rants, raves, and ramblings.

isn't this song adorable?
it about makes my heart melt.
i found it as i am sitting here procrastinating writing our wedding thank you notes.
yes, we have been married 6 months and i haven't sent them out yet.
i am kind of a failure when it comes to things like that.
two days ago was actually exactly 6 months that we've been married.
it's so crazy how quick time flies!
it seems like yesterday i was just going on my first date.
do you remember your first date?
i went to the movie 'cars.'
when we got there, i turned around and my best friend was sitting behind me.
i. was. so. mad.
i'm pretty sure there were some not-so-nice things written in my journal that night.
then you turn the page and the first thing you read is "i'm not mad at kaitlyn anymore."
that's the epitome of our relationship.
we could never stay mad at each other for very long. {except when trying to draw magnifying glasses}
speaking of cars, did you know there's a cars 2?
sequels usually blow.
kind of like transformers 2.
i've tried watching that one 3 times and have fallen asleep every time.
i hear transformers three is pretty good though.
your thoughts?
we are going to it tomorrow night in san antonio and i'm super excited.
why are we going to san antonio just to see a movie, you ask?
we are flying to utah on saturday!!
i am so giddy about this trip.
as giddy as seeing a new puppy.
speaking of puppies, did i ever tell you that we bought one?
meet jetta:

isn't she adorable?
sad story: we bought her and sold her a week later.
i know, we're pretty pathetic.
we can't even hack having a puppy.
it was fun while it lasted though. {sort of}
kinda like "it was fun while it lasted" when my brother bought me
a puppy for christmas a few years ago.
we put it in the laundry room for the night and it had diarrhea all behind our washer and dryer.
dis-freaking-gusting.
speaking of christmas, zachary and i have talked about spending it on our own this year.
obviously it would depend on where we are at, our leave situation,
and if we could afford going home.
i'm wondering though, what was your first christmas away from home like?
was it a good or bad experience?
would you recommend it for our first christmas as a married couple?
i can't imagine not being with my family for christmas, but since i have a new family now,
it might be fun to start our own traditions and such.
speaking of traditions, i had better go carry on the tradition of writing
thank you notes for our wedding gifts.
i promise i am grateful for everyone that supported us!
i just have a hard time keeping a long enough attention span to get the job done.
peace out.

-the wife

leaky faucet, coming through.

i've never cried in a movie before...until the other day, watching p.s. i love you.

i don't know what it was, but the thought of ever losing zachary seemed so unbearably awful that i couldn't keep myself together. {cheesy, i know}
but if you look at it that way, then it was a good cry. right?
wanna know what else can make me cry?
this video:

works every time.

being married and loving someone enough to know that your whole world would be a wreck without them has turned me in to one big bawl baby.

i sure do love that husband of mine!

-the wife

every cloud has a silver lining.

picture this:

camping.
in tents.
no grass.
lots of dirt.
and wind.
105 degree weather.

that about sums up my week.

i was able to go to girl's camp with my church as the camp director.

it all sounds miserable {and to be honest, some of the time it was} but i actually had a lot of fun!

it wouldn't have been nearly as great if it weren't for these cute ladies:

{l to r: marisol, amber, kathryn, yours truly, alisa}

i've only known these girls for a short time, but they have already been such a huge example to me! i am so grateful for the opportunity to meet new people and make new friends. maybe moving around so much isn't a bad thing after all...

-the wife

Abusement Parks - Zach checks in

I’ve had several requests from friends lately to give some sort of update/post/whine/whatever. “Sarah O’ my heart” does a great job at giving the day-to-day, ins-and-outs of our situation. However, I’m feeling the itch that must be scratched! … Don’t read into that too much… It’s a metaphor for: I’m feeling the need to tell people about my life!


Since D-day, that is Demolition-of-My-Career-Induced-Irrevocably-by-Barfing Day, I have been granted quite the cocktail (not that I would know) of emotions. Let me take you on a tour of these emotions.


