If you know me well, you know that I can cry at the drop of a hat. Happy movie, boom. Tears. Something sad happens in life, more tears. Someone gives me a cookie, floodgates open. Okay, I'm exaggerating on that last one, but you get the gist of it. When Brandon came home last weekend to help me pack up the house a bit, I knew that it was the start of an emotional nine days. Once we started taking the decorations off the wall, the house didn't quite feel like home anymore. I started crying, and I'm pretty sure I haven't stopped since. And thus the waterproof mascara days were born.
It has been relatively easy to not be sad about the whole move, because I just don't think about it and then I'm fine. And luckily, I have been busy enough with packing and running errands and social events that there hasn't been much time to think about it. But I'm starting to let myself think about it more and more, and I feel like I can justify being sad because I have been really good about keeping it together. But it sucks, I can't lie. And for some reason, during all these social things I have been doing, I find myself (multiple times) breathing in the reality that it's probably one of the last times I will be doing that specific thing. It's a bittersweet feeling, because I sit there smiling, realizing how lucky I am to have these people in my life, and then I just start crying because I don't want to leave them.
The whole process has been like slowly ripping off a Band-Aid. We found out six weeks ago that we would be moving, so I've had six weeks to slowly, very slowly, say goodbye to our life here. Even though Brandon had to leave earlier than I did, I envy the fact that he just got to leave. We had his last day of work, we packed him up, and then left the next day for Salt Lake. I have been saying goodbye to my coworkers, my family, and the house for a long time now, and I am honestly just ready for it to be over. I'm ready for one last, big cry, so that I can just start the grieving process and let the feeling of missing people slowly start to fade.
A few things.
-Last week a friend at work sent out an invite to the entire staff for a going away mourning/celebration on my behalf. So many people showed up, and it was one of those times that I just kept thinking about how lucky I was, and how much I am going to miss all my co-workers. They have taught me so much, and have helped shaped me into the "professional" (if I can even call myself that-because also I spelled professional wrong the first time I typed it) that I am in the school system.
-I said goodbye to two of my coworkers yesterday, and it was terrible. One just kept telling me not to cry, which almost made it worse, except he's a big, scary cop so I decided to listen to him.
-I finally got a girlfriend in Boise for a little bit, and said goodbye to her and her husband last night too. We had bachelor nights for the last few weeks, and are already planning to Skype as we watch it through the rest of the season.
Today is my last day working at Lewis and Clark, and I am so sincerely sad. The people here are some of the kindest, funniest, hardest working people I know, and I am so lucky to have had the chance to work with them. I can only hope that the next chapter of my life provides me with people who are as wonderful as the ones here.
Friday, January 29, 2016
Monday, January 11, 2016
On 2016 and moving to Utah
This post is two-fold: a combination of my goal(s) for this year and my thoughts on this new phase of our lives. Bear with me, as this post is probably going to get deep, and a lot little emotional.
We hadn't planned to go down to Salt Lake this last weekend (together, that is. Brandon was planning to move down on Sunday) until halfway through the week. On Wednesday last week I got a call about a job interview on Friday. On Thursday, the day we were leaving to drive down, they called and scheduled my interview earlier in the day. Then later, I got a call about another interview just a little after the original time of my first interview-it wouldn't have worked out had the first interview not been moved. Talk about good timing. So we drove down Thursday night, made it barely before the snow, and woke up early the next morning for my interviews. Brandon was the sweetest guy and drove me all around and hung out in the car while I was inside. The first interview was at 8:00, the second at 10:30, and then we had an appointment with a realtor at 12:30. We got a little lost, and at 12:30, we weren't at the meeting spot, but the phone rang, and I was offered a job at the first place I interviewed at (more on that later). I literally started crying when I hung up the phone because everything just seems to be falling into place with this whole move.
Brandon had applied for more than 300 jobs in Boise since the time we moved here, and was offered two of them. He applied for just one in Salt Lake, and it was offered to him. We put our house up for sale after only living in it for seven months, and it sold within a week. I interviewed for three jobs, and got the one I was most excited about. And the job is in the area we liked the most (even though it wasn't the most logical choice for Brandon's commute), so that allowed us to look for a house in an area we loved. We house hunted all day Friday and Saturday and were feeling so defeated, like nothing was going to work out. The very last home we saw was one we had forgotten about, even though when we originally looked at the listing, we were SO excited. Like, I texted Brandon in all caps and multiple exclamation points when I saw it for the first time. And it did not disappoint. We have a tendency when apartment/house hunting to sit down in the place we feel most comfortable. After twenty minutes of us sitting on the floor, I pointed this out to Brandon, and we went and put an offer on the home.
People keep asking how I am doing with this whole thing, and my answer is typically "if I don't think about it, then I'm fine." And that is true for the most part. When I start thinking about things, like how I won't get to hang out with my family whenever I want, and how much I am going to miss them, and our cute little house, and all the people I work with, I get sad. And then I cry. My goal this move is to shed as few tears as possible. I hate change. I love trying new things, but I hate situational changes. I don't cope well with them. I'm not sure where the issue spawned from, but every time a major change happens, I feel like I'm going to lose something. For example, every single time Brandon and I have moved, I feel like he won't be moving with me, like we won't be married anymore. I know it is a crazy thought to have, but it happens every time. When we were moving out of our first apartment, I cried every time I packed up a picture of us. This time, though, even though I'm saying I'm just not thinking about it, I mostly just feel a weird sense of calmness. Like something is telling me that it's not going to be easy, but that it's going to be okay.
I lived in Utah (Logan) for four and a half years before moving back to Boise, and for probably three and a half of those years I was severely depressed. It's not something I talk about a lot, because I hate to think about it, but it influenced my life in a lot of ways, both good and bad. My biggest hesitation with ever even considering moving to Salt Lake was that it would end up being very similar to my time in Logan (I was nervous about the negatives, obviously, not the positives). I think a lot of people were quick to jump on my back about not wanting to move back to Utah, because being from Utah or having lived so many years there, they loved it and couldn't see why someone wouldn't want to live there. No one needs to know every tiny detail of what made up the dark years, but I can tell you that it's hard to imagine living in a place that sucked every desire of being alive straight from my body.
People will say "good things happened too, focus on the good things!" Trust me, I've tried. I recognize the good things, I really do, but a mind molded by depression doesn't always work that way.
Luckily, Brandon's interview process was a long one, and that gave me plenty of time to come to terms with the fact that this was probably going to happen, and also to flip my attitude from nervousness about the move to excitement for Brandon. And I'm slowly getting to excitement for myself. The job opportunity itself is too great to turn down, but this is going to be a fun new chapter of our lives together, too. We will be in a new place with friends, finally, and I am so excited about it. I have felt a lot of peace knowing that on the hardest days I will have at least two friends I can turn to, two friends that helped me through the hardest days and that I know will love me unconditionally no matter what I feel.
I'm feeling extremely blessed to not be feeling the anxiety I thought I would experience. Like I said before, something is just telling me that it may not be easy, but that I'm going to be okay.
On our drive to the airport yesterday, I decided I wanted to make a sort of New Years resolution for 2016, but specifically for the move. I'm feeling all sorts of good about it right now, but I know there will be days where I miss every single thing about Boise and just want to lie down and be miserable. So my resolution/statement for the upcoming change is this: embrace the new with optimism. or at least try.
I was thinking about all the fun things we will get to do-Real games, hiking, Jazz games, Park City whenever we want, exploring different areas of Utah, and being closer to places we weren't able to go as often as we wanted as students-and I was thinking about how much I want to love all those things as much as my friends do. I formed my resolution knowing that sometimes, I won't want to enjoy Utah, because I'm stubborn and I hate change, but I at least have to try. A long time ago my dad went through some training thing at work and their mantra was "act enthusiastic and you'll be enthusiastic." It even came with a fun little dance to do while you said it. Brandon, if you read this, force me to do the stupid dance whenever I'm being stubborn.
I don't feel like I'm setting myself up for negativity every day. I actually am really excited for our new jobs, our new house, to be by friends, and for all the things we get to do (I am compiling a list already). But I'm writing this post now to remind myself that on those rare days when I'm not excited, it's okay to just try and be optimistic. Because leaving things behind is hard, and it's okay to be sad, but it's not okay to give up and write off all the opportunities that are placed in front of me.
