Surprises

     This weekend Marty and I had the chance to venture out to Salt Lake City for my cute cousins wedding! After the reception, we were planning on going out in a date. That morning while I was working, Marty left to get his oil changed. I returned home before he did and took advantage of some nap time so I wouldn't be tired for our late movie. Marty cam home and woke me up telling me he had a surprise for me. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a hotel room key. I know it doesn't sound like much, but it meant the world to me. Marty had checked us in at a hotel in Salt Lake to take a little stay-cation. I was so excited! We wouldn't be gone too long, but getting away is always so fun. With school starting up and Marty having to go on a trip for work this week, this is exactly what I needed.
     Isn't it funny how sometimes husbands or spouses know exactly what we need when we don't even know it ourselves? Marty knows I don't like when he is away, so I think somehow he just knew that this would help brighten my spirits and give us some great quality time with each other before he is gone for a few days. The gesture of a surprise is also very sweet to me. It is so thoughtful to make reservations or plans, write little notes, or just make a favorite meal to surprise your loved ones. It meant so much to me that he was thinking of me and thought to do something so nice for me. I'm difficult to surprise as I hate now knowing, but without any clues that this was coming, Marty was able to catch me completely off-guard and I loved it.
     That evening we got all dressed up for the reception and got to see some of my family. The reception was beautiful! Makaila and Andrew looked so happy. Being at their reception reminded me so much of all the feelings I had during my own wedding day. I was taken back and remembered all those amazing feelings I had that day. I remembered how excited I was, and the overwhelming feeling of happiness I had all day because I was finally marrying the man of my dreams. Weddings are so wonderful and I am so happy for my cute cousins.
     After the reception, we went to our hotel to change and drop our bags off. Did I mention our hotel was by the airport? I felt even more nostalgic for our wedding at this point because right after our own reception, we headed to the airport for our honeymoon. After settling into our room, we went to dinner at Applebee's, our favorite spot. We had some time between dinner and the

movie, so we went to Barnes and Noble, our favorite store to browse. We spent about 45 minutes browsing through books and of course, me fantasizing about a huge library with so many beautiful books to read. Then after that, we went to see the American Sniper. It was such a great movie and I would recommend it to everyone. The movie was late- we didn't get back to the hotel until almost one. We enjoyed a lazy morning on Sunday and then headed back home. Sunday was also nice because wee were able to catch up on some sleep and enjoy each other's company. I had such a great weekend with my husband, and I'm so sad it's over. Lucky for me though, I get a it more weekends with him. :) Being married is the best.

Last First Day of School!

     Well, this is it! I can finally say I completed my last first day of school. As I enter my last semester of college, I am overwhelmed with fear, gratitude, feelings of inadequacy, but also feelings of accomplishment and triumphant feats. College has been a challenge. I've been pushed to my limits over and over as well have been pushed so far out of my comfort zone that I feel like I'm falling. It's been hard, but I've learned so much, not just in academics, but about myself. I've learned where I thrive, and where I struggle. I've learned to be more confident and from that, it's easier to talk in front of large groups, I can approach people and talk to them easily. I can state my opinion even when I know someone disagrees. I can take criticism without feeling offended or afraid. Overall, college has been one of the best experiences of my life.
      As I start this semester, I'm scared to take on my classes but excited for the challenge. My classes this semester include infant and toddler nutrition, sports nutrition, multicultural nutrition, current issues in nutrition, fourth semester Spanish, American lit: realism and naturalism, and a senior capstone workshop class. Yep, you counted right. That makes a grand total of seven classes. Am I insane? Probably. But I'm ready to do my best and do well. So here's to the rest of my life. I can't wait to start teaching and I can't wait to have a career that I actually love! One thing I've learned throughout my schooling is that the more I know, the more I realize how much I don't know. I can't wait to continue learning and expanding my experiences and knowledge. Ready or not, here I come.

New Year

     Does bringing in the new year make anyone else feel nostalgic or sentimental? As I think about all I encountered over 2014, I can't help but feel emotional. I got married to my sweetheart and we started our life together. We had so many firsts and it was such a fun adventure. Thinking back I realize mistakes I've made and character flaws I realized I have, but I mostly see all the good that came and all of the lesson I learned. Merging our lives into one was fairly easy for us as we had talked about a lot of it before we even got married. We had so much fun beginning to establish traditions, schedules, and our whole lives.
     The week between Christmas and New Year's was fairly quiet for me. We had family things and even work, but my work schedule was slow (I often get off by 10) and I had a lot of time with Marty and to myself. This week was a great time of reflection. I looked back to the amazing year we just had, and looked forward to what I hoped would be an even better year for us. This year we have a lot of big plans and I can't wait for this adventure with Marty. This last year we have been saving money like crazy. Because of how much we were able to save, we are able to buy Disneyland annual passes this year and will be going three times. We are so excited and can hardly contain our excitement. I will also be graduating this year and from there, we will be moving to Evanston, Wyoming. I am excited to be living somewhere more permanent and to start establishing deep roots for the family we will have one day.
     Like everyone else, I have some goals for this year. But this time around, I decided to do something a little different. Rather than setting goals that prohibit me from doing things, I am setting goals that instead encourage me to do more of something.
My Goals:
Eat more fruits and vegetables
Exercise 5 days a week EVERY week.
Spend more time reading (books of my choice not for school)
Get more sleep
Continue to develop my business and be able to bring in a stable income
Go on more dates with my husband
Reduce stress by not overextending myself and coping with breathing exercises and yoga
Talking through my anxieties and stress with Marty rather than shutting myself off
Simplify my life by getting rid of anything I don't use or need
Spend more time engaged with my surroundings instead of my phone or computer

Happy New Year! I hope we all can better ourselves throughout the year and go on as many adventures as we can. I hope we all find more happiness and learn to be engaged with the world around us.