Let It Snow!

Jon and I have been married for almost 6 months (4 more days). Time FLIES! Before I know it, we'll be celebrating our 1 year anniversary!
Jon has been very busy with school and homework and finals lately. He did 2 weeks of a clinical rotation at a nursing care facility, and his next round of clinicals will be starting in January (and will last until he graduates in May).

I have been looking for PTA jobs out of state. I like Utah a lot, but I am ready for a change (plus, Utah is the lowest paying state for PTAs). Texas pays the most, but I am not so sure about that hot weather. I would like to go back east (love snow for Christmas), but I am not picky. I have been looking at some cute houses and real estate in different places around the US, but it's hard to look when you have no idea where you're even going! (I secretly wish Hawaii - the cost of living is higher, but why not have some fun while we have no kids and not a lot of other things keeping us here? And while he works, I'll go to school at BYU-H!) But who knows. It's all up in the air still, and we have 5 more months to think about it.
Mom and dad visited over the Halloween holiday and spent a week here. It was good to see them, and they were able to go to our ward's Trunk or Treat and also to Emma's. It was cute to see Chris, Marian, and JB dressed up in their costumes.
Jon and I went to the Vienna Boys Choir concert in early November. It was up in Salt Lake and it was so beautiful. Those boys have wonderful voices. I especially loved the a capella songs (although their director/pianist was AMAZING and his fingers FLEW over those keys). It was really nice evening/date with Jon - it's fun to dress up and do something classy :) .
Our family ward is good. I still feel pretty new there. I know some people, but I don't feel really close to anyone yet. Jon is in the Elders Quorum presidency and I am a Gospel Doctrine teacher, so hopefully through those callings we will be able to meet more people and make some new friends.

A few months ago I posted about being terrified to substitute Gospel Doctrine (and of course now I am a teacher for it). The more I study and teach, the better it is. I still get nervous every time. I still pray and hope that there is a discussion and people will make comments (with about 90 people in the class, the discussion has been good so far!) But I personally learn a lot every time. So really, this calling is a blessing, even though it terrifies me.

For Thanksgiving we went to Jon's parents' house. It was nice to have a four day weekend  to spend time with his family, take a few naps, enjoy the cool weather, and finish decorating the house for Christmas.

Weekend update:

This past week was a busy one - I got my hair done on Tuesday. Jessica gave me some low lights. At first I was skeptical and thought it was too dark, but I always love it a week later, and now I do! It's more of my natural color, and I wanted a change. I love blonde, but this is perfect for winter, and I don't want to worry right now about keeping up with blonde. It's a lot of maintenance!

On Thursday we decorated gingerbread houses with some friends and families in the ward. It was nice to get to know some more people (one of the guys who was there is the co-director of the new New Testament films the Church is making. I wanted to ask him why Mary looked old in the video they played during the Christmas Devotional last Sunday, but I didn't want to offend him or anything. But I did think she looked way too old...oh well).

 On Friday we went to my work's Christmas party, then drove around the town and looked at Christmas lights and danced to Christmas music by the tree (Jon can be romantic sometimes!)

Saturday was busy with Marian's dance recital - those 3 years olds were so cute in their costumes! You could tell they were pretty distracted with everybody watching. :) In the afternoon Jon and I visted Elza at The Creamery - it was her last time to work there after 4.5 years! Then we met up with the Butlers (and Elza met us there too!) at the Riverwoods and walked around, looked at all of the Christmas lights, enjoyed some outdoor music, played around with the kids in the toy shop, and got some ice cream at the Provo Beach Resort (it was Blue Bell, so I know that made John Butler pretty happy!)

Sunday was our ward's Christmas program. I sang in the choir, and Jon and I were also the narrators. After church Elza came over for dinner, and then she and I got to work while Jon studied for finals. We made a ton of Buckeyes and Muddy Buddies to give to our neighbors and friends. Elza made the buckeyes, and I made the muddy buddies, then we split them up so we could have a bunch of each to give out. (Of course, at one of the houses Jon and I visited, they had a HUGE platter of muddy buddies on the coffee table! Good thing we had one more bag of buckeyes left! So we just traded and gave the muddy buddies to somebody else.) It was nice to stop and visit with some of our neighbors and get to know them more.

