#2 + Girls are Friends

#2 Make Deluxe S'mores

Well, they weren't exactly fire roasted s'mores... But I think this is as close as I'm gonna get. I made these S'more Cookie Bars for a little girl's get together, a last hurrah before the return to school. On the epic (thanks UDOT!) drive descending into the strange land known as Utah Valley, I had some time for reflection..

I've often heard girls say things along the lines of "I don't like having girls as friends! Too much drama!"

I hate to hear my gender grouped together and type casted like that, but there is basis for the stereotype. When girls gather there is a propensity for gossip and comparison. I'm no exclusion.

 Many times after seeing friends I go home feeling discouraged. I've gotten caught up in feelings of inadequacy that come as result of comparison ("She's skinnier, prettier, has cuter clothes, has more money, more education....").  Silly, but true.

I have come to realize that I should never let me own insecurities rob me of the experience of having girl friends. They can offer support and camaraderie in a way nothing else can. Being in the same stage of life, girlfriends are an invaluable. They have unique insight and a listening ear. And they are just plain fun. As much as I love spending time with Dan, I think he'd rather shoot himself in the face than spend two hours dumping glitter on my toenails and discussing recipe planning.  I love having friends that are GIRLS. Girls make the best friends.  End Rant.

Anyway... Danielle organized a little lunch at Zupas and then some chit chat/craft time at her apartment. It was lovely. Haylee scrapbooked, Danielle sewed, Alise (with her darling baby assistant) did glitter toenails, and I.... Well I was there! Hopefully we can get together more often now that I will be down in Provo, everyday, for the next four months to attend 18 credits at BYU. Did I add that I will be commuting via UTA bus and TRAX train? Not to mention its' the blue line of TRAX which includes the majority of SLC's urban outdoorsmen (read: homeless people).

 I have a feeling I will be making a lot of new friends.... And not the fun girlfriend kind.

3

3 Years Ago on August 22nd:

"Marriage provides an ideal setting for overcoming any tendency to be selfish or self-centered. I think one of the reasons that we are counseled to get married early in life is to avoid developing inappropriate character traits that are hard to change." Elder Richard G Scott

Truer words have never been spoken. Reflecting on our 3^rd year of marriage, this stood out as a theme. In year 3 I think I made great strides in the selfishness department. At long last, my mentality began to shift from “ME” to “WE”. I still catch myself getting caught up in what I want, especially when it comes to education/career goals, wanting to just do whatever my heart desires without consideration of my future family… But in general, I believe marriage has been the ideal setting for me to overcome this natural tendency. When I had that brief awful job at certain unmentionable chain restaurant , I really got caught up in selfishness. All I could think of was how bad MY life was. How much I hated MY job. How unfair life was to ME. I though only of myself and resented Dan because I felt his situation was sooo much better than MINE. Sure enough, this patch was one of the hardest on our relationship. (When it came down to it, that’s the main reason I quit.) There is no room for selfishness in a loving marriage. There’s something amazing about knowing that you have a partner who thinks of and considers your needs and desires above their own and that you do the same for them. I’m glad Dan and I share that.

 Three Things We Did Today to Celebrate Year 3:

1)     Sushi: Kind of. Dan’s been dreaming of a Las Vegas Roll (fried) since my Dad introduced him to them at Benja’s. I got fully cooked chicken, for the record.

2)     Movie: We were going to see Sarah’s Key, but decided something lighter than the Holocaust would be more fitting for a happy occasion. We probably should’ve just stuck with the depressing plan…. Crazy, stupid, love – the title says it all.

3)     Coldstone: An anniversary tradition!

(Since were full time students again (read: poor), we decided to forgo gifts. Our gifts to each other were the crazy expensive textbooks we just bought! (Sure hope you love that $150 math book Dan).)

 THREE FAVORITE MEMORIES OF OUR 3^RD YEAR:

1)     Training for the ½ Marathon together for 4 months: running on asilomar on Saturday mornings,  then getting reds donuts or pastries from pavels.

