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!
Monday, November 30, 2015
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.
Summer School
I spent my summer at Rocky (my high school) working with the English Language Learners in summer school. It was pretty low-key: I went to class with the students for five hours and helped them when they needed it, then spent the last three hours in a classroom tutoring/hanging out with a few kids until they left at the end of the day. It was cool to be back in my high school (in my old English classroom with my former English teacher, no less!), but it was definitely weird too. So many teachers were confused at the fact that I wasn't a student; I got stopped on my way into the teacher's lounge more than once. And none of the students believed me until I showed them my badge. Summer school is just a different crowd all together, which means lots of discipline issues, but the students didn't even take me seriously when I asked them to not climb on the stair rail because my face looks like it belongs in middle school. Ridiculous.
Overall though, it was a great experience. I enjoy working at the middle school, but it was nice to be with the high school students for a change. It's kind of fun to watch them figuring out who they are, and making decisions about where they want to be in life. One student that I developed a good relationship with (a refugee child that doesn't have a stellar support system at home) told me that he wants to be a pharmacist when he grows up. I felt so much pride that a student who had just finished his freshman year of high school could have such lofty goals. Before he told me this though, he said "promise you won't laugh?" It broke my heart to think that someone else had laughed at this student's goals, and that he thought it would happen every time he shared his ambitions. For the rest of the summer, I did my best to show him that I supported him in every dream he pursued. It was definitely eye-opening. I am very fortunate to come from a family that loves and supports me in everything I do, and to have parents that taught me that nothing is impossible without hard work. The majority of these summer school kids don't have that at home, and I wanted to be that for them while I could.
With that, though, came a hard realization: there is a limit when it comes to caring. I have always known that I care too much about people; no matter what I do, it just happens. But there would be days in this job that I was so frustrated because all I wanted was for the students to care about their future as much as I did. Over the six weeks I was there, I had to learn to stop myself when they stopped showing interest. I only interacted with about 30 students, I can't imagine how teachers deal with the frustration of unmotivated students in class after class and year after year.
I would do it again in a heartbeat, though. Maybe I'm just an optimist, but I really do believe that everyone is capable of great things. Working with these students to help them work toward their academic goals, and realize that they can actually be successful in life, despite what they may think, was a great experience. I have such a natural love for all the students, and want them to know that I will support them in all their positive goals and aspirations.
Sorry for the sappy post, I just feel so strongly about these kids being happy that it kind of makes me emotional. If you want to hear a ridiculous story, ask me about the time I cried while helping a kid pack up his locker to move to a different one. That was a good time.
Overall though, it was a great experience. I enjoy working at the middle school, but it was nice to be with the high school students for a change. It's kind of fun to watch them figuring out who they are, and making decisions about where they want to be in life. One student that I developed a good relationship with (a refugee child that doesn't have a stellar support system at home) told me that he wants to be a pharmacist when he grows up. I felt so much pride that a student who had just finished his freshman year of high school could have such lofty goals. Before he told me this though, he said "promise you won't laugh?" It broke my heart to think that someone else had laughed at this student's goals, and that he thought it would happen every time he shared his ambitions. For the rest of the summer, I did my best to show him that I supported him in every dream he pursued. It was definitely eye-opening. I am very fortunate to come from a family that loves and supports me in everything I do, and to have parents that taught me that nothing is impossible without hard work. The majority of these summer school kids don't have that at home, and I wanted to be that for them while I could.
With that, though, came a hard realization: there is a limit when it comes to caring. I have always known that I care too much about people; no matter what I do, it just happens. But there would be days in this job that I was so frustrated because all I wanted was for the students to care about their future as much as I did. Over the six weeks I was there, I had to learn to stop myself when they stopped showing interest. I only interacted with about 30 students, I can't imagine how teachers deal with the frustration of unmotivated students in class after class and year after year.
I would do it again in a heartbeat, though. Maybe I'm just an optimist, but I really do believe that everyone is capable of great things. Working with these students to help them work toward their academic goals, and realize that they can actually be successful in life, despite what they may think, was a great experience. I have such a natural love for all the students, and want them to know that I will support them in all their positive goals and aspirations.
