Our First Year

Le hubby and I celebrated our first anniversary together while we were in Hawaii (way to kill two birds with one stone right? Christmas and anniversary? check!) It's crazy to think it's been a full year. And yes everyone says it, but the time really does fly. Maybe not while you're in the moment, but looking back it's hard to imagine all the little moments that made up the days, so it seems like the year has been shorter than you remember.
Honestly? The first year of marriage had so many great things, but it also had hard things too. Learning to communicate with someone who you care for so much can be difficult. Sometimes your feelings for them cloud what you are really trying to say; sometimes your feelings block your ears too (guilty!) Despite those hard times though, we both found comfort in knowing that we were there for each other. We just knew that, deep down in the essence of our beings. I think that fact, that peace of knowing you'll never have to battle life alone, is the most beautiful realization I have had this year and we look forward to winning our battles together.

Christmas in Hawaii -- pt. 1

Hi everyone!
We've been very MIA this past month. Between end-of-year projects, papers, finals, packing and vacationing... there was just no time to post! But here we are again :)
For Christmas this year my parents got to cross off something on their bucket list... we went to Hawaii! They've been wanting to do this for a long time and this year the stars aligned. We stayed on Maui, which was actually really nice because it's a lot more laid back than Oahu or the Big Island.

SO if you're going to Maui anytime soon, here's what we'd recommend:

• snorkeling - seriously, do it. There are a TON of beaches (obviously) and most of them are good for snorkeling. Our favorites included Kamole III and Ulua, although we saw a lot of things at various other beaches too. 
• scuba diving - Kyle and I got scuba certified before we went, so we got to dive with my dad three times. We really wanted to dive at the 5 tombs, but the water was pretty choppy and it was a rocky entrance, so we played it safe and didn't do that. However, the three beaches we did go to were amazing. Diving is just unreal in general; so peaceful and quite, not to mention beautiful. 
• Molikini Crater - About a mile out from Maui there's a crater that's really popular for snorkeling. We took a boat out there to see it all, and we also went to "Turtle Town" - just an area that had a lot of turtles. I didn't end up snorkeling very long at Molikini because I got too cold, but what I did see was amazing. (Honestly though, you can see most of the same fish just by snorkeling at other beaches... so you don't HAVE to go to Molikini...) 
• Maui Tacos - it isn't a true vacation unless we find a good restaurant. We ended up going here twice for their fish tacos (amazing!) 
• Cafe O'Lei - again more food. This is where Kyle and I spent our anniversary dinner. Since everything in Hawaii is more expensive than the mainland, we were pretty impressed for the amount of food that we got for $65. Salad, crab cakes, a sushi roll, and two AMAZING entrees. Plus our server, Tim, was awesome. 
• Historic district in Lahaina - very cool old shops, a lot to see (aka spend money on) but the history of the place was very fascinating too. 
• Just up north of Lahaina there's a golf course with access to a crazy place called Dragon's Tooth - When the island was forming, the lava hit the ocean and solidified into teeth-like looking rocks. We visited this place for our anniversary too. 
• Grand Wailea Luau - We did this for Christmas Eve and it was a blast! They go through the history of Hawaii through dance. The dancers were incredible (they had some Cirque de Soliel performers!) and the food was amazing. 
• Road to Hana - Also known as road to hell (or as my sister quoted, "Highway to Hell"). It was NOT as bad as people made it out to be. I loved it. The town of Hana is the most remote town in all of Hawaii but the point of driving to it is to enjoy the journey there. Along the way there are TONS of waterfalls, beaches (black and red), and other stops. We spent a good portion of our drive hiking along waterfalls and just taking pictures. The majority of the road is through the lush, tropical forest. Seeing this was awesome; HUGE forests of bamboo, rainbow eucalyptus and kukui trees... unbelievable. 
• Kahekili Highway - This was WAY worse than the Road to Hana. This "highway" is a single lane that takes you around the north ear of Maui. Sheer cliff faces, and spectacular views, what's more to want? This highway took us to Kahakuloa, the oldest village in Maui. It hasn't changed AT ALL in over a hundred years, except for a new building they've been working on in the last decade. Here we met Lorraine who showed us her backyard of wonders and sold us her homemade passion fruit jelly. It was amazing. Kyle sampled one of her chilies- her HOT HAWAIIAN CHILIES- and started crying. This highway also took us to a cool blow hole that you could hike to. It's a pretty easy hike, but the blow hole can be dangerous as it's right by the ocean. Apparently there have been cases of people getting too close to it, and being sucked in by the pressure of it (we didn't get THAT close...) 
• Maui Ocean Aquarium - To get our fill of ALL the animals we couldn't see snorkeling/scuba diving, we went to the Aquarium on Christmas day. Here we were finally able to see some sharks and sting rays! They had a cool tube you could walk through that had all the sharks and rays swimming above, below and around you. 

