Christmas Letter

Hello everyone,
Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. With kids jingle belling and everyone telling you “Be of good cheer!” I’d have to say it’s the hap-happiest season of all. I think what makes it such a happy time is the reminder to all of us that there is one gift that God has given to all of us: The gift of redeeming love, even the atoning sacrifice of his son, Jesus Christ. Nichole and I are so grateful for the mercy and grace God has shown us this last year. We truly have so many blessings to be thankful for.
The last time we sent out a Christmas letter we were in Provo wondering where we might be next year. We ended up in San Antonio, Texas where I have been studying Counseling Psychology. I have learned a lot and really enjoy doing therapy. I stay pretty busy, between school and working part time helping people diagnosed with Schizophrenia. I will be graduating with my masters in December of next year.
Nichole has been working as a teacher’s assistant at a school for kids with autism. She recently got promoted to behavior technician. Although the work is challenging, she loves seeing the kids every day. She also stays busy teaching piano and helping our friend Mikey who has cerebral palsy.
We have made so many great friends here and have had some wonderful experiences this last year. These are just a few of our favorite things:
Taking our dog camping, Staying up late watching Psych, Planting a garden, Game nights with popcorn and orange Julius, Nichole visiting her twin sister in Las Vegas, Sharing the gospel with my classmates, Playing the piano, The Blair family reunion in Arkansas, Teaching a little girl how to tie her shoes, Reading my scriptures while waiting for the bus, Picking peaches, Substituting in the Primary or Nursery, Going to the beach with Nichole’s family, Singing in the Messiah, Seeing Brian Regan live, Playing basketball on Thursday nights, Reading the Hunger Games instead of doing homework, Having great conversations about life, politics, and philosophy.
We hope you all have had a great year as well and that 2011 finds you happy and healthy. Merry Christmas!
Love,The Blairs

Beautiful People.... and A Christmas Miracle

I came across the quote today and it touched me. I wanted to share it.

"The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassions, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen."

--- Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

I love this quote, and here are my thoughts on it... just in case you want to know them. I have come to learn that defeat, suffering and loss comes in many shades and are known by many names, and that all people are dealt these things although it may not be apparent to an outside viewer. However, I hope it is okay to say that not all people are the beautiful people that this quote describes. The key is finding your way. Whatever that means to you.

The only thing I want to perhaps add to this beautiful expression, is that you can find your way, and come to the beauty, peace and understanding of life Elisabeth discusses, even when their seems no way or even if there truly is no way out of the depths.

And now for the Christmas Miracle................

My Christmas Cactus that was a shoot taken from my Grandma's plant (who has been gone for 12 years now), which I nearly killed on our move to TX and have been trying to revive for the past 18 months....

.....is Blooming(I have never gotten it to bloom before)!!! It is a Christmas Miracle to me. The most beautiful thing it the world just may be the blooms from a Christmas Cactus. And it brings hope to my heart and a smile to my face every day as I anxiously check it's progress. Mind you, there are only buds right now, but I fully intend to capture it's beauty with our standard digital camera and novice skills when it is in full bloom, and post a picture. But for now... the stock photo at the top will have to do.

Grateful

So, I'll be the first to admit I haven't been quite myself for these last several months, and yesterday, on Thanksgiving Day, I really was feeling out of sorts, and feeling frustrated because of my lack of a grateful heart for my many blessings.

And then, we heard our great friend Mikey, at the door. He is a man who has cerebral palsy that I have the priviledge of caring for from time to time. I haven't been able to lately, because everything has been so busy. He is greatly afflicted, and only has limited function of his feet, and legs, and that is all. His arms and hands hang limply at his side, and even the muscles of his face are so constricted as so he can't talk, he can only grunt, and use a letter wheel which he turns with his foot to communicate. Although his body is impaired his mind is not. He is a sincere and intelligent man who is very independent and smart and kind. And there he was at our front door Thursday morning to wish us a Happy Thanksgiving. He and I have had lots of talks, and he above everyone wishes his life were different, and he suffers from extreme lonliness and boredom as he cannot do the things he wishes he could do, like be married, and have a family, and hold a job, etc. And yet there he was with a smile on his face. We offered him some rolls and juice, and made small talk about our holiday plans. Then Jeff said, "Mikey, what are you thankful for?" and without hesitation he said, "You," looking at Jeff, and then looking at me said, "You." Then he said, "I am thankful for all of my help." This is coming from a man who cannot eat, or dress or even go to the bathroom without help. And with that I was so humbled and grateful for my working limbs, and for my job, and for my busy life, and for my husband, for people like Mikey who live life so gracefully and gratefully. I was deeply humbled, and reminded of what I have.

