Our Exciting New Addition!!!!!

And no, its not a kid HAHA! Lester and I have been looking for a used car for quite a while now. We spent all of last semester, without one, and though we have survived, it has been pretty difficult-whether we needed to go grocery shopping or run to the doctor for an emergency, we had to either walk, which was often impossible in the snow, ice and distance, or because of how much stuff we had to carry [well, my macho husband probably could've done it but not me haha!]. OR we would just hope that one of our awesome friends would run us over there. I just felt bad like I was putting them out [even though they were all so great about it!], and it was inconvenient for us to always have to depend on others for these basic things. So after ALOT of research, penny pinching, test drives and other stuff we finally found one!

It is not fancy, or cutting edge-but it is practical and reliable which is just right for our first car. It only has 48,000 miles on it, a bed in the back which we will need for our eventual move to Oklahoma and road trips to Utah and home, towing capacity, snow tired and summer tires, and a new CD player and speakers, all at a really good price! The only thing that we have found it is lacking is extra room for passengers or kids-but we still got some time before that happens haha!

Over all, it is just what we wanted and more importantly needed. So welcome to our family you sweet little ride you! We are looking forward to many good times with you!

Everybody's Got a Laughing Place!

OK, before I say this I would just like to preface it really quickly. When my Mom would tell my Dad that he didn't have a filter, I would roll my eyes in confirmation of her statement. He always seemed to say everything and hold back nothing-and as a teenager this mortified me. But bad news for me I am just like him! And the worst part is I think he DOES have a filter...because whether or not you believe this, I know for a fact that I have one and I don't say HALF the things I think, and yet somehow people still think I say to much! BUT I CAN'T HELP IT! If I keep all these hilarious things in my head I will just explode!

So here is what I have been trying not to say for the last 15 hours or so, debating whether or not it was appropriate, or not as funny as I think it is, but Lester told me I am at liberty to speak. When we first moved in to our apt, we were impressed with almost all the furniture they provided, except the bed. It looked a little unstable, and there was already a dent in the middle of the mattress, which didn't bode well. But we just laughed and decided we would compete to see who could endure the back pain the longest.

So last night, we'd had a pretty busy, productive day and at about midnight, we finally got in bed. We were just sitting there, about to say our prayers, not really moving at all and then BOOM guess what happened?

OUR BED BROKE!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAAAHAH!! I don't know why I think this is so funny-probably bc it was late, and because we weren't even doing anything! It just..broke! For no good reason! And lets face it..we have both gained a little bit of weight but not THAT much! haha! So instead of getting stressed out, we decided to move the mattress in the living room and have a sleepover in there so maitenence could fix it or give us a new one, and so it wouldn't break even more. And you know what? I think it was the most fun we've had in a long time-a sleepover in our living room with my best friend in the whole world! Again, I don't know why I think its so funny, I just can't stop laughing as I lay here in the living room/current bedroom typing this! Oh well! Guess I will just have to add this memory to my laughing place for the times that aren't so funny!

My Lifelong Valentine

When I look back in time, it is hard for me to remember a time when Lester was NOT an important part of my life. It has been about 7 years now, and although we have only been married for a few months of that, he has always been there whether i liked to admit it or not. For this reason, I assumed that now that we are FINALLY married, this Valentine’s day was going to be the best one ever.

However, between Lester’s dedication to school, his callings and everything else, and even despite my constant reminders haha, it quickly became apparent that this day was going to be like any other day-which means me with the TV in the living room, cleaning, cooking and chilling all by myself. Although I know that he has his reasons, I’m not gonna lie, I was feeling a little sorry for myself. I found it ironic that after all these years, wishing and hoping that things would work out, that now we were here and this was the most uneventful Valentine’s that we were ever going to have! And then I realized something.

Looking through all the pictures that we have taken throughout the years, I realized how lucky and unique it is to have had so many incredible and perfect valentine’s days with him already in life! He has set the bar so high, that as the years go on it gets more and more impossible to top it. Our whole romance, he has spoiled me with flowers, chocolates, dates, shopping, attention, love and all other good things. But that is nothing compared to the love and life that he is giving me now. So even though this DAY might not be as fancy as our last seven or so have been, this YEAR and this life will be, and already is far times more wonderful, exciting and fulfilling.

Here are some fun old pictures of our life so far:

Jonah Days

some days are good. on those days, i feel like lester is so lucky to have a wife like me. i am organized, on top of everything, look good, am sweet and everything is done on time and well. and some days are bad. my mom and anne call these jonah days. on these days, i feel like a failure and like people who don't know me are lucky. i lose things [important or not] constantly, can't seem to get anything done on time, and the things i do get done are done completely wrong. b/c of that, i am so busy trying to get my life together that i look like a mess, am impatient and easily hurt, and just over all ridiculous. the worst part is that it is not as if these things are circumstances that are out of my control-everything in actuality IS my fault, so i can take no comfort or solace in things being unavoidable, like with other unpleasant things. i am convince that when people say the first year of marriage is the hardest, it is not because of the person you are living with-it is because you have to adjust to being wonder women, in school, the home, church and everywhere. and when you aren't feeling up to the challenge, you can't just tell yourself that the only person its affecting is you. cuz its not anymore. now you also have a husband, calling and whoever else to hold it together for.

well. today is one of those days. i just hope that what anne says is true-that tomorrow is fresh with no mistakes in it. because really, today is chalk full of them and i just feel like crawling into a ball, closing my eyes and not waking up till i have gone from an ugly, grumpy and hateful caterpillar to a beautiful, perfect and admired butterfly, for my sake and everybody else's.