We did a ton of other things too, but these were some of the highlights. It was really nice to just spend time together as a family. Even without the snow and cold, Christmas tree and lights we still had a blast! Best. Christmas. Ever.

He's taken.

BABE

Ethan's mad jumping skills

The blow hole

Sorry for the noise! It was REALLY windy!

I'll be making more posts that go in more detail later this week!

Awkward and Awesome

Today was a Murphy's Law kind of day; everything that can go wrong, went wrong. I woke up late, didn't get a lot of work done, lost my flash drive that had a semester's worth of computer programming that I needed, couldn't buy ham at Costco so my ham and cheese bagel became a cheese bagel, was late for my noon class, didn't understand a word of it, deleted my group project's program syntax, bruised myself WAY too much during vball, then spent another 4 hours on a stupid homework assignment, and almost lost $200 meant for a friend.
BUT I have survived today. I found my flash drive, won my volleyball match, recovered the deleted syntax, turned in that blankity-blank-blank assignment and found the $200.

Take that universe.

Awesome:

• Being friendly with restaurant workers - free drinks? Ok! 
• Watching the men's volleyball team practice. No, that's not creepy... 
• The Office. We're currently on season 5 and we started 2 weeks ago. Don't judge 
• Finally understanding computer programming enough to help other people 
• Meeting my first niece! Little Audrey is adorable! 
• Tanning. I don't care what anyone says, sometimes the tanning bed is just the perfect answer. Those UV rays can help a woman out! 
• I'm can almost see the end of this semester 
• Being assigned to the number one team in my vball class 
• My Prof saying, "I think I'm actually going to re-write the final to make it a little easier. Any objections?" (No objections were made manifest btw) 
• That same professor deciding to write my computer code for me - THANK YOU! 
• THIS - I seriously can't stop laughing! 
• and THIS - so true... it's almost not funny. 

Awkward:

• "So when are you guys going to have kids?" .... we don't know. And why would we tell you if we did??? 
• Saying a different name when someone asks what my name is. "May I ask who's calling?" "Oh yeah, my name is Liz... wait, what?!" 
• Having to explain what a HOME BIRTH is 
• When people ask if I'm feeling alright because I look a little... off. Sometimes I don't have time to do my hair ok? 
• Watching someone trying to flirt when it's obviously not working. It's kinda like watching a car crash; you really can't just look away 
• Accidently revealing how much of a creeper I am on facebook 
• When the person next to you farts pretty noticeably. What's the proper protocol for that anyone know? 
• Still not knowing how to pronounce my group member's name, and it's the end of the semester 
• Having to turn down "dates" because they didn't look at the hand close enough. So, wanna grab a bite to eat later? I know this great restaurant..." "Oh yeah, my husband and I LOVE that place!" *Cue the reddest face I've ever seen. "Oh you're married? So.... um... how's that going for you...?" 

Needless to say, it's been a fantastic week and this has become my new mantra

School tomorrow is optional right?

My reaction to school starting tomorrow:






and this:

Just two more weeks... two more INSANE weeks...

Beautiful

The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths.

These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. 

Beautiful people do not just happen."

- Elizabeth Kubler Ros

Awkward and Awesome

I haven't done this in a while... but I've had just too many awkward experiences to pass this up.
Awesome:

• Husband getting a 94 on an econ test. I married a genius. 
• 10 VOB's completed in one day. That's a work thing... and it's mostly just awesome for myself. 
• Hawaii in a month; HOLLAH 
• The sweet pancake (look at 0:07) I did in my vball class last week. 
• Shooting my finger gun at annoying drivers, and having the person next to me at the intersection start laughing. 
• Free Starbucks for voting 
• $2 burritos at Chipotles for dressing up in our Halloween costumes. 
• $11 for two movie tickets to see Skyfall. I love living in a college town. 
• THE ELECTIONS ARE OVER. 