We'll be spending Christmas with Jon's parents again this year up in West Jordan. Unfortunately, there won't be any kids there in the morning to watch open presents, so I am trying to convince Jon that we should just go up a little later, and maybe start our own tradition on Christmas morning or something of making breakfast together or who knows what. (It's just not as exciting with me, Jon, his parents, and his two older brothers sitting around opening presents one at a time. It's fun to watch kids' faces and see their excitement!) So we'll have to come to a compromise on that... :)

So life has been pretty busy. Last night Jon was studying late at the school and I stayed home and wrapped some presents and watched some Christmas movies. I don't think I have cried so much in such a short amount of time as I did last night watching Mr. Krueger's Christmas. I know it's about loving Christ and what Christmas is really about, but he was just so lonely! I think I'll make Jon watch it now...

Anyway, long update. I have a few pictures to post, which I will do later (just of the tree, my hair color, our gingerbread houses, etc.)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Update

Updates

My first week weigh-in was on Saturday, and I was down 3 pounds! Woohoo. But the second week is really the one that counts, because who knows, it could have just been fluctuating, etc. I didn't eat very well this past weekend (I know it's counter-productive, but I was excited that my weight was down, so I ate bad! I know, it's twisted.) But now I have to stick to my 32-34 points per day. I have no more 'extra' points left over. But I have been drinking a LOT of water, so that's good!

Mom and dad come out to visit at the end of October/early November. I'm excited to see them and to see their costumes on Halloween night! :)

Jon and I saw Transformers 3 in the dollar theater last week. Good movie, but too long. I think the "battle" scene lasted over half the movie! I started getting antsy near the end. I was ready for it to be over.

The Vienna Boys Choir is coming to Salt Lake City at the end of October.  I have always wanted to see them, and I didn't want to miss the opportunity, so I bought tickets for Jon and myself.
I am excited for General Conference this weekend! The older I get, the more I enjoy it. (Plus it will be fun to watch with the Butler kids). While the boys are at the Priesthood session, Emma, Elza, Emily and I are having a girls night. :)

Work has been pretty busy lately. There were some layoffs last week and a few people were cut back to part time. I am grateful I still have my job, plus I was lucky and will be working 40 full hours, instead of 35 - 38. The other secretary I work with got cut back to 20 hours, so I am thanking my lucky stars. I'll miss a lot of the people who were let go, though.

I can't wait for the fall! I am waiting for the pumpkins to go on sale, and then I will decorate the stairs to the house and make hot apple cider and wear sweaters and my boots. I love love love the fall and the colors of the leaves and the cool, crisp air. I love to bake in the fall/winter, and make lots of warm apple crisp and pies. I'll have to share them, or I'll eat them all! This week the weather says it will be in the 80s, but by the end of next week, the 60s will be here! If I had my wish, it would be fall all year round. And maybe 2 months of winter with snow so I can have a white Christmas. :) UNLESS I lived by the beach, of course. :)

HAPPY FALL!!

Tuesday

Breakfast: Wheat english muffin, 3
Shredded Cheese, 1
1 fried egg, 2
1 piece of ham, 1
Glass of water
Total: 7

Snack:
Banana, 0 points
Lunch:
Progresso Tomato and Basil Soup, whole can: 8 points
6 saltine crackers, 2 points
Bottle of water
Total: 10 points

Snack:
Piece of white bread, 3 points

Dinner: (same as yesterday)
Corn on the cob: 2
Baked potato with sour cream and shredded cheese: 8 (I added an extra point than yesterday, because I had more sour cream...)
Baked chicken, 3 points
Total: 13 points
Dessert:
Chocolate ice cream (3/4 cup), 6 points
Sugar cone, 1 point
Total: 7 points

Grand Total: 37 points

Food and Points

I think I will update what I eat on here, so it keeps me more accountable. I promised myself I would not lie about what I ate. I won't update every day, but just to give an idea (and so you can do it too by looking at the points for each item!)

