My Wonderful Husband

Last night I flooded the bathroom.

We were trying to unclog the toilet, and Zach was examining the tank. I thought yanking on the chain would empty the bowl, so I did... right as Zach yelled, "WAIT!" Turns out, yanking on the chain FILLS the bowl. And it was already full. And there was no water shut off thingy. I'll spare you the details, but it was a mess.

As I'm running for towels and Zach is stuck in about 2 inches of toilet water, I'm thinking, "Oh crap. He's gonna kill me." And he was obviously frustrated. But that sweet man I married, you know what he did? As I was profusely apologizing he said, "Sweetheart.... it's okay. I'm not mad." And the more he said it, the more true it was. After about the third time I apologized and he told me he wasn't mad, we were both mopping the floor with towels under our feet, and all the frustration was gone. He let my feelings be more important than venting his anger, and all the steam blew off on its own.

We heard a joke once that the honeymoon's over the first time the wife burns the toast. So after everything was cleaned up and Zach had a chance to shower, I said, "So... I guess the honeymoon's over, huh?" He gave me a hug and said, "No. Never."

A few months ago my missionary brother sent a letter home reminding us that letting go of negative feelings is like relaxing a muscle: you just do it. Zach has been reminding me of that over and over, being my rock and my therapist. =] I'm working harder to try and deserve his patience.

Confessions of a Married Woman

So Zach and I have been married for a full two weeks now. We're pretty much an old married couple and we know all there is to know about marriage.

Sarcasm aside, it is amazing to go back and see our single friends and see the difference between what was normal then and what our life is like now.We don't feel like anything super extraordinary has changed between us, but we're definitely growing.

(Yes, I color at work. lol.)

Most amazing of all is the fact that $3 seems too expensive, we can work 12 hr days each and feel like we're not working enough, make a meal out of just a few ingredients, eat dinner on our living room floor, go to bed at 12 only to wake up at 6.... and still say with perfect honesty that we have never been so completely happy. Married life really is the best. And we've been so incredibly blessed with families that support and love us, and very generous wedding gift-givers!


On another note, I am excessively proud of my little girl-frog. She is just about the coolest thing ever, and I'm pretty sure I'm her favorite. When I go to her bowl to talk to her, she swims out of her little cave and pretty much begs me to jump in because the water's fine. I spent about 15 minutes trying to get a good picture of her the other day, but turns out water-shots are not my strong suit.

Evangeline talkin' to me.

Evangeline being Spider-Frog.

Swimming out of the cave to check out what's goin' on with the camera flashes.

Pretty much, life is good. And it just keeps getting gooder. =] Also, I'm making a header for my blog soon. Don't judge me. lol.

Days go by...

Okay. You know I'm a fan of the list-posts. So here goes.

• I started working at the Jr. High library again, this time for PAY. I'm the Substitute Librarian while Linda is in Ethiopia for the next two months. Her daughter and son-in-law are living there, helping to start ranches, etc. They recently decided to adopt 5 of the Ethiopian kids from an orphanage. Linda is going to help her daughter and her husband is going to help with the agriculture stuff. This is her daughter Alyssa with the Ethiopian people.

• When she left she gave me the keys and said, "This is your baby. Have fun with it!" I work from 10-2. I've been having fun with the kids. One kid, and eighth grader has told on several different occasions that he's going to be a ghost hunter (we found him several 'nonfiction' books on ghosts), criminal investigator (he has his own website already), and creator of an "extreme reality video game" (the only problem there is he has to figure our how to simulate the feeling of death). Needless to say, it's a blast.
  
• I've also been working part-time at Melaleuca. I enjoy it, even though I go home exhausted. I work from 4-9. I just got my 2nd pay check this weekend, and BOY was that nice.


• I ordered my wedding dress, and it's all finished! They should be shipping it to me sometime this week. Here's a sneak peek:

• Zach and I got our engagement pictures back, and we were very happy with them! Here are two of the better ones:

I designed our announcements and we ordered them last night. Hopefully they're coming soon!

• I've been acting like this guy:

• Only not so creepy. Lol. I've been reading up a storm during slow hours at Melaleuca. I can highly recommend The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, The Roar by Emma Clayton, and The Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke. To name a few.

• It's finally Friday!! Tomorrow is the 6 month mark for Zachary and me. We're going to have a special date night. But shhhhhh! That's a surprise.

