've actually been able to cook again, without feeling nauseous with the smells of the kitchen. I even handled raw chicken last night, which is a big accomplishment. I'm still pretty tired and I get dizzy every once and a while, but I am so, so much better. I hope this stage last for a long, long time - like, maybe until December! I'm just so glad to be feeling well, especially since Josh is gone.

Since my nauseau is gone, I could finally do a temple session this morning. I've been wanting to go for so long, but it was just too risky to go the last few months. Anyway, this morning's session was wonderful! I'm lucky to live within walking distance of the temple.

A JOSH UPDATE

Josh is doing so well in California. He drove from Utah to Alameda to visit Jen and Jim and their four cute kids. Josh had never been to their home and they've been in Alameda for years. It was such a treat for Josh to spend a few days with them.

He then drove down to Huntington Beach, where he'll be staying until the end of August. He's living with my single uncle, Mark -- who has been soo generous to Josh. Josh has had such a blast living with Mark, and it's only been the first week.

This is Mark's neighborhood. His apartment is only a half mile inland from Huntington Beach. What a perfect location! Josh is loving it. He's gone on nightly runs along the nice paved beach trail. He's looking to get a bike down there, so he can go on bike trips with Mark. Josh spent the day at the beach yesterday playing volleyball with Mark and his friends. When I talked to him at night Josh, Mark, and a friend of Mark's had just made huge chocolate banana shakes for themselves after a long day in the sun. They also went to Pei Wei for dinner....I'm so jealous. I love, love, love that place! It was soo good to hear Josh laughing with Mark and having such a great time. I'm really glad Josh is so happy out there.

He also began work this week. He absolutely loves it and is so grateful for the internship. He loves the company and the people he works with. A highlight of the week was meeting Bill Gross, PIMCO's CEO or Managing Director or something like that. The New York Times has titled him "the nation's most prominent bond investor." His net worth is about 1.3 billion dollars. Not bad. Josh said Bill was really funny and laid back, despite his huge reputation on Wall Street. (To be honest, I could walk past Bill Gross on the street and not even recognize him....but this was a big deal for Josh. I guess you have to be a Finance major.)

Another highlight of the week was going to an Angel's game with his department at work. He's the one on the left with the longer hair. It didn't take long for him to grow out his California shag! Ha ha.

I'd give you an update on my post spring-term life in Provo, but it's not quite as eventful as Josh's internship in California. Although, I am going to the Lehi Rodeo this weekend and that should be blog-worthy! Giddeup!

FREE AT LAST, I AM FREE AT LAST!

DONE!!! With BYU's Spring term, that is. What a relief! It's been a really busy term, and boy does spring term move fast. The fast past was good for only one reason: I only had to have physical science on my mind for two months, rather than a full semester. And that's a blessing.

This also marks the end of my general education courses at BYU. This is also a huge relief. I just have one more semester til graduation, and it should be nice. I'm taking 4 open-studio art classes and a Greek philosophy class that was recommended to me. Not bad, huh? I'll have my final art show in October, and the rest of the semester will be a breeze. I'm so close to the end...and I can't wait to be done! I know, I know, it's still 6 months away, but I'm close. And now I've just got one more term behind me.

Now that I'm done with school for the summer, I can hopefully get on with some fun summer things -- that will make for much more exciting blog posts! Stay tuned.

Related???

Does anyone else see a resemblance between Prince Caspian from Narnia and Mowgli from the Jungle Book!? Prince Caspian definitely keeps himself a little more clothed, but they've got the same hair and the olive skin! Cousins!?

And while I'm talking about resemblances, I think that big bear on the Jungle Book cover may be the same bear in the Prince Caspian movie! Jae will know the furry brute I'm referring to..."For Aslan!!!"

One day down, lots more to go!

Well, my handsome husband took off early yesterday morning for his summer internship in Newport Beach, CA. I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't crying -- keeping in mind I'll be a widow until the end of August, but I'm actually doing quite well now. Here are 10 things that are making me happy:

(1) Knowing that our little Acura is better than we thought. I was sure it was going to break down on the long, hot drive to CA. It had no problems, though!

(2) Multiple phone calls and texts from Josh. It reminds me of our engagement when we couldn't see each other every day.

(3) Gala apples.

(4) Clear skies with a slight breeze.

(5) Walking to school. I love being outside and moving and having some time to think. (We'll see if I still feel this way after being car-less for the rest of the summer!)