Breakfast at 7:
2 eggs (5 points), one piece of toast (2 points), a sprinkle of cheese (1 point), big glass of water
Total Points: 8

Snack at 10:30:
Small Gala apple (0 points)

Lunch at 12:
Progresso soup (6 points), cornbread muffin (4 points), big glass of water
Total Points: 10

Snack at 2:30:
15 frozen grapes (0 points)

Sugar fix at 4:
Tablespoon of semi-sweet chocolate chips
Total Points: 2

Dinner at 7:30: (I planned for 6, but didn't realize how long it took to bake potatoes)
Vanilla Coke Zero(mmm) (0 points)
Baked potato with sour cream (2 T) /cheese (1 T) (7 points)
Baked chicken breast with herbs and olive oil (4 points)
Chili-lime corn on the cob (2 points)
Total Points: 13

Dessert at 9:
1/2 cup of light chocolate ice cream
Total Points: 3

10:00: Big glass of water before bed

Daily Grand Total: 36

My daily goal is 32 points, and I used 4 of my 'extra' weekly points.

Thoughts:

I have a hard time eating veggies. I have a lot of frozen veggies that I need to warm up and add to a meal but I just don't think about it until afterwards.

I am also supposed to track any activity. I think I sat most of the day yesterday and didn't really do anything that would count as an activity. I sit on my tuff all day.

I sip water at work throughout the day, but I know I need more. I just get tired of it...

I already feel better. I'm sure it's just mental, but to me, my body feels 'cleaner', if that makes any sense. Even though it's only been 2 days.

I calculate everything. Someone offered me a Zinger this morning (I've never had one, but it's like a Twinkies with frosting), and I asked him the 4 questions: Carbs, Fat, Protein, Fiber. I plug it into the calculator. For the whole package, it was 13 points. So for one it was 4 points. I passed and I stayed strong! (And it helps that I don't like Twinkies, ha).

I now take showers at night time, so I have more time in the morning to make breakfast. (I just get my hair wet now in the morning so I can "style" it, haha). I love having the extra time to get ready, too.

I have been trying to go to bed earlier, but I think the perfect time for me is 10:00 for bed, and wake up at 6:00. So far, so good. I've been waking up refreshed instead of groggy with those times.

WW

I joined Weight Watchers on Saturday morning with my friend Terri and her daughter.

I'm actually pretty excited about it. (I lost some of that excitement when I stepped on their scale and I weighed 8 more pounds there than on my scale at home... But I felt a little better when Terri and her daughter said the same thing about their weigh-in.)

I bought the "Buy One Month, Get One Month Free" deal. I'll try it out for these 2 months and see how it goes. So far, I feel good about it. Terri bought me the PointsPlus calculator too, which I LOVE. I plug in the amount of protein, carbs, fat, and fiber of what I'm eating (I just read the nutrition label) and it tells me how many points it is worth. I check it for everything - a piece of toast, an egg, pasta, milk, etc., and then determine if it is worth the amount of points (I get 32 points per day, plus 49 to use throughout the week.) I think I used about 30 of my extra points at the Utah State Fair on Saturday...!

I'm pretty excited and confident about the plan. All fruits are free (so zero points), and most veggies are too. I need to buy more wheat things - like pasta, bread, rice, and tortillas. But I have a hard time buying new stuff without finishing the old first.

Last night I cooked up some zucchini and squash and I added in some garlic and onion and olive oil. It was only 1 point! (because of the oil) and it was delish! Even Jon liked it (and he really doesn't like zucchini OR squash). Of course, the corn bread muffins I also made were 4 points each...

Anyway, so far so good. It's mostly just eating healthy and the right portion size (surprise, surprise.) But I think it will help to be accountable to stranger, also (and it's fun to have a friend to do it with!).

