A Newlywed Christmas

Merry Christmas my love!

I love my new scarf

A book! I love books!

we can listen to records now!

my husband is so romantic. inside this box - a pearl necklace!

And besides the opening of presents together pictured above, the day included cinnamon rolls, archery practice, losing three arrows in the leaves, Mall Cop (yes, Mall Cop, finally!), It’s a Wonderful Life, trying to go to a movie and kind of failing (sold out theaters!) and having a great sleepover with my two little sisters. The best part was that I got a beautiful hand-mixer from my husband and then we got a red kitchen aid mixer from my parents! It made me happy. So far we have made a cake, Michael’s amazing frosting, and some very delicious rolls with the kitchen aid. It is so much easier and faster than mixing things by hand! I had a wonderful first Christmas with my husband. It was a little weird not being at my parent’s house, sleeping with my sisters and walking down the stairs with them to see what Santa brought, like I’ve been doing my whole life. But I am so happy to be with Michael. Even though the first year feels a little strange as we try to settle into new family traditions of our own, it is anamazing feeling to know that all my future Christmases will be spent with my husband by my side. He put so much thought and care into each one of his gifts for me, I feel very lucky and very, very loved. I’m  so excited to spend the rest of my Christmases with you, Michael.

You Can’t Catch Me

gingerbread men

Well they really aren’t the most attractive gingerbread men I’ve ever seen, but I had a really fun time making them and my house smelled delicious, which was the ultimate goal. I was craving the smell of baking gingerbread so bad this Christmastime. Monday was my first whole   since I finished school, so I decided to spend it baking in the kitchen. It was quite a journey getting to the final result but it was so worth it in the end. My friend Cassie helped me deliver them to my neighbors and friends.

It’s been interesting not having school. I don’t know what to do with  myself! I’ve been reading so much more, which I love. But having this much free time, I’m really in danger of not getting anything done. It’s going to take much more discipline to do things from now on. But I figure I’m going to give myself four weeks as a Christmas break (and  our honeymoon!) and it’s back to business and seriously looking for a second job. Right now I’m just going to enjoy it as much as I can. Sleeping in with my husband, reading books, watching movies, it’s going to be the best.

Two Families are Twice the Fun

So, supposedly I’m a writer. At least, two days ago I graduated from BSU with an English degree and Writing emphasis. So I guess that would mean I love to write. Which I do, totally. In light of that fact, why does my husband post on his blog so much more than me? I know it’s not a competition, but if it was I would definitely be losing. I just wanted to point that sad fact out to everyone.

Anyway, this weekend has been quite eventful! On Friday Michael and I graduated together. The really crazy thing is that I remember going to my Mom’s graduation last May, when Michael and I were first dating, and I was thinking of how Michael and I were both graduating in December. I remember thinking to myself, “I really hope we’re still together in December because it would be awesome to graduate together.” And look at us now! It totally happened. Who would have even thought we’d not only still be together, but be married too!!

Family at Graduation

We had a great time at graduation, and I now feel such a sense of accomplishment, though I don’t think it’s really sunk in. I still expect four weeks to go by and Christmas break will be over, and I’ll be back in class again, back where I’ve been for the past four years. Instead, the future is before me and it is very uncertain. It’s a little bit scary but definitely less so knowing I have my husband by my side. I think I could face anything knowing he will be there. So here’s to all our adventures and an uncertain but very exciting future!

The day after graduation we gathered with the McLean family at Suzanne’s house for a delicious Christmas dinner and presents. Then us girls worked on our Christmas stockings! I’ve never made one before. Michael and I thought it would be nice if I made one to match the one his mom made for him when he was little. I’m not a very crafty person. The last time I sewed something was probably when I was twelve. But working on a stocking for myself actually turned out to be really fun, especially because I had two sisters-in-law and a mother-in-law to work on it with! I would but a picture up but it actually still isn’t done.

Then today we had another wonderful family event, Hattie’s baby blessing! She is such a precious baby and I’m so lucky that by marrying Michael I got so many great nieces and nephews. Michael’s family is the best. I always have so much fun when we get together and everyone has made me feel so included. It’s the best feeling ever to hear the little kids say my name and know that they know who I am and care about me. I’d say having two families is one of the great things about being married. I love both of my families!

Me and Charlotte

Feeling the Reading Itch

It’s that time again. The semester is winding down. The end is almost in sight. Though they are pretty big, I can finally count the projects I have left on one hand. And this time it is really over. I don’t have just one month or three months until a semester starts again – I’m graduating! And then of course, hopefully starting graduate school in nine months, but that’s a whole different adventure. We still don’t even know if I got in.