Sorry for the sappy post, I just feel so strongly about these kids being happy that it kind of makes me emotional. If you want to hear a ridiculous story, ask me about the time I cried while helping a kid pack up his locker to move to a different one. That was a good time.
Thursday, August 27, 2015
Anniversary
Brandon and I celebrated our four year anniversary a week ago today. The evening was filled with Mexican food, Hobby Lobby, and of course, ice cream. A few weeks back, we had a photo sesh with the incredibly talented Rosie Nary to commemorate our four years of love and happiness. The pics can be viewed through the link below. To family who want to order copies, I don't really know how its going to work. The photos were all too big to upload to Shutterfly, so we'll figure something out.
Check out our pictures here!
Check out our pictures here!
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
on national best friends day.
Before delving into the real meaning of this post, gotta give a little update.
School ended on Wednesday last week, and Thursday was my last official day as Library Assistant. So ends yet another library phase in my life. Friday I spent the day training for my new position as registrar. The current registrar was going to be out of town Monday and Tuesday this week, so I had a nice four-day weekend planned for myself consisting of many sno cones, much book-reading, and a super lot of hours spent by the pool. My body took this small amount of freedom as its own, and by Saturday afternoon I was dead on the couch. Sick. Wee. I have left the house only four times since Saturday, twice for partial-day work related things and twice for food (priorities, right?). I had to miss my first day of summer school today because I woke up still too sick to go to work this morning. What a joke. Thanks a lot body. Jerk.
Anyway.
Yesterday I posted this:
School ended on Wednesday last week, and Thursday was my last official day as Library Assistant. So ends yet another library phase in my life. Friday I spent the day training for my new position as registrar. The current registrar was going to be out of town Monday and Tuesday this week, so I had a nice four-day weekend planned for myself consisting of many sno cones, much book-reading, and a super lot of hours spent by the pool. My body took this small amount of freedom as its own, and by Saturday afternoon I was dead on the couch. Sick. Wee. I have left the house only four times since Saturday, twice for partial-day work related things and twice for food (priorities, right?). I had to miss my first day of summer school today because I woke up still too sick to go to work this morning. What a joke. Thanks a lot body. Jerk.
Anyway.
Yesterday I posted this:
I like celebrating all the little holidays, donut day, pizza day, (any day involving food really), national siblings day...all the best days. But I really like National Best Friends Day because I have some really great people in my life.
Pictured alongside me in the bottom left, in all our awkward, adolescent glory, is a girl who has been my best friend since eighth grade. Through good times and bad, I know I can always count on her and our friendship to be a constant rock in my life.
Top left includes my husband (perma-best friend, sorry babe) and two super great people that need to move their butts to Boise! Our travel buddies, couple significant other, and people who just understand us. They complete us.
And the ladies on the right. Not enough great things can be said about them. The amount of happiness they bring into my life is indescribable. It has been fun to see where life has taken each of us, but I wish it would take us together more often! They are the only people that I can be 100% myself around. They've seen be at my best and helped me through my worst, and I wouldn't be who I am without them! Come visit me!!!
I like having friends, as any average person would. And there are a lot of special people I have met throughout my life that will always be important to me. This is a super cheesy post, but where would we be without the people who have molded and shaped us?
Tuesday, June 2, 2015
on goodbyes.
I hate goodbyes. Ask my friends, or my family, or Brandon. I cry every single time I have to say goodbye to someone I care deeply about, even if we already have planned to see each other again soon.
That being said, today was the second to last day of school. I didn't really think anything of it, because most of the kids I have interacted with this past year are sixth and seventh graders, so I will be seeing them again next year. I didn't think about the fact that I will probably never see any of the eighth graders that I have gotten to know ever again until my 5th period student aide stopped at my desk on her way out of the library for the last time. She looked at me and said "thanks for putting up with me all year." I ALMOST LOST IT. Right there amongst all the books, I almost started bawling my eyes out because my witty, sarcastic little eighth grader made a joking comment about our time together this year, and she probably doesn't even know that I'm actually going to really miss her. She really messed it up for the eighth graders I only kind of know but don't see every day (which is most of them), because every time I saw one of them the rest of the day I just kept saying "I can't believe you're going to high school. I'm going to miss you so much. You guys just grow up so fast." And generally it was followed up with "uh...I just wanted to turn my book in..."
