I Know... It's Only One Month

My ears picked up on the slight click that the snag on the belt of our treadmill makes every time it cycles around.  As I felt the impact of each step I was taking, my mind was running with all of my tasks for the day. My day had been busy already and I still had more to accomplish before my husband came home. Husband... it's still something I'm getting used to saying. I love having a husband; having my best friend with me at every moment is a benefit I did not think I would value as much as I do. However I do wake up in the middle of the night a lot with mere inches left between me and the edge of the mattress. When asking him to give me more room, I get just a few more inches. Anyways, life is great being married. 

As I got off the treadmill and headed to stand in front of the fan to cool off, I started thinking about where I was one year ago. I had already met Derek, but we hadn't gone on our first date yet. All I knew of him was that his name was Derek Morgan and he was really tall and cute. He asked me out on our first date for February 6th. I hesitantly said yes, not knowing that it would lead to a friendship that not only would pick me up and put me back on my feet but one that would open my eyes and make me realize I wanted to marry him. 

I shut the fan off, closed the windows, and turned off the light. After quickly running through the shower, I threw my hair into a pony tail and ran to Fred Meyer. The Taurus started up right away when I turned the key. Haha, I remember when Derek and I went on our first date. When he showed up at my house to pick me up I was asleep and my little sister Morgan had to wake me up. I pulled myself off of my bed, looked in the mirror, patted my cheeks and headed down the stairs. I was not very excited. We went to Seattle and I was surprised by how much fun I had. Eight days later he asked me to be his Valentine.... and I turned him down. And after that he still brought me a birthday present even after rejection. 

Anyways, I got to Fred Meyer, made my purchases, and left the building. I passed the Fred Meyer Jewelers, and thought about this one afternoon when Derek and I were first dating. We were at his house just talking, and he asked about my retainer and if I would ever get a real tooth put in. I then responded, "Oh, my parents said they'll get it done before we- ..... uh, before I get married." That very same day we went to Fred Meyer and as we passed the Fred Meyer Jewelers he said, "Hey Tay, look!" I blushed, giggled, and walked past very swiftly. 

When I got home I pulled out some old magazines and cut out letters to spell out the words "My Sweetheart" to decorate the envelope of the card I bought for Derek. As a matter of fact, he's on his way upstairs right now and will probably see the card and the peanut butter M&M's attached to the back.

 I know it's silly and really not a huge accomplishment but... happy one month anniversary Derek!

I've Decided

You know, it is not an uncommon thing to feel like things are not going the way you would like them to. From waking up late for work to coming home and hearing your husband yell out, "Eew! Tay, Nanna just barfed on the carpet," things may seem a bit discouraging at times. But chin up! There is more than waking up on time and a dog-barf-free house.

On days where you feel like you're twenty pounds heavier than you were a mere 12 hours ago (while physiologically impossible unless you're carrying around two 10 lb. hand weights, some of us still feel like that sometimes) and yet you still really have a craving to eat all the sweet and sugar filled foods that cross your path, do not fret; there is still something to look forward to.

In those moments where you feel the blood rush to your face as you realize you should have held your tongue about the chicken salad because the devastatingly shy new employee at work brought it in for everyone to enjoy,  take your foot out of your mouth. Well, maybe not. Put it back in, but don't let yourself get down about it. You are not an idiot... just a bit too anxious to say your piece when you should take a few more seconds to think things through.

I heard a quote once that said, "Being happy doesn't mean that everything is perfect. It means that you've decided to look beyond the imperfections."

So what if there's a day where your hair doesn't look perfect (okay, so maybe it's far from perfect) and the dog threw up.  In looking past those unfortunate happenings is an opportunity to laugh at yourself, to laugh at the dog barf, and to decide to be happy as you grab the carpet cleaner and Clorox wipes.

On those days where you feel like you're going to bust the seams on your favorite pair of jeans yet you still ate the chocolate cake, it really is not a big deal. Yes, being healthy is a good thing, but there is always tomorrow where you have the opportunity to eat plenty of bell peppers, cucumbers, celery, apples, oranges, and sticks... just for fiber. 