All that being said, this move is not just about me, and I hope no one thinks that I think that just through reading this (here, on this blog where I write, and even though it is titled B&C, we all know that I'm the only one that writes and the opinions on here are solely my own). I am super excited for Brandon, who started his new position just a few hours ago. This job will allow so much room for him to grow, and hopefully it will challenge him on a daily basis. And I appreciate that throughout the interview process, he dissected the aspects of the job and the prospect of moving to make sure that it would be good for both of us and our marriage as a collective whole, and not just for his professional life. And I also appreciate that every time I cry about missing my family, he apologizes unnecessarily (and incessantly) and says that he is willing to drive or fly me back every weekend if that's what I want. He's the best husband, and I wouldn't trade him for anything.
If you are reading this last sentence, congratulations! You have officially made it through the most emotional post I've ever written. Also, sorry. Because sometimes emotional is not fun. But thanks for letting me have this little corner of the internet to shout my thoughts into. It's therapeutic.
And finally, I am constructing a Utah bucket list. If anyone has anything they think should be on the list, let me know!
We hadn't planned to go down to Salt Lake this last weekend (together, that is. Brandon was planning to move down on Sunday) until halfway through the week. On Wednesday last week I got a call about a job interview on Friday. On Thursday, the day we were leaving to drive down, they called and scheduled my interview earlier in the day. Then later, I got a call about another interview just a little after the original time of my first interview-it wouldn't have worked out had the first interview not been moved. Talk about good timing. So we drove down Thursday night, made it barely before the snow, and woke up early the next morning for my interviews. Brandon was the sweetest guy and drove me all around and hung out in the car while I was inside. The first interview was at 8:00, the second at 10:30, and then we had an appointment with a realtor at 12:30. We got a little lost, and at 12:30, we weren't at the meeting spot, but the phone rang, and I was offered a job at the first place I interviewed at (more on that later). I literally started crying when I hung up the phone because everything just seems to be falling into place with this whole move.
Brandon had applied for more than 300 jobs in Boise since the time we moved here, and was offered two of them. He applied for just one in Salt Lake, and it was offered to him. We put our house up for sale after only living in it for seven months, and it sold within a week. I interviewed for three jobs, and got the one I was most excited about. And the job is in the area we liked the most (even though it wasn't the most logical choice for Brandon's commute), so that allowed us to look for a house in an area we loved. We house hunted all day Friday and Saturday and were feeling so defeated, like nothing was going to work out. The very last home we saw was one we had forgotten about, even though when we originally looked at the listing, we were SO excited. Like, I texted Brandon in all caps and multiple exclamation points when I saw it for the first time. And it did not disappoint. We have a tendency when apartment/house hunting to sit down in the place we feel most comfortable. After twenty minutes of us sitting on the floor, I pointed this out to Brandon, and we went and put an offer on the home.
People keep asking how I am doing with this whole thing, and my answer is typically "if I don't think about it, then I'm fine." And that is true for the most part. When I start thinking about things, like how I won't get to hang out with my family whenever I want, and how much I am going to miss them, and our cute little house, and all the people I work with, I get sad. And then I cry. My goal this move is to shed as few tears as possible. I hate change. I love trying new things, but I hate situational changes. I don't cope well with them. I'm not sure where the issue spawned from, but every time a major change happens, I feel like I'm going to lose something. For example, every single time Brandon and I have moved, I feel like he won't be moving with me, like we won't be married anymore. I know it is a crazy thought to have, but it happens every time. When we were moving out of our first apartment, I cried every time I packed up a picture of us. This time, though, even though I'm saying I'm just not thinking about it, I mostly just feel a weird sense of calmness. Like something is telling me that it's not going to be easy, but that it's going to be okay.
I lived in Utah (Logan) for four and a half years before moving back to Boise, and for probably three and a half of those years I was severely depressed. It's not something I talk about a lot, because I hate to think about it, but it influenced my life in a lot of ways, both good and bad. My biggest hesitation with ever even considering moving to Salt Lake was that it would end up being very similar to my time in Logan (I was nervous about the negatives, obviously, not the positives). I think a lot of people were quick to jump on my back about not wanting to move back to Utah, because being from Utah or having lived so many years there, they loved it and couldn't see why someone wouldn't want to live there. No one needs to know every tiny detail of what made up the dark years, but I can tell you that it's hard to imagine living in a place that sucked every desire of being alive straight from my body.
People will say "good things happened too, focus on the good things!" Trust me, I've tried. I recognize the good things, I really do, but a mind molded by depression doesn't always work that way.
Luckily, Brandon's interview process was a long one, and that gave me plenty of time to come to terms with the fact that this was probably going to happen, and also to flip my attitude from nervousness about the move to excitement for Brandon. And I'm slowly getting to excitement for myself. The job opportunity itself is too great to turn down, but this is going to be a fun new chapter of our lives together, too. We will be in a new place with friends, finally, and I am so excited about it. I have felt a lot of peace knowing that on the hardest days I will have at least two friends I can turn to, two friends that helped me through the hardest days and that I know will love me unconditionally no matter what I feel.
I'm feeling extremely blessed to not be feeling the anxiety I thought I would experience. Like I said before, something is just telling me that it may not be easy, but that I'm going to be okay.
On our drive to the airport yesterday, I decided I wanted to make a sort of New Years resolution for 2016, but specifically for the move. I'm feeling all sorts of good about it right now, but I know there will be days where I miss every single thing about Boise and just want to lie down and be miserable. So my resolution/statement for the upcoming change is this: embrace the new with optimism. or at least try.
I was thinking about all the fun things we will get to do-Real games, hiking, Jazz games, Park City whenever we want, exploring different areas of Utah, and being closer to places we weren't able to go as often as we wanted as students-and I was thinking about how much I want to love all those things as much as my friends do. I formed my resolution knowing that sometimes, I won't want to enjoy Utah, because I'm stubborn and I hate change, but I at least have to try. A long time ago my dad went through some training thing at work and their mantra was "act enthusiastic and you'll be enthusiastic." It even came with a fun little dance to do while you said it. Brandon, if you read this, force me to do the stupid dance whenever I'm being stubborn.
I don't feel like I'm setting myself up for negativity every day. I actually am really excited for our new jobs, our new house, to be by friends, and for all the things we get to do (I am compiling a list already). But I'm writing this post now to remind myself that on those rare days when I'm not excited, it's okay to just try and be optimistic. Because leaving things behind is hard, and it's okay to be sad, but it's not okay to give up and write off all the opportunities that are placed in front of me.
All that being said, this move is not just about me, and I hope no one thinks that I think that just through reading this (here, on this blog where I write, and even though it is titled B&C, we all know that I'm the only one that writes and the opinions on here are solely my own). I am super excited for Brandon, who started his new position just a few hours ago. This job will allow so much room for him to grow, and hopefully it will challenge him on a daily basis. And I appreciate that throughout the interview process, he dissected the aspects of the job and the prospect of moving to make sure that it would be good for both of us and our marriage as a collective whole, and not just for his professional life. And I also appreciate that every time I cry about missing my family, he apologizes unnecessarily (and incessantly) and says that he is willing to drive or fly me back every weekend if that's what I want. He's the best husband, and I wouldn't trade him for anything.
If you are reading this last sentence, congratulations! You have officially made it through the most emotional post I've ever written. Also, sorry. Because sometimes emotional is not fun. But thanks for letting me have this little corner of the internet to shout my thoughts into. It's therapeutic.
And finally, I am constructing a Utah bucket list. If anyone has anything they think should be on the list, let me know!
Thursday, January 7, 2016
Paris!
Paris was an absolute dream! We ate so much delicious food, saw everything we could for the time we were there, and are already making plans dreaming of going back! I'm going to try not to write a novel about this trip, because I know I could, so forgive me if I write too much! If you don't want to read the entire thing, here is a shortened version:
Got to Paris a day late, ate lots of food, saw lots of things, took way too many pictures of the Eiffel Tower.
Trip stats:
Weather-great, low fifties, only rained when we were inside
Favorite part of Paris-the architecture
Favorite part of the trip-wandering Paris at night and in the morning before the city woke up
Favorite food-almond croissant and all the eclairs
How was the language-great, basically everyone spoke English, and I knew how to say bonjour, merci, and chocolat. So, the important things.
Was is safe-very! policemen everywhere
If you want more info, you will have to continue reading!
Saturday, Day 1.