(6) The Visiting Teaching program.

(7) PB & J's with chunky peanut butter, my mom's homemade strawberry jam, and Macey's white bread. I know, I know, white bread is evil. I hadn't bought it in years, but I just bought a loaf and it's so yummy for PB & J's. It reminds me of being a little kid. (What brought on my sudden craving for white bread? Having about 5 big slices of Becky's yummy homemade white bread at the Hawkins BBQ on Monday. YUM)

(8) Listening to John Mayer.

(9) "Tight-rope-walking" along the street curbs on my way to class.

(10) Counting down the days until July 18th, when I'll be flying to California to visit Josh and to celebrate our anniversary. Definitely a happy thought!

A little help, please

So, when it comes to the layout of a blog, the fanciest thing I know how to do is change the color of the background and text. Will someone please share the secret on how to get all the cute blog backgrounds! Gracias.

Strawberry Cheesecake (the 5 minute version)

Last night I felt like strawberry cheesecake, and five minutes later I had an equivalent whipped up from start to finish! My secret: I made some Cheesecake flavored instant pudding, which only takes a few minutes of wisking. Then I topped it with crumbled graham crackers and sliced strawberries. Of course, it wasn't the real deal, but it was pretty close! And I felt much less guilty eating sugar-free, fat-free pudding, reduced-fat graham crackers, and fruit. Not bad. Josh was equally as pleased with my quick family night dessert!

Sorry, no pictures. My appetite was much stronger than my thought to take a picture!

See ya in two years!

Remember this guy with his mission call? Tomorrow he enters the MTC! He had his farewell on Sunday and did soo well. What a solid testimony. It was really powerful. He will be a wonderful missionary. The people in Pheonix are lucky to have him!

A little FORT, Hunter and Halle style

Believe it or not, this is actually a really sweet fort. Josh and I built it with darling Hunter and Halle Hawkins. They were the real architects here. Josh and I just stood back and let them do their thing. It brought back memories of building countless forts growing up! Who doesn't love making forts!? I can't wait to build tons of forts with my future kids. Josh will be all over it, too!

Little Sis

Marie Clarke. Most amazing sister ever. She was just called as Jordan High School's Seminary President for next year. She will be AWESOME! She is the perfect person for this position: totally solid, humble, responsible, and what a spiritual giant. (Not to mention, hilarious and drop dead gorgeous!) She has always been such a wonderful example to me, especially these last few years. I have learned so much from her. She will do a great job with this new calling.

ZUPAS

Have you been here? It's my favorite! I always get the Summer Chicken salad, but I finally had the courage to branch out and try something new. I tried the Lobster Bisque soup and it was amazing. Yum. I highly recommend the soup, as well as just about anything else on their menu!

Jordan's 19th Birthday

We all went mini golfing for Jord's birthday last week. It was such a warm, beautiful evening.

Look at that form! Josh should have given me some pointers because I think I got the worst score out of the whole fam. Yikes. Mini golf has never been one of my strengths.

Jordan at his finest.

Probably the strangest event of the night was when a little baby bird fell out of its nest in the "castle" on the course. Marie was a little freaked out, as pictured. Jordan, however, had no problems picking it up with a tissue and scaling the castle to put it back in its nest. We got quite an audience because the bird was screaming bloody murder as Jordan was holding it. The bird was successful placed back in its nest and we were all able to sleep that night.

Logan + Soccer = Wow

Josh and I finally made it up to Sandy to see Logan play soccer this season. It was his final game. He did awesome, as expected. Seriously, his team is amazing...especially since these boys are 9 and 10 years old. They were undefeated, beating most teams soundly. If you want more details of their strategy, Logan (or my Dad!) would be more than happy to spend an hour or two going over the keys to success of this awesome little soccer team.

Midterms are over, Time for an Update!

Woohoo! I just finished my fourth midterm tonight. It went horribly, but I'm just so glad to have it over with. You know how that goes. Now I finally have a minute to update our suffering blog.

The last few weeks have been so busy, but things are finally settling down. Here's what we've been up to:

My youngest brother Logan had his final soccer game of the season, and Josh and I were finally able to make it up to Sandy to see him this season. He did awesome. Seriously, his team is amazing for little 9 and 10 year olds! They were undefeated, beating most teams soundly. If you want more details of their success, Logan (or my Dad!) will be more than happy to spend an hour talking about the keys to their success.