And so this holiday season, instead of writing an endless list of what I am grateful for, (I could easily think of hundreds of things that I am grateful for) I will just say that I am grateful for a loving, merciful and patient Heavenly Father who has granted me my life and has provided me oppurtunities to learn what is truly important and who took the time to teach me this well needed lesson on perspective and gratitude. And also for the chance I have to repent and become better than I am today, because of His Son's sacrifice for me. For these things I am truly grateful.

I hope that you all had a wonderful day.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Quick Trip

I had the whole week off, but Jeff didn't, so many months previously my sister and I had planned this little trip to Las Vegas.

We saw the Lion King live, and it was spectacular.

There were so many things to see and do, we needed a longer trip to do/see them all, but we did go see the Eiffel Tower, and the Bellagio, and we ate at a Hard Rock Cafe. I am not sure why, but that has always been a dream of mine. I think that the Bellagio was probably the most incredible hotel in Las Vegas. It was so classy and beautiful. They have a seasonally themed garden inside, and water shows outside. It really was quite amazing.

It was just a quick 2 day trip, but it was pretty fun!

We are both glad to be back together!!

Oops, I forgot Halloween!

So, Halloween... we didn't dress up... lame I know. But I have to say it was very comfortable, and still fun to see everyone else dressed up.





At work one of my co workers birthday is on Halloween, and so she goes all out for it. She brought costumes for everyone to put on, and when I showed up in only orange and black she said, "You can't just wear that!" So I put on a spurs jersey and a spurs hat and dressed up as Tim Duncan for work. We had a fall festival for the kids in the afternoon which turned out nicely, except for the 15 or so minutes we put them into the motor lab while some of the other teachers set up each room. 27 kids with autism, their ages ranging from 3-7 in a small room is generally not a great idea. :) It was chaos, until one of the teachers got a book out and started reading to them, it calmed them down, a little. We had a face painting and donuts on a string room, a pumpkin painting room, and a "sensory room" with cooked spaghetti, peeled grapes, fake blood, and pumpkin guts. Children with autism tend to also have sensory disorders, where they are overly sensitive to touches or smells. So, in the group I was with in that room, one of the kids put his hands in the spaghetti and then started to gag. We quickly moved him away and took him to the sink to wash off his hands, but the second the water hit his hands, it was too much for his little system, and his lunch came up all over the floor. Another teacher and myself had our own "sensory" experience cleaning that up!





That evening we went to the ward trunk or treat. Notice our lovely uncostumed selves:

The popcorn was good, the company was even better and we had a pretty fun time!

Hope you all had a fun halloween!

November... so far

I know this is lots of post all in a row. But, if I don't do it now, I may never.

We went to the South Texas Corn Maize in Hondo, TX this past weekend with some friends.

Here is the whole gang.

Here we are jumping off of a hay bale... If only those branches weren't there, and I was looking so terrified, it'd be a great picture! :)

A cute shot of the kids looking at the goats.

A group shot of us all in the maze, which was a pretty good maze, especially after the sun went down, with no flashlights! We raced the Francis' through phase 2 and they won! Jeff and I went around one loop like 7 times! I was lucky to be with Jeff who did a great job navigating. If I were by myself, I'd probably still be in that maze!

There was also a hayride. If you look really close, you can see the tractor in the background of this picture.

It was a great evening.

October

October seemed almost busier than September with even less fun things to break up the busy monotony of work and school

At the end of October we did go camping which was so much fun! It makes such a difference to get out and do something enjoyable even if you are busy.

I have mixed feelings about camping. I feel like it is too much like moving (all the packing) to be worth it, especially for just an overnighter. So we made a deal-- if Jeff take responsibility for getting all the gear together, then I would go and have a good time. I know for sure that I am getting the better end of that deal, but Jeff was true to his deal, and we had a great time.