The day after Christmas we slept in, ran to the store to get last minute things, finished packing, and then waited. I swear, it was like Christmas all over again, waiting to leave for the airport. Finally at 12:30, my parents picked us up to take us to the airport. We were afraid it would be busy, so we wanted to get there with plenty of time to check out suitcase and get our boarding passes. Flash forward to 1:10-we are through security and waiting at the gate. So we overestimated the number of people we thought would be there. We grabbed some lunch about thirty minutes before we were supposed to board, then got notice that our flight to Salt Lake had been delayed about thirty minutes. No big deal. Thirty minutes later, and our flight had been pushed back from 3:30 to 4:30. Our flight from Salt Lake to Paris was supposed to leave at 5:10, so at that point, we had would have missed our connection. Brandon got on the phone with Delta and reserved us two spots for a red-eye from SLC to JFK. Come 4:00, the flight had been delayed again, but this time they weren't sure when we would leave. We debated renting a car and driving down to Salt Lake to make that connection to JFK, but decided to wait and see if our flight ended up going out later.
It didn't.
Eventually, the flight was cancelled and we were put on standby for a 6:00 flight from Boise to Salt Lake, which would have still allowed us to make that connection to JFK. We made friends with a gentleman who lives in New York, and we got really excited about the idea of having a ten hour layover in the city. Not surprisingly, we didn't get on the 6:00 flight. So they put us on a flight out of Boise at 5:30 the next morning, and we left to go pick up our suitcase and go home to sleep. When we got to the Delta luggage claim, we were informed that our luggage had left with the 6:00 flight, and would go to JFK and then to Paris. It wasn't a big deal, because it was one less thing that we had to take home and bring back in just eleven short hours.
Sunday, Day 2.
3:30 Sunday morning, we are back at the airport after a short night's rest at home with the kitties. I was happy that our cancelled flight at least happened in Boise where we could go home to our own bed! Some lady in line at the ticket counter told me I was pretty-I told Brandon I thought she was on drugs because no one is pretty at 3:30 in the morning. We got our new boarding passes and got through security and made it onto the plane with no issues!! This flight took us to Minneapolis, where we had an eight hour layover. Once we got there, we left our carry-ons in a locker at the airport and took the subway to the Mall of America! It's huge! There is are roller coasters, a movie theater, restaurants, mini gold, and tons of shops. Like, multiple Game Stops and Victoria's Secrets, that's how big it is. It was a great way to get us out of the airport for a few hours. We walked around for about three hours, then went back to the airport to replan our days in Paris, since we were short a day now. The gate we were at had nice booths to sit in, so it didn't really feel like we were just sitting at the airport, which was nice. Finally, we boarded our flight to Paris! It was a long eight hours, and neither of us really slept, but we watched Midnight in Paris and got so excited for everything we were about to see!
Monday, Day 3.
After years on the airplane, we finally landed in Paris! We waited in line at customs for just over an hour, then went to the luggage counter to get our suitcase that should have arrived just three hours before us. Apparently, checked luggage is not allowed in the country until it's owners are there, so our luggage was still at JFK. Thankfully, we had packed almost everything in the two carry-ons we had with us, and the only things in the checked bag were our scarves, extra jackets, facewash, and my conditioner. They took down our contact info and said they would send the luggage as soon as it arrived!
We had a shuttle scheduled to pick us up the day before, so we had to find someone to call the shuttle service for us. We learned very quickly that most everyone in Paris spoke English (at least the people at the airport) and also that they were very friendly and eager to help. Our shuttle came to pick us up a short while later, and finally finally we were at the hotel! Hotels in Europe are smaller than they are here, so while the room wasn't overly impressive, the view most definitely was! If we stepped out onto our tiny balcony, we could see the Eiffel Tower!!!
-We hurried and freshened up, then went straight to the Louvre! It was amazingly huge. Because we were short on time, we went through and saw the big things in an hour. We saw the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, and the Winged Victory. I could have spent weeks in there studying all the art!
After the Louvre, we got some lunch. Brandon had an omlette, and I had a croquet went to the Pantheon. The Pantheon used to be a church, but now just serves as a sort of homage to those who are buried in its crypts (Voltaire, Victor Hugo, Marie Curie, Descartes, and Louis Braille). The Foucault pendulum swings in the Pantheon, which was an experiment done by Leon Foucault that demonstrates the rotation of the Earth. He hung the pendulum and it started swinging and hasn't stopped!
From there, we went to Notre Dame. We weren't able to go up to the belltower because the workers were on strike, but the cathedral itself was beautiful! While there, we ran into our friends Alyssa and Jake! It was great, because they didn't have easy wi-fi access like we did (we rented a hotspot for the week) so who knows if we would have been able to contact them! After catching up on the travel events, we walked over to Shakespeare and Company, where I bought a tiny book of Shakespeare's sonnets. Fitting, right? Afterward we went to Point Zero, the very center of Paris from which everything is measured. It is just a piece of metal in the ground, but still. Then we went to the 58th floor of the Montparnasse Tower and got a beautiful view of Paris lit up at night. While we were up there, we saw the Eiffel Tower glimmer for the first time! It was great! We found a cute little creperie down the street from Montparnasse and ducked in for some warmth and yummy food! I made a rule that we had to have at least one crepe and one dessert every day, and the crepe could not count as the dessert! It was the best rule I have ever made. Then we walked to the Eiffel Tower to see it lit up in the dark. It was beautiful! After a long 36 hours of traveling, we went back to the hotel and got a good nights rest!
Tuesday, Day 4.
We woke up bright and early to maximize our time in Paris! We went to Jake and Alyssa's hotel for breakfast, then stopped for an éclair before heading to Versailles. We waited in line outside the palace for about an hour and a half, but there was so much palace to look at just from our spot outside that it didn't get old even for a second! Versailles is grand, that is the best word I can use to describe it. Everything is huge and ornate-gold plated, painted, covered in drapes...I can't even describe it well enough to do it justice. The palace itself was amazing, but I still can't get over how expansive the grounds were! They cover almost 2,000 acres! The crazy thing is, that part of the grounds are just open to the public, so there was a guy canoeing on the water, people riding bikes through...and that is just life for them. It's just no big deal. It was the coolest place I have been in my whole life.
The line to buy subway tickets back to Versailles was incredibly long at the end of the day, so we wandered the streets and found a patisserie (got another éclair and some macarons!) and then we found a tapas bar. We got some cheese and bread and ate our desserts and it was magical! Also warm. It was chilly for most of the trip, so we layered up, but at this point we still didn't have our luggage with warm clothes, so we did the best we could! When we got back to Paris, we strolled around in the dark. We went to the love lock bridge, which doesn't have locks on it anymore, but there was a little lookout area with tons of locks on it still. We didn't seal our love with a lock, but we kissed there, so that counts, right?
We were hungry after that so we wandered until we found a café that was still open, and I got the most amazing crepe of my entire life (see pictures). It was seriously so good. Then, because it was almost midnight, we walked to St. Etienne, the church where Owen Wilson gets picked up in Midnight in Paris. Jake, Alyssa, and Brandon were troopers to walk through the cold with me just so I could sit on the church steps and wait for the car!!
When we got back to the hotel that night, we were hoping our checked suitcase would have arrived, but it hadn't. It was well past midnight, and I was telling Brandon how badly I wish it would show up, but he said it probably wouldn't because it was so late. Five minutes later, the phone in our room rang, and our suitcase had arrived!!! It was a post-Christmas miracle!
Wednesday, Day 5.
Brandon and I got up early and put on all the warm clothes we could (and I finally got to use all the bathroom products I had packed-yippee!) and headed toward the Eiffel Tower. The street our hotel was on was still fairly quiet, but there was a long line of people waiting to go to the top of the tower. We went all the way up to the very top and it was windy! It was crazy to see Paris from so high up; it just goes on and on forever! It was cool to see all the streets cutting through the buildings that are all relatively the same height. We took lots of pictures from up high. They definitely don't do it justice. We had some beignets and hot chocolate while we were up there, stood on the glass floor, and I think realization finally hit that we were actually in Paris!
After, we met up with Alyssa and Jake and took a river cruise on the Seine! I loved getting a different view of the city, and I will never get over how beautiful the buildings are. We stopped for a bite to eat (I got another croquet monsieur, I couldn't get enough of them!), then Brandon and I went to Saint Chappelle and saw the most beautiful stained glass windows I have ever seen! Each window depicted a different story from the bible. They have been restoring some of the windows; in the pictures you can see that the right side has been cleaned and restored while the left hasn't. Then we went to the Conciergerie, which used to be a prison. This is where Marie Antoinette was held prisoner during the French Revolution. We only got to see a very small portion of the Conciergerie, but it was very interesting!