We all went mini golfing for Jordan's 19th birthday. It was such a warm, beautiful night.

Just look at that form! I should have asked for some pointers because I think I got the very worst score out of the whole family. Yikes. Mini golf has never been one of my strengths.

I know, I know...

I haven't posted anything interesting in quite a while, but don't give up on our blog. After I finish my FOUR MIDTERM EXAMS this week, I'll post some fun pictures (finally!) from the past week.

Hiking the Y

It's been such a great week! You know those weeks that just go so well...for no apparent reason? This week has definitely been one of those. Josh has been working full time for AtTask until he leaves for his internship, and I have started spring term at BYU. I have a really awesome New Testament class, a pretty awesome Marriage Enhancement class, and a not-so-awesome Physical Science class. It should be a really busy term, as I'm also working 25-30 hours as the Office Manager for Stadium Terrace Apartments. But it will be fine.

Highlights of the week:
-A little midweek date night to Barnes and Noble
-Josh's softball game, where his team blew out their opponent
-Coming from my evening class to find Josh making chocolate chip cookies!
-and the grand finale.....

Hiking the Y late last night. I'm a senior at BYU and I had never hiked it before. It was about time! It was actually a really fun hike. We went when it was totally dark and it was so pretty to look over the valley and see the lights. Hopefully we'll do it again soon.

p.s. I was soo good at taking pictures of every activity when we were engaged, but now I never carry a camera around. I've got to work on it!

Cinnamon Life

I had never tasted Cinnamon Life cereal until I married Josh. He was a big fan and it didn't take long to convert me. I think I'm addicted! I snack on it all day -- just little handfuls about every ten minutes! Yum.

It's been such a great weekend with Jess and Jen in town. So wonderful to spend time with both of them! Beautiful Vela Amelia was sealed to Becky and Hema on Friday. It was such a neat experience to be a part of. Wow. Josh and I also enjoyed the big luau on Saturday and Vela's blessing this morning.

P.S. The art blog has been updated

Lots of New Recipes

So...this semester I was so much better at spreading out my work load and not putting it all off until the week of finals. My finals week really wasn't too bad. What did I do with my extra time? Go on a baking spree and try out several new recipes. The first was honey wheat rolls....soo good! My mom told me they would take 2.5 hours from start to finish. I'm definitely an amatuer because it took me 4 hours! Next time I think I can do it in 3, now that I've figured them out.

The next new recipe was cinnamon french toast from the Better Homes cook book. Yum! Josh and I used wheat bread instead of white and cut out the orange liqeur. It was delicious....we ate all the slices before any pictures could be taken. I also did a turkey that evening, which was equally as good! We had Jordan and Andrew (a friend in our ward who was wife-less for the weekend) over for dinner. (Note: the "turkey" was not a full size Thanksgiving turkey. It was just the little Jennie-O smaller kind. I'm not that good).

Sorry, just two more: Turkey Pot Pie! This was probably the best new recipe of the lot! I used my mom's simple pie crust and it was so so good! The picture does not do this justice. It had yummy turkey and vegetables inside. I'm making this recipe again probably next week. We couldn't get enough of it!

And the grand finale....Josh and I both finished our finals late Tuesday night around 11:00 pm. We were so glad to be done that we figured we needed to celebrate! I tried out a family recipe of Ginger Snap Cookies and they were so good! I ate 5 or 6 of them (at 11:30 pm) then hopped right into bed. Who starts a batch of cookies at 11:00 pm!? I wouldn't recommend this to anyone, but under the circumstances it was unavoidable! Who can resist homemade cookies, fresh out of the oven? Not me -- even at 11:30 pm!

The downside to doing this much cooking? DISHES. I'm so much better at making the mess, then cleaning it all up!

Art update

Ever since we got a blog I've been trying to convince Josh to do a post all about me -- you know, highlighting my best attributes and achievements. Anyone who knows me well knows that I just love to be in the spotlight and be bragged about. (Ha). If you saw the past before this one you'll have seen that he finally came through. (But in all seriousness, I've got a pretty sweet husband. When he asked for our password I knew he was making a post, but I was sure it would be about the Spurs!)

Sooo....When my "Studio Space" consisted of our tiny kitchen, I mostly did smaller paintings on paper. Now that I can work on campus, I've been able to do some fun larger paintings. If you want to take a peek, click here: http://hawkinsart.blogspot.com. (And hopefully it will work. I've never added a link before).