Here is our campsite. It was right by a little river, and the weather was perfect. In fact the next day it was warm enough to float in the river and do a little kayaking and rope swing jumping.
Here we are at night, with our friend's little boy Tyson. He is a sweet boy.

Another pretty amazing thing was the moon that night. It was so bright and beautiful. Jeff took a video of it, but of course it doesn't do it justice. It was so bright!

September

To be honest... we didn't do very much in September... we were too exhausted from everything in August I guess!!

On Labor Day, Jeff went to the beach with some friends from our ward. I stayed home and worked on an online class, and tried to recover from a cold. It was a little rainy, but he still had a good time.

Towards the end of the month I took my midterm for my online class, and Jeff was super nice! He made a cake and we had some friends over to celebrate. It was a raspberry lime angel food cake. Really yummy!

Some other things we did in September, Jeff played lots of sports, which makes him happy, and I went to lots of baby showers! Lots of my friends and coworkers are pregnant and quite a bit of them are all due in December. I am happy and excited for them.

August

So... I feel like it was August, and I blinked and now it's November! Our last post was in July, so I'll start with August.

At the beginning of August, my sister Natalie and her husband Dallas, and my parents came for an extended weekend:

It was the hottest weekend of the year! They were troopers!

We went to the beach and had so much fun. My dad lost his glasses in the beach. ;( But he was such a great sport about it the whole time.
I really like this picture. We played lots of games and just had a great time together.

We went to the alamo and the river walk on one of the last days here.

Like I said before... it was pretty hot, and so we were quite exhausted. Natalie and Dalas are trying to cool off at the riverwalk.

The day after my family left.... I turned a year older! I've never had so many people bring me cupcakes! It was really nice. Birthdays are so fun, and they just get better every year. I actually went back to work on my birthday this year, but we had celebrated with my family right before, and Jeff took me out to dinner on my birthday,

And then we went to Brian Regan at the Majestic the next night! It was amazing. The Majestic is so beautiful, we kind of felt like we should have been going to a more cultured event, but we had a great time, and laughed alot! Brian Regan is a really funny guy! Almost no repeat jokes. It was a great experience.

Then, these are always wierd pictures to post... but I got my hair cut towards the end of the month. I liked the way it turned out. All of the highlights that I onced had are now officially gone! I have decided to never highlight again, it just is too expensive and too big of a hassle to deal with the roots, etc... anyways

Before:

After

Jeff has had some great oppurtunities to share the gospel with his classmates. He has just enjoyed his program so much and the people have been so kind and friendly. This is one of people that always gives Jeff a ride home at night, and we invited him to church, and he came, the last sunday of August. It was a very nice experience, and will always be a good memory. Sharing the gospel never ceases to strengthen your testimony and feel gratitude for what we sometimes take for granted.

And one of the last noteworthy things that happened in August:

We bought a piano. It has been worth every cent. We play it all the time, and it just adds so much to our lives, and brings a peace to our home whenever one of us is playing. It replaced our TV in our living room, and we love that shift in the focus of our home. I am super grateful for the oppurtunity I have to teach piano which gave us the means and a reason to go through with this purchase.

Apparently, Jeff was either bored or tired in this pic! Oh well, isn't it beautiful? It sounds awesome also.

Like I said, August was pretty eventful! Stay tuned for September, October and November!!!

Yummy Recipes

Here are a couple recipes that are definetely worth trying! I typed these up for a family reunion cookbook, and so I figured that I might as well share.

Broiled Tilapia Parmesan (surprisingly yummy and easy easy easy!)

½ cup parmesan cheese
¼ cup butter
3 tblsp mayo
2 tblsp lemon juice
¼ teaspoon dried basil
¼ teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon oinion powder
1/8 teaspoon celery salt
2 pounds tilapia fillets

Preheat oven’s broiler

In small bowl, mix everything together (except fish).
Arrange fish on broiler pan (or a cookie sheet cover with foil). Broil a few inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Cover the fillets with the parmesan mixture and then broil for 2 to 3 more minutes. Topping will slightly brown, and fish will flake easily with a fork. Don’t overcook the fish.