And at those times where you do something that would lead people to assume you are half as intelligent as you truly are, just take a deep breath and laugh at yourself. Look past your faux pas and take the opportunity to do something nice for the new employee at your work to make them feel welcome.

I have decided something today. In fact, I decided it just ten minutes ago before I sat down to write this blog. I have decided to look past the little imperfections in my life and see all of the opportunities I have to laugh and enjoy the loved ones I have around me. I'm going to look past the rainy days that create the puddles that inevitably get the bottom of my pant legs wet. I'm going to look past my frizzy hair that won't stay nicely braided no matter how hard I try. And I'm going to look past my own murmuring and ungratefulness and realize all that I have. 

I am so blessed. How do I know? Because I've decided.

Mario Kart with Mom

I love to play Mario Kart. Ask my brother-in-law Adam Carson, or my husband, or any other member of my family and they would tell you that I love to play Mario Kart. So last night after everything was winding down, the last couple batches of cookies were in the oven, I asked mom if she wanted to play Mario Kart with me. She laughed and said, "Sure! I never get to finish a race so this will be interesting!" We got the game set up and ready to go, and I selected the first race: Luigi Circuit. Mom did pretty good on this one... she ended up in 12th place, but she was right at the finish line when it made her stop! I was proud.

Then we played Moo Moo Meadows, and Mom got 4th place! Woohoo! She was able to finish not only that race, but the next two as well. She was doing awesome. Then... the next four races we won't really speak of, but at one point during Peach Gardens we were both laughing so hard that I couldn't breathe and mom couldn't steer. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. I love my mom!

Afterward, mom and I were going to watch Eclipse, and I just figured Derek would go to bed because honestly, what guy really, truly, and fully enjoys watching Twilight movies? But he came downstairs with his pajamas on and hopped on the couch to watch the movie. What a good husband I have.

More Than Just Absentmindedness

I honestly cannot believe what I did this morning. 

7:30 am

"Tay... wake up. It's 7:30, you have to go to work."

"I'm so tired..."

"When do you want to get up then?"

"7:45."

7:45 am

"Taylor, get up!"

"Urgh..."

"Fine. But if you say anything about not looking pretty today because you didn't get up in time, I'm not gonna sympathize with you."

"Ugh... okay."

I hopped in the shower at 7:50 and quickly finished getting myself ready to head out the door and leave for work. After I put the finishing touches on my hair and make up, I walked into my room and grabbed my bag and did a quick scan of the contents to make sure that I had my wallet and keys. I unplugged my phone from the charger, gave Derek a quick kiss goodbye, and walked out of the room.

I made my way down the hallway and entered the bonus room not only to grab some papers I needed for work, but to also say goodbye to my parents who were exercising. After saying "goodbye" and "see you later", I walked down the stairs.  When I got to the kitchen, I put my bag on the table and went outside to the garage fridge to grab a quick breakfast I could eat on the go, and went back inside. When I got back to the kitchen, I grabbed my bag and with keys in hand I walked out the door. It felt like a normal morning of any other day. 

As I sat in the car about to turn the key in the ignition, I thought, "You know, I'd better check just to make sure I have my phone." So I stopped what I was doing and rummaged through my bag for a few minutes... and my phone was not there. I hurriedly grabbed my keys and rushed to the front door, unlocked it, and yelled up the stairs to Derek who was still in bed. "Derek! Do you see my phone anywhere in the room?" After waiting a few seconds, he replied, "No, I don't see it in here." I then asked if he would go to the bonus room and check on the computer desk. I would have done so myself but my parents just got new carpet throughout the house, and since I not only had shoes on but they were wet from being outside, I chose not to traverse across the soft, clean carpet.

When I heard him say, "I don't see it anywhere in here either, Tay," I decided to heck with keeping my shoes off the carpet. I was going to be late for work if I didn't find my phone in the next few minutes. I ran upstairs and double checked my steps... making sure I was checking every room I might have entered. My dad hopped off the elliptical machine to help us in the search.

Nothing.