Yesterday when I was counting the points, I realized that I really did eat a lot of junk, especially when I was bored or when I just craved it. 1/2 cup of ice cream is 8 points! So it's nice to have those extra 49 a week for treats like that. At first I thought that those were a TON of extra points, but I realized they add up quickly.  I froze the soft grapes (I HATE soft grapes - only crunchy!) so they will be a nice frozen zero-point treat/snack!

So this morning I had a piece of toast (3 points), 2 eggs (4 points) and a little cheese (2 points) and a big glass of water. In the mid morning I had an apple (0!) and another 16 ounces of water, and right now I'm having soup (6 points instead of 3, because I eat the whole can of Progresso soup, which is 2 servings) and a corn muffin (4 points). So 19 points so far, and I have 13 points left for dinner. I think we'll have baked chicken and more zucchini and squash (thanks to neighbors who share the produce from their gardens!) with some rice. Mmmm mmmm. Jon is very supportive too, which is so nice! He is so positive and cheers me on and is encouraging. I love that man to death!

Burn

Last night I put some skin cream on my face (because I was starting to break out), and this morning I woke up and my face was BEET RED.  It is so blotchy and it itches like crazy. I must have had an allergic reaction (which is weird, because I've used that stuff before and it's never done this before). Jon kept giving me looks of pity all morning while I was getting ready. My face feels all nasty right now - I put a lot of moisturizer on, and tons of cover up, and even more makeup that's green (to balance out the red...) BUT, it still looks bright red with white streaks here and there. I think I burned my skin! It is so hot, too. Of course, the skin around my eyes is all white still, along with the top of my forehead (I must have missed that area! Along with some of my cheek. Haha). Anyway, I look like 2 face.

Jon mumbled something this morning about Beauty and the Beast...I'm sure he was referring to me as the beast. It's alright, he can be Beauty once in a while. ;)

I prefer the first picture,

but this one is probably more accurate.

We even have the same waivy hair and red skin!

Homemaking

Tonight, I am making homemade meatballs and spaghetti sauce. The reviews were (mostly) all great and people especially raved about the meatballs. I've never made homemade meatballs OR sauce, and I have most of the ingredients already in my cupboards! It has to simmer for 3 hours, so our house will smell delish by the time it is done.

 

(this is the new duvet set, and the new
white sheets have a small pinstripe)

Yesterday I put new sheets on the bed (after I rotated the mattress, because my body is starting to slowly sink into my side of the bed), along with a new duvet cover we got for our wedding. I forgot how nice it is to sleep on brand new, just-washed sheets. The duvet is gray and simple (I always prefer white, but it gets dirty so easily. I think I will get another cheap white one from Ikea again sometime.) My mom will be proud - I make the bed every single day. (Sometimes in the morning, sometimes at night, but it's done daily). I hate when our bedroom looks cluttered or messy - it's nice to hide extra pillows and throw blankets on the floor of Jon's side of the bed, too - you can't see it when you walk in! (I should probably just fold up the blankets and put them away in the closet. That's a novel idea!)

  I have been trying to make our house more like a home - Jon also helps out a ton. He always mows and trims the yard, takes out the trash, washes all of the "big" dishes (pot and pans, etc.) and helps me with meals whenever I ask. He tries to help me make the bed, but I like it just right, so I usually like to do that by myself. Haha. He's very appreciative and tells me everything I make tastes good (he even ate the squash and zucchini the other night, and I know he hates it!) I try my best to show him my appreciation for all he does for me. He's a great husband, and I hope I'm a good wife, too.

Sister Knight...

Last month, Jon and I gave talks in church. For 2 weeks I worked on my talk, spending hours making sure it was just right. We each had to speak for 17 minutes, and I had a hard time making my talk long enough. It turned out perfectly though, and I even had to cut some of it out while I was speaking so Jon had a enough time for his. I was nervous, but I felt prepared and it turned out just fine.

Yesterday in church, the Sunday School president sat in the pew in front of us, and turned around after Sacrament meeting and asked me to teach.  I thought he was lying, and I asked him if he was kidding. But he said "No kidding, I wouldn't joke about this. The bishopric asked me to ask you to teach Gospel Doctrine in two weeks."