“Better for you” Trail Mix Bars

2 cups of “flake” cereal (Kashi, or Special K, Raisin Bran, etc) slightly crushed.
2 cups of puffed rice cereal
1 cup of dried cranberries
1 cup of dry roasted peanuts (or you can use sliced almonds)
½ cup reduced fat peanut butter
½ brown sugar
½ cup honey
1 tbslp butter
*** Optional**** a handful of chocolate chips, or m&ms, obviously it’s “better for you” if you don’t, but I can’t resist.:)

Line a 9 by 13 pan with foil. Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl.

Heat butter, peanut butter, honey and sugar on stovetop until boil, stirring constantly, simmer 1 minute.

Pour gooey mixture over dry, and stir,(add chocolate chips here, if you are going to) then press into pan like a rice krispy treat. Chill for 1 hour before serving.


Beef Fried Rice ( A very frugal recipe)

1 pd ground beef
3 eggs
Dash pepper
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups cooked long grain rice
1 small onion chopped
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar

Cook beef over medium heat, drain. Beat eggs with pepper, cook in a skillet like an omlet, remove from heat, cut eggs into strips. Add beef and eggs back to pan, stir in the remaining ingredients. Cook and stir over medium heat in remaining oil for 5 minutes or until heat through.

Note: I add some frozen peas and shredded carrots, to make this a bit healthier.

Teriyaki Sauce(Goes great with vegetables and chicken over rice)
1 cup water
¼ c of cold water
¼ c of soy sauce
2 tblspn cornstarch
3 tblspn brown suger
1 minced garlice clove
¾ tsp of ginger

Stir 1 c of water, brown sugar, soy sauce, ginger and garlic and bring to a boil.

Take cornstarch and dissolve it in ¼ cup of water and add to the sauce. Stir constantly, allow sauce to thicken.


Herb Roasted Squash

1 med zucchini
1 yellow summer squash
1 medium tomato
½ cup chopped oinion
1 tsp dried parsley
½ tsp dried rosemary
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil

Slice squach, and zucchini. Chop tomatoes. Combine the first eight ingredients. Drizzle with oil and toss to coat.

Place vegetables in a single layer on a greased cookie sheet. Bake uncovered at 450 for 10-14 minutes or until lightly brown and tender, stirring once. 4 servings

Parmesan Pork Chops

¼ cup butter
½ cup grated Parmesan Cheese
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
¼ teaspoons pepper
4 boneless pork loin chops (3/4 inch thick, and 6 ounces each)
2 tblspn olive oil

Melt buter. In a plast ic bag, combine the cheese, flour Italian seasoning, parsley and pepper. Dip each pork chop in butter. Place in bag one at a time, and shake to coat. In a large skiller, cook pork in oil over medium heat for 7-8 min on each side or until juices run clear. 4 servings

Chicken Vegetable Casserole

½ cup butter, softened
1 cup sour cream
1 egg
1 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon rubbed sage
1 package (16 oz) frozen mixed veggies, thawed
2 cups cooked chicken, cubed
1 can, cream of mushroom soup
½ cup chopped onion
½ shredded cheese

In a small mixing bowl, cream butter and sour cream. Add egg, beat well. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and sage, add to creamed mixture. Spread into a greased 3 qt baking dish. (7 by 11)
In a large bowl, combine the vegetables, chicken soup and onion. Pour over crust, sprinkle with cheese. Bake uncovered at 400 for 35-40 minutes or until heated through. Serves 6.

Giants, Wizards, and Dwarfs

My mom sent me a package full of my old journals from grade school all the way through high school. Some school journals, some personal journals. In High School, I had a habit of writing down quotes, thoughts, song lyrics, etc. that meant a lot to me, anyone who reads this blog knows that I am not the best when it comes to original thought. :) Anyways, as I was sifting through all those words, I read this story in one of my journals, and wanted to share it.


