Not gonna lie... Lately I have been missing this:

Christmas time in Utah. Christmas hasn't really felt like Christmas for a few years now... it's just not the same when you're all grown up. But somehow Christmas time still felt Christmasy the past 3 years I spent in Utah. I'm sure the crisp winter weather had a lot to do with that, and although that's all I ever complained about when I lived in Utah ( and I still wouldn't trade the SD weather for Utah's weather in a million years), it did have a way of making "it look a lot like Christmas". The snow, Christmas lights, late night runs to 7-11 for hot chocolate, and gingerbread house competition with friends definitely made the cold winter days bearable. This time of year makes me reminisce on the fun wintery things Utah has to offer. I'm actually excited to visit the good old state of Utah in a few weeks for New Years. Luckily, though, I only have to endure the freezing cold for a few days rather than the 8 months I used to have to go through. Yay!

On a side note- Did any one else think the latest Harry Potter movie was a major let down? Luke and I thought it was dumb- we were definitely not impressed.

When I Thought My Husband Died.

This past Saturday was my sister's baby shower, so I went to LA for the day to join in on the celebration. Meanwhile I left the Mr. at home. Throughout the day I wondered what he was up to and how he was doing, but never heard from him, so I figured he just wanted me to enjoy the morning with my mom and sisters without interrupting me. By 1:00pm I thought it was strange that I hadn't even gotten a "How's it goin'" text and decided to text him and see what he was up to. No response. A few mins later texted him again. No response. Luke knows that I freak out if I don't hear from him after two texts. No response= he's dead.

So I called him, left a voicemail, and texted him some more. (Good thing I'm his wife, otherwise my persistence would have been super stalker-ish) I tried to not let it worry me and just enjoy my time with my family. Kendra had an AMAZING baby shower with so many fun friends, great food, and tons of gifts. Then us girls and Jared went out to lunch and did a bit of shopping on 3rd Street Promenade. All the while I had not heard from my boy. The time came for me to say goodbye and head back to Carlsbad, so I got in my car and drove back a little too quickly, hoping that within the next two hours he would call. No such luck. 2 hours later (and a lot of terrifying thoughts of what I would do without Luke) I pull into my apartment complex. As soon as I get to the gate of the complex I get his call. He left his phone in the car all day on accident and didn't even realize it. He was laughing hysterically at all the "Where are you?" "Are you okay?" texts and the "I hope you're not dead" voicemail. I, on the other hand, did not find it very comical. What would I do w/o my hubby? IDK... But at least I don't have to think about it anymore, because he is very much alive and I am very happy about that.

Me and the pregnant woman herself.

While I'm posting pics, this is me and Luke over Thanksgiving break at the fish hatchery- one of my Dad's favorite places....

Luke and I got box tickets for a Clippers vs the New Orleans Hornets game. It was so much fun!

Yes I know, I know.. it's been forever. My computer decided to completely shut down about a month ago, thus the hubby and I have been sharing his laptop, which is my excuse for not having updated in forever. That and also I have been too busy/lazy to update. So I'll just give a quick run-down. Since my last update:

-I switched jobs. I now work as a front receptionist at a dental office and LOVE it. I seriously work with the best people ever. It's awesome :)
-I have been called to serve as 2nd Counselor in the Young Women's.
- Luke and I spent a weekend in Vegas for our nephew's first birthday.
-We had a happy Halloween.
-We spent a beautiful warm sunny Saturday at the beach catching some rays.
-Luke finished his last online class for BYU and will be graduating in December! We're both very happy and proud of his accomplishments! He's worked so hard the past few months on his final classes and now he's finished and can finally relax!
- I ,on the other hand, have not been as diligent with my online studies. It's so hard to be dedicated and motivated. Therefore, I'm not.
- I went to the SYTYCD tour with a friend. It was way fun!
Now we're looking forward to the next couple of weeks in which we'll be able to go to Fresno for Thanksgiving, Vegas for Christmas, and LA for my sister's baby shower!
Although we have been crazy busy lately, I only have a few pics to prove it.