Super Laura

I know this blog is mainly frequented by females and the occasional weird stranger. With that audience in mind, I proceed.

Okay, so I know you all know this, but my wife is the best. Sorry, she just is. She cooks the best meals (please see previous posts for examples), she is an artist (she's doing several still-lifes of me right now), and she put up with me. She's at her studio on campus painting right now. That's right, she has her own studio, but then again, why wouldn't she... I mean, have you seen her stuff? And no doubt she's being a little perfectionist and getting every little detail right, but that's just one of the many things I absolutely love about her. She woke up this morning and immediately put together an hour by hour schedule of her day. She didn't have it done last night -- I must be wearing off on her -- and it was item #1 this morning. Anyway, I just wanted to give a shout-out to my amazing wife. I love you Lar!!!
Love, Josh
PS: I don't even know what this photo is from, but she looks dang good!

It's finals week and I probably should have my nose in a book, but I've been studying all day and need to take a little break....and update the blog! Last Sunday we had such a fun evening with the Tuellers. It was a special night to talk about missions, in honor of Jordan and Cade who will become full-time missionaries very shortly. What a treat to hear from Grandpa and Grandma and all the returned missionaries in the room. It was a really neat night. Cade and Jord will both be amazing

A Little Update

Josh and I had such a wonderful conference weekend. We were able to attend the Saturday pm session, and run into Josh's mission president while we were there. President Clarke and his wife are such an awesome couple! What a treat to talk with them. We also loved hanging out with my family on Saturday, the Hawkins on Sunday, and the Clarke extended family Sunday night. We feel soo blessed to be this close to our families! It probable won't last forever, so we've got to soak it all in while we're still close by.

One little note to my last post: Josh will, unfortunately, be going to California alone this summer (It's actually just 10 weeks). I'll be here in Provo -- going to school, working tons of hours for Devin Durrant, preparing for my final art show in the fall, and missing my husband terribly! I know what you're thinking: we couldn't even make it a year. It's complicated why we won't both be going, but let me just say it's definitely not because we need some time apart :)

What's Better Than New Running Shoes!?

The shoe on the left is one of my newly retired running shoes. When I ran cross country I would get new running shoes every 6 months, but I wore these bad boys for almost two years. (Things change when you leave home and pay for all your own clothes). In their prime they were white and had traction on the bottom. But that was a very long time ago. Finally I replaced them with new Brook's running shoes (that just happened to be way on sale since they're last year's edition). My knees are soo happy. They haven't felt this much support and comfort for quite a while. I've been to the gym almost everyday for the last three weeks and I'm pretty sure it's because I have clean, new shoes on my feet! Let's hope this new excitement with the shoes takes a long, long time to wear off!

Goodbye Wedding Dress

So, I'm selling my wedding dress. Is that horrible? I think I'm supposed to hang on to it forever and pass it on for all generations of time, but I'm honestly not that attached to it. (I actually wanted to rent a dress, but couldn't find anything). It was definitely a love/hate relationship with my dress. It was the absolute perfect dress that I had wanted...but the first thing that comes to mind is sucking in my stomache and being worried about whether or not it would fit on my wedding day. Maybe I'm just selling it out of defiance.

Anyway, have any of you sold your wedding dress? Any tips on where to post an ad or are there little shops that buy wedding dresses? I posted it on KSL.com, but that's the extent of my efforts. Any suggestions....or am I the only future mom that won't have a wedding dress for my daughters to try on?

We got our kitchen back!

Let me just start by saying Josh is sooo patient with me and my big art projects. This is what our kitchen used to look like....until I started painting 4 x 4 foot panels. I didn't have room for them in my studio space on campus, so I pushed the kitchen table aside and took over the kitchen.

I know, I know. What a mess! Finally I got more space on campus and today I moved all my painting stuff (including these big panels) to the studio. I can't wait to eat dinner tonight at a kitchen table....instead of on the couch, holding a plate on my lap!

Jord's Call

My brother Jordan got his mission call last week! He's going to the Phoenix, Arizona mission. He'll be leaving May 28th and will be speaking Spanish. By the time he gets to Arizona in July, after the MTC, it will probably be 115 degrees! Jord is SOO excited and he will be such an awesome missionary. It's been such a blast to be here at BYU with he and Jae. We will surely miss him, but we are all so excited for him!

I've Been Tagged

I've been tagged by Dawn...