By this time, my mom had hopped off of the treadmill to assist in the search, and still... nothing. Eventually, we were all downstairs around the kitchen when my mom asked me a question, "When you grabbed your phone, are you sure you didn't put it in a purse pocket, or..." and I didn't really hear the rest of her question because at that moment, I realized something. My hand reached down to the front left pocket of my dark blue American Eagle jeans. I felt the outside of my pocket and soon recognized the shape of my phone. Sitting there... in my front pocket. I looked at my mom with an expression of, "Oh no..." and she had the same expression, because we had come to the same realization at the same time.

I turned on my heels and headed out the front door, yelling behind me, "Okay, I'm going to go to work!" As I'm leaving, I hear Derek saying in the background, "No way?!?! NO WAY?!?" I shut the front door behind me and ran to my car. As I'm climbing into the front seat to leave, I hear another, "NO WAY?!?!?!" from my adorable husband, and I put the car in reverse, backed out of the drive way, and left.

My front pocket... I cannot believe I did not realize that it was in my front pocket the whole time.
Seriously, that's more than just absentmindedness.

Three Cheers for Craigslist

Before I go into the very exciting news I have to share, I have to say one thing: I love being married and I love my husband. 

There... I said it. So sue me.

"Guess what? I have flaws. What are they? Oh I dunno, I sing in the shower? Sometimes I spend too much time volunteering. Occasionally I'll hit somebody with my car. So sue me-- no, don't sue me. That is opposite the point I'm trying to make." -Michael Scott

...and I love The Office. 

Anyways! On to the exciting news! We got a table and chairs tonight! It's a pub style table, so it sits a little higher. In fact, the chairs are so high that I have to jump up a little to be able to sit on them... somewhat embarrassing, but that's okay. I love the table and chairs! They look so good, in GREAT condition, and we got a killer deal. Here's a picture. 

It's the perfect size for our undoubtedly little kitchen in our future Rexburg apartment.

How cute.

Two Dots Connected

It is not uncommon while having a conversation with someone past the age of thirty for them to tell you that they still feel like they're 17 years old, new to life and excited about it. My own mother (though she, of course, is not past the age of thirty) has often commented in our conversations how she still feels like she is in her twenties. Even I, at my young age of 20 years 10 months and 36 days, still feel like I'm sixteen years old and in high school.

While my family was in the new BYU-I Center for Abbie's graduation, my mom and the mother of a fellow graduate that we have known for a long time, were talking about this very thing. As they were conversing, a thought popped into my mind that has been mulling around for the past month or so. Why is it that as we continue to age we still feel like we're in our prime of life? Our bodies are feeling the tolls of time as we acquire wrinkles and gray hair, aches and pains in our joints, and as the lean muscle tissue gets replaces by fatty tissue, we can physically see these changes that time and age cause. Yet inside of this aging chassis, we feel young. We feel like our skin is taut and our hair is bright with color. As all of this ran through my mind in a matter of milliseconds, I realized that these feelings that almost everyone experiences speak to the eternal nature of our spirits. 

All of those feelings and thoughts of still being young while you are growing in age, to me, support the truths that our souls are eternal; we lived before coming to Earth and we will continue to live after this Earth life. And as our spirits experience their true eternal nature, we will be in our prime of life. 

My mind processed and realized all of that in a matter of seconds. It was rather overwhelming, but very exciting to me at the same time. It was a moment where my mind was open, my heart was uplifted by the wonderful talks given, and I was able to connect two dots that otherwise might not have been connected. 

Take it or leave it... but I think it's pretty cool.

Lua De Mel

Yay for honeymoons!

We have plenty of photos from the honeymoon and I won't share them all here. But Derek and I had a great time! We spent four nights in the beautiful Seaside, Oregon and then went on to Port Orford, Oregon which is about 60 miles above California. 

This is the wonderful resort that we stayed at.

We took a walk down to the beach and played in the sand. 

While we were in Seaside we decided to go to the aquarium, which has been there since 1937.

There was some sweet stuff! Like this Lobster. His name is Victor and he weighs 28 pounds. He was caught in 1994 and has apparently been... preserved? Haha, pretty sweet.

