Memorial Day...

 

Since the beach looked like this -

we decided to be locals and avoid the beach on Memorial Day.

We headed to a park overlooking Dana Point with James sister Katie and her husband Vonn.

We are so excited to live near them.

They planned a great BBQ for the four of us.

 The Christensons are expecting their first little baby.

And I have a blast talking about everything baby with Katie.

She is going to be the worlds best Mom.

We laughed so hard with these two all day.

Sure do love them.

 I couldn't get over this park.

Sometimes I make a fool out of myself here because to everyone else this is normal.

They act as if its completely normal to hang out at a park that overlooks a harbor.

As for me I could spend hours oowing and aweing over this!

The boys of course got the Frisbee out and had a blast.

 

If you ask me there is nothing like a good picnic and hamburger on Memorial Day.

Nothing more American.

After our picnic we headed down the hill to explore the Dana Point Harbor.

Passing this car along the way.

After filling up my car which maxed out at 50 bucks in Utah -

for 83 bucks here -

we have decided that our SUVs MUST go.

And we saw this puppy.

James wants it.

All electric.

Anyone know where we can get one?

The man inside was loving us taking pictures with it!

  

It was fun to hit up the point where we took our engagement pictures.

And actually really get to see the harbor.

James and I now have a running list of things we want to try while here in California.

Sailing. Paddle boarding. Scuba diving. etc.

I was loving the patriotic feel around the harbor.

And I couldn't get enough of the boats.

I grew up boating on a lake -

and I must admit my little boating heart got so much joy out of this marina.

Here is a little glimpse into our day.

 

We dropped the Christensons off and then strolled around Balboa Island for a second

before heading home completely pooped.

We love nothing more than coming home to our place.

Driving into our neighborhood makes me so happy.

We have a little park across the street where neighborhood kids play 

and have picnics with their dogs.

They have even had a few days of yoga in the park.

I am waiting to learn how to get involved.

Later that night we had the best part of our day -

my nephew Michael got home from his mission and we had a joint Skype session with some other members of my fam.

After two long years I was SO excited to get to see my brotha from anotha motha -

who just happens to be my sister.

We have had a special bond!

Happy Memorial Day to all of you!

I hope you also enjoyed a good ol hamburger 

and a slow paced day to honor those who sacrificed so much for us to have this freedom.

I know we certainly did!

Hello California...

Well we made it and are getting all settled in to our new reality.

For the first few days we did nothing but work work work to get settled in.

My Mom drove in with us and literally scrubbed our apartment from top to bottom.

What would we do without Mothers?

No matter how old I get it is still so nice to have her come and help me set up my home.

 

It was fun have her see where we will be calling home for the next bit.

She fell in love with our neighborhood 

and we enjoyed going on morning walks before we got to work on unpacking.

Without her I am pretty sure we would still be in an absolute disaster.

But as for now we are all unpacked and

only a few projects left to make this place feel like home!

I was adjusting so well until I said goodbye to my Mom.

She sent me a text saying she couldnt believe she was leaving me 

with my husband in a new state.

Truth be told I cant believe it either.

I cant believe that real life has arrived -

although it was hard to say goodbye 

my Mom and I both agreed that it was nothing short of wonderful!

It is just the way its supposed to be and I know James and I are meant to be here.

And lets be honest...

I don't think either sets of our parents will complain about visiting us here.

So I am sure we are going to be seeing a lot of them despite the distance.

 Within the first week of being here we have already had 4 visitors!

We like to call our place Hotel Barker -

which is just what we wanted!

Nicole and Blair bunked up with us on their way to San Diego.

We were so glad to have them as some of our first house guests.

From the second they walked in it just felt like old times in Provo -

and made us feel a little more at home.

The boys went to an Angels game while the girls did some beach time

and shopping at Fashion Island.

I was glad they crossed paths with my Mom as she adores them just as much as we do.

We enjoyed going down to Laguna Beach with them and eating at BJs Pizza -

Home of the original pazooki!

We were sad to see them go but happy that they made it down to see our new home!

Next up...

Mike Moesel pulled into town for a wedding.

He was our next house guest and some how I managed not to snap a picture of the boys together.