First stop: The abusement park known as Dizzyland, not to be confused with Disneyland. Surprisingly, they do have a lot in common. You will find plenty of roller-coasters at Dizzyland; however, they aren’t the roller-coasters of fun. Instead they are roller-coasters of disappointment, inadequacy, and (let’s be honest) fear. To dream of something since I was 5, to see every single thing line up JUST right for the last 7 years to set me up for the realization of my dream, and then to see it come crashing down in a matter of a few days is, to say the least, a big roller-coaster of disappointment, inadequacy, and fear. Luckily, I only spent a few days in Dizzyland.


After Dizzyland, I visited Irony Land. Irony Land is peculiar. I didn’t even know I was there until I saw the way I was reacting each time I glanced at my flight suit that I will never wear. Before D-Day, I witnessed the attitudes that many non-pilots (not all of them of course) had toward pilots. There was this underlying tone of vehemence and jealousy in everything they said to, or did for the pilots. I thought to myself, “pilots aren’t too bad. Why can’t anyone get themselves to do more than just tolerate them?” Funny (ironic) thing is, after visiting Irony Land, I am one of those people. I find myself fighting the insistent urge to cast judgmental glares at the sea of flight suits walking around me in Irony Land. It’s not that I’m jealous in the sense that I would want to sabotage any of them or anything. More accurately, I hope they know what they have.


Brief digression: Just last week, a pilot-trainee was kicked out of the program just weeks prior to graduation for breaking a stupid-simple, but important rule. Why risk something that is so valuable to so many? For every pilot in the Air Force, I would argue that there are probably 20 people/kids/kids-at-heart that would kill to be in his/her position. So, DON’T be a dingle-berry! Appreciate what you have!


Next on this strange vacation is a place known only as ResignationLand. This is the place where all you see around you are signs of abdication: a comfortable pseudo-suede couch, a HUGE bowl of ranch popcorn, Seasons 1-6 of Lost, World of Warcraft, and zombie books. Fortunately (or maybe unfortunately) I kinda like this place. It occupies my time, takes my thoughts away from my troubles, but it sure is hard to leave. Kinda like Hotel California… *Zach hangs his head in shame knowing that Sarah will have no idea what he is referring to, but is quickly cheered knowing that Mark Christensen will, that is, if he ever reads this… he is cheered again knowing that SOMEONE will… right?* Anyways… Don’t get me wrong, I don’t spend ALL my time there… just more than I should *cough*.


When I can take myself away from ResignationLand, the other bemusement park (oh wow, I am just full of witty puns today aren’t I?) that I visit on a daily basis is Don’t-Give-Up Land. This park can be quite rewarding, if you can get through it. At least, I have to believe that as I sit at my desk at work writing this blog post. You see, I am now sitting in Don’t-Give-Up land. Though ‘at work,’ I find myself bored and yearning for the next non-bemusement Park to come my way. I have been tasked with a temporary job that the Air Force has given me where my potential isn’t seen and my skills under-harnessed. I understand why they did it. I’m getting paid, and I must do SOMETHING after all. I get that, but have you ever been given a temporary job that has no effect on your overall career or skill set? It can be difficult to take seriously. Yet, seriously I take it – because it’s not in me to do a half-hearted job.


Yes, I trudge on. If only because that’s what I have always done and it has always paid off. After all, I have a lot to be grateful for. I have a beautiful wife that has never failed to thank me after 1,000 car-door-openings. I have a roof over my head. I am healthy *Zach is transported back in time to November 2009 – the last time he was truly ill – remembering the fun times with Derek playing Mario Party for 5 days straight.* I’m $till getting paid. God is watching out for a family member and keeping him from dying in a potentially horrible car accident. I will be taking a 9 day PAID vacation in July. The Lakers met humility this NBA season. There are a lot of fun movies coming out this summer. I have a tootsie roll ready to be eaten in my pocket. AND, last but not least, I have full confidence that someday I will come across my favorite amusement park: I’m-So-Glad-God-Took-the-Pilot-Opportunity-Out-of-My-Stubborn-Fingers-to-Give-Me-My-REAL-Dream-Job Land. That place is out there somewhere, and I’m going to find it!
 