From there, we went to the Catacombs, but they were full so we went the Arc de Triomphe and climbed up all 284 stairs to the top! The view from the top was neat, but the arch itself is incredible. The tomb of the unknown soldier is there, topped with the eternal flame. It was just a really neat experience.
We went and got pizza before heading to our two-hour bus tour around Paris. At some point, I kept falling asleep every time the guide started speaking French. I felt really bad, but it was the first time I had been warm all day and I was so tired! After the tour, we went straight to the hotel to sleep!
Thursday, Day 6.
Thursday morning was my favorite morning. We woke up while the sun was still rising and walked the quiet streets of Paris to L'orangerie. There was no one out, and the city was just peaceful and beautiful. We were able to go into the museum as soon as it opened and see eight of Monet's Les Nympheas (water lilies). They are beautiful. Totally worth waking up early for and standing in line out in the cold. The floor, walls, and ceilings are white, so the oil paintings stand out as the only color in the room. I could have stayed in there forever.
Brandon and I went to get tickets for the catacombs, but we had to return later, so we got some breakfast treats while we waited for Alyssa and Jake. We had this almond croissant that was amazing! We still think about it every day! Then we went to the Opera Garnier, but had to go back later for our tour, so then we went back to the catacombs and finally were able to go in! The catacombs were the weirdest, coolest thing I have ever seen in my whole life. There are approximately 6 million Parisians buried (I don't know that that is the right word, but whatever) in the catacombs. We went through a very small portion of the 200 miles of bones, but it was nuts to think that the tunnels just go on forever. We learned that before the catacombs had electricity and before they blocked off a majority of the tunnels to the public, one family got stuck down there for three days. There is a black line drawn on the ceiling in some parts that will lead you to the exit, but the family lost the black line and was stuck down there! So scary!!
We went back to the Opera Garnier, and were finally able to take a tour. It was beautiful!! The Phantom of the Opera is based in the opera house, and I can see why! It is beautiful and majestic, but there was almost a haunting feeling to it that makes you wonder what secrets it is holding. This article is really interesting in comparing the events in the novel to facts about the Opera Garnier. I'm obsessed with it. Alyssa and Jake left us for dinner in the Eiffel Tower, so Brandon and I took the subway to the Grand and Petit Palais. We couldn't go inside, but I had wanted to see them, so we went anyway. We then went out to Montmartre, saw the famous steps (didn't walk up them, too tired) and went into Sacre Couer. I know it's not right, but the interior of Sacre Couer sticks out more in my mind than the interior of Notre Dame. There is a dark picture of it amongst all 505 pictures of our trip. We weren't supposed to take a picture, but it was so grand and beautiful that we just had to.
For New Years Eve dinner, we found a little Italian café in Montmartre. One thing that blew my mind about the whole trip, was how pretty much everyone we talked to spoke English. A couple from the Netherlands sat next to us at dinner, and their common language with the waitress was English. I'm grateful that English is my first language, but I wish I knew more!
We went to Champs Elysees to see all the New Year's Eve madness, and ended up just people watching while we ate eclairs. Around 9:30, we took the subway back to our hotel (we thought it would be better to be safe in our hotel, just in case) and watched shows in bed until midnight, when we got up to watch the Eiffel Tower sparkle from our balcony. And also we shouted "Bonne annee" from the window. It was great! Definitely a New Years I will never forget.
Friday, Day 7.
We woke up early on Friday to have dinner with Alyssa and Jake, then took the subway to Disneyland! As lame as it sounds, I was most excited for Disneyland out of anything on the entire trip. Disneyland Paris has been on Brandon's bucket list for a while now, so it was fun to cross that off! It is mostly the same as Disneyland in California, just smaller, and their rides are a bit different. We went on Pirates, Haunted Mansion, Space Mountain: Mission 2, and Indiana Jones et le temple du peril. When we finished off everything we wanted to do in the Disneyland park, we went over to Walt Disney Studios and rode Ratatouille, Rockin' Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, and the backlot tour. We went back to Disneyland to do some shopping, had one last croquet monsieur, and got a crepe! We were super tired, and needed to finish packing, so we headed back to the hotel just before the park closed, and tried not to cry at the fact that we had to leave the next day.
Day 8 doesn't really matter. Our flights went well (no delays, no cancellations, and no lost luggage) and we got home all in one piece. I want to go back to Paris already! Every day I crave bread and eclairs and the French music. It was amazing, I recommend it to everyone!
To see a full collection of our photos from the trip, click here. Photos also available on Facebook.
Monday, December 14, 2015
This one's a biggie.
WE ARE NOT PREGNANT.
I thought I should get that out of the way before anyone makes false assumptions and gets more excited than they should. However, our news is still exciting!
Brandon has accepted a job in Salt Lake! He starts on January 11th, and is extremely excited for the opportunity! He will be doing data management, which maybe in itself doesn't sound super exciting, but he won't be working in customer service anymore, which is a really big deal!
My last day of work (tentatively) is January 29th, and then I will hopefully be able to go down to Salt Lake. I pushed my last day out a ways so we would have extra time that I could find a job, and also so that we can hopefully sell our house by then. It went on the market Thursday, and we have already had two people look at it, so we are feeling good about it so far!
We are sad to be leaving my family, Boise, and our house, and I am also sad about leaving my job, but we are excited for the adventure! And I am really happy that Brandon has found a job that seemed to fit his area of expertise and interest!
Once we find a place to live in Salt Lake (besides our temporary cardboard box in Pioneer Park with all the other homeless people), we'll have a housewarming party. Everyone's invited!
I thought I should get that out of the way before anyone makes false assumptions and gets more excited than they should. However, our news is still exciting!
Brandon has accepted a job in Salt Lake! He starts on January 11th, and is extremely excited for the opportunity! He will be doing data management, which maybe in itself doesn't sound super exciting, but he won't be working in customer service anymore, which is a really big deal!
My last day of work (tentatively) is January 29th, and then I will hopefully be able to go down to Salt Lake. I pushed my last day out a ways so we would have extra time that I could find a job, and also so that we can hopefully sell our house by then. It went on the market Thursday, and we have already had two people look at it, so we are feeling good about it so far!
We are sad to be leaving my family, Boise, and our house, and I am also sad about leaving my job, but we are excited for the adventure! And I am really happy that Brandon has found a job that seemed to fit his area of expertise and interest!
Once we find a place to live in Salt Lake (besides our temporary cardboard box in Pioneer Park with all the other homeless people), we'll have a housewarming party. Everyone's invited!
Monday, November 30, 2015
Boston
I know I have been saying this every time I post, but time is flying!! I can't believe November is over already and we are heading into December. I feel like the last month was fairly busy, but looking back, it really wasn't. Alyssa left the first weekend of the month, I got sick the second week, Brandon was out of town the third week, Thanksgiving break consumed all of last week, and here we are! To do a little catching up...
Boston.
Brandon had the opportunity to fly to Boston to meet his new manager. His company is headquartered in Boston-he and one other person on his team + a small engineering team work here remotely. We decided sort of spontaneously that it would be fun for me to fly out at the end of his week there and spend a few days exploring with him, and it exceeded my expectations! I was so happy that Brandon was able to get out and explore a little before I got there, walking to different restaurants in different parts of the city, but I was more happy that I was able to fully see the city with him!
I left work early on Friday to catch a flight out at 3:10. And of course, true to holiday travel, we took off 45 minutes late. The Phoenix airport, as it turns out, is the literal worst for catching connecting flights, and I missed the gates closing by seriously about thirty seconds. Thankfully, I had been texting Brandon up until my flight out of Boise took off, and he called and reserved me a seat on a flight out just after midnight. Had he not done that, I wouldn't have gotten out of Phoenix until 10:00 the following morning. The lady at the customer service desk called him the miracle husband, and I agree! I slept for most of my three hour flight to Philly, then had one last hour long flight to Boston. I got there at 9:30 am, and was finally able to see Brandon after a long week apart!