But we were certainly glad to have him here!

He loved going on our morning walk with us

and we loved having him here to play football with James.

He gave James a little relief from interior decorating which was greatly appreciated.

We are absolutely loving our neighborhood.

It makes me want to get out and be active.

James and I walk almost everywhere these days.

Because it is just so beautiful.

Both the weather and the scenery.

I am in awe of what can grow here in peoples yards.

I am sure I look like a freak snapping pictures along my morning walk.

But oh well!

I am just pinching myself trying to decide if this is reality.

We are just a mile to the harbor and about 1.5 miles to the beach.

Needless to say I have worked out more in one week than I think I did all winter in Provo.

{hopefully soon the walk will turn more into a run 

- but I wont get my hopes up too high}

 My friend Caitlin who I met on my study abroad to London texted me

and invited us us to a beach day with some of her friends on Saturday.

I am sure it was no big deal to her-

but James and I were thrilled to already be making friends.

You would have thought we were in the seventh grade 

and just got invited over to the popular kids house.

Pathetic - but oh so true.

And we had a blast!

We were at the beach for almost 5 hours.

Boy are we feeling the burn today.

We were excited to meet the Collins and instantly clicked with them.

And as luck would have it 3 of the husbands are accountants from BYU -

working for the big 4.

Hysterical.

The boys laughed saying who knew accountants could have this much fun.

And I must admit I was so excited to meet some wives 

who will be built in late night friends during the busy season.

We met up later for some yogurtland and good chats.

They were all so nice to let us tag along for the day.

And we hope to be seeing more of them soon!

 

I cant wait to post pictures of our new place...

but for now this is about all I have.

I still have lots of work to do around here.

I am hoping if I make this place feel like an incredible home James will never make me leave.

A girl can always dream right.

Its funny to think that almost 2 years ago James and I met right here on the beach

and although I would have never dreamed of dating him -

let alone marrying him...

here I am.

Living in the same place where we met -

married to him -

and here to stay!

{for now}

I would have never pictured myself living here.

But now I couldn't imagine it any other way.

We have no idea how long we will be in this gorgeous place.

Could be one year - could be fifty.

So I am trying to teach myself a valuable lesson and live in the moment.

I don't want to miss out on one thing in this place.

I am trying not to worry about my zero prospects for a job -

or when we should have a little one.

As for now I am simply enjoying the journey...

and taking it as it comes!

Goodbye Utah...

{yes we do look this terrible... moving day. Please excuse our exhausted faces.}

The last week has been an absolute whirlwind.

I had no idea what moving as a grown person was like.

When you head to college you pack up everything that can fit in your car -

and call it good.

Now, we are {kind of} in the real person category.

James took his 3rd round of the CPA test on Wednesday morning -

and that night we were getting our move on.

Thursday morning we picked up our moving truck and started the process.

It rained and rained and rained while we moved.

We joked that Provo was crying because we were leaving.

But apparently it is still crying.

And I will admit that it made my move much easier.

I will. not. miss. that. weather.

But I will miss the people.

Some of our closest friends are still in Provo.

Mike. Lizzie. Suzette. Glenn. Kourtney. Matt. Ryan. Melissa. Wess...

and many other wonderful friends

were all such a great help during the move.

But more importantly they have been a great help over the last few years.

And we were sad to say goodbye to them.

We felt like we needed to visit so many people before we left.

Our life has revolved around that little college town for the last 4+ years.

And although that doesnt seem like a long time at all - 

that town and those people played a huge role in our lives.

Saying goodbye to that was tough.

We spent our last night in our first home 

and thought about all the memories we have made in the last 8+ months.

{although mostly we passed out from exhaustion}

And by Friday we were on our way.

 James drove the moving truck and I was in a separate car.

We called each other as we pulled out of town.

Talking about the new era in our lives.

Who would have thought when we started school that we would be here.

We felt incredibly blessed not only to be moving on to something so wonderful -

but also to be leaving college on such a high note.

Sure, we were sad to say goodbye to our college days 

as they were perhaps some of the funnest days of our life.

But it was time.

Time for us to grow up and move on.

And it couldnt have felt more right.