-the husband

facts and confessions.

i love cold pizza.

i have zero wisdom teeth.
and allergies.

i am a mormon.

i am so ticklish that massages almost aren't even worth it.

i sleep-talk and on occasion, sleep-walk.
just last week zachary woke up to me standing on our bed, whimpering because
i thought i saw a spider.
i don't remember a thing.

i am number four out of six children.

sour patch kids and swedish fish are my guilty pleasures.

i can be very shy at times.
i hate it.

i am addicted to biting my nails.

i want to own a truck someday.
and a dog.
that seems like the perfect combo for an ideal camping trip.

i love camping.

jealousy and grudge-holding are my biggest downfalls.

my mom used to cut my meat for me before every meal.
right up until i moved out of the house.

i wish i had stuck with playing the violin.

i am terrified of bridges.
mostly because i am terrified of drowning.

i have gone a year without candy or soda.

my favorite movie is thirteen going on thirty.
i love jennifer garner.

i am self-conscious about my body.
my legs in particular.
i've never been confident in the way i look.

when i was eight, i wrote my name with my left hand on my dresser.
just so i could blame it on my little sister.

i want to train my body to like waking up early.

i took swimming lessons when i was in 8th grade.

i'm afraid of getting a job because i'm afraid of failing.

i have had the same friends since i was ten.
so making friends is a struggle of mine.

i love doing things spontaneously.
it makes me feel free.

christmas is my favorite holiday.
i love looking at the lights and listening to the music that comes with it.
there is definitely a different feeling during the month of december.
kind of like the feeling you get at disneyland.

oh, i love disneyland.
it's magical.

i love my hair in french braid pigtails.
i want to learn to do them to myself.

i love being with level-headed people.

i want to travel the world.
winning this giveaway would be a great start.

i am so done with living in del rio.
i can't wait to visit utah and see our family in just a couple weeks!!

-the wife

weekend getaway.

zachary and i splurged a little this weekend. and by splurge, i mean we drove to san antonio and went to sea world!

i realized that most of the fun things we've done in the past couple months have to do with animals; going to the zoo, visiting the aquarium, and now this. not to mention, the animal safari in san antonio that i want to go to as well. i feel like we're five or something. i still loved it though. we were able to feed/pet dolphins:

their dolphin/whale show was pretty entertaining too. besides the fact that it smelt like throw up and the lady behind us squirted us both in the face with a water balloon, i'd say this was our favorite show.

and of course, what is sea world without shamu? honestly, this show was pretty lame. the only cool part was when shamu did a flip and soaked everyone. other than that, it was just a bunch of fluff about saving the planet. not my idea of a good time. it was still awesome to see live killer whales though!

considering we didn't have to pay to get in, {yay for military discounts!} i'd say it was worth it.

we also went to austin to visit my brother and sister-in-law. we haven't seen any of our family since march, so it was a nice little reunion! while we were there, my sister-in-law, carli, made us these delicious pumpkin pancakes for dinner. you have got to try them. i have been craving them since we left.

it was a great weekend minus all the driving! that's what we get for living in good ol' del rio i guess. we should know in the next month or two when we will be leaving this place! i'll be sure to let ya know.

-sarah

p.s. i ordered a burrito this weekend that was the size of my hand.  for the record...i have really big hands.

just thought you ought to know...

the big 2-1.

i turned 21 years old yesterday!
it was one of the best birthdays yet.

it started off with breakfast in bed from my charming husband.

he sure knows how to make some mean german pancakes.

he then sent me on a scavenger hunt to find my presents.

they consisted of a game, a movie, some things that would be
inappropriate to share with you ;), and a pinata!

i have always wanted a pinata for my birthday!

we beat the crap out of that thing.

now we eat ourselves sick with the junk food that was in it.

my favorite present though, would have to be my new sewing machine!