We started the day off right by heading to Fenway Park! Notre Dame and Boston had a football game there that day, so there were tons of people roaming around and tailgating. From there, we intended to walk east through Back Bay, but we accidentally walked west for about a mile and ended up in some random area of town! There is so much to see that we didn't even care, though. The area we had walked to was less populated with buildings, so we were able to see some of the famous New England color that was left on the trees. When we finally got to the Back Bay area, I was instantly in love. It was like the perfect blend of old and new. The first building we came across was the Boston Public Library-google pictures of it, I guarantee you will not be disappointed. The building itself is a compilation of Parisian, Roman, and Catalan architecture, complete with tall ceilings, statues of line, pillars, and murals that belong in a cathedral. I could have wandered around there for hours...it was amazing! Right across from the library is Trinity Church, old and beautiful. We didn't tour the inside, but the outside was so neat! It was crazy seeing so many buildings that were built so long ago!
Back Bay is mostly shopping, so we spent our time walking past shops and checking out the old buildings. The neighborhood spits you out at the Boston Common and Public Garden, which are both just a huge park filled with ponds, statues, and probably some pretty foliage during warmer months. We took our time walking through there, saying how often we would be there if we lived in Boston. Brandon actually said he would just live in the park, so if anyone needs Christmas ideas for him, maybe some hobo gloves and a cardboard box to live in or something. On the other side of the Common is Beacon Hill, a drinking neighborhood with a brick sidewalk problem (that was embroidered on a towel we saw in a shop there). All of Beacon Hill sits on a slope. Townhouses line the cobblestone streets, and at the base of the neighborhood, old shops are tucked tightly together. We want to live there, but we also could never afford it-Beacon Hill is the wealthiest neighborhood in Boston.
After exploring those areas, we took the subway out to Harvard and walked around campus. Those buildings are old. It is weird to even think that buildings could be standing for as long as those ones have been. We couldn't go into any of them, because it was a Saturday and they all were closed, but it was still neat to just walk around and see them all. We wandered around Cambridge for a while too. There were lots of restaurants and shops and tons of young people. It was refreshing to be around so many people our age.
It got dark around 4:45, and we both were dead tired from not sleeping the night before, so we went back to the hotel and napped for a couple hours before heading back out. We went to Boston Burger Co. for dinner. I had a Hawaiian burger, and Brandon had the 420 Burger (no joke). It had fried macaroni, mozzarella sticks, and onion rings on it. After dinner we walked to Quincy Market at Faneuil Hall. Faneuil Hall is like a mall food court (just in a super old, neat building), and there are carts you can shop around at. They'd had a tree lighting just before we got there, so there were tons of people. I still can't wrap my head around how many people live in Boston-it's not that big of a city for how many people are there! From there, we slowly made our way back to the hotel. We wandered through downtown, went to the pier, saw the headquarters for Brandon's work, and walked around the outside of the Boston World Trade Center.
Boston feels like it should be huge for how many buildings and people there are, but it really isn't all that big. It is super walkable, probably because there is so much to see, but we had no problem walking all over the place. It was really fun, actually, and thankfully, not too cold!
On Sunday, we walked from our hotel to the Boston Tea Party museum and saw some tea being thrown overboard! I did a big project in fifth grade on the Boston Tea Party, so I am a little obsessed with it. I don't know why, I just am. After that (and breakfast) we took a Duck tour. The Duck is from WWII, equal parts automobile and boat. The first half of the tour, the guide drove us around various parts of Boston, pointing out historic places and teaching us all sorts of things! Our favorite facts were these: Boston has 56 colleges/universities, and the term "Ivy League" comes from the four (IV in Roman Numerals) universities that the league was originally comprised of. The second half of the tour took us out on the Charles (Chahles, if you are a Bostonian) River and we got to see some really pretty views of the city.
After the Duck tour, we walked the Freedom Trail. It is a 2.5 mile walking tour of historic points in Boston. We saw a few old churches, visited the cemetery where Sam Adams is buried, saw the building from which they read the Declaration, saw Paul Revere's house, and walked all the way up to the top of Bunker Hill Monument! 294 steps all the way to the top. It was a neat experience though. And super emotional too, to think about all the things that were sacrificed and created and dreamt about by the people who made our country a reality. I almost cried like five times haha.
That night we went to dinner at Elephant and Castle, Brandon's favorite pub in Boston. After, we met one of sorority sisters at the Omni Parker Hotel and had Boston Cream Pie! It was the best thing I have ever had. And it was super fun to see Heidi and catch up on her life in Boston-it made us want to move there even more! Afterward, we hurried back to the hotel to pack, then took the subway back out to Fenway Park to meet one of Brandon's co-workers. We waited for a while, and they never showed up, so we went back to the hotel early. I was bummed that we didn't get to meet up with his coworker, but it was still fun exploring a different part of the city!
I was sad to leave the next day-it was too short of a weekend! But we made it onto all our flights with no issues, and made it home all in one piece. Quick note on the subway-it was THE BEST THING EVER. I was always worried that I couldn't hack the subway system, but it was amazing. Super easy to use, extremely convenient to get to, and fast! We paid $19 a piece for a ticket, which covered a full week (versus $12 per day) so Brandon used his the whole time he was there, and mine was good for the 2.5 days I was there. I wish every city had a subway system.
To summarize a long post: Fifty points to Boston. You made my whole year.
Side note: Many people have asked if we are still going to Paris. After much consideration (and changing our minds once or twice) we are still going!
Boston.
Brandon had the opportunity to fly to Boston to meet his new manager. His company is headquartered in Boston-he and one other person on his team + a small engineering team work here remotely. We decided sort of spontaneously that it would be fun for me to fly out at the end of his week there and spend a few days exploring with him, and it exceeded my expectations! I was so happy that Brandon was able to get out and explore a little before I got there, walking to different restaurants in different parts of the city, but I was more happy that I was able to fully see the city with him!
I left work early on Friday to catch a flight out at 3:10. And of course, true to holiday travel, we took off 45 minutes late. The Phoenix airport, as it turns out, is the literal worst for catching connecting flights, and I missed the gates closing by seriously about thirty seconds. Thankfully, I had been texting Brandon up until my flight out of Boise took off, and he called and reserved me a seat on a flight out just after midnight. Had he not done that, I wouldn't have gotten out of Phoenix until 10:00 the following morning. The lady at the customer service desk called him the miracle husband, and I agree! I slept for most of my three hour flight to Philly, then had one last hour long flight to Boston. I got there at 9:30 am, and was finally able to see Brandon after a long week apart!
We started the day off right by heading to Fenway Park! Notre Dame and Boston had a football game there that day, so there were tons of people roaming around and tailgating. From there, we intended to walk east through Back Bay, but we accidentally walked west for about a mile and ended up in some random area of town! There is so much to see that we didn't even care, though. The area we had walked to was less populated with buildings, so we were able to see some of the famous New England color that was left on the trees. When we finally got to the Back Bay area, I was instantly in love. It was like the perfect blend of old and new. The first building we came across was the Boston Public Library-google pictures of it, I guarantee you will not be disappointed. The building itself is a compilation of Parisian, Roman, and Catalan architecture, complete with tall ceilings, statues of line, pillars, and murals that belong in a cathedral. I could have wandered around there for hours...it was amazing! Right across from the library is Trinity Church, old and beautiful. We didn't tour the inside, but the outside was so neat! It was crazy seeing so many buildings that were built so long ago!
Back Bay is mostly shopping, so we spent our time walking past shops and checking out the old buildings. The neighborhood spits you out at the Boston Common and Public Garden, which are both just a huge park filled with ponds, statues, and probably some pretty foliage during warmer months. We took our time walking through there, saying how often we would be there if we lived in Boston. Brandon actually said he would just live in the park, so if anyone needs Christmas ideas for him, maybe some hobo gloves and a cardboard box to live in or something. On the other side of the Common is Beacon Hill, a drinking neighborhood with a brick sidewalk problem (that was embroidered on a towel we saw in a shop there). All of Beacon Hill sits on a slope. Townhouses line the cobblestone streets, and at the base of the neighborhood, old shops are tucked tightly together. We want to live there, but we also could never afford it-Beacon Hill is the wealthiest neighborhood in Boston.
After exploring those areas, we took the subway out to Harvard and walked around campus. Those buildings are old. It is weird to even think that buildings could be standing for as long as those ones have been. We couldn't go into any of them, because it was a Saturday and they all were closed, but it was still neat to just walk around and see them all. We wandered around Cambridge for a while too. There were lots of restaurants and shops and tons of young people. It was refreshing to be around so many people our age.