So we took one look back and headed on our way excited for what was ahead....

But not before making one more stop in St. George.

Nothing will ever beat my home town.

Ever.

It was the Norton/Orton wedding and we wouldnt have missed it for anything.

Not even to move our entire lives.

So we parked the moving truck in front of my parents house for two days

and enjoyed a little 36 hour break from the big move.

It was so nice to be able to lay on the couch and chat with my parents 

and simply enjoy their company.

Since Michael Orton was the one who introduced us 

we were both super excited to see him tie the knot. 

 

They had the most adorable luncheon that I just could not get enough of.

I wish I would have taken more pictures.

Held in an old car museum with the most perfect simple details.

I just couldn't get enough.

In between the wedding events I got a little visit from my dear friend Chelsea -

which was just what I needed to make my trip complete.

 How hilarious is that sign?

I am still laughing about it!

Michael and Nikki were just beaming and I am thrilled for them to be joining the ranks of marriage.

Best kept secret if you ask me.

Of course my favorite part of the night was getting to see friends and family.

Oh how I love the Orton girls.

Kelsey could not be more beautiful as an expecting little Mama to a baby girl.

And at the end of the night we got a nice little surprise when Blair and Nicole

came to say hi.

Have I mentioned that I love my home town?

The red rocks.

The spring time weather.

And mostly the people.

Sunday morning we woke up early and hit the road for the final round of our journey.

But not before saying goodbye to a few more people.

My brother and his wife are also moving this week...

we could not have picked more opposite ends of the country.

Massachusetts and California.

Really?

Although he probably wont admit it - it was sad.

And I know it was hard for our parents to see their last kids in Utah leave.

But it is nothing new for our family.

As of this week my family will occupy Arizona, Colorado, Texas, California, Massachusetts, and Utah.

My Dad jokes he is going to buy a motor home and call that is new house.

Traveling from kid to kid.

I sure do love that man.

He helped us pack the last few things into our truck and gave me a big hug goodbye.

Which is when I started to get a little teary.

It was at that moment that I realized this really was happening.

I wasnt sad.

More just grateful for everything in my life.

Grateful for my roots. 

Grateful for my parents.

Grateful for my husbands parents. 

Grateful for our college experience.

And mostly grateful for my new life with James.

This will be the first chapter of our lives that we start together.

All of these big decisions are so much easier with him.

In fact, as I drove away from St. George thinking...

I am not ready for this... 

this is scary... etc etc.

I passed James driving along in the moving truck 

dancing his little heart away signing that he loved me.

And it was then that I realized all of this moving business is really not that serious.

I wiped off my tears...

said see you in a few to my home town.

Grabbed my bag of comfort food and away we went.

My Mom was nice enough to follow us down to California to drive one of our cars.

Our parents were extremely supportive through this whole process.

Which is why I say we are only {kind of} grown up.

I still need my Mom to come help me set up shop.

Jim and Ann even offered to fly all the way from Virginia to help out.

What would we do without them?

The drive was a little rough considering our moving truck maxed out at 65.

And most importantly we got stopped at that California check point.

If someone can please explain to me how this place is effective I would really appreciate it.

Needless to say I was quite excited that we were actually stopped and investigated.

We pulled into our new home in Costa Mesa and havent looked back since.

We had great help from James sister Katie and her husband Vonn -

as well as our friends Caitlin and Logan.

We felt right at home and were so grateful for their help..

I feel so blessed to have these two couples here.

Without them I would feel so alone.

We have been busy busy little bees transforming an old apartment into our new home.

James has been putting furniture together for days.

My Mom and I have scrubbed and scrubbed...

and its starting to feel like home.

James and I are both already sunburned from our morning walks/runs outside.

And we arent complaining one bit.

We cant get enough of the sunshine.

But I must admit despite how beautiful our new town is...

it is still taking some adjusting.

We have had to kind of redefine what home is for us.

Home is no longer Virginia for James or Utah for me.

We dont know how long we will be here...

but we do know that home cant be in a town or place anymore.

It can no longer be a certain address or a place you have a routine in.

Home just has to be with each other.

Tonight is the first time it has just been the two of us here.

And it just feels right!

