It Stuck

I wasn't planning on blogging till tomorrow, but I just couldn't help it. All day today I've heard complaints of the snow-but in reality, I wasn't that worried bc in my mind, it was more like slushy rain then real snow. There was no way in my mind that it would stick.

I was wrong. It is slushy, freezing, real snow and it is sticking. And so now I am as upset as everyone else. I realize that this is just a part of the beast of living where we do, but I mean c'mon its not even the middle of October yet. UGH! This just really frosts my cookies.

Oh well. At least now I have an excuse if I feel like skipping all the so called rules everyone says exists, and go straight to Christmas decorations. Excuse me please while I go frost some real cookies, drink hot chocolate and start breaking out the Christmas tunes. Until tomorrow!

Unexpected Charity Lesson

OMG. I will blog about how excellent Conference was when all the sessions are over-bc I loved and feel like I will be a better person for it. But side note...what the heck happened? Elder Cook pitched for the Dodgers this season?!?!? WHAT? He has always been such a champ for me in representing the bay area-in particular SF when other ppl didn't understand what a great place it can be, and is to those who make it. So WHY when we had a Mormon day at our park, did he do that? I am just stunned and confused..I can only guess that it comes down to charity. He is showing the world that it is important to turn the other cheek and open your arms to people who may not necessarily deserve it. Huh. I should learn from that I suppose. On the up side, I talked to my Grandparents and told them maybe they should write Elder Cook a strongly worded letter, since they used to know him and they can ascertain the truth from him.

Regardless I still love Elder Cook. And I still love the Giants. And the church is still true. Just know that either way, I bleed black and orange till I die, and I wear my YW medallion till then as well. Ok, now its lunch time.

Date Night

Last night, Lester and I went on a date. Hooray! A few hours to just me and Lester? YES PLEASE! In the end, we didn't do anything to crazy or exciting-just your typical movie and then some game. But it was AWESOME! I felt like I got to stock up on our time together before today, when he had another 24 hour shift.

After dinner, we went and saw Cowboys & Aliens. For once, it was a movie we were BOTH interested in-him because of the guy action-ness of it, and me because lets face it, Harrison Ford is awesome. I think we were both a little apprehensive to be honest-while we both wanted to see it, we were worried it would be a little to over the top, as some people had told us. But we both actually liked it a lot! I was happy that there was actually a fairly solid storyline, and not just a bunch of dudes running around with guns and stuff with no point. It was a little weird, but a good weird. It was also nice to just spend some time not thinking about all the responsibilities that are typically on our minds-time to just let go and hold hands and be together. It was good.

We then stopped at the stadium [where the lights were still on] and thew the football around. It was actually really fun, and good to spend some time outside and running around, getting fresh air. It was good that we went at night to, because it was the right temperature for a bay area go-a little chilly w a nice breeze, but not completely freezing. It was lots of fun!

When we came home we ate some pumpkin chocolate chip cookies and just talked and laughed for hours. It was the perfect date night. Which is great since it will have to tide me over while I go to bed alone tonight. Until tomorrow then.

Nice Little Ego Boost

As previously mentioned, things have been a bit slow for me around here and it has made me feel a bit purposeless and like I should have more to do-and that the things I actually DO do aren't good enough.

So, the other day when I finally indulged and made mint brownies, I was surprised when Lester then asked if he could bring the whole pan for his class the next day. I figured, what the heck, I can just re-do it tomorrow, or whatever. It felt good when he came home though, like the kid who brought birthday cupcakes to class or something, all smiley, saying everyone LOVED them, and the teacher told Lester how spoiled he was-especially when he saw the individual chicken pot pie I had made from scratch for Lester's lunch that day as well.

I also forced myself to go to our wards recipe club-like I said, I don't know anyone and its been a bit rocky, but I'm really glad I went. I got some good recipes, met some nice girls, and was able to contribute. I brought my Uncle Gil's lumpia recipe, and everybody sounded really excited that someone had brought 'ethnic' food and that I had experience to help [it was probably because they were almost all white haha, but there ya have it!]

So then this Saturday, when Lester had his long 24 hr shift, I made my weekly treat of these super naughty brownies I dreamed up. They were good, but REALLY rich, so Lester and I gave them to a bunch of our neighbors and some ward members. Because we didn't love them, I was surprised to get multiple texts back saying how amazing they were and could they have the recipe and stuff. One of the girls actually brought our plate by today, and I happened to be cooking dinner [one big pan of baked ziti for the two of us tonight, and one smaller one in the corning ware for Lester to bring to his hospital shift for dinner tomorrow] and she said, "wow you are just amazing-so you did culinary school then? " HAH. I wish.

I guess the reason I'm blogging about this is because while I feel a little lost in this strange limbo time, I am still me and I am still good at something and can contribute. I always knew I could cook and bake just fine, but I never thought much of it, because I always thought I paled in comparison to my Mom who is the pro, and that anyone who would actually decide to cook could do just as well as me. And while that may still be true, it just felt good to here the things I am doing ARE worthwhile to others, and that I'm good at something. Its like the Dad says in Princess and the Frog, "You know the thing about good food? It brings folks together from all walks of life. It warms them right up and it puts little smiles on their faces." As silly as this all sounds, I'm glad I can bring smiles to peoples faces through my food, and they to mine through this nice ego boost.