Me and Luke with our pumpkin that stayed good for 3 days. Things seriously go bad here in 2 seconds because of the moisture. We had to throw this bad boy out within a few days of carving it.

SYTYCD :) Amazing.

My camera takes pics super delayed. I tried to take a pic when Ashley was up, and it finally took like 15 seconds later when it was Billy's turn. Boo- I don't even like Billy.

Me and Taylor

And.... that's about it, folks.

Well I'm home from work sick today... there's some flu bug going around. Being sick is not fun but it's somehow nice laying on my couch watching the Food Network all day. The only thing that would make my sick day a little less sick is if I knew Luke would be coming home from work this evening, but he's back in Texas again so I'm a lonely AND sick girl :( Boo.

Well since I'm home with nothing to do I figured I'd show a few of the little festive crafts I've been up to lately. They're nothing too great or exciting, but a few autumn leaves/ festivity add a nice fall touch to our apt.

First up is the BOO letters that I made. My friend and I decided to entertain ourselves while our hubbies watched football all weekend every weekend to get us through the season so we bought the makings of a few crafts, and this was one that we each made. It hangs on my pantry door. I think it's pretty cute.



Next I made a few fall arrangements with pumpkins, leaves and pinecones for our entertainment center area.



I also made myself a nice autumn wreath to hang on the outside of our front door. It looks so autumny, and it was so easy to make!



I also made these fun pumpkins out of plastic jars and orange tissue paper. Luke thinks they look a little juvenile which, okay... ya it's true but when I fill them with Halloween candy like candy corns, etc I don't think he'll mind so much. Juvenile or not, they were still fun to make.

I also have a few other fun Halloween decor but i didn't make them so I won't post about them. Anyways... that's just about it. I love fall time. It's so great. The End.

Farewells and Birthdays.

Last weekend we went up to Clovis for Emerson's farewell talk. He did such a good job, and I'm so excited for him and the experiences he will have the next 2 years in Colombia. He is such an obedient, happy and positive guy and I know that he will bless the lives of many people while on his mission. Luke and I were also able to spend this weekend with my family in LA. Unfortunately I forgot my camera last weekend for our trip to Fresno, but I did capture a few pics this past weekend in LA.

We will miss Moe. He doesn't leave for another week, but this was the last time Luke and I were able to see him. Good luck, Moe! We know you'll do great and we can't wait to hear all about it in your letters :)

On a different note, my lovey turned 25 this week. It was a pretty low-key birthday that consisted of us just being together. We went to one of his favorite store, Fry's, went out to dinner, opened presents, and had some yummy ice cream cake. I am so glad that I married Luke and that I get to spend forever with him. Here are just a portion of the many reasons I love this man:
1. He makes me smile.
2. We have a similar sense of humor, and we're both constantly cracking jokes and laughing. He is a goof.
3. He is very handsome.
4. He is extremely smart.
5. Luke is very hardworking and determined. He's doing very well at his new job. In fact, he does well at just about everything he puts his mind to.
6. He helps out with keeping the house tidy.
7. He is a handy man. He has been my side-kick with decorating our apt by hanging pictures, shelves, wall art, etc.
8. He compliments me on my crafts :)
9. He tells me I'm beautiful.
10. He wakes up diligently every morning at 5:45 to fulfill his calling as seminary principal.
11. He is faithful in attending our church meetings every Sunday.
12. He honors his priesthood and is a great example to me.
13. He understands the importance of the principle of tithing and pays it dutifully for the two of us.
14. He is patient.
15. He has an incredible attention for detail.
16. He does the little things for me, like getting my oil changed or washing my car. And killing bugs.
17. He calls me cute nicknames like sweetie girl, Jay Bird, baby girl, etc. My favorite is sweetheart.
18. He writes me love notes when he leaves to go out of town.
19.He has a good head on his shoulders and is able to look ahead and plan for the future.
20. He has good family values. He loves spending time with his and my family, and is preparing for the day we have a family of our own. He will be a great dad.
21. He is a good friend.
22. He has adjusted well to me and my quirks/ habits within our first year of marriage. We have grown to the point where we almost know what the other is going to do/ say before the other does/ says it. I know that will only enhance the longer we're married. :)
23. He has a strong testimony and love for the gospel.
24. He loves me.
25. He is the best part of my day... every day. I love just being near him. We don't even have to be saying anything, I just love knowing he's near. He smells good, he looks good... he is good at.... everything. What is there not to love??
I love you baby boy. I'm so glad that I got to celebrate your 25th birthday with you, and I'm so glad that I will be able to spend the next x amount of birthdays with you. XOXO.