So here we go...

new state.

new apartment.

new job(s).

new life.

 More updates and pictures soon.

One LAST Show...

Ok I promise this was my last show with BYU Weekly.

At the end of March I had the opportunity to do a story about something that meant a lot to me.

A new experimental show on campus debuted called To Thine Own Self Be True.

It was all about the many difficulties facing girls at BYU.

Despite the fact that many people dont like to discuss them...

cultural struggles exist for women of my faith.

From dating to career decisions and many times self worth -

College can be a tough time for women.

I read about it on Leigh Anne Wilkes blog Your Homebased Mom.

I was so glad she posted about it 

(because the show was starring her daughter)

otherwise it would have passed me by.

My story about the show kept getting pushed back.

But I insisted on wrapping it up before we moved.

And I did.

So here it is...

one FINAL story.

Wednesday Wisdom...

Snippets from the life of my beautiful Grandma - 

a chance for you to gain some wisdom - 

and a great way to do genealogy

As you know, I grew up in Washington, Utah, a small farming community of about two or three hundred people.  There was one lone store of any kind on the corner of Main and Telegraph owned by Cal and Jennie  Hall.  It had about anything you needed, which wasn't very much in those days.  People were so poor and money so scarce that we could trade butter and eggs in exchange for script, which was a thin metal coin.  It was my job to take the butter and eggs to Cal Hall's store and return with script.  My mother and dad worked hard to produce these items.  Raising the chickens, milking the cows, churning the butter, but first skimming the heavy cream from the pans of milk, putting it in the earthen churn, then with the long handle, punch it up and down until the cream turned to butter.  Mother had a butter mold that she would put the butter in to mold it into a nice looking pound.  Then wrap it with special paper, and it was on its way by a courier named Ora.  I was always so proud when I took butter and eggs to the store, then run five blocks home to present those precious coins to my parents.  It was always a treat to wander around in that store.  There was a beautiful wood counter with a shiny cash register sitting on it and a few jars with special candy in them.  Sometimes I had a few pennies to buy a candy stick and I was in heaven, even though the candy wasn't nearly as delicious as my Mother's molasses candy and sugar candy.  But there was something magical about stepping up to that counter with Jenny behind it, and buying a stick of candy.  Sounds like an old Berry Wallace movie doesn't it?  It was!!!
At the end of World War Two, Cal and Jennie couldn't work any more due to age.  At that same time a wonderful hometown young man named Quentin Nisson came back from the fighting.  He was so serious and mature and wanted to be a business man.  The perfect spot for him was the Cal Hall Mercantile Store.  Quentin bought the store and married Gwen Turner.  Together they made a great success of that very special store.  Quentin became a pillar of goodness in Washington.  The store began stocking more and more items in it until it became well known all over this area.  If Quentin didn't have it, no one did.  He loved to visit with his customers and relate to them in every way.  If you didn't have anything to buy you went in just to say hello and visit with Quentin.  He became Mayor of Washington, Bishop of his ward, and many other things.  One of the most notable was his magic of playing the piano.  I remember when he was a teenager and showed great interest in the piano.  His parents hired a St. George guy named Clark Chadburn to teach Quentin to play "by ear", so Quentin never read music.  Clark was a master at that type of playing and even played in some of the early clubs in Las Vegas, so you see how Quentin was so good at the piano.  He played for his young family, and then for entertainment around town.  Now Quentin didn't come by his musical talents by accident.  His father was a very good banjo player, and he and his friends played in a group.  I think Frank Staheli started this group with Willard Nisson, Ed Neilson, Antoine Neilson, Della Neilson, and my dad Elmer Sandberg.  They would play for all  kinds of dances and different activities in our community.  The 4th of July holiday was always a favorite.  The band would set up on a large wagon bed, pulled by two large horses, and serenade every home at day light.  Many people would sleep out doors so they wouldn't miss the celebration.  The musicians loved the many treats that were given to them as they pulled away.  Mostly home made root beer.  Yum!  As Quentin and Gwen's children came along they were raised right behind that magical counter in the store.  They worked right at the side of their parents learning valuable lessons about life.  As they grew older, they joined their father in a family band.  Now they were really famous around these parts!  Just like that original band, they have played at the 4th of July celebration at Washington Park for many, many years and also at dances and activities.  I sure hope Quentin is still playing this year at the park on the 4th because I will be there to give him a kiss and a hug.  He is one of my favorite people!  I can guarantee I'm not alone when I say that not only was that store a precious part of my childhood, but it continued with my own children and grandchildren.  My kids loved coming back to visit their grandparents and relatives, but they also looked forward to dashing up from Grandma Sandberg's house to Quentin's to get a treat.  It stayed just as quaint up until now, just like you would think of in the iconic TV shows like Leave it to Beaver or The Andy Griffith show.  Where everyone knows who you are and cares about you.  When the following generations would come to visit all they had to do was tell Quentin who their parents or grandparents were and he immediately took you in his heart like you were family too.  Oh the good old days....
Quentin is now approaching his mid 90's.  In the last few years he has cut his own hours down to part time, but he has still been the rock and foundation of that place.  With the huge growth in Washington over the years, the main road through Washington became overburdened and a little dangerous, so UDOT is widening the road big time causing QUENTIN'S STORE TO BE TORN DOWN!  Now those are fighting words for some of the old timers!  "What in the world is happening that they would demolish Quentin's store?"  And a few more strong words that I can't print to go along with it.  You would have to know us Washington folks to know what I mean.  Just to make my point clear, Quentin and his store was the hub of Washington, a place to shop, a place to visit, a place to gossip, and a great place to soak up a little of that unique "Quentin Wisdom".       Love to you all---Grandma Ora