It got dark around 4:45, and we both were dead tired from not sleeping the night before, so we went back to the hotel and napped for a couple hours before heading back out. We went to Boston Burger Co. for dinner. I had a Hawaiian burger, and Brandon had the 420 Burger (no joke). It had fried macaroni, mozzarella sticks, and onion rings on it. After dinner we walked to Quincy Market at Faneuil Hall. Faneuil Hall is like a mall food court (just in a super old, neat building), and there are carts you can shop around at. They'd had a tree lighting just before we got there, so there were tons of people. I still can't wrap my head around how many people live in Boston-it's not that big of a city for how many people are there! From there, we slowly made our way back to the hotel. We wandered through downtown, went to the pier, saw the headquarters for Brandon's work, and walked around the outside of the Boston World Trade Center.
Boston feels like it should be huge for how many buildings and people there are, but it really isn't all that big. It is super walkable, probably because there is so much to see, but we had no problem walking all over the place. It was really fun, actually, and thankfully, not too cold!
On Sunday, we walked from our hotel to the Boston Tea Party museum and saw some tea being thrown overboard! I did a big project in fifth grade on the Boston Tea Party, so I am a little obsessed with it. I don't know why, I just am. After that (and breakfast) we took a Duck tour. The Duck is from WWII, equal parts automobile and boat. The first half of the tour, the guide drove us around various parts of Boston, pointing out historic places and teaching us all sorts of things! Our favorite facts were these: Boston has 56 colleges/universities, and the term "Ivy League" comes from the four (IV in Roman Numerals) universities that the league was originally comprised of. The second half of the tour took us out on the Charles (Chahles, if you are a Bostonian) River and we got to see some really pretty views of the city.
After the Duck tour, we walked the Freedom Trail. It is a 2.5 mile walking tour of historic points in Boston. We saw a few old churches, visited the cemetery where Sam Adams is buried, saw the building from which they read the Declaration, saw Paul Revere's house, and walked all the way up to the top of Bunker Hill Monument! 294 steps all the way to the top. It was a neat experience though. And super emotional too, to think about all the things that were sacrificed and created and dreamt about by the people who made our country a reality. I almost cried like five times haha.
That night we went to dinner at Elephant and Castle, Brandon's favorite pub in Boston. After, we met one of sorority sisters at the Omni Parker Hotel and had Boston Cream Pie! It was the best thing I have ever had. And it was super fun to see Heidi and catch up on her life in Boston-it made us want to move there even more! Afterward, we hurried back to the hotel to pack, then took the subway back out to Fenway Park to meet one of Brandon's co-workers. We waited for a while, and they never showed up, so we went back to the hotel early. I was bummed that we didn't get to meet up with his coworker, but it was still fun exploring a different part of the city!
I was sad to leave the next day-it was too short of a weekend! But we made it onto all our flights with no issues, and made it home all in one piece. Quick note on the subway-it was THE BEST THING EVER. I was always worried that I couldn't hack the subway system, but it was amazing. Super easy to use, extremely convenient to get to, and fast! We paid $19 a piece for a ticket, which covered a full week (versus $12 per day) so Brandon used his the whole time he was there, and mine was good for the 2.5 days I was there. I wish every city had a subway system.
To summarize a long post: Fifty points to Boston. You made my whole year.
Side note: Many people have asked if we are still going to Paris. After much consideration (and changing our minds once or twice) we are still going!
Wednesday, November 4, 2015
Fall.
So September is over. And somehow, October flew by as well. Isn't it crazy how you can feel like you aren't doing much at all, but the days seem to go by in a blur?
Not too many things have happened, but the few things that have happened are very exciting!
At the beginning of October, my cousin came to live with us! She is completing her pediatric rotation for PA school here, and it has been a blast having her live with us! We have spent our time catching up, playing Mario Kart, and drinking Stephen's hot cocoa like the good old days. The only downside is that this is her last week. Five weeks have passed already and we have no idea where they went. I'm so sad that she is leaving!! We haven't lived this close to each other for a really long time, but I am so grateful that she had even just one rotation here so we could spend time together!
Brandon got invited to Boston for a week to meet his new manager and do some work from EnerNoc's office there. He will be going for a week at the end of this month, and I am planning to fly out at the end of his week so we can spend a few days there together! We have been looking at all the things there are to do in Boston, and I am weirdly excited to see all the historic things. There are also some really neat looking neighborhoods in Boston that I am looking forward to walking through. It's not fun to be home by myself for so many days, but we are both super excited to end the week there together!
We got gym memberships. It's not super exciting, but we have been really good at going at least three times a week, and it makes me feel productive!
The weekend before Halloween, I gathered the masses and we had a family trip to the corn maze! I was super surprised that everyone's schedules worked out so well, but literally all of us were able to go; Brandon and me, Alyssa and her friend that was visiting, Anthony and Dani, Adrian and Ayden, and my parents. It was so much fun! We split up in the corn maze and had a race to be the first group out, walked through the pumpkin patch to pick out our own pumpkins, raced down the potato sack slide, then ate Taco Bell and carved our pumpkins together. I wish I had pictures to put up, I was so impressed with Anthony and Brandon's pumpkins!
A few weekends before that, we invited everyone to our house to make caramel apples. They didn't turn out perfectly, but they were still tasty, and it was fun to have everyone together trying something new. And it's magical having a house that has room to actually do these things in!!
Friday morning last week I woke up at 4:55 to buy tickets for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, a play that is opening at the Palace Theatre in London next summer. When the clock changed to 5:00 (11:00 am London time) we were rolled into an online queue for the tickets. We started out at something like 17,652nd in line. I thought for sure it would take hours and hours to get through the line to be able to buy our tickets, but thankfully it only took an hour, so we were able to get our tickets before I had to leave for work. Tickets were basically sold out through the end of November, so we purchased them for December 27th, 2016. It's so far away that we don't know if we will actually be able to go, but if by some miracle we are, then we have tickets!!
Like I said, not a ton of things happen, but we have had a really good time these last few weeks. I can't believe that we are already rolling into the Christmas season. It makes me insanely happy, but I am always amazed at how fast time seems to go. It seems like there are always checkpoints that somehow make the time pass faster. Next week I have Veteran's Day off, then the following week Brandon will be in Boston, then the week after that is Thanksgiving, then three weeks left of school, Christmas Break, and then Paris...it's going to be June before we know it!
Not too many things have happened, but the few things that have happened are very exciting!
At the beginning of October, my cousin came to live with us! She is completing her pediatric rotation for PA school here, and it has been a blast having her live with us! We have spent our time catching up, playing Mario Kart, and drinking Stephen's hot cocoa like the good old days. The only downside is that this is her last week. Five weeks have passed already and we have no idea where they went. I'm so sad that she is leaving!! We haven't lived this close to each other for a really long time, but I am so grateful that she had even just one rotation here so we could spend time together!
Brandon got invited to Boston for a week to meet his new manager and do some work from EnerNoc's office there. He will be going for a week at the end of this month, and I am planning to fly out at the end of his week so we can spend a few days there together! We have been looking at all the things there are to do in Boston, and I am weirdly excited to see all the historic things. There are also some really neat looking neighborhoods in Boston that I am looking forward to walking through. It's not fun to be home by myself for so many days, but we are both super excited to end the week there together!
We got gym memberships. It's not super exciting, but we have been really good at going at least three times a week, and it makes me feel productive!
The weekend before Halloween, I gathered the masses and we had a family trip to the corn maze! I was super surprised that everyone's schedules worked out so well, but literally all of us were able to go; Brandon and me, Alyssa and her friend that was visiting, Anthony and Dani, Adrian and Ayden, and my parents. It was so much fun! We split up in the corn maze and had a race to be the first group out, walked through the pumpkin patch to pick out our own pumpkins, raced down the potato sack slide, then ate Taco Bell and carved our pumpkins together. I wish I had pictures to put up, I was so impressed with Anthony and Brandon's pumpkins!
A few weekends before that, we invited everyone to our house to make caramel apples. They didn't turn out perfectly, but they were still tasty, and it was fun to have everyone together trying something new. And it's magical having a house that has room to actually do these things in!!
Friday morning last week I woke up at 4:55 to buy tickets for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, a play that is opening at the Palace Theatre in London next summer. When the clock changed to 5:00 (11:00 am London time) we were rolled into an online queue for the tickets. We started out at something like 17,652nd in line. I thought for sure it would take hours and hours to get through the line to be able to buy our tickets, but thankfully it only took an hour, so we were able to get our tickets before I had to leave for work. Tickets were basically sold out through the end of November, so we purchased them for December 27th, 2016. It's so far away that we don't know if we will actually be able to go, but if by some miracle we are, then we have tickets!!