GOSPEL DOCTRINE?!?!

I looked around the room in Sunday School and counted everyone in Gospel Doctrine. There were 90 people! 90! I am the YOUNGEST in the whole group. Everyone is much older and wiser than I am. I don't feel like I have anything to offer, they all know a lot more than I do. It's a new ward, and I don't know anyone, so I'm not sure if that makes it better or worse...I'm thinking worse.

But then I think about it more and try to remember that we are all brothers and sisters and we're all in church to learn and grow together. I've just never taught anything in my life! I don't know how to conduct a class, ask good questions, dive into the scriptures, etc.
Ha, I remember thinking "Whatever calling I get, I hope it's not teaching adults or playing the piano". It's not a calling, maybe this will be the one and only time! They are testing me! haha.
I have already starting preparing - last night Jon and I read the scriptures from the manuel, talked about the meaning, and I started writing down thoughts/questions for them. I've looked up different talks and quotes. The lesson is on "Your Body is a Temple" with scriptures in 1 Corinthians about Paul's preachings. The three topics I need to share are: Unity in Christ, Listening to the Spirit and not the world, and being morally clean.

So if you have any suggestions, let me know. I don't want it to be boring, so I may bring in a short video if I can find one that's relative, etc. (It's a new ward, I don't even know where the library is, haha!) But I feel like we always run out of time, so I want to time it nicely. It's hard when people keep having comments (but at least it wouldn't be silent!)

The members are very nice there, though. I joined ward choir yesterday (we are singing next week for Stake Conference) and there were 48 people there! It was great. I've sung one of the two songs before, but the other one is kind of a struggle. I may have to mouth the words half of the time. :)

The question is: Do you pronounce the place name COR-inth or Cor-INTH? Jon says the second, because you say CorINTHians. I may have been saying it wrong this whole time.

(Oh yeah, last night I even dreamt that I was teaching this lesson. Except it was at a kiosk in the mall, and I had a big whiteboard and only one person was there listening/watching!)

Places and Things

My whole life, I've always wanted to travel. I get Travelzoo's Top 20 deals, Budget Travel emails, National Geographic gives me pictures and updates on Facebook, the Global Volunteer Network emails me all of their opportunities, etc. BUT, I want to SHOW you the places I want to visit someday. I could say "everywhere", and leave it at that. But after looking at these pictures, how can you NOT want to go?

Look how small the person looks in the HUGE cave!

Elephants in Kenya

 (I love elephants, and have always wanted to go on a safari.)

 After watching An Affair to Remember and Sleepless in Seattle,

I think the Empire State Building is a must.

 GREECE. I've always wanted to visit this place.

This church in Greenland. (It is a replica of the church that

Erik the Red built for his wife when became a Christian.

He built the stone wall to keep the animals/livestock out.)

Ireland...mmm. Jon and I watched Leap Year last week (Jon admitted that

he really liked the movie - "a good chick flick"). Every time I watch it,

I want to go see and stand on the cliffs of Ireland.

I love this walkway in Japan. (As long as I could find a cool stone
stairway like this, I don't care WHERE it is!)

I'll admit, I always worried that I would get into a kayak, flip over, be stuck, and drown.

(This was before I realized that they made bigger, roomier holes for your body, too.)
Don't the rocks and the water look amazing?

I just want to step into this lake
and go for a night swim...

Look at these huge trees in Madagascar! What a sight.

Along with all of the beautiful views, I also want to know all about the culture and the people.

I would love to help these women and carry a basket of tea leaves on my head, too.

I would like to eat at this restaurant...

Infinity pools... I love them! I can't get over how cool they look.

Zip lining! Talk about an adrenaline rush!



A romantic gondola ride. People say it is expensive

and overrated, but I still want to go on one!

See the pyramids, and ride a camel. (This picture

kills two birds with one stone!)

Doesn't this roller coaster look awesome!? Look how

steep that drop is! ( I always wait in the longer

line to get in the front seat. That's the best spot!)