Awkward:

• Waiting in line at the testing center and having a group of baseball jocks come in behind you. Because of your position, they can't see your ring... and thus the flirting commences. Once the ring is spotted you hear an, "ohh CRAP!" and then, all flirting ceases. (thanks, it's not like I CAN'T hear you...) 
• Saying in class, "last night we watched What to Expect When You're Expecting.... NOT that we're expecting," and the guy behind you yells "yeah, we've heard THAT before..." *cue entire class laughs *cue my red face. 
• Public bathrooms. The awkward just never ends. 
• Smiling, while trying to drink from my Camelback (it's just so cute having water gush out of your mouth) 
• THESE. I just can't handle them! 
• Not knowing if someone is dressed up for Halloween, or just acutely unaware of how they look. 
• Never wearing my ring in volleyball class (because it hurts to play with it on) and thus being forced to navigate the flirting/friendly zone. 
• A guy running to grab a ball that had bounced against me, and grabbing my butt instead of the ball. Cool beans bro. 
• The insurance rep catching me eating while I was on hold, then asking what I'm eating. "Umm... oh, just a bag of chocolate chips..." To which he responds, "well, that's not very healthy." Yes, I know it isn't. That's why YOU are working at a HEALTH insurance company, not me.

Halloween

This Halloween we had a party. We also got $2 Chipotles burritos because we went in our costumes. Between that and a HUGE bag of candy from Costco... I may never need to eat again.

Who am I kidding, I'm off to finish that bag....

Roxanne Ritchie and Megamind

Nerds in Nerds

Kari the babysitter (from the Incredibles) and Captain America

The cutest Mexican ever

Loving

Falling in love seems difficult; for the first time, we choose to be vulnerable enough to let our hearts live outside our bodies. That vital organ now has the ability to turn its back and walk away - and somehow we still live when it does.

Love cannot have a universal definition. It has many faces and expressions that depend on circumstances and people. Miss Swift has yet to nail a note about love in a way I've experienced (another rant, another day...) Yet we all seem to judge our love - our ability to love, our relationships, our experiences with love - on media-induced ideals. Based on songs, movies and books; based on presents, romance, the quality (and quantity) of sex, fairy tale endings, knowing "exactly what to say", soul mates and attractiveness.

But I don't love this way.

I love deeply but not openly. I love imperfectly and wholeheartedly. I love complexity with simplicity.

All of this I thought as I lay next to my husband as he drifted off to sleep; slowly, then all at once. He is my greatest source of joy and it would be a shame to muddy the love we have with media expectations.

Write me a movie about that Hollywood.

Adult Rules

On my summer reading list was the book The Happiness Project, which I borrowed from a friend. I loved it so much, that I bought my own copy so I could highlight and annotate the death out of it. (If you haven't read it, you should!!) In the beginning of the book, the author, Gretchen Rubin, outlines a few of her "Rules of Adulthood" which I found highly entertaining and practical. These rules were influenced by her own experiences and lessons that she's learned in life. After reading her list, and being a list lover myself, I started to think of my own adulthood rules.

• Add 10 minutes to traveling time; 30 if you have kids 
• Burt's Bees is always needed 
• Sleep on it 
• Things work out the way they're supposed to work out 
• A clean sink makes the kitchen clean too 
• Don't hesitate to give out a compliment 
• No one pays attention to yourself more than you do 
• Pack a snack 
• A little makeup goes a long way 
• If you think you might regret not doing something ... then do it 
• Avoid going grocery shopping while you're hungry 
• Quality over quantity wins (except when considering q-tips - they're all basically the same) 
• Just because it's on sale, doesn't mean you can afford it 
• Not everyone will get your humor 
• Check your motives 
• Facebook official does NOT make it officially official 
• Somethings are better left unsaid 
• Doing things sooner somehow gets the task done in less time 

I'm sure I'll add more to this list as I get older, but I think it's a pretty good start!
Do you guys have any adult rules?

at home

{While I wish I could say I took all these photos... I've gotta be honest: Pinterest has done me well}

There's a crispness in the air today that I can hardly describe. The scent of wet grass, cool air, and leaves; a hum of energy and life... I feel at home.