Love Really Does Come Softly

Yesterday Lester and I spent some much needed quality time together before his 24 hour shift today. We talked a lot about the things that we can anticipate will be a struggle this semester-among them time. According to some one of his teachers, careers in emergency services can be hard on marriages because often time, the husband spends more time with his co-workers then he does with his family, distancing the couple as they grow closer to others. This scares me and worries him, since we have already felt the strain that a bit since this semester has started. The good thing is that when we are apart the thing that remains no matter what the struggle is that we love and miss each other, and that we will be together forever; even if we miss each other for a while. This is just a season in our life, and an investment for us to be together later.

So as part of the night, Lester gave me a blessing of comfort and guidance. I have felt somewhat purposeless lately, and I needed to hear the words of someone who knows me and loves me better then myself. In it were exactly the words I needed to hear in my heart and mind, and I feel more purposed and better then I had. It was perfect. Because there were so many important things said in the blessing, Lester suggested that I write in down in a journal. I thought this was a good idea but I told him I didn't have one, and he suggested I use a red one that I hadn't written in for years. So I did. After recording these blessings, thoughts and feelings, I turned to the last entry, just to see who and where I was in life when I was last wrote. I laughed so hard, and maybe I teared up a bit to, but it was just another example of how the Lord is aware of me and how blessed I am to have Lester in my life. It said:

Nov. 7th 2004

Today is a good day. Yesterday was to. So much has happened since the last time I wrote. I don't know where I stopped writing though so ima try to focus on the here and now and catch you up.

Yesterday, Lester finally kissed me. It took him quite a while, but it was worth it...He is a good person. Im happy that he is mine.

I dont know how this all happened-all I know is that it was nice. I honestly hated him when I 1st met him. I dont even know how we became friends. Once again it just happened. I know there are so many girls who like him. I wonder why he chose me- why he likes me- it makes no sense. I guess its true what that movie my mom likes says. Love does come softly.

Obviously, I wasn't the deepest teen. But you know whats awesome? Both then AND now he CHOSE me and I CHOSE him. And that is what matters. We chose each other and we will continue to do that for the rest of our lives and eternities, in the easy times AND the hard.

But it was so fun being able to go back to my entry from that day and putting a PS to remind myself of how it worked out. It was like I wrote a letter to me, and now I could respond saying, "Don't worry Julia. Everything worked out-that boy you were talking about kissing? You guys got married. You actually graduated college. You are now looking for a job and preparing for what life will bring, be that time money, or best of all kids. You are happy and life is good."

He was the boy of my dreams then, and he is the man of my dreams now, even as I go to sleep without him tonight for the first time. Needless to say, I think I'm going to get back into journal writing.

Mi Casa

So a while back I promised pics of our new place...now bear in mind that I am not the best photographer, and Lester's still gone so he can't get all into it making the pics do our place justice. But here is a picture of our place currently, with all the furniture that we've accumulated over this first year of our marriage. My favorite is the couch and table, but you can be the judge of that.

The Living Room

The Office

The Hallway

Our Bedroom

The Comode

The Kitchen

[the tables cool, because it folds out if were having ppl over for dinner or cards or something. Right now were using it as a bar stool kinda thingy, since its typically just the two of us.]

So, if your ever in good old Idaho, don't hesitate to call. We will make you stuff you full, and you can have your very own room complete with an air mattress haha! Seriously tho..come visit if you can.

The Force Is With Me

OK this post was hard to name b/c there are so many options; like "Why I Know My Husband Loves Me" or "True Love" or "Nerd Alert" or "Best Day EVER" or "The Force is With Me." In the end, I just picked the Last One b/c it seemed to fit best.

As most of you know what with my last entry, things have been a little rough. The job market here in Rexburg is overly saturated, and although I will keep trying, most days this means while Lester is gone, I'm left with less then enough to do. Sometimes its hard, but it is slowly but surely starting to get better. Like today.

Lester happened to have a day off, with no school and no hospital shifts for once. So that in itself is a good day-but then we went to Walmart [who knew dreams could come true there!] and we saw signs for star wars stuff-saying that today of all days, all of them were coming out on blue ray. So while I'm thinking 'maybe if we save up I can get it for Christmas..' he holds it up and says, "Happy Early Birthday!" He knew I would want it that bad and so he'd been planning to get it for me. Which makes staying at home and cleaning, cooking, doing laundry, writing, submitting online job applications all while he's gone not seems so daunting anymore! HE IS THE BEST and HE KNOWS ME SO WELL!

While we walked out of the store with me holding my new 9 disk Star Wars set with over 40 hours of special features and 90 minutes of bloopers, it brought me back. Back to the days of eating nachos while watching A New Hope at Uncle Matt and Auntie Mayas, while I cried because my first crush was moving away. It brought me back to feelings of being a bratty hormonal teenager and thinking 'if Luke can handle Darth Vader being his Father, I can handle my dad grounding me!". It brought me back to when all my Hanaike cousins, Aunties and Uncles stood in line at the old Coronado theatre for hours waiting for the premier of the NEW star wars, dying of excitement. It brought me back to playing light saber wars with my very own Luke, and thinking how happy I was to have a brother. It brought me back to the times I tried to get Lester to sit and watch it with me, while he held my hand and I got over my crush on Hans Solo, b/c I had someone ten times better and cuter. So as stupid as this was, Star Wars and my amazing husband made everything better for the billionth time in my life, and I now feel more motivated and able to conquer this dark side of my life, just as the Jedi's did theirs.

Haha. I suppose now its out in the open what a closet nerd I am-but you know what. I don't care. I am who I am, and I am proud of that-may the force be with you guys as you conquer a new upcoming week.