upcoming

I realize that I haven't posted anything in a month, because I feel like nothing is happening in our lives. However, here are some things:

Reading:

It's good/sad, WWII in Germany book about a mother/daughter relationship. I like it.

Listening to:


and



Shopping:

The Clymb. I love it, they have great deals on (mostly) outdoors stuff, lots of apparel and gear. The catch is that it's only on for a couple of days, so you have to check back frequently.

Watching:

I love it. Kenni & Ashley, I love it. Also, this link, where I got the picture, tells the story of the castle where the show takes place. It's pretty neat.

And, we have a lot going on in the next couple of months...

- Steph & Mike moved to Salt Lake this weekend! They're so close :)

- Lucas gets to go on a director's retreat to the West Desert (be jealous ...) next weekend. I can't wait to see what he brings back from the trade blanket.

- Conference Weekend!!

- We're planning a quick backpacking trip to Boulder the week of April 7-8, if anyone wants to join us ...

- Hunger Games! We're going for the March version of the Hen Movie Club - can't wait!!

- And the crowning jewel: Blaine and Ellen are coming to visit next month!! I can't wait. Any recommendations for things to do with out of town friends?

Isn't love the best?

Valentine's Day. Definitely not my favorite holiday, but not my least favorite either. I don't think I have a single V-Day decoration for my house. Pathetic.

Even though I don't think it's the best, I do hold a very special place in my heart for this holiday. 3 years ago on Valentine's Day weekend Lucas and I decided we were in love. So in love that we should get married. We took a super fantastic weekend trip to St George. It was a pretty big deal of a weekend. Here we are:

Not to mention, we got to go with some of our very favorite friends - Matt & Julie. They live really far away now, and we really miss road tripping with them ... and hanging out with them in general. All 4 of us:

We were married 3 months later, less than 6 months after meeting (don't judge, we're perfect for each other).

Happy Valentines Day to my very favorite boy. I sure wish you weren't in Phoenix all week.

* * * * * * * *
And here are some of my favorite Valentine's Day links from around the internet:

Remember writing on the backs of pictures? So romantic.

A wonderful quote about love - thanks to President Uchtdorf!

Valentines Day printables from my favorite crafty blog - How About Orange

What a cutie ... I love this little guy.

What's Your Focus?

Lately I've been trying really hard to focus on having a positive attitude. I feel like I'm doing okay, but sometimes I just get into such a negative rut. I saw this on Kelle Hampton's blog the other day and it made me really stop and think:

There is reason for everyone to be unhappy. There is reason for everyone to be happy. What's your focus?
I have a million reasons to be happy.
I have the best, most supportive, understanding, funny, and hot husband. He is the greatest.
I have brand new little nephew. I got to go see him the day he was born and feel his sweet little newborn spirit.
I have an incredible opportunity to work with kids dealing with substance abuse issues, and I get to watch Lucas be the best role model for them.
I have a testimony. I have faith in Jesus Christ and knowledge of the restored gospel. I have the scriptures and personal revelation and the Holy Ghost.

Friedrich Nietzsche said, “To live is to suffer; to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering.”
I'm finding some meaning in my suffering. I'm growing closer to the Lord, and I'm learning a lot about myself. I have thought about what my trials would be like without Lucas and I can't even imagine going through life without him. I'm lucky.

PS Here is the boy:

patience.

I went to Target yesterday, just to grab a few things. I wasn't in a hurry ... but I did want to take Brok for a hike and it was getting later and later in the afternoon. And there were a million people at Target, so all of the check-out lines were monstrous. I grabbed my 3 or 4 items and went to stand in the shortest line I could find ... behind two nice looking gals. Probably college students, and the one buying something was about 6'1" and weighed maybe 110 lbs. I hated her for a second.

So these two girls get up to the cashier, and she scans their single item. $4.77. It took her, no lie, 2 minutes to dig around in her clutch looking for her debit card.... realize it wasn't in that pocket, check the other pocket and finally produce her card. She then slid the card through the reader backwards and just sat there staring at the machine. Ummmm, nothing's happening. The cashier told her to slide it the other way, so she did. Then it took her another 2 minutes to remember and enter her PIN number. Cash back? Do you want to put it all on this card? (yes, I have the Target credit card machine questions memorized). Another minute or so with those difficult questions ........ declined. So she pulls that clutch back out, digs around for the card again, slides it backwards again, then runs it as credit.

Here comes the hard part for me to understand. The screen has a little box for your signature, right? And it says "sign in the box", right? Pretty basic, RIGHT?? Nope. She tried pushing the enter button at least 7 times before the cashier said, "you have to sign in the box first ...." So she signed and hit enter again and that was that. At this point I had a couple of thoughts go through my head. OH MY HECK was one of them, and then I immediately thought, "boy I need to be more patient." And then, that cute little blonde 17 year old cashier said to me, "I think maybe that was her first time buying anything .... ever."

Maybe I'm not so impatient after all ... and maybe that story was a lot more funny in person. Either way, here are some pictures from a hike Brok and I took in the 65 degree weather in a t-shirt in Utah in January (yesterday):

for Blaine

Friday the 13th

Today was a pretty slow day at work ... here are some fun things I found while puttering around on the internet:


This might be my new favorite song.


I LOVE Wes Anderson. I cannot wait until May 26th.

My cute friend Ela started a MOVIE CLUB! I'm super excited, I love the movies and it will be so nice to have a guaranteed movie and a night out with the gals each month...

a dandy lion. thank you pinterest, via imgfave

And this quote, that I love:

Compared to God, man is nothing;
yet we are everything to God.

( Dieter F. Uchtdorf )