Giants, Wizards and Dwards by Robert Fulghum
Giants, wizards and dwarfs was the game to play.
Being left in charge of about eighty children seven to ten years old, while their parents were off doing parenty things, I mustered my troops in the church social hall and explained the game. It's a large-scale version of Rock, Paper, and Scissors, and involves some intellectual decision making. But the real purpose of the game is to make a lot of noise and run around chasing people until nobody knows which side you are on or who won.
Organizing a roomful of wired-up gradeschoolers into two teams, explaining the rudiments of the game, achieving consensus on group identity--all this is no mean accomplishment, but we did it with a right good will and were ready to go.
The excitement of the chase had reached a critical mass. I yelled out: "You have to decide now which you are--a GIANT, a WIZARD, or a DWARF!"
While the groups huddled in frenzied, whispered consultation, a tug came at my pants leg. A small child stands there looking up, and asks in a small, concerned voice, "Where do the Mermaids stand?"
Where do the Mermaids stand?
A long pause. A very long pause. "Where do the Mermaids stand?" says I.
"Yes. You see, I am a Mermaid."
"There are no such thing as Mermaids."
"Oh, yes, I am one!"
She did not relate to being a Giant, a Wizard, or a Dwarf. She knew her category. Mermaid. And was not about to leave the game and go over and stand against the wall where a loser would stand. She intended to participate, wherever Mermaids fit into the scheme of things. Without giving up dignity or identity. She took it for granted that there was a place for Mermaids and that I would know just where.
Well, where DO the Mermaids stand? All the "Mermaids"--all those who are different, who do not fit the norm and who do not accept the available boxes and pigeonholes?
Answer that question and you can build a school, a nation, or a world on it.
What was my answer at the moment? Every once in a while I say the right thing. "The Mermaid stands right here by the King of the Sea!" says I. (Yes, right here by the King's Fool, I thought to myself.)
So we stood there hand in hand, reviewing the troops of Wizards and Giants and Dwarfs as they roiled by in wild disarray.
It is not true, by the way, that Mermaids do not exist. I know at least one personally. I have held her hand.


This story meant so much to me when I was in high school because at that time more than any other in my life I felt "pigeon-holed" and that I didn't fit into any category that everyone else seemed to fit into. As I read it today it was almost like I was reliving those feelings. But I realized, I do know where to stand now, even if it means standing out or standing by myself. But to everyone who feels, or whoever has felt like they have nowhere to stand, or that they don't fit in, this story is very validating, and uplifting.

Happy 3rd of July!

We are proud to be Americans! The 4th of July is Jeff's favorite holiday. About a month ago, we bought a flag, and it now proudly hangs on our house.


To celebrate the great freedoms, and blessings that come from living in America, we attended our ward's pancake breakfast where we saluted the flag, and then played Red Rover and football (can you guess who played what game?). Then we watched the Leon Valley Parade, and then we went to Canyon Lake with some great friends from our neighborhood/ward.


The weather was really awesome. Thanks to Hurricane Alex (actually Tropical Storm Alex) we have been treated with cooler weather, rain, and balmy breezes. It is still quite warm, but it was perfect for a day at a lake.
This is the megastation, which we were so grateful to borrow from our neighbors. It truly is awesome. It made the lake so much more fun! In the middle was a mesh lining that lets you be in the water without being in the lake. It is perfect for kids ( and adults).

We were going to go see some fireworks, but we ended up falling asleep instead! :)

Happy 4th of July to you!

rollercoaster

If you stay on the rollercoaster for the downs, you will eventually come back up. :)

A quick job update:

I am now back to full-time. A huge answer to prayers. I also am secured a full time position at the school for the fall.

Jeff (on top of full time school and a part time assistantship) is now working part time at a place called Telecare. He will get some really great clinical hours working with home bound people with severe mental disorders such as bi-polar, and schizophrenia. It will be a great experience for him.

Sisters

I was missing my sisters today, alot. Not totally sure why.

So I looked up some quotes about sisters, and these were some of my favorites:

A sister can be seen as someone who is both ourselves and very much not ourselves - a special kind of double.
-- Toni Morrison

A sister is a gift to the heart, a friend to the spirit, a golden thread to the meaning of life.
-- Isadora James

A sister is a little bit of childhood that can never be lost. -- Marion C. Garretty

A sister shares childhood memories and grown-up dreams.
-- Author Unknown

A sister smiles when one tells one's stories - for she knows where the decoration has been added.
-- Chris Montaigne

A true sister is a friend who listens with her heart. -- Author Unknown

And here is the only picture I took when Natalie visited in May:

It's not the best picture, but it'll have to do for now. :)

A quick trip to Arkansas

It turns out that Arkansas is one of the most beautiful states ever,


and is also within reasonable driving distance of Texas. We went for a quick trip to Arkansas for a Blair family reunion.