Number 3

In the middle of moving week...

is test day.

Tomorrow James is off to take #3 of the 4 CPA exams.

Call us crazy for doing it all in one week

but we are ready to get down to California.

I am going to be honest...

I completely under estimated this exam.

Until a large box arrived stashed with 4 massive books.

DVDS

and flash cards.

For the last 4 months James has studied every.single.day. for these tests.

So far hes taken Audit and Financial.

Aka the blue cards and the yellow cards.

Tomorrow its Business.

Aka the orange cards.
And will take Regulation sometime later this summer.
Aka the green cards.
Following me?
I am not even sure that I am following...

If you saw his study plan you would understand how this boys brain works.

He has everything lined out so perfectly,

color coded by test,

and arranged into sections based the number of practice quizzes, sections, etc.

I have tried so hard to listen to every plan but sometimes his plan alone confuses me.

You can often look across our office to my side of the room 

and find pins sticking out of the ground, 

clothes thrown every which way,

and random items strewn every where.

I often wonder how this man thinks I am going to be a good Mother.

Needless to say when my employers accountant said to me,

"Its a good thing you are marrying an accountant because someone needs to pay attention to detail"...

he couldn't have been more spot on.

I am a lucky girl and certainly married the half of me I was missing.

 Good luck hun!

All that attention to detail is going to pay off!

I am just certain.

(P.S. Please excuse the Maverick fro yo from the pictures... 

we cant get enough of that stuff around here.)

Perfectly Imperfect...

The other day a new friend wrote that marriage is perfectly imperfect.

I love that.

And seem to relate it to every aspect of our life.

Like our first home.

It is officially moving week around here.

With only 5 days left here in our first apartment
we are sitting on the floor and enjoying this place
that is beginning to look anything like our home.

As I took down pictures tonight I couldn't help but get a little bit sentimental.

This will always be our first home together.
In this home we learned that leaving sparkling cider in the freezer isn't a good idea
we learned what to do when dinner doesn't turn out and you have friends over
we learned how to fight
we learned that we are both happier if we sleep with two different blankets
we learned I make piles
and James is perfectly clean
we learned how to have in-laws over
we learned how to share a bathroom
kitchen
closet
and bed
we learned how to compromise
and we learned how to make a house a home.
 

When James and I were first married we had dinner at one of his professors homes.

He gave us a great piece of advice.

Always have people in your homes - 

even in the beginning.

Coworkers, family, friends, etc.

Dont be ashamed of your shoe box apartment with plastic bins and mismatched furniture.

Despite the fact that sometimes our apartment looked a little bit like a teenage girls bedroom...

