christmas time at temple square

I spent Friday just like I said I would. If I was at home, Friends was on. Even if I wasn't sitting in front of the TV. You can hardly tell that I was hard at work depleting the list, so I'll have to work harder at it the rest of the week. I also ran every errand I could think of. I went to the Health and Justice Building to take care of my blasted ticket, and I ended up not being bitter because 1. there were NO LINES (seriously. is this real life?) and 2. the lady at the counter was SO NICE. I love that! Next I went to the Post Office. When I go to the post office, I plan on giving myself half and hour. I walked in the door... NO LINES AGAIN. And? The man that helped me was pretty pleasant. It was turning into a good day.

After that, I headed to Jiffy Lube. Remember that scary drive home in a smoking car? And remember how Devin popped the hood and immediately knew what was wrong? (that the guys at jiffy lube left the oil cap off after changing the oil?!). Well, in that event, the fire skirt (which is attached to the hood. it's for if your engine catches on fire, the flames will burn through some ties, and the fire skirt will drop onto the engine and put the fire out) got drenched in oil, SO they replaced it for free. That was a month ago. Devin called them today and said that nobody had called us to say they had it in, but they did, so I went and got it put on. Only took maybe 20 minutes.

On my way to Jiffy Lube, my good friend Madison called and said her and her husband Casey, who I hadn't met yet, wanted to get together and head to salt lake for the night to see the lights and get some dinner. They wanted to do something extra fun because it's their 3 month wedding anniversary. So we planned that (which made my wait at jiffy lube more bearable).

Next I stopped at Target to grab a few things. I don't think I've gone 1 week without going to Target since we've been married. I love that store! I'm boycotting Wal Mart until Mid-January to avoid the holiday crazies that swarm the place (who, during any other time of the year, are actually just normal crazies swarming the place... so I generally avoid it anyway, but during this time of year, there are NO excuses for going to wal mart).

When I got home, I wrapped a bunch of Christmas Presents and then we were off to Salt Lake with Maddie and Casey. When they said they wanted to do dinner, of course I immediately suggested Gourmandise. They were all for it! Devin got his fix of amazing french onion soup, and I tried something new, a grilled chicken pesto panini. This is probably the only place I've ever eaten out where I don't get the same thing every time. I haven't ever eaten the same thing twice (besides the tiramisu!). It's all just that good. Maddie and Casey both got a really yummy looking pasta.

For dessert, we all had a hard time choosing, except for Devin. Because it would be a crime if he didn't get the tiramisu. His body would probably feel neglected for not getting to eat it!

I wanted to try something different, once again, because they have SO many choices. I got a lemon mousse cake slice and it was incredible! Maddie got tiramisu, and Casey got a peach. Hard to explain what it is, just know that it was described by his as heaven on earth. It was like a cake-shaped peach, soaked in peach juice or something, and then rolled in sugar. It looked amazing and I'll probably get it next time we go!

After that, we headed to Temple Square and spent a good hour and a half walking around in the visitor's centers, listening to the concert in the old tabernacle, and taking a lot of pictures. None of these pictures are very creative. or good. Devin and I agreed that we need a better every-day camera. We're working on it. I love Temple Square, and I especially love it at Christmas time. It is such a beautiful place to be any time of year, but there's something about Christmas! Also, this was the first time Devin and I had been back to the grounds since we were married 6 months ago, and it was great to be back :) Plus, last year when we came up to see the lights, and ran into our friends Alyse and Brandon, that was a night where both Devin and I individually felt really good about being at the temple together. We both went home and wrote similar things on our blogs about it! haha Being at the temple with my husband is probably the single best feeling in the world. Even just walking around outside. The beauty of the Salt Lake Temple's exterior is unlike anything I've ever seen. We chose to get married, simply because it is absolutely beautiful, but the outside does not do the inside justice. It is amazing. I can't believe we were so lucky to be married in the most beautiful place on Earth! 

 

time off

firstly, this is my 400th post. so... that's pretty cool.

secondly, today starts a full week of nothing. and i couldn't be more excited. carter and aria's parents surprised them and took them to disneyland last night! i've known about the trip for several weeks now and it was so hard to keep the secret from carter. especially since he talks about how bad he wants to go to disneyland ALL the time. he was thrilled. aria didn't really get it, i don't think. i kept telling her she was going to fly in an airplane and go see mickey mouse and every time i brought it up she would get really excited and just start saying "babies!!!"... no idea what that means. 2 year olds. hahaha.

anyway, i plan on enjoying every minute of this paid time off. i definitely need it. i plan on helping amanda fill some orders today, and the rest of the week i will finish making our stockings, possibly make more ornaments, put a dent in the 80+ episodes of Friends on our DVR, and sleep in. oh, and cleaning and cooking and stuff like that... maybe...

these are some pictures of aria yesterday in the cutest footie pajamas. she spent a good portion of the morning in the hamper. she loves it.

this is how hard it is to take pictures of squirmy kids at the aquarium

earlier this week, the Living Planet Aquarium, which is less than 5 minutes from where I nanny, had a "free day" so we took the opportunity to go see some fish! I was mostly excited for the penguins. Carter wouldn't stop talking about "the beavers" (they are getting otters at the aquarium soon, there are pictures everywhere. carter thinks they're beavers no matter how many times i correct him.) and aria was obsessed with the clown fish, because of course they are "nemo" to her. did you know the aquarium is actually really dark? and also on free day, very busy? and also when i am by myself very hassle-y because it's hard to wrangle 2 small children in a huge crowd? regardless, we had a good time. the whole 45 minutes we spent there. we'll probably go back on a less crowded day.