I have an obsession...

This time of year is my FAVORITE. Not because it's Autumn, although I do love that too. But because it's HALLOWEEN!!! Seriously in love with this holiday.

So much so that I've been decorating for the last hour. Target and Martha Stewart? I love you.

Look:

Nightmares: The Final Frontier

I have noticed some disturbing trends in my dreams: they always end up in nightmares. Somewhere between 5-6 am my brain decides to focus on the terrible. In these nightmares, whatever it's about, Kyle is always the first to go. Disappear, divorce, death by electrocution, execution, suffocation, hanging, gun shot, car accident, falling off the San Francisco bridge... I've seen it all. After that, mom usually follow suit, then dad, my sisters, (usually at the same time) and my brother.

Last night's dream consisted of Kyle divorcing me because I failed a chemistry test, mom deciding to come down and help me find a new apartment... and then deciding to move in with me. She was shortly killed in a freak car accident involving a hallucination created by a Botha. Dad came with my siblings for the funeral that took place in some big, white mansion and then some Klingons took over, slit dad's throat and started throwing saw blades everywhere. I escaped with my siblings by hijacking a space shuttle and throwing it into warp speed.

Moral of the story? Stop watching Star Trek.

Autumn

"Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall."

-F. Scott Fitzgerald

Amid the dying and drying leaves, my soul finds inexplicable peace

in knowing that it's ok to rest, to sleep; even my world must relax at some point.

Relax and revive - no season is more alive than fall

Gardens to harvest

Odors to inhale

Books to read

Our senses seem more engaged during this time of year.

I am thankful for this.

mighty fine 129 - junior edition

These girls:

kept me sane my freshman year, while driving me insane at times too :)
have carried me on their backs through hard times and through hallways
laughed at me when I was being ridiculous
cried with me through my struggles
ate 6 dozen rolls in one sitting with me (don't judge. they were amazing)
taught me how to see the best in people
and have loved me more than I deserved.

I love you all my mighty fine ladies.

happiness is:

- getting thousands of different perspectives and definitions on a single word (ie: What is 'development'?)
- returning to the cliches of college life
- overhearing a conversation of two friends that went like: "Dude! How are you? When did you get back [from the mission]?" "Oh, this morning.... I just got back from the airport; the time change is killing me!" Apparently he served in India
- reading an article that listed my major in the list of Top 10 worst majors and realizing I just don't care, I love it too much
- playing volleyball again - even if that means having to put up with freshman boy flirting and know-it-all players
- making dinner every single night and figuring out how much we save doing that
- the nice lady I ran into who told me that I look like I work out
- being exposed to thousands of journal articles I never would've thought to look into
- finally figuring out my own political opinion
- my basil plants!
- wearing a polka dot sweater
- burning fall scented candles
- being caught up and even ahead of all my reading assignments
- making new friends because I want to, not out of necessity
- listening to people's dreams and goals. It's motivating and eye-opening
- an extra wad of cash that came into our account
- thunderstorms answering unspoken prayers
- having my family come down last weekend for a brief visit
- grandma helping me figure out what to do with all the plants growing in my front berm
- mom giving me decorative fall gourds for the porch
- parking illegally twice this week... and not getting a ticket from the BYU police
- hubby installing our sliding curtains for our closet
- subtle changes in the weather
- pink lady apples for sale! The Washingtonian in me is happy
- watching the trees change colors on the mountain
- finally mailing off some thank you note cards/pictures to some very deserving people

This week was just so good, I couldn't help but share it. I've found that happiness is so much more dependent on the choices you make daily, rather than the situations you're in. When I take the responsibility of my happiness on myself rather than expect the world to make me happy, I find it easier to appreciate and even find joy in the mundane.

Senior?