(what can I say I did what I could with limited resources)

James and I really took that to heart.
It has taken me some time to gain confidence in becoming a homemaker and wife.

But I have realized that is ok because it was all so new.
And in this home I have definitely had to learn how to give myself a little credit.
I am excited for a second try at this whole homemaking business...

and a small part of me is definitely going to miss this perfectly imperfect little home.

Shep Studios...

Here is the Long and Short of it...

In the last two years I have gone from long golden locks.

To shoulder length.

To bob....

and on and on and on...

It has been a constant topic in my life for the past 2 years.

{even including hate mail}

 Its all a long story but I have endured the journey with my friend and hair stylist Shep.

From harsh comments to kind words I have heard it all.

But thanks to Shep I have learned some valuable lessons about real style and mostly about beauty.

I said farewell to this place today.

Call me crazy for taking a picture with Shep.

But lets be honest - 

there are few things as important to a woman as her hairstylist.

Wednesday Wisdom...

Snippets from the life of my beautiful Grandma - 

a chance for you to gain some wisdom - 

and a great way to do genealogy

After my husband Earl Milne passed away in 1991, his brother Arvel's wife passed away two weeks later.  We all were good friends thru the years, going on a few trips together and visiting in each others homes.  Arvel and I were invited to dinners, card playing and day trips, with his brother and wife, Joe and Ava Milne.  This time together made us realize that we enjoyed each others company a lot, plus our personalities and thinking meshed very well, not to mention a few sparks were there also.  We were married December 12, 1991 in Arvel's home in SLC by his son LeRoy.  Our children were there with their spouses and were very supportive of us.  For many years Arvel and Mariam had a lovely boat on Lake Powell named Dixie Queen, so Arvel was in love with Lake Powell just as I was.  In a few years he and his son LeRoy decided buy a house boat together.  It was a fun time planning this adventure.  We had it built in Kentucky by a house boat company called Star Dust.  Roy and Connie and Arvel and I flew out there a couple of times to make decisions on the size, interior design and decorating.  We were all thrilled with the outcome and awaited the arrival of it to Lake Powell  It was quite an undertaking for the company to haul a 72 foot house boat across the country, plus putting it into the water, and assemble some of it back together and make sure it was water worthy.  It was just gorgeous with an upper deck with a dark green canvas top, the deck furnishings and all the works.  The exterior was white with dark green stripping and the signage was 'Just In Time".  This name was the title of Arlel's favorite song.  How good could it get!  

We had so many enjoyable times boating on Beautiful Lake Powell with friends and family.  A quick story about a lesson learned.  If you knew Arvel he was always very prompt with everything and hated to wait around for people, and if he thought it was time to go-he just left.  We invited my family, all of them, to the Lake for a long week end.  We stayed at the dock at nite, with a few hotel rooms to ease the pressure of the crowd, then went up the Lake during the day.  We went to our favorite place, Padre Bay, which is way up the river, idled in the middle, got the water craft and small boat going, and most of us took off in different directions.  We left the Captain (Arvel) with the nursing mothers, and just had a grand time.  I took off on a water craft with three small grandchildren all huddled together on that seat, and pulled into a beautiful little cove.  We all paddled in the water for awhile, then went back to the boat, or where we thought the boat was.  Padre Bay is a huge bay with scenery 360 degrees that is just breathtaking.  We thought the 72 foot Just In Time would be easy to spot, but it wasn't there.  I wondered if I was dreaming until the other water craft and small boat came back and they spotted the 'Just In Time" way down the channel of the river.  It turns out Arvel had worried about how much gas he had (plenty) and had gotten tired of nursing mothers and babies and left for the marina.  We that were left all had a long bumpy ride down the choppy channel to the marina.  It make a great story to tell, but I was a little miffed that he had left us.  But, I think that we had left him a little too long, and he was a little nervous about being in that huge body of water very long, and not a lot of experience piloting a large house boat.  All together it was a great week end that we never will forget.  Another time we had invited three couples who were related to Arvel through marriage, to experience Lake Powell.  We were all looking forward to this because we always had such good times together.  Arvel and I drove out alone, pulling our small boat behind.  When we arrived at the ramp, we started to unbutton the canvas cover over the boat.  I was on top and Arvel was taking it off the bottom.  My hands weren't strong enough to unbutton some of the stubborn snaps, so Arvel climbed up to help me.  When we got it rolled up, he started to climb down, when one foot slipped on the small step, and he fell all the way to the hard ground on his back. A Park Ranger was near by and came running over.  He called a ambulance from Page, which took him to the hospital there.  He had fractured some vertebrae and was just plain miserable.  We all spent the nite on the house boat-a very miserable one I might add, and the next morning all left for home.  That was the last experience Arvel and I had boating.  He finally turned the boat over to Roy and they continued on with the memories.  Maybe we were too advanced in age to tackle that experience, but who knows.  Accidents can happen to anyone.  It was wonderful while it lasted, then we lived on memories.  We often said "it was worth it."   Love to you all-Grandma Ora