We enjoyed the weekend with all of Jeff's family. Aren't they a good looking bunch?

Anna was my little friend all weekend. I loved spending time with her and having her ask me to sit by her at all the meals.



We went fishing, or rather everyone else went fishing while I watched. :) Jeff caught 3 fish, and pretended to eat some glow in the dark nightcrawlers.

And one of the highlights of the trip was seeing the house that Jeff's dad helped to build, that their family then lived in for quite some time. We really had a good time, and felt very sad when we got home, because we know it will be too long before we see them all again.

A reason for not posting....

.... GIRLS CAMP!!!! (nope, not pregant, sorry to get your hopes up by the title :))

(Jeff had a really hard time pick me out in this picture... can you find me?)

In January I was called as our ward's girls' camp director, and I almost couldn't contain my laughter. You see, back when I was between the ages of 12-18, each year I gave my parents a really hard time about going (my mom was the ward camp director at the time), and I distinctly remember my dad saying that I was going to get this as a calling because I had given them such a hard time about going. Well, he was right!

But, anyways I was excited from the very start, and I had a blast. It really was an amazing opportunity and I got to know each of the girls so well.

Our Stake theme was Survivor, and our ward's tribe name was Toa Ho Chunk. It uses words from both the Tongan language and the Native American Language, and it means Big Voice Warrior. Pretty cool, huh?

Anyways I ended up having the coolest assistant ever (she's on the left below):

, and we had so much fun all week with our 14 girls, singing songs, having campfires, doing certification stuff, swimming in the pool,

playing in the river,

riding horses,

pranking their cabins, etc, etc. Then one the last our ward showed their stuff by dominating the certification challenge. They won the first round, and then the final round they competed against one other ward and had to light a fire and get it going high enough to burn a string above it, set up a tent, and put together a puzzle. It was so fun, and we won!

On our very first camp mutual as a ward, as we were just in the brainstorming phases of preparation for camp, we all went into the chapel to practice our camp song for the year. As we all started to sing, I had such a strong feeling that Girl's camp was/is a perfect place for these girls to gain a stronger testimony. I loved the song, and we tried to sing as much as possible. These words are a part of my testimony and I think that as teenagers in today's world these girls need to hear this message so much:

Be Strong

When the world and its temptations seem to call you by name
Be Strong, Be Strong,
When they question everything you put your faith in every day
Be Strong Be Strong
And when your trials seem like they're too hard to bear
Remember someone else stand by you
who's already been there
Be Strong and of good courage
Be not afraid, Stand firm in the faith
For the Lord will with you
Wherever you go
Be one. Be His. Be Strong

When the world tries to convince you to make the wrong choice
Be Strong. Be Strong.
If in the noise that's all around you
you can't hear the Spirit's voice
Be Strong, Be Strong,
And when you stand for something right and stand alone
Remember someone else stands by you in our heavenly home

Be Strong, and of good courage
Be not afraid, stand firm in the faith
For the Lord will be with you
Wherever you go
Be One. Be His. Be Strong

So, long story short, I wish that I had had a better attitude about girl's camp when I was young, (however, I was able to feel empathy for the girls who got homesick or just wanted to go home, because that was totally me) and I am so grateful for the experience I had this year!

The only thing constant is change.

Well, just as I was getting adjusted to my job, yesterday my position was eliminated because ACN lost a funder.

Luckily a part time position opened up and they offered it to me. This is comforting in 2 ways:
1) I must not be that terrible of a worker, otherwise they would have just say good bye to me

2) Part time work is better than no work.

There is a possibility of a full time position being available in the Fall. But no guarantees. But really are there ever any guarantees in life?

What a rollercoaster this economy is.

Where did April go?

I can't believe it's May already. Seems like already May has been busier (well, at least more "blogworthy") than April.