{i apologize for the blurry image. there was lots of excitement/commotion going on.}

he knows me so well.

i've been saying for weeks now how bad i wanted one!

my first project will be to make this pillow:

isn't it beautiful?

i discovered it right after we got married and seriously fell in love with it.
 but there was no way that i was ever going so spend 25 dollars to buy it!

i found an awesome tutorial on how to make it though and i'm going to give it a go.

chances are, it'll end up disastrous, but i'll let you know how it all turns out.

we went to dinner at my favorite restaurant in del rio: jitra thai cuisine.

i had never eaten thai food until i met zachary and it has now changed my life.

want to know what else has changed my life?

dr. pepper.

you know how most 21 year olds are excited to drink alcohol and gamble?

well since i don't do either, i decided to celebrate in another way.

first, confession time: i've never drank a caffeinated drink before yesterday.

i went out on a limb at dinner though and ordered my very first caffeinated dr. pepper.

you can all laugh, but that was one big step in my life that i will never forget.

we wrapped up the night by watching kung fu panda 2.

i know it's a movie for kids, but i have to admit that we really liked it. a lot.

it was super funny!

i think half the entertainment  came from all of the little kids' goofy laughs in the theater.

oh and you can't forget the birthday cake!

fun fact about me: i am not a chocolate fan.

so seeing me in this picture:

blowing out candles on a chocolate cake is a definite first.

but this isn't just an ordinary chocolate cake.

it's a chocolate molten lava cake.

it's the easiest, most delightful recipe that you could find!

it really was a wonderful birthday.

big thank you to zachary for making me feel like a million bucks all day long!

and thank you for the cards and 'happy birthdays' from all of my family and friends.

love you all!

-sarah

our humble abode.

remember when i made a goal to get my house clean and liveable?
well i am finally finished!
i know i said that i also wanted to paint and decorate, but considering we aren't going to be in this house for as long as we planned, i decided to hold off.
since everything looks decent though, i can now give you an official tour!
for starters, this is what it looks like from the front:

not exactly the prettiest thing you've ever seen, but it's good enough to call home.
our grass is actually a lot greener than that now, so that's one plus!
you walk in the front door and you will be planted right in our living room:

this is where most of our cuddling/watching-lost action goes on.

i love this room!

connected to it is our beautiful dining room:

...and by beautiful i mean bland, boring, and lifeless.

yes, we know that this is a sorry excuse for a table.

we've been married 5 months and still haven't bothered to buy one.

thank goodness we got this little beauty for our wedding or we would be eating on the floor!

next is our kitchen.

what looked like this when we first moved in:

now looks like this:

that calms my nerves just looking at the after pictures.

i think my favorite part about our kitchen is this bad boy:

it was a christmas gift from my mom and dad and i absolutely adore it!

it is beginning to become my very close friend.

and you can't forget the laundry room, right next to the kitchen:



small and quaint, but it gets the job done.

we love our washer and dryer.

it took us a while to take the plunge to buy them, but it has definitely been worth it.

they even sing us songs when a load is done!

just around the corner is this hallway:

have you ever been to young house love?

it is this incredible site that features a young couple that love to decorate and design.

they have so many cute ideas and i want to use one of them for my hallway someday.

this idea consists of a collage of white frames filled with anything as fancy as a wedding picture or as simple as a bird feather.

my favorite one will be a long horizontal frame with the words "you are my sunshine" sewn on white cardstock with thin yellow yarn.

i hear those words often in a day from my cute boy and i want to make
them a part of our home.

the first door on your right down that hallway is our office:

we found this sweet awesome desk at wal-mart for really cheap.

probably because the quality is really cheap...

it has worked well for us though.

other than that, we don't have much to put in here.

someday, i want a nice comfy couch. 

maybe red or yellow.

and a bookshelf or two with loads of good books!

this will definitely be the room to go to for peace and quiet.

the second door on your right down that hallway, is our guest bedroom:

considering we don't have any kids and we never have any guests, this room is nothing special.

it has become our ironing/store-our-junk-in room.