Surprise..

This year just wasnt any birthday for my Mom.

It was her 50th!

So James and I made a point to be in town for the big day.

But Dad had a problem on his hands.

My Mom always finds, picks out, and buys her own presents.

What can we say,

the woman knows what she wants.

So Dad and I got together to throw a little surprise bash.

Nothing fancy as I was in California.

But we threw it together the morning of.

The morning of her birthday Dad tried to get Mom out of the house.

If you know my Mom you know what a task this is.

Especially if you need her to be gone all day.

But we succeeded.

James and I ran to Costco and picked up all the supplies.

Came home and rushed to decorate the house.

I found some free printables here.

Because everything was so last minute James really had to help out.

He even hung the sign...

It may have taken him a time or two... 

My Dad likes to say I am the party planner and he is the assistant.

Such a trooper.

We literally threw this party together.

We got together some of my Moms party supplies 

before I headed off to meet her for a bridal shower and pedicure.

Meanwhile the troops were gathering at our house.

She had absolutely no idea.

Walked in and HUGE surprise.

 

 

We are so blessed to have such great friends in St. George.

Everyone pitched in a little.

Melissa even made homemade Ice Cream that was to die for.

And we were so happy that Blair and Nicole had moved to STG 

so they could be there for the big day.

Happy 50th Birthday Mom!

Rain or Shine...

We have had some rainy days here in Provo.

But I don't mind a little spring rain.

It means more time in our home together.

James has been studying like crazy for his test in a week.

And I have been busy interning, 

making him some silly lookin healthy meals, 

packing a few boxes,

and trying to do a little sewing. 

Today I got out and took a little stroll in the rain.

Made me think of all the little things I have learned in this college town over the last four years.

About being on my own for the first time and making my own mistakes.

Sneaking on top of forbidden buildings.

Staying out too late.

Skipping class.

And getting a few bad grades.

Then I realized that I am on to a whole new set of making mistakes.

Combining two separate lives and making them one has its challenges.

Like learning that men think with logic rather than feelings.

And realizing you'd be better off if you did too.

Like late night tears that seem so justified 

and in the morning you realize they were sooo unnecessary. 

Like realizing that just cause he wont snuggle at night doesn't mean he doesn't love you.

Or finding out that you married the right person because he says what you need to hear 

rather than what you want to hear.

{that is the worst}

And in the end being able to laugh because it was all in your attitude.

Tonight I read a quote by Sister Hinckley that said,

"Home is where you are loved the most and act the worst."

And I couldnt help but chuckle.

What a wonderful way to put it.

A couple of weeks ago I received a message from someone wondering 

why so many married couples appear to be perfect.

I simply dont think there is such thing as perfection in marriage.

And that is the beauty of it!

Perhaps some of my favorite moments are when James makes a mistake.

Because inside I smile a little bit thinking...

YES!

I am not the only one! 

So today I am grateful for the rain and for the shine.

I am grateful for laughter.

I am grateful mistakes.

I am grateful for fresh starts.

And I am grateful for imperfection.

If you ask me it makes marriage a whole lot more...

well...

funny!

(in other news Jen over at Tatertots and Jello asked me to make a little post about our newlywed office.

She sure does know how to make a girl feel good.

Thanks Jen!)