May 1st: Jeff and I ran a 5k. Here is the proof below. :) It was fun.
Also on May 1st: We went with some friends to USAA's employee party. It was super fun. Free food and entertainment, beautiful weather, photo booth with a green screen, and it all ended with fireworks. It was really fun. Forgotten camera= no pics. But, you know what we look like already!

May 3rd: 3rd Anniversary! Congrats to Jeff for putting up with me!

FUTURE May Events: (Stay tuned for pictures)

May 5th: My twin SISTER is coming to visit!!!! For a week!!!

May 9th: Jeff goes to Mexico. For a couple weeks.

Lots of stuff going on. I may/may not take pictures or have time to blog about it.

Our only pictures from April:

Happy Late Easter!!

Mo and Ellie

This past week we had our friends Thomas and Adrienne Orrock stay with us. Their dog, Ellie, and Mo became best buds! It was so fun to see Mo act like a normal dog!

It was also super fun to have Thomas and Adrienne stay with us. (We just didn't take a video of them) :)

Got a Letter From Myself Today

***DISCLAIMER***** This post will probably reveal my(Nich0le's) naevity about life, and will probably be a little cheesy.


I really did get a letter from myself! One of my last assignments in High School was to write a letter to myself in 5 years, and then my english teacher would send it to us. I got that letter today, and when I saw the envelope with the return address of my high school I was confused and curious. Then I saw some very familiar handwriting.... my own.... and I remembered and was surprised that it had come too early. Then I realized, it actually has been 5 years since I was in High School! Kind of a wierd experience! :)

It was quite the experience! I really wanted to share just a few quotes. To be honest when I opened the envelope I was prepared to cringe because the only things I remember writing were about my current crushes at the time. Thankfully it was only a sentence or two.

Here is a basic summary and a few quotes of what I wrote myself when I was 17 years old (3 days before my High School graduation), and then my current commentary.


My plans then for the next 5 years:

Graduate from BYU (check)
Go on a Mission (traded that for marriage to a great guy)
Spend a year in the Peace Corp (what an ambitious thought, I remember telling everyone that too)

My worries then: (The fact that I wrote them down shows that my personality is still the same. Once a worrier, always a worrier!)

Money
School
Life
What others thought about me (I still worry about everything except for other people think... I've learned that is a waste)

I talked about a few friends, but mostly family. I told myself to call a few friends and my parents. I said that I hoped I was still running :). And then I said these things:

"...I really wonder what I will be like in 5 years. Right now all I know about life is that I know the church is true, and I know that God lives..." (still pretty much the case)

"If you're not reading your scriptures everyday, start today. If you are married, I hope you are still in love."

"If you are really stressed out right now... remember how awesome life is. Look at the clouds. I really hope you still look at the clouds." (That made me smile because I still do notice the sky quite a bit)

and then to close I said:

"Wow, 23! That seems so old!" This made me bust up laughing for 3 reasons: 1) 17 +5 = 22, not 23. I still can't do basic addition and subtraction in my head! Just ask Jeff, he'll tell you a funny story from our first date. 2) 23 isn't old, I don't care who you ask! :) 3) What a profound ending to a serious letter. :)

Anyways. The point of this whole thing is: I could never have predicted that I'd be in San Antonio, married for nearly 3 years to someone that I'd never met at the age of 17. But, I'm still the same person, and I still have the same worries and have my head in the clouds, and I still know without a doubt that the church is true and that God lives. And I am so glad the things I knew then and know now, and I am glad for the things I don't understand and can't predict. I am excited for the next 5 years!

Away From It All!

This week we both had a Spring Break! And so, we spent a good chunk of it here: doing this:

These were some of Jeff's favorites:

We even took Moe! And she loved it (even though she got carsick on the way there)! If the hammock picture looks a little crazy, it's because it was!

The setup was awesome. Cabin(complete with a bathroom and shower), hammocks, river, canoes, firepit and miles and miles of nothing but Texas countryside!

We had a really fun time. Even when it rained we enjoyed hanging out inside, roasting marshmallows, and cooking our tinfoil dinners on the wood stove, and listening to the rain on the tin roof!