10 Years Ago
I actually met Josh ten years ago at Brandon and Marilee's wedding reception. Josh has no recollection of this initial meeting...which is probably good that he wasn't interested in an 11 year old. I remember meeting Josh and Joe, his twin, but there were no sparks. I spent the whole night twirling about and dancing around the fountains in the front of the building...in a matching outfit with Marie and my Mom. (Although it was just Marie and I doing the twirling). I'm glad Josh doesn't remember that night!

5 Things on my list to do today
1-Make dinner...oh wait, I'm just heating up leftovers!
2-Work on my art criticism paper.
3-Sweep the stairwells of the apartment complex we manage.
4-Go to the gym.
5-Paint!

What would I do if I were suddenly a Millionaire
I would buy some new paints, which I'm desperately in need of. Take our little car into the mechanic to finally get all of its problems fixed....including the AC! Replace my extremely worn out running shoes. Go to Cold Stone with Josh. And then invest the rest.

3 Bad Habits
1-Not shutting the front door hard enough....it's always creeping open!
2-Not being able to adjust and be flexible when things come up and my perfectly planned schedule has to change
3-Going to bed too late

5 Places I've lived
1-Sandy, Utah...home sweet home
2-Walnut Creek, California
3-London, England (just for a semester)
4-Tonga (just for a month)
5-Whakatane, New Zealand (just for a semester)

5 Jobs I've had
1-Soccer referee
2-Apprentice artist to local artist Allen Bishop. Sounds so professional, huh! (It wasn't).
3-Paid Out Processor at the Zion's Bank Retail Loan Center
4-Teacher's Assistant for the Intro to Art classes at BYU
5-Management at Stadium Terrace Apartments

5 things people don't know about me
1-I love to dance! Ha ha. I was a dancer growing up, and I just haven't grown out of it! Of course, I've lost any skills I ever had, but I still love dancing.
2-Running Cross Country and Track used to be my big thing in high school...until I ruined my knees and had double knee surgery. I've been doing the elliptical until lately when even that has irritated them.....SO I'm going to try swimming. I'm not too thrilled about it, but Josh says he'll go with me. I haven't taken swim lessons since a child, so this is going to be funny.
3-I love roller coasters! They absolutely scare me to death, but it's a good adrenaline rush. It's a love/hate relationship. I definitely did not get this from my Mother...for all of you Tuellers who remember what happened during our last Cali trip. One moderately scary ride and she was sicker than a dog - shamelessly lying on the dirty cement ground for hours until she wasn't nauseous.
4-I injure myself all the time...in clumsy or strange ways. From the daily paper cuts and stubbed toes to the more painful things like slipping, tripping, slamming my fingers in doors, jumping on nails, and so on.
5-I live for secret deliveries. Unlike the roller coasters, this was instilled in me from my mom. I grew up doing countless secret deliveries...I'd say at least once a week. Some of them were nice, thoughtful notes and messages. But a lot of the time they were just weird, funny objects or random notes - to people in the ward or just to random houses. I get SO much enjoyment out of it! Now that I'm married, I've roped Josh into helping me. I make the goodies or come up with the random object and silly note to be delivered, but I usually convince him to be the Runner and I'll drive. Finally, last night he put his foot down and I had to be the Runner...only because he made the cookies.

Where will I be in 10 years?
Still happily married and honestly I'd love to have 4 kids by then! Hopefully I'll be a cute, little stay-at-home mom, who also finds time to paint! I'd love to have my Masters by then, but I'll see how it goes.

I tag Haley, Jane, and Robyn

A Little Bit Warmer!

Yay! My wish was granted. It was so nice and sunny today. I could definitely go for even warmer weather, but I'll take what I can get!

Definitely Done with this Gross Weather

It was grey and wet as I walked home from campus today, and I decided (again) that I am so tired of this weather! I'm sick of the bottoms of my jeans getting wet and dirty from the puddles or slush of winter, and I'm definitely ready to box up my sweaters until next year. The end.

The next post will be a little more positive...I promise.

New Pics from my Camera

I just loaded some new pictures from my camera and thought I'd share:

Heart shaped pancakes on Valentine's Day. I added food coloring to make them pink, but you couldn't really tell once they were cooked. Growing up my siblings and I would go crazy over green pancakes on St. Patrick's Day, and regardless of any holiday we would always beg my Mom to make our pancakes into snakes, Mickey Mouse, the initials of our name, you name it!