The other day I realized how un-freshman I've become when I parked on campus, ran into the bookstore, grabbed my BYU planner, paid, and ran back to the car in less than 8 minutes. You pick up on all the fast routes over the years I guess. 
I didn't have the thought of stopping at the Jamba Juice on campus because I knew just HOW LONG that would take.
Nor did I have the fancy to buy the $10 BYU football shirt this year (ps: it was $5 my freshman year...)
I don't have the compulsion to have all my books together before the first day of classes (don't have a single one yet actually).
There's no need to take a bajillion pictures and title them "first year at BYU".
No significant thought will be taken in planning tomorrow's "first day of school outfit".
I didn't map out my route on the campus map with high-lighter, color coded for each specific class.
I didn't post my schedule onto facebook because I know most my friends won't be taking my classes - something that's bound to happen the further into your major you get.
There's no last minute panicking of "what if I don't have enough pencils?", "I didn't buy _____!!", "What if I have to sit next to an RM in my first class?!"
I've grown weary of feeling awkward asking questions to strangers - I want the answer more than I care about the potential embarrassment now.

These freshman cares have been replaced by an unexpected realization: THIS IS MY LAST FALL SEMESTER. Where did the time go? I was quite positive that my first BYU football game was last week, not 2 years ago. Senior worries are the new replacement, and they're 10x stronger than the ones I had in high school. During senior year of high school all I wanted was to get out. To leave, be independent, make my own way, learn, experience... live. Ironically, approaching this senior year, I don't want to leave for the same reasons. There are still so many classes I want to take, so many things I want to learn. Everyone tells you how difficult it is to return to school once you leave the academic world, but when does one reach a point in their life when they can accurately say, "ok, I'm through with formal learning now, I've learned everything an accredited teacher can teach". If it's so difficult to get back in school... where is the motivation to leave it? But I'm digressing now.

This aha moment nearly struck me to tears; I'm going to really miss BYU. More than BYU though, I'm going to miss the classroom. The due dates, the crazy schedules, the tests, papers, and group projects. All of it.

I'll just need to remind myself of that once the 18 credits I'm registered for starts to rip me to shreds :)

So, self, here's to having the BEST last year at BYU. Here's to pushing yourself, expanding your perspectives and expecting excellence. To aiming higher, remaining motivated and staying prioritized. Because that finish line is nearly in sight and you don't want to regret one single thing.

half-marathon

I'm a little late in posting this... but summer seems to make my brain run slower. Last weekend Liz, Kylee, Kyle and I all ran our first half marathon. It was mostly down hill, which was nice. The people in charge of the race suggested taking the first 4 miles pretty easy since it had the steepest slope and it made you want to sprint down it. Around mile 5, I threw up (tmi?) and then mile 6 took a turn up the canyon, which I was not expecting. After 1.2 miles up, we turned around and headed back down the canyon. Around mile 9-10 I pulled something in my calf muscle... and the rest is a bit of a blur. After crossing the finish line I heard multiple rumors of the course being 14.4 miles long... not 13.1. SO DUMB.
Anyway, even after all of that, I'm planning on doing another half in October. There is nothing more humbling or more motivating than being passed by grandma's, grandpa's and 12-year-old kids running with their parents. Just in case you were wondering.
That night we had a friend's wedding reception to go to about 1.5 hours away. My suggestion? Do NOT take a nap after a race or sit in a car for a total of 3 hours. My legs cramped and walking became a herculean effort. As did any sort of movement for that matter.

Washington Trip

We just got back from an awesome vacation in Washington! It's always great being with my family and visiting "home" again. We did so much it'll be impossible to write all of it down here... so we're bullet-pointing it up!

• King Tut exhibit at the Pacific Science Center 
• Experience Music Project (EMP) to check out the Icons of Sci-Fi exhibit 
• Pike's Place 
• Underground Tour of Seattle 
• Dark Knight Rises with my family 
• Oregon detour 
• Cannon Beach 
• Rose Garden 
• Tillamook Factory 
• Visiting friends down there 
• Multnomah Falls Hike 
• Family BBQ 
• Kyle sang in church 
• Took a scuba diving class (which was awesome!) 
• Chipotles- Duh! 
• Went a little too nuts at the Nike outlet store... 
• Found one of the last Starbucks to still sell chonga bagels! 

I'm sure I'm forgetting nearly a billion things... but here's a just a taste of it all. It's quite odd realizing how much your home town/area shaped you growing up. I have a deep and abiding love for seafood that I'm sure wouldn't have been there had it not been for my close proximity to the ocean! Can't wait to go back already!