but, in case that makes any of you shy away from visiting us, i can promise you that we do have a nice queen size mattress and clean sheets that you wouldn't want to miss. :)

now back to the hallway, the second door on your left would be the bathroom:

if you go through that door on the back end of this picture, it also leads you to another bathroom that is connected to our bedroom.

we treat it kind of like a his and hers bathroom set-up.

i decided not to show you pictures of mine since it is the number one room in the house that i struggle the most with in keeping it clean.

curses to being a girl and needing a billion things to get ready with.

and last, but not least, here is our lovely bedroom:

loads different from the last time you saw it, eh?

see that little soccer ball piggy bank right there?

that's where we are saving up all of our change {literally} to go on a trip to disneyland!

we are making some major headway with a whopping $75.65.

only a few hundred more to go!

i can't even begin to tell you how great it feels to have a clean house!

i feel so blessed to be where we are right now.

life is good and seems to only get better with time.

-the wife

water safety instructor

it's official!

i am the newest red cross certified wsi.

{don't mind the crazy hair}

i never thought i would say this, but i love swimming.

i was a lifeguard in high school and i only worked during the summers because if you wanted

 to work during the school year, you had to swim a mile every month.

some might not think that's bad, but i hated every second of it!

after taking this class and being in the water so much, i have gone to the pool

everyday to swim for my work out and swimming a mile has become a breeze!

i like it more than running because you don't get sweaty and gross and it gives you a good
 cardio work out while at the same time, toning/building muscles in your legs and arms.

i get bored of the same old work out routine, so it has been nice to shake things up a bit.

i am super excited to get better at it!

i am going to san antonio tomorrow to get lifeguard certified as well.

i'm kind of nervous because it's been so long since i've done any of the rescues and procedures.

i could really use the job though, so i hope and pray i pass....wish me luck!

-sarah

i believe...

...crocheting has therapeutic effects. seriously, i have been craving nothing more than to watch t.v. and crochet the night away this past week.

..."peace train" by cat stevens can make the saddest person in the world feel slightly happy inside.

...maturity has less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated and more to do with being able to control what comes out of your mouth.

...facebook should receive a reward for being the best form of procrastination and the number one reason students hate finals week.

...family dinner is one of my favorite times of day.

...weddings make me feel nostalgic.

...down comforters are hot. and i'm not talking attractive hot. i'm talking way-too-warm-to-even-be-worth-your-time hot.

...money is a lousy way of keeping score.

...awkward situations are only awkward if you make them awkward. {try saying that ten times fast}

...snail mail is far more exciting than e-mail.

...a pedicure will do wonders in making a girl feel confident about her feet.

...i want a sewing machine and a cricut. then i will be able to do more than half the projects on my craft list.

...i need to learn to be less competitive.

...weekend getaways are something to live for. i don't know what could be better than not having to worry about anything and getting zachary all to myself. it's like a mini honeymoon!

...dishes should learn to do themselves. i am sick of being their slave!

...tickle fights are bittersweet. they may make me laugh, but that doesn't mean i like them.

...running is good for the soul...and for the bum!

...women need to come up with a different solution to problems. ice cream tastes good until 20 minutes later you feel fat and bloated and realize you just ate 6 times your weight in calories.

...thoughtfulness makes a good person. everyone appreciates someone that goes out of their way to make them feel noticed. the world could use more thoughtful people in it.

...i married my best friend.

what do you believe in this week?

happy birthday.

today is a special day.
today is my best friend's birthday!
she's turning the big 2-1!!!
sadly, it is the first birthday in 9 years that we haven't been together for.
i have been through thick and thin with this girl.
we are a team.
like bert and ernie.
superman and clark kent.
milly and vanilly.
this once in a lifetime friendship started back in the 7th grade.
she had just moved into town and i'll be honest...i couldn't stand her. i thought she was loud and obnoxious. we started 7th grade and it turned out that she had every single class with me.

awesome.