A few weeks ago we went to a Padres game with some friends. We had great seats and great company. It was a ton of fun!

Last weekend we went to the San Diego Zoo with some of our friends. We had so much fun!




This weekend was also very eventful. Our friends Nate and Liz came into town. Sadly I only snapped one pic the whole time!
This is the boys running out of the freezing cold water after Luke tackled poor Nate into it.


Kendra and Jared also came down for a day this weekend. We went to Old Town San Diego and visited the Mormon Battalion, among other places. We also went to Balboa Park and toured the Natural History Museum. We especially enjoyed the dinosaur fossil exhibits. Dinosaurs are pretty cool. We also went to Phil's BBQ, an amazing rib restaurant that Jared had talked up quite a bit- and it did not let us down one bit. It was super yummy.




the 20 week baby bump!

On a side note, my husband just said these words to me: "Sweetie, you have a really good Fantasy Football team." Mission accomplished. Sunday was my first time experiencing a Fantasy draft. I was actually really nervous, because one of the rules in our league is that Luke can't help me with my team so I'm all on my own. I'm new at this whole football thing, but I'm learning, and hope that I'll do alright!

On a second side note: Tickets to see these lovely people came in last week!

My friend, Taylor and I are going to the SYTYCD Tour... in November. I know, I know- that's still 2 months away but we didn't want it to get sold out so we acted quickly! I'm soo excited!

We have been so busy with fun things the past few weekends! Two weekends ago we went camping in San Clemente with Kendra and Jared and the rest of the Oakden crew. Last weekend we took a trip up to Clovis for Emerson's first time through the temple and to visit my family. And this past weekend we went with Luke's whole family to Six Flags and Hurricane Harbor.

Throughout all these activities I only managed to take a total of 4 pics. :(

Me and Boo on our way to taking family pics.


Jamie and Shaun and my cute little nephew at Six Flags:)



Me and Charlie

Me and Luke :)

We have had so much fun the past few weekends! We're so glad we have family semi-near by so we can get together rather easily.

Now after all these fun things, I am dreading a horrible upcoming week. Luke is going on a business trip from Monday to Friday and I'm already missing him just thinking about it. I don't know what I'm going to do with myself for a whole week, but I keep telling myself to look at it as some personal time to possibly do a few crafts, do quite a bit of reading, and cook a few meals that I like but Luke doesn't like to eat. We'll see how it turns out. Wish me luck on my upcoming lonesome week!

Happy News!

About 2 weeks ago my sister announced to the family some of the happiest news ever. If you are friends with my sister (or I suppose even if you're not) I would suggest you mosey your way on over to her blog and view her latest update.... if you haven't already. I am so excited for her and Jared. They will be great parents! I can't wait to become an aunt again, and this time on my side of the family. Baby Oakden is due this upcoming January, and I can't wait to spend the first few months of his/her life living so close to them (hopefully we can convince Hen and Jared to stay nearby but I think they have alternative plans for after Jared graduates in April). Anyways- cheers to Kendra and Jared and their beautiful baby (as I'm sure it will be).

I suspect it will grow to look a little something like this:

And while I'm at it.. here's a little sneak peek at what me and Luke's future kid will look like

kinda freaky...



Anyways- Luke and I have had quite the week. We enjoyed a short 4-day work week, a fun party at our bishop's house, a relaxing night in the hot tub, a good set of tennis matches with some friends, and a great day at church.

Another happy fact: I found my camera's battery charger yesterday, therefore I will now be able to update my pics, since I haven't in forever!