Like I said, not a ton of things happen, but we have had a really good time these last few weeks. I can't believe that we are already rolling into the Christmas season. It makes me insanely happy, but I am always amazed at how fast time seems to go. It seems like there are always checkpoints that somehow make the time pass faster. Next week I have Veteran's Day off, then the following week Brandon will be in Boston, then the week after that is Thanksgiving, then three weeks left of school, Christmas Break, and then Paris...it's going to be June before we know it!
Wednesday, September 2, 2015
September?!
I can't believe it is September already! Summer flew by in a fury. I'm already regretting not eating enough sno cone and spending too little time at the pool.
Brandon and I were both busy working this summer; him, getting acquainted with EnerNoc some more, and me, working at the high school summer sessions. Brandon's family came for a weekend at the beginning of the summer and we had the best time! We ate lots of food, hung out downtown, played games, and the guys were even kind enough to pour an extension of our patio! My favorite part was when we split up, and the guys went to the Harley shop, and us girls got pedicures. That night we went to a baseball game too!
The following weekend we took Friday off and went to Utah so I could go to the bachelorette party of one of my best friends! We drove down to Logan on Thursday, then Brandon and I spent the day in Salt Lake on Friday shopping and seeing friends. That evening, I dropped him off with a friend and drove to Park City to celebrate with Chelsea. It was nice to see her and spend time with her, celebrating the death of her life as an unmarried lady. We played games, ate pizza, and gossiped. All the best girl things. I left around noon that Saturday to go back to Logan. We had a barbecue that night with Brandon's family, and played games with Jake and Alyssa.
The weekend after that was the 4th of July and I was so happy to be in Boise for it! We spent most of the weekend with Adrian, since he had just gotten foot surgery and was bored of being at home. On the actual 4th, we went to the Farmer's Market to get crepes, watched the parade-where Anthony and Dani met up with us, and then went to the Chalk Art Festival. Then we all went back to our house for a barbecue and just rested for a while inside away from the heat. Poor Adrian was on crutches and had been sweating up a storm all morning! That night we headed back downtown and found a good place to watch the fireworks that didn't require much walking to get to. Afterwards, we lit off a few small fireworks at my parents house, then called it a night.
The next weekend was Chelsea's wedding! Brandon and I drove to Idaho Falls Friday night, had breakfast with my grandma, aunt, and cousin Saturday morning, then went to lunch with my other grandma! It was so nice to have some quality time with the family! That afternoon we drove to Wyoming for the wedding. Chelsea was seriously the most beautiful bride. I loved watching the way her and Sam looked at each other, and am dang grateful that she found such a great guy to spend the rest of her life with. Alycia and I were both crying through the whole ceremony because we're suckers for love. We stayed for dinner and dancing afterward. Brandon was kind of third-wheeling it the whole time, but I appreciate him making sacrifices so I can have time with my friends!
Apparently the weekend after that we were in Boise. I have been chatting with Brandon trying to figure out where we that weekend, and neither of us could remember, but it's because we hardly had a weekend at home all summer that it's weird to think that we were anywhere but Idaho Falls or Logan. I don't remember what all we did, but I do know that we had ice cream on National Ice Cream day, which obviously is the most important. We probably slept a lot, stayed in from the 100+ degree weather, and ate, like we do. UPDATE: We went to a wedding open house for one of my friends! I was so excited that these two were finally getting married so we could have some married friends (or just friends in general) in Boise, but the day of the open house, we found out that they had moved to Utah!! Still excited for them, just a little upset that they moved without telling us haha.
The weekend of the 24th of July, we went back down to Logan. I had convinced Alycia to go see Cassadee Pope with me for an hour that Sunday. The 24th of July, is a big deal in Utah, so Brandon and I drove down that Thursday night, and he took Friday off so we could go to the parades and fair events celebrating the 24th. We got to hang out with Austin and Caroline for most of the day Friday, then went to the fireworks that night with Alyssa and Jake. On Saturday, we did all the French things with Alyssa and Jake, including crepes, seeing the opera La Boheme, and planning our trip to Paris. More on that later. On Sunday, Brandon drove me to Salt Lake to meet up with Alycia, and he went to a movie and a park while she and I went to the concert. It was amazing to be able to see her perform exactly a year after I had seen her live and met her for the first time. The best part was meeting her (again) after she performed. I think Alycia about died when she told us that we were pretty haha. I'm such a crazy fan, but I don't even care. I love her. Brandon and I got back to Boise at about midnight that night, but it was so worth it.
That week was filled with many mentionable events! Firstly, I had the whole week off, which was super nice. My favorite thing that week was when we went on a quadruple date with my family to see the new Vacation movie. The Vacation movies, specifically Christmas Vacation, is a huge deal in our family, so it was fun that we all got to go see the new one together. My parents, Brandon and me, Anthony and Dani, and Adrian and his new girlfriend (who I LOVE) all went together and laughed our heads off. It was so fun. Brandon and I got our pictures taken that week for our anniversary, and I am in love with them. See the pictures here.
The last weekend/first day of August, Alycia came to Boise so we could go to the Mountain Home Country Music Festival. We drove back and forth from Boise to the concert Friday, Saturday, and Sunday that weekend, which meant a lot of driving, but also a ton of good talks and much needed time together. We saw Frankie Ballard, Lonestar, Parmalee, Justin Moore, Sara Evans, Brad Paisley, and Blake Shelton! Saturday after Blake Shelton, they turned one of the dance into a giant dance party, so we stayed for that and didn't get home until almost four in the morning! The whole weekend was a blast; so much food and dancing and great music. She had to leave on Sunday before Florida Georgia Line performed, so Brandon met us outside the gates, I swapped cars, and he and I went back in to finish off the night. I love FGL, so I was happy that Brandon was willing to drive the whole way to see them with me!
The weekend of August 8th, we drove to Idaho Falls with my parents to go to my cousin Abby's wedding. It was so great to see her and finally officially meet her now husband! It was a beautiful backyard wedding; you could just feel all the love from everyone that attended. My cousin Ethan turned 21 that day, so before the wedding we met up with family for lunch and cake to celebrate. That night, his band was playing in a show at The Sickhouse (I'm not even kidding, that's what it was called) and my dad suggested that we all go to the show. The opening bands were full-on screamo, not my thing, but Ethan's band was so good! I'm glad we all went!
That second week in August, we had two family members get home from their missions: Brandon's brother, Shawn, and my cousin Tyler. That Friday, we drove to Sun Valley to join Brandon's family vacation for a night, and had a great time playing games, eating, and exploring Sun Valley a bit. We left Saturday afternoon to drive to Idaho Falls, where we went straight to a welcome home dinner for Tyler. Anthony and Dani were there too, so we had some good cousin time with both Dylan and Tyler, most of which was spent at Hobby Lobby and Best Buy. We went to the mission homecoming at the church the next day, then Brandon and I went home right after so we could relax a little after being gone so often.
The weekend after that we went to Logan for Shawn's homecoming. On Saturday, I met Chelsea for lunch and a reminiscent walk around campus, while Brandon went for a long motorcycle ride with James. We had pizza that night with his family, and then went to aggie ice cream and played games with Alyssa and Jake that night. Sunday we went to Herm's with Alyssa and Jake (per tradition), went to the mission homecoming, and then stayed for the luncheon afterward.
As much as I have sort of disliked being gone every single weekend this summer, it has been fun to spend so much time with Brandon's family and all our friends. We will have many more trips planned out of town over the next two months, including Taylor Swift in Salt Lake on Friday and spending the rest of Labor Day weekend in Logan. I'm not going to lie though, I'm super excited for the opportunity to spend more time in our house just hanging out with each other.
So Paris. Back in March or April or something, Jake and Alyssa started talking about going to Paris for New Years. We all kind of toyed with the idea for a while, and then they booked their trip! We really wanted to go, but our finances were kind of all over the place after buying the house. Finally after two months of getting back on track and saving a bit, we decided to just book it anyway! Brandon and I will be in a different hotel about a half mile away from theirs, but I'm going to use the misfortune as an opportunity to eat at a different bakery every day between our hotel and theirs. We both are a little nervous, as Brandon has never been off the continent, and the last time for me was with a tour group wherein I was not the adult. But it will be fine! I told Brandon the other day that I feel like Alyssa is the adult that will navigate us all through this, so we are in good hands (Alyssa, don't let me down!).