not only were getting pictures of the kids hard, but also the penguins. they are so fast! i tried (as you can see) and failed (as you can see even more clearly). but i did get a video of them! (notice how in the video, i check on aria and carter through the camera lens at the end. i was paying attention to the screen, so naturally, i used it to make sure they were still by me hahaha) also, there is no sound. all you would have heard is loud, obnoxious noises anyway. ti wouldn't have been worth it.

so the thing is... (a pinterest post)

preface: i really like using picnik.com for editing my photos. it works great. but i don't care enough to upgrade to the premium and pay however much a month for a few more things, so i just use the basic stuff. and i just now discovered some cool collage things. so i went a little crazy with it. and i used it as a way to post about some of the prettiest things. pinterest has this way of always making me feel awful about myself, but also, making me laugh out loud, get curious, and admire unique things. plus also? i find a lot of pretty things on there. and here are some of them:

5 things

1. let me tell you a story: Devin always leaves for work about half an hour before me, but we wake up at the same time. Today, after he left, i noticed he forgot his phone (which doubles as his work phone. which means he uses it a lot throughout the day). so, i finished getting ready faster than usual, skipped grabbing any kind of fuel (usually apple cider or a granola bar), and headed down to his office early enough that I could still make it to work on time. I was much faster than i thought, and there was hardly any traffic on the freeway, so i got to sandy with about 20 minutes to spare. the other thing about commuting to work on the freeway every day is that you can never tell what traffic will be like. Some days, crashes will slow it down from Murray all the way to Lehi. other days, there are hardly any cars on the road. It generally takes me almost exactly 30 minutes from my house to where I nanny, but I often get off the 114th south exit 5-10 minutes early, and just take the long way to the house to kill time. Since i didn't grab anything to eat this morning, i decided i might as well kill time somewhere, rather than just drive around wasting gas and getting frustrated in traffic. I had noticed Daylight Donuts before, just in passing, but it came to my mind. It is morning. And donuts are breakfast food (to me, at least. best breakfast you could ask for?!)

The result? 96 cents TOTAL for a delicious original glazed donut. Probably the best I've ever had. And I didn't even had to feel embarrassed about never having cash/change, because the cashier ran my debit card anyway! Some places have a minimum amount you have to reach before you can use a card. Maybe that's for credit cards? I have no idea. I'm always too embarrassed to try, so I will either get more things, or scrounge for change. But also, i had no idea it would be so cheap in the first place! Great discovery nonetheless. I'm thinking this might become a regular thing...

2. The Rockstar Diaries has done it again! She posted about this foundation, and the wonderful people behind it. We've all heard of The 5 Browns, right? amazing piano siblings? They are not only amazing, but they have an incredible story, and what they've gone through has inspired them to help others in similar situations, and spread the word about stopping abuse. Like them on facebook!

3. Finding this gem:

4. pretty things

5. hilarious things: (I would never really call myself a harry potter fan. i didn't read the books (unless you count that one time i tried to read the first one like 10 years ago but don't recall doing so), i've seen some of the movies. i love them, but i'm not crazy about them or anything. but THIS... this is just hilarious. or maybe it's just me. i get a giggle every time. OMG, Malfoy. You act like I even care... bahahahaha

today is hard

my day started with the news that my husband hit a very large deer in the Provo Canyon on his way to Park City for a work call. He is fine, just sore from the impact, but his work truck took the hit pretty hard.

this is ironic, because (if you can recall) last year, on this very same drive, this very same week, he was in an accident. in the very same truck, even. that time, it was an out of control truck, sliding on the slippery, snowy road, sending him in circles, and then into the median. 

so glad he hasn't been hurt either times! what a day for that poor man :( 

my afternoon was spent writing a very hard email while the kids napped. i had to tell Jamie that after February, i will have to start looking for new work so i can support devin through school. he will be starting full time and i will hopefully find a job as a dental assistant. it's what i've wanted to do for awhile now, and i can't wait to start. 

but it breaks my heart to leave this family. they have been a huge blessing. i can't begin to say how much they all mean to me. coming here each day puts me in such a good place. i love spending my days with these 2 little rascals, and Jamie and Alex are model parents. i have been so lucky to be such a big part of their lives. to watch their children learn and grown, and to help a little along the way. Jamie responded quickly, saying she completely understands, she's been here, too, they will just be sad to see me leave. probably not as sad as i will be to go! i am doing my best to find them a good fit to replace me and have my eye on a good childhood friend. i just couldn't stand leaving them without a new nanny, and it means the world to me that it is someone great. because they all deserve it. 

these past 3 months with them have been so many things. i have laughed and cried. i've cleaned up every kind of mess. i have seen it all, i think! we've had adventures and long talks. we've had dance parties and movie days. we've made craft after craft and took a million pictures along the way. 

this family will always be a huge part of my life. they have changed me for good! i feel like i have learned so much so far, and honestly? i will probably be a better mom for it. 

so i'm grateful for the screaming. for the endless tears and noisy nap times. i'll shake my head and laugh when all aria wants to eat is cheese and carter asks for 30 chicken nuggets at lunch. i will continue to struggle with helping carter learn to read and write. to learn the differences between p, d, b, and q. and i'll continue to revel in the small successes each day that make me feel productive and worthwhile.

3 more months to go with them, before i have to leave, and i plan on soaking up every moment of it. and also, most definitely, staying in touch.

leaving will be hard. but nothing matters more to me than my marriage, and i will support devin's every move. i can't wait for him to get into the Rec program and really get going on what he is passionate about. His goal is to be a Recreational Therapist, and I couldn't think of a better man for the job.