The end.
<3

Thoughts of the day:

-Things like bread and fresh corn go bad much faster in California than in Utah. We seriously had bags of bread in Utah for like 3 weeks and I would throw them out just because I felt like it should have gone bad by then but was freaked out that it hadn't. Here our bread had turned a disgusting green after a week. And I just bought corn 2 days ago, and it's bad. What the heck.

-I wonder what it would feel like if my thighs filled up the whole space in my jeans. All I've ever known is jeans that fit around the waist and then are super baggy at the back of my thighs. Either I have really skinny thighs or absolutely no butt. My guess is both. Sometimes I think it would be nice to fill out my clothes.

-I got home from work at 2:30 this beautiful, sunny afternoon and wanted to lay out at our apartment's pool. Instead, the Mr. and I began talking and laughing, and ended up wrapped up together for a 2 hour nap. Do I feel bad about missing out on a good tanning opportunity? Nope. Sometimes nice, cuddly afternoons are much much better than a nice tan :)

-Luke and I are having fun bringing out the designers in us and decorating our new apartment. We love our new home!
- Life is beautiful :)

This Sunday was our ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY! In some ways it seems like we've been married for way longer than that, but in some ways it also seems like we just got married yesterday. Either way, let me just say that the past year has been absolutely amazing. I won't say that it's been perfect, because it had its ups and downs, but I have enjoyed every minute of it.

I love coming home each day knowing that I have someone to go home to.
I love telling Luke about every part of my day, and him doing the same to me.
I love having someone to cuddle with, and to hold me close.
I love having inside jokes, and laughing all the time together.
I love going on late-night grocery trips.
I love Redbox nights.
I love having date nights.
Believe it or not, I have learned to LOVE, like... tolerate football, basketball, SportsCenter, etc.
I have loved living in new places, and beginning new chapters of our lives together. It's so nice knowing that in this new city where I hardly know a soul, Luke and I still have each other.
Basically I just love Luke, and for all the achievements and accomplishments we've both made over the course of this past year.

(And while I'm on the subject of why I love this boy so much, I'll just rave for a bit of how proud I am of him. He goes to work early every day and always stays later than he is required. He works so hard, and then comes home to work on his homework. I have been so impressed, and am so proud of his diligence and hard work.)

Anyways. So this weekend was our big MOVE IN day! We had been staying with my relatives for the past month and a half, and this weekend we were finally able to move into our apt! We LOVE it! Since moving took up the majority of our time this weekend, we decided to just relax on our anniversary. We planned a romantic picnic on the beach at about 6pm to hopefully catch the sunset! Sadly, it was terribly overcast and we could hardly see the sun in the first place. We still enjoyed our picnic anyways.



Although we weren't able to catch the sunset, we did see a few of these visitors. (It's a dolphin fin, not a shark. Believe me, if it was a shark I would have done something crazy like.... dedicate a whole blog post about it. Psh just kidding. Idk what I would have done. )





We're planning on celebrating our anniversary sometime down the road (as soon as time permits. I am currently working two jobs- one full time and one part time during the nights and Saturdays- so spare time will be hard to come by) by going to Sea World.

Happy One Year to me and Luke. Here's to many more happy years to come :)

Summer Reading List

I've decided that I am going to make a personal summer reading list. I'm thinking of reading books of all types of genres: fiction, non-fiction, inspirational, etc. So far I have read:

The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands


I feel like Dr. Laura is anything but a feminist when it comes to the subject of relationships. Sure, she stands up for the women who are in abusive or other-wise dangerous relationships, but all in all, I feel like almost any other situation goes to the man. Sometimes she's a bit extreme, but for the most part I'm okay with that. In a world full of man-bashing and the common stereotype that men are less intelligent or less capable than women are, I am glad that there's someone who sticks up for the men... and that it's a woman! This book is pretty good. Like I said, she can be a little extreme at some times, but it really helped me to understand that (most) men have the best intentions, and we women are too confusing and change our minds too often to notice that all our men are trying to do is please us. It also opened my eyes to the fact that behind the big, bold, masculinity of a man there is a great deal of sensitivity. It's an interesting book, and I would recommend it. I started it when I first got married (... almost a year ago) but never finished it once school started. I decided to start it again this summer, and actually finished it this time. I think this is a great book for newly weds.