This was one UGLY eel. 

The aquarium was pretty fun.  We really enjoyed our stay at Seaside. The beach was beautiful and we had a gorgeous view of the ocean from our room! We had a fun trip to the Emergency Room. Don't worry, no one is tragically hurt, it was just the only thing that was open on New Year's day in a small place like Seaside.  

These are some shots that we took in Depoe Bay when driving down the Oregon Coast Highway. The ocean was beautiful! We had to pull over and take advantage of the opportunity for some pictures.

                                      

After our stay in Seaside, Derek and I went down to Port Orford to Wild Spring Resort. It was BEAUTIFUL! ...well, the resort itself was. Port Orford was kind of... a dump. But it was really fun! We had quite a few fun adventures trying out the local restaurants. One day we decided to take a walk down to the beach, and afterward we explored the town and the shops it had to offer. The only thing open was one of five art galleries, and it was half finished and the employee working there that day was a rather odd man. But it was an adventure, we can't deny that.

Derek standing on the porch of our cabin.

 The setting of the resort was beautiful. It was right in the middle of some pretty thick woods, and we were one of three couples there the first night we stayed, and the only couple on the second.

 Derek apparently sharing an umbrella with a wooden frog. There was some pretty cool stuff around the resort, such as this frog and the walking labyrinth.  

 This was the view of the ocean that we had while standing on the porch of the Guest Hall. It's so pretty! The Guest Hall itself isn't too bad either. There was a hot breakfast with fruit salad, other fruits and some bagels and muffins every morning. Complimentary. They also had a DVD library of 505 for the guests to use at their pleasure.

This is a corner of the Guest Hall at the resort. Those chairs are facing big windows that overlook the ocean.

Our first night staying in Port Orford, we decided to try some of the local restaurants for dinner. There was a list kindly and conveniently provided by the management of "Local Restaurants", and as we scanned down the page and a half, we unfortunately chose "The Port and Starboard Restaurant and Lounge." It advertised seafood, steak, and pizza. What more could you ask for? Especially when you're in a small hole like Port Orford. Beggars can't be choosers...

...but we should have chosen better than this place. Imagine walking into a room full of dead fish and people smoking. Yeah. That's what the diner part of this restaurant smelled like. And the food was of just the same quality. Yum. 

Our second night in Port Orford, we decided to try "Griffs on the Dock." While we were walking around town that day, we tried to find the restaurant but by the time we were ready to go back to the cabin, we still had not come across it. That evening we got in the car and realized as we were driving to the restaurant, that it was literally on the dock. In the middle of all the boats. Out on the dock. And not only is it a restaurant, but it is also a bait and tackle shop, gift shop, and a museum. What a creative and efficient use of real estate!

And this is the lovely sign that greets you as you park your car.

While the first restaurant's food was not too much to speak of, Griff's wasn't bad! And according to Derek, they have great clam chowder.  My cheeseburger and fries weren't too bad either. 

 Yours truly.

All in all, we had a wonderful honeymoon. We had the beach, a seventy-four year old aquarium, a beautiful resort with quaint cabins in the middle of a thick, Oregon wood, interesting restaurants, and each other. We could have gone anywhere, at any time and it still would have been perfect. 

 As the absolutely and totally awesome poster that my niece Alex made me says, "LOVE - it's all you need."

We Made It

Well, we're married.

We made it! The day came and went without any major crises, tears, or mishaps. There are always things that happen... minor incidences, but overall it went very smooth! Jay Brooksby took our wedding pictures and did an incredible job. The majority of them are posted on facebook, but I figured I'd put a few of my favorites on here.

All of the pictures that Jay took were FANTASTIC so I had to choose a few, but the whole reception was wonderful. The next day we all met at the church to open up all of our wedding gifts and eat the leftover dessert from the reception. Then, the next morning, Derek and I left for the Oregon coast for our honeymoon! The trip was wonderful, we had great weather for the beach, and we stayed in a pretty interesting town at one point. 

Pictures coming later.

But we're married. We made it. And we couldn't be happier.