We made our first banana cream pie a little while ago. I don't have a picture of the finished product (probably because we couldn't wait to take a picture, we just dug right in!) but this is one step along the way. I used a recipe from Ellie Krieger (Food Network), and it was the super low-cal, low-fat version....although I did add a little extra vanilla extract for more flavor. And I cheated and used a pre-made graham cracker crust. It had great reviews online, and Josh and I would agree! We loved it! YUM!

I love this picture of my Mom's parents. My grandpa was just so cozy and relaxed in the corner of the couch, with my beautiful grandma behind him. We loved grandpa's purple outfit and comfortable position! Just completely at ease! Anyone from the Tueller fam will love this scene! Now picture grandma saying "Doesn't Vern look so handsome in Violet!!!" Love it!

That's it for now. We need to take the camera around more! When we dated I had my camera with me 24/7, snapping SO many pictures. Now it's like "Josh, should I bring the camera?" "Nah." Plus now we don't have my roommates eagerly offering to take our picture all the time!

Any Suggestions???

Help! My skin has had a rough time this winter. It's much drier than it's ever been and my regular Bath and Body Works lotion just isn't doing the trick. Any suggestions for really good lotions?

Oh, the Joy of Dried Fruit!!!

Josh sure knows the way to my heart! Of course I love chocolate, cookies, and other goodies, but the real treat for me is dried fruit! Josh got me a huge 3.5 lb bag of dried fruit and nuts from Costco. It is the best! Apples, kiwi, mangoes, strawberries, peanuts, walnuts, almonds, papaya, pineapples, strawberries, golden raisin, cherries, and banana chips! YUM! Honestly, this is the best Valentines gift I could've asked for. Josh knows me well! I would highly recommend this delicious mix! It takes so much will power not to down the whole bag of it right now!

Isn't Marriage the BEST!?!

Ok, marriage is just the best! Josh and I are having SO much fun! Of course, there have been adjustments and funny little things to figure out, but we've never been happier. There are so many perks to being married, but lately I've loved just having a best friend that I can goof around and laugh with! I've never had so many "inside jokes"! I guess that's what happens when you're with someone 24/7. What's your favorite thing (or a funny perk) about being married?
P.S. I just realized this picture of us is totally cheesy! Ha ha. I actually didn't put it up as a joke, but it's way too much - just smiling and gazing into each other's eyes! I could see it in an New Era article on courting or marriage or something...couldn't you!?

My AMAZING younger sister

This is Marie...my gorgeous, talented, smart, INCREDIBLE, sweet-sixteen sister. (Isn't she beautiful!?!) Last night Josh and I were able to attend Jordan High School's annual Concerto Night. Marie was one of the nine students who was chosen to perform at this elite concert. Marie played a piano number and was backed up by a full orchestra. It was such a treat. Marie came out in a raspberry pink gown and just looked radiant. (I wish I had a better picture of her, than the one I have below!) She sat at the grand piano in the center of the stage and played a 10-minute (memorized) Mozart concerto. She is beautiful as she plays - she really gets into it and her whole body sways. I just watched her in awe. She has spent many months preparing for this big concert, and it certainly paid off! I am so proud and grateful to be her sister. She is such a wonderful example to me, in addition to being one of my very best friends.

Rekindling our Love

This past week has been really busy and a little stressful at times. Luckily, Josh and I finished the week off with a great date night on Friday. We had a yummy dinner of boneless pork loin (our absolute favorite cut of meat lately!), mashed potatoes, and steamed vegies. After buttering Josh up with a great meal, I convinced him to accompany me to the stake Valentine's Dance. He was a little hesitant, but it turned out to be a blast! We were taught the Fox Trot and Cha Cha, then set free to dance the night away. And that we did! No one else really danced at first, so Josh and I really stood out. People immediately circled around us, throwing roses and cash at our feet. Who knew Josh was the next Michael Jackson!?! I was in awe at all of his smooth moves. (He seriously is so much fun. He totally goes for it!) We left the dance after an hour and a half, and, of course, left the crowd wanting more. Afterwords we had the best dessert in the whole world. Seriously, Josh and I are crazy about it. It took soo much control to save some of it. We easily could've polished it all off! It's a mint ice cream dessert, recipe courtesy of renowned Chef Janine Clarke. Crumbly graham cracker crust + creamy chocolate ribbon + mint chocolate chunk ice cream + shaved milk chocolate on top = YUM. How could you go wrong with that combination!?