Anyway, that's all for now. There are so many more things to do and places I want to go! I'm sure there will be a "Places and Things II" blogpost coming soon...

Surprise Date

Jon and I went to the Bingham Canyon Mine last week - he took me there for a "surprise" date, followed by walking around Gardner Village and looking at the cute shops and sampling the fudge.

Unfortunately, we forgot our camera at home, but the open mine was amazing! It is the largest open mine in the world. Look at the size of that truck!! They were HUGE! The workers have to climb a tall ladder just to get to the steering wheel.

If you look really closely, you can see how tiny

the huge trucks look on the road. We saw a semi truck

pass one of them and it look SMALL compared to it!

We walked around the Visitors' Center and watched a few informative videos and put quarters in the  magnifying machines so we could see some action up close. (I'll remember not to wear a dress up there again - the wind was blowing around like crazy and I had to hold my skirt down the whole time!)

Here is what the official site said about their huge hauling trucks: "There are about 80 gigantic haulage trucks operating in the mine. These trucks carry from 255 to 320 tons of material in a single trip. The largest haulage trucks have 1,300-gallon fuel tanks and use very low-sulfur diesel fuel. The fleet of trucks will travel more than 10,000 miles a day."  CRAZY, huh?! No wonder they have to be so big.

It was a nice 45 - 60 minute drive to get there, and on the way we stopped by Daybreak - a community of newer homes. I drove by this neighborhood once before, 2 years ago, and could never find it again. It's right by the Oquirrh Mountain Temple. I'm so excited we passed it!! I have been wondering where it was located for forever, and I had forgotten what it was called. I love these houses -  you usually don't see these kind of houses in Utah. Jon said there are houses just like this in North Carolina, so we may have to settle there. (I really don't like the brick/brown stucco houses in Utah - I like more character and color!)

Daybreak has their own shops, community parks, running trails, lake and the yards are beautiful (because of the HOA).
I always thought I would want to live in a place with a huge, well taken care of yard, but I definitely do not have a green thumb (and I lack the passion for it). They have small yards, but they each look so nice and have flowers/trees/etc. The houses range from small to large, depending on your budget and the size of your family.

Here are a few of the houses they have there:



 

 

 

I just think they are so cute and pretty. They remind me of houses by the beach back home. Someday....!

Wedding Pictures

(These pictures will be out of order. Blogspot is giving me trouble. So first are pics of the reception, then of the temple!)

I started to write a loooong post about the wedding and reception, but it was getting to wordy, so here are a bunch of pictures and a few comments for some!

Reception: table centerpieces - a mix of candles and flowers

Mom and dad

Jon and I dancing our first dance, to Doris Day's

Dream a Little Dream of Me

Terri took our pictures, and got some

developed right away to have at our reception!

The sky that night - the weather was perfect!

Our "growing up" and "dating" pictures, strung between the trees.
(I found this idea on a website and loved it!)

Jon's dad and mom

Guests enjoying the ice cream bar

Grandma and Grandpa

My girlfriends from the Somersworth ward surprised

me and came to our reception!
Megan, me, Hillary, and Amber

Dancing with dad, to Frank Sinatra's:

They Can't Take That Away

I think Chris was like this most of the night...haha!

Jon's nephews, serving at the ice cream bar

The cake

(We just cut into the cake - we figure the ice cream bar
was good and we didn't need to serve cake also. It was
delicious and I loved the simplicity of it!)

The favor bags
(we ordered salt water taffy from
The Goldenrod in Maine... people could
go fill up their bags with different flavors!)

The day before the wedding, I took my endowments out in the Provo Temple. Afterwards, Jon's family and my family went to Carrabbas for dinner. After dinner, we all went to a local LDS church and Jon and I received father's blessings. It was a perfect evening.
Right after the temple Thursday night

Here we are coming out of the temple - NEWLYWEDS!

(Jon was making sure not to step on my dress...)

Chris and Marian ran right up to us and asked, "Did you guys get married?!"

Bridesmaids!

With Grandma and Grandpa!

Jon and the nephews

Jon with his two *single* brothers