The Host

This was a really great book. Long, but good. I hardly ever wanted to put it down; I love books like that. I didn't get through all of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight books, (and while I'm on that subject, the movies are not good. I finally watched New Moon the other night, and although it was a step up from Twilight, I still didn't like it. Kristen Stewart bothers me and Robert Pattison? Really? He's not the Edward I had in mind when I read the books. Anyways.. that's off subject) but this book kept me interested and guessing the whole way through.


Life of Pi

Okay seriously this book is the most boring book ever for maybe the first ten chapters, and then it gets so interesting. I had only heard good things about it, and I thought something was wrong with me for thinking it was terribly boring but it gets to be really really interesting and I would recommend it. The only problem is you have to endure a lot of gross scenes. That's all I'll say about that.


So I just finished Life of Pi last night and I'm on to this next book:

The Client


My friend's cousin's wife's mom gave this book to me. How's that for a connection? I haven't started the book yet, but I hear it's good. It was even made into a movie, although I've never heard of it.

Anyways... so those are the only books I've got on my list so far. Oh, and I want to read Angels and Demons, too. SO: If any of you have any suggestions for me please, please, please let me know. Gracias.

In other news: Luke and I are going to have a spelling bee. And I'm going to win. I'm pretty much a spelling freak, and spelling isn't exactly Luke's strong point. We'll see how it goes.

Well Vegas was as fun as we'd hoped. We got our fair share of activities in: we played volleyball, tennis, Mario Cart, and the boys all played golf. After a few kicks of the volleyball, thrown tennis rackets, and flying golf balls, everyone survived the weekend all in one piece. (Need I say that Luke's family is a bit competitive? haha ) But really... we had a blast, and really just enjoyed being together.

The concert was seriously amazing. Carrie Underwood did NOT let us down. She is absolutely amazing live, was incredibly entertaining, and put on such a great show. I would recommend this concert to anyone, so if she is coming near you and you are even just slightly a fan of hers, I guarantee your money will not be wasted. Even the openers (Sons of Sylvia and Craig Morgan) were great.

This is kind of blurry, but Carrie was in the back of a pick-up truck and it was lifted up into the air and went above the whole audience.



In other news here's a SHOUT OUT to my bro. for getting his mission call! He will be going to the BOGATA, COLOMBIA mission! Congrats, Moe!

My dad and my Uncle came into town the other day to visit! Yesterday we had such a fun adventure. We went paddle boarding in San Clemente. Basically it's just a big surf board that you stay standing on and you move around with a paddle. I started off doing pretty well. I caught a wave or two... then the waves started getting bigger and I didn't stand a chance. I started falling at like every wave. We wished we had a fourth person with us who could take pictures while the 3 of us were out paddle boarding, but we didn't. So after about an hour, my hands started turning purple- the ultimate sign that I am freezing- so I came in and took a few pics of my dad and uncle. Unfortunately, they didn't turn out so well. Oh well.

We had a ton of fun. I'm glad they convinced me to try it.

Anyways... today Luke and I are getting out of town and going to Vegas! We're going to see this lovely lady perform in concert

Well, actually we (Luke and I) aren't. But my sister-in- laws and mother-in-law and I are all going! Yay! However, Luke and I are looking forward to doing a few fun things together while we're there. We hope to enjoy the pool and hot tub, play a few rounds of tennis with Luke's parents, and enjoy the company of FRIENDS and family. (We've realized that we really took for granted the fact that we had friends in Provo. Although we love being in California so far, we only have a few friends here, who we feel like won't be our friends for much longer if we keep bugging them the way we have been. JK) We're looking forward to a nice, relaxing, fun vacation. Luke deserves it after working SO hard for the past few weeks. I'm so so proud of him.

My brother should be receiving his mission call today. I'm kind of freaking out. I can't believe it's already time for him to go on a mission. Holy cow! But I know he'll do just great!

Our ONE YEAR anniversary is in THREE weeks! Geez Louise. This year sure did fly by. And I'm still in love with this handsome man.

Happy weekend!