I started my new position as registrar a month ago, and so far it has been great! I love being able to interact more with the students, staff, and even parents! It's fun to have different things to do every day and see aspects of the school that I didn't see last year.
I know this was a long post, so thanks for hanging in there.
Brandon and I were both busy working this summer; him, getting acquainted with EnerNoc some more, and me, working at the high school summer sessions. Brandon's family came for a weekend at the beginning of the summer and we had the best time! We ate lots of food, hung out downtown, played games, and the guys were even kind enough to pour an extension of our patio! My favorite part was when we split up, and the guys went to the Harley shop, and us girls got pedicures. That night we went to a baseball game too!
The following weekend we took Friday off and went to Utah so I could go to the bachelorette party of one of my best friends! We drove down to Logan on Thursday, then Brandon and I spent the day in Salt Lake on Friday shopping and seeing friends. That evening, I dropped him off with a friend and drove to Park City to celebrate with Chelsea. It was nice to see her and spend time with her, celebrating the death of her life as an unmarried lady. We played games, ate pizza, and gossiped. All the best girl things. I left around noon that Saturday to go back to Logan. We had a barbecue that night with Brandon's family, and played games with Jake and Alyssa.
The weekend after that was the 4th of July and I was so happy to be in Boise for it! We spent most of the weekend with Adrian, since he had just gotten foot surgery and was bored of being at home. On the actual 4th, we went to the Farmer's Market to get crepes, watched the parade-where Anthony and Dani met up with us, and then went to the Chalk Art Festival. Then we all went back to our house for a barbecue and just rested for a while inside away from the heat. Poor Adrian was on crutches and had been sweating up a storm all morning! That night we headed back downtown and found a good place to watch the fireworks that didn't require much walking to get to. Afterwards, we lit off a few small fireworks at my parents house, then called it a night.
The next weekend was Chelsea's wedding! Brandon and I drove to Idaho Falls Friday night, had breakfast with my grandma, aunt, and cousin Saturday morning, then went to lunch with my other grandma! It was so nice to have some quality time with the family! That afternoon we drove to Wyoming for the wedding. Chelsea was seriously the most beautiful bride. I loved watching the way her and Sam looked at each other, and am dang grateful that she found such a great guy to spend the rest of her life with. Alycia and I were both crying through the whole ceremony because we're suckers for love. We stayed for dinner and dancing afterward. Brandon was kind of third-wheeling it the whole time, but I appreciate him making sacrifices so I can have time with my friends!
Apparently the weekend after that we were in Boise. I have been chatting with Brandon trying to figure out where we that weekend, and neither of us could remember, but it's because we hardly had a weekend at home all summer that it's weird to think that we were anywhere but Idaho Falls or Logan. I don't remember what all we did, but I do know that we had ice cream on National Ice Cream day, which obviously is the most important. We probably slept a lot, stayed in from the 100+ degree weather, and ate, like we do. UPDATE: We went to a wedding open house for one of my friends! I was so excited that these two were finally getting married so we could have some married friends (or just friends in general) in Boise, but the day of the open house, we found out that they had moved to Utah!! Still excited for them, just a little upset that they moved without telling us haha.
The weekend of the 24th of July, we went back down to Logan. I had convinced Alycia to go see Cassadee Pope with me for an hour that Sunday. The 24th of July, is a big deal in Utah, so Brandon and I drove down that Thursday night, and he took Friday off so we could go to the parades and fair events celebrating the 24th. We got to hang out with Austin and Caroline for most of the day Friday, then went to the fireworks that night with Alyssa and Jake. On Saturday, we did all the French things with Alyssa and Jake, including crepes, seeing the opera La Boheme, and planning our trip to Paris. More on that later. On Sunday, Brandon drove me to Salt Lake to meet up with Alycia, and he went to a movie and a park while she and I went to the concert. It was amazing to be able to see her perform exactly a year after I had seen her live and met her for the first time. The best part was meeting her (again) after she performed. I think Alycia about died when she told us that we were pretty haha. I'm such a crazy fan, but I don't even care. I love her. Brandon and I got back to Boise at about midnight that night, but it was so worth it.
That week was filled with many mentionable events! Firstly, I had the whole week off, which was super nice. My favorite thing that week was when we went on a quadruple date with my family to see the new Vacation movie. The Vacation movies, specifically Christmas Vacation, is a huge deal in our family, so it was fun that we all got to go see the new one together. My parents, Brandon and me, Anthony and Dani, and Adrian and his new girlfriend (who I LOVE) all went together and laughed our heads off. It was so fun. Brandon and I got our pictures taken that week for our anniversary, and I am in love with them. See the pictures here.
The last weekend/first day of August, Alycia came to Boise so we could go to the Mountain Home Country Music Festival. We drove back and forth from Boise to the concert Friday, Saturday, and Sunday that weekend, which meant a lot of driving, but also a ton of good talks and much needed time together. We saw Frankie Ballard, Lonestar, Parmalee, Justin Moore, Sara Evans, Brad Paisley, and Blake Shelton! Saturday after Blake Shelton, they turned one of the dance into a giant dance party, so we stayed for that and didn't get home until almost four in the morning! The whole weekend was a blast; so much food and dancing and great music. She had to leave on Sunday before Florida Georgia Line performed, so Brandon met us outside the gates, I swapped cars, and he and I went back in to finish off the night. I love FGL, so I was happy that Brandon was willing to drive the whole way to see them with me!
The weekend of August 8th, we drove to Idaho Falls with my parents to go to my cousin Abby's wedding. It was so great to see her and finally officially meet her now husband! It was a beautiful backyard wedding; you could just feel all the love from everyone that attended. My cousin Ethan turned 21 that day, so before the wedding we met up with family for lunch and cake to celebrate. That night, his band was playing in a show at The Sickhouse (I'm not even kidding, that's what it was called) and my dad suggested that we all go to the show. The opening bands were full-on screamo, not my thing, but Ethan's band was so good! I'm glad we all went!
That second week in August, we had two family members get home from their missions: Brandon's brother, Shawn, and my cousin Tyler. That Friday, we drove to Sun Valley to join Brandon's family vacation for a night, and had a great time playing games, eating, and exploring Sun Valley a bit. We left Saturday afternoon to drive to Idaho Falls, where we went straight to a welcome home dinner for Tyler. Anthony and Dani were there too, so we had some good cousin time with both Dylan and Tyler, most of which was spent at Hobby Lobby and Best Buy. We went to the mission homecoming at the church the next day, then Brandon and I went home right after so we could relax a little after being gone so often.
The weekend after that we went to Logan for Shawn's homecoming. On Saturday, I met Chelsea for lunch and a reminiscent walk around campus, while Brandon went for a long motorcycle ride with James. We had pizza that night with his family, and then went to aggie ice cream and played games with Alyssa and Jake that night. Sunday we went to Herm's with Alyssa and Jake (per tradition), went to the mission homecoming, and then stayed for the luncheon afterward.
As much as I have sort of disliked being gone every single weekend this summer, it has been fun to spend so much time with Brandon's family and all our friends. We will have many more trips planned out of town over the next two months, including Taylor Swift in Salt Lake on Friday and spending the rest of Labor Day weekend in Logan. I'm not going to lie though, I'm super excited for the opportunity to spend more time in our house just hanging out with each other.
So Paris. Back in March or April or something, Jake and Alyssa started talking about going to Paris for New Years. We all kind of toyed with the idea for a while, and then they booked their trip! We really wanted to go, but our finances were kind of all over the place after buying the house. Finally after two months of getting back on track and saving a bit, we decided to just book it anyway! Brandon and I will be in a different hotel about a half mile away from theirs, but I'm going to use the misfortune as an opportunity to eat at a different bakery every day between our hotel and theirs. We both are a little nervous, as Brandon has never been off the continent, and the last time for me was with a tour group wherein I was not the adult. But it will be fine! I told Brandon the other day that I feel like Alyssa is the adult that will navigate us all through this, so we are in good hands (Alyssa, don't let me down!).
I started my new position as registrar a month ago, and so far it has been great! I love being able to interact more with the students, staff, and even parents! It's fun to have different things to do every day and see aspects of the school that I didn't see last year.
I know this was a long post, so thanks for hanging in there.
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