2)     Enjoying going to a married ward together for the first time: The “Friendly Monterey 2^nd ward.” It was great. We loved our callings, our friends, and just the ward in general! Miss it.

3)     Becoming somewhat “outdoorsy”: In Monterey we became REI groupies and learned to actually enjoy being outside. I don’t think we ever hiked our backpacked together before then.

 3 Hardest Things from our 3^rd Year:

1)     Stress of DLI/ French DLPT

2)     Both having our least favorite jobs ever (waitressing, security)

3)     Trying to get everything worked out in SLC (tuition assistance, GI bill, car gets hit by bus, etc, etc)

 3 Things that I hope have happened by our 4^th

1)     We’re both done with school! (at least our bachelors degrees)

2)     We have a third member of our family (a dog!)

3)     We both have jobs we enjoy

I thought year 2 was way better than year 1.

 Now I can say year 3 was better than year 2. 

Hopefully this trend continues….

I have a feeling it will.

#4 + Bonus Unexpected Life Goal Completion

#4) Go on an STG Getaway

{ pic of b's little man, stolen from her blog}
One of the things I like about being back in Utah is getting to be there for special family events. Brandalee is family to me so I was thrilled to be able to go down to STG for a quick visit to attend the blessing of her little babe. I rode the shuttle up and down for the long weekend, feverishly studying my notes. I came back up to SLC, took my finals, and then SURPRISE! Dan magically got a week off work, so we headed back down south the same day. I cried tears of joy.

On the second day of our trip, Dan's buddy Eric who just got home from Afghanistan came for a visit. He was out in Vegas for a family reunion and drove up to STG just for "MAN DAY". "MAN DAY" consisted of shooting guns, rappelling, and just being a Bad-A.

I got to watch Katheryn play her first game as a legit Snow Canyon High Soccer Team member. I seriously don't know how we're related. She's actually coordinated, not afraid of balls, and really good at sports. I was adopted.

 Anna in action as the world's best team manager.

I also got to visit my G'ma who had a very risky major surgery. I'm so glad she's doing well. Dan enjoyed riding her wheel chair around the rehab center and drinking her crystal lite. At least he was entertained.

I didn't take a whole lot of pictures this trip, mostly I just soaked in my happy place. Went for runs with my Dad and Copper, went to Sexy Steve's Spin class with Anna, chatted w/ my Mom, went on a hike w/ Kat and her BF in cedar breaks, and enjoyed the amenities of living in a house with "nice things."

Also notable is that I accomplished a life goal. A life goal that I had given up hope on, at that. I got an A in a BYU Religion Class!!! Thank you summer semester pearl of great price.

Truly, miracles happen.

#7: A Half Marathon

About a month ago, Anna and I signed up for a random half marathon we knew nothing about:

 The Mount Timpanogos Half. This weekend the fateful day arrived.

{ bffs at crown burger }
Any smart runner knows the importance of proper fueling before a race. That is of course why the day before the race I ate lunch at Crown Burger, a place that has historically made me violently ill every time I've eaten there.  It wasn't my first choice, but it was the last chance to see Aaron before he heads off to Med school. Nothing like saying goodbye over a pastrami burger. 

{ getting cookies at ruby snaps }
Dan took me down to Provo so I could stay in a hotel overnight with my Mom and sisters. We had to be bused up the canyon at 4 am, so I was glad not to have to drive down from SLC. Shout out to my Mom and Katheryn for being our support crew/ photographers.

Despite the ridiculously early start time, the Timp Half Rocked my running world. Nice cool weather, beautiful canyon scenery, lots of downhill and a high school wrestling team handing out otter pops at mile 11. 