Granted, I am not a teacher. I don't spend all day every trying to wrangle and shape the minds of pubescent preteens who could not care less about what I was saying-I just give them books and take their money when they are irresponsible with said books-but boy, do I love them. I don't know if teachers enjoy their kids as much as I do, maybe for like the first few months, or maybe not at all (kudos to all my teacher friends though, I really don't know how you do it) but I appreciate these students so much just through the little interaction I have with them. They are such special humans, so unique and powerful and driven and determined to get to where they want to be in life. One eighth grader that was on the receiving end of my emotional we'll-probably-never-see-each-other-again spiel, who is kind of a trouble maker and struggles with his grades a bit, responded "Yeah, I'm going to go to high school, then I'm going to graduate high school, then I'm going to go to college, and then I'm going to graduate from college and get a great job." And I almost lost it again. Maybe we don't unfairly judge all the kids, but we sure don't expect as much from them as they are capable of. Great things, magnificent things. So much more than the tiny blip we get from them in a 45 minute period each day.
When I started this job, I didn't think about the fact that every year in June, I would have to do the one thing that I really probably hate most in life. For some students and all my staff friends (which is all of them), the goodbye is just for the summer. But for other kids, it's more than likely a goodbye forever. But I hope they know that even if I never see them again, never find out where they are at in life, I'll always be their cheerleader, hoping that they are happy, pursuing their dreams, and being the best them they can be.
That being said, today was the second to last day of school. I didn't really think anything of it, because most of the kids I have interacted with this past year are sixth and seventh graders, so I will be seeing them again next year. I didn't think about the fact that I will probably never see any of the eighth graders that I have gotten to know ever again until my 5th period student aide stopped at my desk on her way out of the library for the last time. She looked at me and said "thanks for putting up with me all year." I ALMOST LOST IT. Right there amongst all the books, I almost started bawling my eyes out because my witty, sarcastic little eighth grader made a joking comment about our time together this year, and she probably doesn't even know that I'm actually going to really miss her. She really messed it up for the eighth graders I only kind of know but don't see every day (which is most of them), because every time I saw one of them the rest of the day I just kept saying "I can't believe you're going to high school. I'm going to miss you so much. You guys just grow up so fast." And generally it was followed up with "uh...I just wanted to turn my book in..."
Granted, I am not a teacher. I don't spend all day every trying to wrangle and shape the minds of pubescent preteens who could not care less about what I was saying-I just give them books and take their money when they are irresponsible with said books-but boy, do I love them. I don't know if teachers enjoy their kids as much as I do, maybe for like the first few months, or maybe not at all (kudos to all my teacher friends though, I really don't know how you do it) but I appreciate these students so much just through the little interaction I have with them. They are such special humans, so unique and powerful and driven and determined to get to where they want to be in life. One eighth grader that was on the receiving end of my emotional we'll-probably-never-see-each-other-again spiel, who is kind of a trouble maker and struggles with his grades a bit, responded "Yeah, I'm going to go to high school, then I'm going to graduate high school, then I'm going to go to college, and then I'm going to graduate from college and get a great job." And I almost lost it again. Maybe we don't unfairly judge all the kids, but we sure don't expect as much from them as they are capable of. Great things, magnificent things. So much more than the tiny blip we get from them in a 45 minute period each day.
When I started this job, I didn't think about the fact that every year in June, I would have to do the one thing that I really probably hate most in life. For some students and all my staff friends (which is all of them), the goodbye is just for the summer. But for other kids, it's more than likely a goodbye forever. But I hope they know that even if I never see them again, never find out where they are at in life, I'll always be their cheerleader, hoping that they are happy, pursuing their dreams, and being the best them they can be.
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