When did THIS happen?

Do you remember all those kids shows that used to be on? Is it just me or have the quality of new shows gone down in the last few years? I mean c'mon..remember Doug and his favorite band The Beets singing Killer Tofu? So Weird? Even Stevens before Shia was famous? Alex Mac? the OLD version of rugrats when the lines were thin and there were less words? There were so many good ones! And now all we've got are weird shows, like Adventure Time [which makes no sense] and I Carly..Bleh! I miss when things were good!

Annnyways, my point is I was just thinking about that when I noticed that the main character guy from Jett Jackson [who I always thought was so good looking PS] is on a new show on TNT! Its called Rizzoli & Isles I think. Honestly, its not that great, just another lame crime show that will never be up to quality of Jack MCoy and all the Law & Orders. But its not quite as bad as the latest overflow of reality shows we have sunk to. But hey, at least we know he's got work haha! That is all.

Blast from the Past

When I was in elementary school, a teacher made us learn this poem:

Make new friends,

But keep the old.

One is silver.

And the other is gold.

When I think back on all my college experiences, there are so many good memories and good people, many of whom I am lucky to have kept in touch with, thus bringing that poem to mind. Among them is my good friend Remmik; in fact she was the first person I ever met as I moved into my dorm at LDSBC way back when. With our love of black and white, humphrey bogart movies, elf, forensic files and molten lava fudge cakes, we were meant to be friends for a long time. For this reason, I was so excited when she said she would be able to visit us for this weekend before she heads off for an adventure in Africa! My sister Hillary hitched a ride with her in the hopes of getting invitations [which will have to wait to till next time since it was closed] so come friday afternoon, they arrived. I haven't had so much fun in ages! Now that I am married I don't have many sleepovers, but Lester was such a good sport, and I would even say he enjoyed himself just as much! Both nights that they were here, we stayed up till 2 which for an old women like me is quite the accomplishment. It was really nice reliving my past while still enjoying what has come of our futures thus far. We played tons of cards, baked and cooked liked crazy, went for some fun walks and trips around rexburg, watched some classic mysteries [And Then There Were None, The Man Who Knew To Much] and fun shows [like the office, etc], and talked and laughed like there wasn't a care in the world. By the time Sunday rolled around, we were all extremely sorry to see them go. They headed out after a quick meal after church, with plans for next time. I have loved all my friends throughout the years, and value their places in my life. But one of my favorite things about Remmik is we can laugh so hard about the most random things, and she doesnt make me feel bad for wanting to be good-do you know what I mean? Its just nice when you can be your true self around someone and they still enjoy you as much as you enjoy them-theres no pressure to be hard core or cool-because even the good is cool. This is Remmik. So, this weekend was fun, and I loved seeing my sister and my friend. Here are some fun pictures of our weekend [keep in mind that I am just finishing being sick, hence how I look in some of these haha]:

Budgeting Lessons

I am currently taking a money management class, and one of our semester long assignments is to keep track of all our transactions. This has led me to discover that food is our main expense. Thus, using our information from the last semester we set a budget. The first little bit of the semester it was hard to keep. We had to find a system that realistically would meet both of our eating habits, and healthily [if at all possible] while still not being to extravagant. We started with lists, but every time we would go to the ridiculously expensive grocery stores here, we would remember things we forgot to put on the list and didn't anticipate how much those would cost and if they would be in our budget. So then we started planning meals, so we knew exactly what we need and how much they cost. But doing weekly trips here still wasn't cutting it-it was close but not close enough. So finally, we came up with this. Every two weeks, we plan specific dinners out, with general things for breakfasts, lunches and snacks. We then make a list of what we need to make those, and then bi weekly we go to the awesome, amazing WINCO [cheaper then Costco, has more options in any size you want, employee owned, and open 24/7] and get it all [since we already know how much it costs], using our budget for two weeks. And guess what..IT WORKS!! Every week, we eat better, are more organized, and save a little bit more at a time. And since we aren't getting a car until next semester, this way we don't have to get rides off other people as often! I am very proud of us. It is a lot of work, but hopefully, we will keep learning and improving. Just for your viewing pleasure, I have included our dinner meal plans for this last little section so you can see what a good wifey I am so far [all from scratch-sauces, breads, you know it!]:

MONDAY: Asian chicken pizza

TUESDAY: Crispy Coconut Chicken, Salad and Potato Salad

WEDNESDAY: Chimi Churri-Marinated Chicken, Lime Cilantro Rice

THURSDAY: Bacon-Alfredo Pasta, Salad

FRIDAY: Fajitas with homemade tortillas, Rice

SATURDAY: White Chicken Chili, Rice

SUNDAY: Meatball Subs

MONDAY: Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos, Rice

TUESDAY: Chicken Caccitori

WEDNESDAY: Potato Soup and Homemade Bread

THURSDAY: Breakfast for dinner, Crepes, Bacon and Eggs

FRIDAY: Chicken Pot Pie

SATURDAY: Chicken Mango Skewers, Rice

SUNDAY: Sweet and Sour Meatballs, Rice

PS: In other news, Lester is head of his BB team and me and the other wives have been enjoying rooting them on. Also, Hillary and my friend Remmy are coming tomorrow morning and I can't wait!