Not to mention they had sweet gender specific tech shirts and blinging medals. I beat my last 1/2 marathon time, mostly thanks to the motivation provided by my new iPod (my old one gave up the ghost the night before the race. dan ran out and bought me a new one. points to husband.) Nothing like emo music from high school to increase your speed. I had enough remembered angst from junior year to power me passed the 1:55 pacer, thank you senses fail. 

Anna beat me by five minutes. I attribute it to the fact that her legs are six years younger, six inches longer, and are moving 20 less pounds. But it's probably just cause she's a better runner. 

Verdict: Timp Half is awesome. I plan to be there next year. With even more screamo tunes. 

#9 + Molly's B-day

Summer Goal #9

"Complete a Craft/Sewing Project" √

My niece, Molly, is a girl after my own heart. She refers to herself as princess, refuses to wear anything but dresses, and introduced me to my new favorite movie: Tangled. Her second birthday presented me with the perfect opportunity to craft a tutu. I've been wanting to make one for sometime - but its not as cute to put one on a 23 year old for awkward photo-shoots... I went ahead and made a crown and wand while I was in homemaking mode. 

I was a wee bit worried as she opened her present that she may refuse the tutu. It did look awfully itchy to my texture phobe self...

To my delight, this was not the case. She happily twirled about in it all night. And looked quite darling doing so, I must say.

We sang Happy Birthday (a couple times) and blew out candles (again, again) and had a lovely evening with Dan's family. 

I still have leftover tulle.

 Adult tutu, anyone?

Obsessions

I have this horrible little quirk in my personality. I get obsessed easily. With dumb things. Mostly when I have too much time on my hands - which is now- being that I'm pre-employed and all. I'm hoping that somehow blogging about them will allow me to let them go, without spending any money:

Hair Feathers

Hair feathers appear to be all the rage. And I kinda really want a purple one. But then again, I don't really want to look like every 14 year old girl in Utah county - already made that mistake w/ my pink glitter Toms.

Fake Eyelashes

Another current fad I'm wanting: eyelash extensions. The girl who taught my lululemon bootcamp class had them. And if a lulu ambassador has them, you know they're cool!!!

Essie nail polish

Fairly benign obsession right? Except that I want to have every single color. At $8 a pop they can add up quickly. Especially since they taunt me every single time I go to my favorite Smith's. I can only cut so much food out of the grocery budget for my Essie habit...

lululemon gear

I thought lulu was big in Monterey, but its way more popular here. My favorite spin teacher at the U has an amazing collection of lulu outfits. It's hard to focus getting a good workout when all I can concentrate on is how jealous I am of my teacher's hot pink ruched tank top and coordinating run tights. 

Ice Cream Maker

The weather finally decided it is summer up here and its like a million degrees. The thought of turning on my oven and further heating our house makes me want to die. This is severely impeding my baking need of turning out several cookie recipes a week. I need an outlet for my culinary creativity! I have turned to obsessively finding homemade ice cream recipes on the internet. Except, I don't have an ice cream maker. I longingly eye the one at Sur La table every time we walk through the gateway. You shall be mine!

I totally feel better now. I in no way still want to spend money that I shouldn't. I am at peace with what I have and have no desire for other things.

(Note: I am lying.)

How To: Have the Best Day Possible

1) Quit the worst job of your life. Never look back. Throw away all reminders of this dark time in your life.

2) Wake up your eternal companion and coerce him to ride the super fast FRONTRUNNER train with you. Discover that it has faster internet than your house. Love public transit.

3) Have in-laws pick you up from train station in clearfield. Give your mother in law this chocolate cheesecake you owe her for driving 90 minutes to rescue you one night from aforementioned ex-job.

4) Go with in-laws to chain restaurant. Eat something decadent. Be reminded how glad you are that you are no longer serving.

5) Spend the rest of the day playing with your favorite NIECE and favorite NEPHEW

6) Have the night culminate in fireworks that the city of Clinton has decided to put on just to celebrate your liberation from servitude. (or maybe they were for Clinton Heritage days... either way).

For optimum life enjoyment, repeat as often as possible.