One of the definite signs the semester is nearing a close is my constant itch to be reading a good book. This usually happens as I am nearing a break, and I have always filled my Christmas and summer breaks with book after book, trying to make up for all the lost time spent reading scholarly books that are assigned to me.

Though I do often enjoy reading those assigned books, which is why I am an English major, nothing compares to the pleasure of chosing a book on your own and getting so sucked into the story you can’t bear to put it down. That’s what I was craving. Even though I work at two different libraries, and see hundreds of books every day, that particular book can be very hard to find. Especially because I always feel like I can’t go looking for books for myself while I’m on the job.

So yesterday I showed up to the Garden City Library early and started perusing the shelves. I knew I needed several books because if one wasn’t holding me, I needed something else to turn to. I wasn’t looking for classics or anything important or deep. Just  something fun. I found three books that looked pretty okay, one by one of my favorite authors Orson Scott Card and a couple others that looked interesting.

I thought I was done, but at the last minute my eyes caught a book called The Actor and the Housewife. I noticed the name of the author, Shannon Hale, and recognized it right away. She wrote several of my favorite books as a kid. Really fun fantasy books about girls I could really relate to, like the Goose Girl and the Princess Academy. She was such a fun and imaginative author! She has just started writing books for adults. I remember reading her novel Austenland last year, but I actually wasn’t impressed with it. But I wanted to give this one a try. It sounded pretty funny.

And it did not disappoint. I admit I am only on the fourth or fifth chapter, which might not be far enough to rave about how great it is, but so far it has certainly gotten me to laugh out loud several times, much to Michael’s annoyance. He said, “You just can’t keep it to yourself, can you?” And no, I can’t! Which is why I’m writing a whole blog about it. So yes, very funny book.

It is about a pregnant Mormon housewife who meets the actor she has a huge crush on, and instead of having an affair or anything, they become friends! It is so funny. The main character lead me to question if  Shannon Hale herself isn’t LDS, and she is! Which is crazy because the whole time I was reading all her books for young adults I had no idea. I just think it is so inspiring to see Mormon women who are able to write and sell their books to a mainstream audience, because that is so exactly what I want to do! And in my opinion, Shannon Hale is a much, much better writer than Stephanie Meyer. So she is officially now my new hero and I am going to start reading her blog. Which is here, if you are interested. http://oinks.squeetus.com/ and her website is here http://www.squeetus.com/stage/main.html. And I’m even thinking about writing her a letter for advice!

So that is a story of how I started, once again, reading a book that I couldn’t put down, laughed out loud, and discovered a new role model I want to be just like when I grow up.

Welcome to the New Look!

I’m sure you noticed I changed things around a bit. I hope you like it. Thanks all for reading!

Being a Wife

I have been married to my husband Michael for a whole month as of today! It has been a month of wonderful fun and so much learning and growing. Michael and I have to keep reminding each other that we’ve never been married before, so we are both very new at it! It is great to be able to learn and grow together.

One of the things I’ve learned about myself is that I really do enjoy being a wife, and I feel like I am becoming more and more domesticated! Meaning I find every day that when it comes down to doing my homework or cooking dinner, I choose cooking every time. My homework is really starting to suffer from serious neglect because I’ve been spending all my time doing so much more fun and exciting wifely things. Not that I am a domestic goddess by any means, I still have a long, long way to go, but I am excited to keep growing in this area. Right now I have been trying all kinds of new recipes and I find so much  pleasure in having dinner ready for my love when he comes home from work!

Another thing I’ve discovered is that I’m a much more needy person than I ever thought I would be. I’m sure it is part of being newlyweds still in our honeymoon phase, but I almost can’t bear to be apart from Michael! Whenever he is gone and I am home alone, I feel so restless and uneasy and it is almost impossible for me to focus on anything, because I just want to be with him! I used to really enjoy time I had to myself and I had so many things I would do, but now I only count down the minutes until he comes home!

But after one month of marriage, I would have to say that I definitely love it! And I’m the luckiest person in the world that Michael is the one I am married to. I have never met a more loving and sensitive and fun and creative person in all my life. Every day I realize more and more how perfect Michael is for me, and I am so amazed that he wants to be with me too. It’s so amazing and wonderful to me that one month ago we promised to love each other and be with each other for an eternity, and that eternity together is only just beginning.