Ups and Downs

It's way too fast for me. We're in the last days of January already! Let me sum up the biggest news so far:

• I had a pretty successful job interview with Melaleuca on Wednesday, and I'm just waiting to hear back.
  
• I tried to teach a bread class for some extra income. Unfortunately, the girls who signed up ALL forgot about it, or decided not to come. On the plus side, I now have a 25lb bag of flour to cook with, cause they didn't need any of it. lol. I left the offer to teach classes online, in case someone decides they want it again. It's at www.baking101.weebly.com
  
• I found a posting on the bulletin board for a 2 bedroom mobile home for only $350 a month! Washer and dryer included, only utilities not covered are gas and lighting. I've called, e-mailed, and called again! I'm hoping soon they'll get back to me because that would be PERFECT for us. =]
  
• Tuesday's devotional was AWESOME, Russell M. Nelson spoke! And tonight there is a university fireside (?what's that about?) and Elder M. Russell Ballard is speaking! I got a ticket for the front center section. Sweeeeeet.

So, keep your fingers crossed for us! We've got lots of good opportunities we're trying to grab by the horns!

In the meantime, I have been enjoying these books:


Fairest, by Gail Carson Levine
It was pretty cute, except I kept imagining that Aza looked like the poor chubby girl from The Tale of Despereaux. That kind of ruined any good imagery Gail tried to use.


The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma, by Trenton Lee Stewart
I'm still in the middle of this one. It's the third in series. They're so fun! (Thanks to my sister Sarah, who got it for me!!!) I highly recommend them.


Sunshine, by Robin McKinley
I normally love Robin McKinley books, and my roommate recommended this one. It's about vampires. Actually, it's about a girl who lives in an altered America where things like vampires, demons, goblins, etc. are real. I have to say, it's MUCH better than Twilight because it has a believable fantasy to it. For example, the vampire look like aliens instead of Abercrombie models, and they don't go to high school. *gasp!* I know. However, the character's good, honest voice told me things I didn't want to know about her boyfriend, etc. So I put it down. But I do love Robin's writing style. I recommend her books Rose Daughter and The Hero and the Crown. So good!

Anyway. Happy Saturday to you all!

Just like an old movie.

In a whirl

Hey everyone!

It's been an embarassingly long time since I've updated. My head is still spinning from this past school semester, which I barely survived (academically speaking).

Here's a list of big highlights you may have missed:

1. I never mentioned it here (shame on me) but on November 7th I got engaged! If you're curious, here's a link to our wedding website. It has the story of how we met and how he proposed, etc.

2. Zach and his parents came down to Arizona for Thanksgiving, because he has grandparents just a few hours north of Mesa. It was a crazy and hectic week, but we really enjoyed it.

3. Zach was diagnosed with a thyroid disorder called Graves Disease. We're still sorting out all his symptoms and new prescriptions, but are relieved to finally have some answers. He hasn't been quite himself the past few weeks, but things have taken a turn for the better.

4. Zach's best friend started asking my roommate/second cousin out on a few dates. They are now talking non-stop, and we all hope it goes somewhere! Zach and I feel like two little matchmakers.

5. I spent the few days before Christmas with Zach's family in California! The weather felt like a miracle after Rexburg's ice and snow. We had fun at the beach with a few of our friends, and I got to help decorate the Emmons family tree. It was his mom's birthday on the 22nd, so I helped celebrate there too.

6. Also on the 22nd, I got a new niece! Chloe Lynne Olave was born and gave us all quite a scare. She was in the NICU for about three days with liquid in her lungs. Happily, she made a good recovery and came home on Christmas Day. My parents and younger sisters are here in town with us, and it's been lots of fun.

7. I finished my internship well, and was promised a job as the substitute librarian when Linda goes to Ethiopia (probably end of February). Exciting? Absolutely!

So now I'm just chilling in my apartment, which would be empty except that my younger sisters are staying with me. Hallelujah for that! I really need a job, so I'm applying online for a job at Pizza Hut.

I'm also compiling a large list of books I want to read now that school is over. I plan on reading most of the "hot item" books from the junior high. =]

Today is Fast Sunday. I think we have good things in store.

I'm teaching Relief Society today, Lesson 45. It's amazing. Wish me luck!

I found this beautiful video on YouTube. Don't let the familiar soundtrack distract you!