Look at that Kiss!

One of my favorite things about Michael is the fun and silliness we have together.

I think this picture shows that quite well!

Wedding Day

 

It’s been two weeks. What can I say? It’s been amazing.

Thank you, Michael, for marrying me and making life so thrilling and exciting!

I wish I was a cat

Because then I would have nine lives. Well, nine might be a little much. Really, I think just four would be perfect. Then I could do everything I want to do. It is my last semester in college, and my whole life is ahead of me. It’s time to decide what to do with it. Actually, I’ve already decided, but as I look back on all the classes I’ve taken and all the different things I’ve done, I am finding there is always more I wish I could do. I am shocked that as a freshman, and even into my junior year, I had no idea what I wanted to do, and now there are just so many things I feel I would love. So, if I had four lives, what would each of them be?

In one life I would choose to be a writer. I would write beautiful creative nonfiction essays that would be published and read by many people, I would write poem after poem that allowed me to express my true self. I would write all day in an office with a big picture window overlooking a river and lots of big, tall trees. In this life, I would have all the time in the world to write, and I wouldn’t feel insecure about my writing. I would confidently send my work to publishers and accept rejection slips gracefully. And best of all, in this life, I would publish a memoir of my life that readers would be able to connect with and that would immortalize my name forever.

In another life, a different path, I would be an English literature professor. I would stay in school forever and learn and read and analyze great books that I love. I would read Jane Austen and Thomas Hardy and other Victorian novelists, I would read women’s memoirs, I would read postcolonial literature from India and Africa, I would read Modernist poets and Romantic poets, until at some point I decided on one area to specialize in and then I would write my thesis and do my doctoral work. And then I would teach, and get to talk about the books I love all day long and try to instil that same excitement into the minds of others. And all the while I would get to do research. I would travel the world looking for primary sources in old, dusty libraries and find treasures like original, handwritten letters and journals of the authors I love. I would have new ideas and discoveries and publish them in academic journals and then present my ideas in conferences.

The third life I would choose, closer reality, would be to be a librarian. I would work in a library, maybe a public library in a big city and I would help people. I would answer questions people have, about anything at all in the world. I would show them how to use internet resources, I would help them with their research. And best of all, I would  help them find books. I would know about so many books and so many authors that I would be able to recommend anything to anyone right on the spot. I would spend my days among shelves and shelves of books, helping people to find and enjoy them. I would decide which books my library should purchase and read tons and tons of reviews about all the latest and greatest books. I would also provide access to movies and books on tape and all kinds of electronic and audio-visual medias. Most importantly, in this life I would be helping people.

Lastly, is what I believe to be the greatest life a person can have, and that is to be a mother. In this life I would have children with my husband, and I would stay home with them. I would play with them, read to them and teach them to read, I would watch them grow and learn and inspire their natural creativity and unique and individual personalities. I would teach them the gospel and how to pray and help them build their own testimonies. I would be there for them when they needed me, when they fell down or got hurt or when they just need someone to talk to.

I know that this last choice is the hardest thing anyone can do with their life, but I know it is the one I want to do the most. As I get ready to graduate and I think about all the different paths my life could take, I am so glad I have always made the path of a mother my priority. I am so grateful that I have a husband who I know will support me no matter what I decide to do. He is willing to take the heavier financial strain of providing for our future family on a one-parent income, but he would also be supportive of me if I decided I still wanted to work part-time as a librarian while we have kids. I am so happy to know that no matter what life I have, I will have Michael by my side. And plus, I like to think that maybe I will have the chance to do all the things I wanted to do once I get to Heaven someday. Because there I will have one life, but it will be a life that never ends, so I should have plenty of time!

To Show He Loves Me

Last night, this is something like what I came home to:

[Imagine a Picture of a Beautiful Candlelight Dinner here]

We unfortunately didn’t take a picture, but you’ll have to believe me that it was amazing. My wonderful husband of twelve days got off work early, before I did, and when I got home he had the table all set and lit up with a candle. Together we enjoyed a frozen lazagne and garlic bread, with some of sparkling pear cider from our wedding. I really feel I’m the luckiest girl in the world to have landed such a fantastic husband. This candlelight dinner was just one example of the millions of sweet things he does every single day to show me how much he loves me.

Then, this morning we got to sleep in a little bit because Michael’s first class was cancelled, and we just held each other close, which is the best. And there was more delicious food in store – we had cinnamon rolls for breakfast!