a couple weeks later, i broke my leg. thank goodness kaitlyn liked pulling around wheely backpacks! she wanted nothing more than to pull mine around. she stuck with me for the next six weeks, getting my door, carrying my tray for me at lunch, waiting for me when class got over after everyone else left me in the dust. i realized that maybe my first impressions of her weren't the best ones. we have been inseparable ever since. i can't even count the nights that were spent sitting in her basement cuddling and watching movies, just the two of us, or the number of phase ten games we've been through {a freaking lot!} or the gallons of ice cream that we have eaten because of stupid things like boys. i honestly don't know how i would have gotten through life without her. she is seriously like a sister to me!

here are some of the things that make kaitlyn marie averett so great:

she throws super great tea parties!

she doesn't judge me when i look like poop squish from having a gigantically swollen face,

blood shot eyes, and a broken collar bone. 

she goes shopping with me, just for the fun of trying on ugly clothes.

 she has been with me for every big event in my life.

she's my number one home slice.

she keeps me young by stuffing me with junk food. always. caramel popcorn in particular.

she's been on just about every single vacation i've ever been on.

she makes me laugh.

 she is there for me when i do scary things.

 she is so pretty!

every girl deserves a "kaitlyn" in their life. someone that they can count on to be there no matter what. i am so grateful to be able to call this girl, not only my best friend, but now my cousin! she will be getting married in just 56 short days and i can't wait to see her again. she is going to make such a beautiful bride! j-dawg is one lucky boy. happy birthday katymay! i wish i could be there to celebrate. love ya.

-the wife

change of plans.

well, five weeks of being husbandless turned in to two weeks on friday.

conditions were definitely different than either of us expected.

{want the story? click here.}

even though, things didn't go as planned, i couldn't have been happier to see my boy.

i picked him up from the airport at midnight on friday and we

stayed the night in san antonio.

we spent saturday going to buffalo wild wings {best restaurant ever!}, seeing the

movie "something borrowed" {worst movie ever!} and eating frozen yogurt.

in the last three days that he has been home, we have eaten

3 batches of ranch popcorn, watched 5 episodes of lost,

and made ourselves sick with all of the leftover easter candy.

looks like things are back to normal!

we aren't really sure what we are going to do now.

we hope and pray that the review board will decide to reclass zachary, but

who knows, maybe they won't.

we are going to take it one day at a time.

this is really difficult for me to do.

i like having a plan and knowing what to expect.

i guess the only thing we can expect now, is that God will take care of us.

i have full faith in that.

-the wife



happy mother's day.

dear mom,

i know that you never {ever} read my blog, but i want to let the cyberworld in on a little secret about you. you are the best mom that a girl could ask for. thank you for all the things you have done for me, that at the time may have gone unappreciated. like ripping me out of bed every morning so that i didn't fail high school. or telling me to put on sunscreen before every soccer game so that i didn't get skin cancer. or making sure that i am dating the right boys, so that one day i could marry the right boy.

along with that, i want you to know the things that i have always appreciated about you. like all of the times that you gave me gas money, seeing that i was the worst money manager in the world! thank you for your thoughtfulness in bringing me treats from the grocery store, or from provo, or from anywhere you went really. thank you for making me breakfast all growing up, and still making zachary and i breakfast when we come to visit. thank you for cheering me up when i am sad. thank you for being my number one fan. thank you for being the prime example to me of what it is to be selfless. thank you for your positive attitude towards life. thank you for raising me in the church and never letting your testimony waver. and thank you for giving me comfort in knowing that you are going to spoil my kids rotten someday, as the best grandma in the world. if i could be half the mother you are, i will consider my life a success. i love you mama. happy mother's day.

love,
sarah

p.s. thank you also, for showing me how to be a hard worker. congrats on earning your masters degree!

God bless America.

so as i was driving on base from church today, the lady at the front gate checked my i.d., gave me a generic greeting, and then slipped in that, "we are in real world force protection condition {fpcon} bravo." {which means there is an increased and more predictable threat of terrorist activity.} i didn't give it a second thought until i was halfway home and i realized what she had actually said. {usually we are in fpcon alpha which is just the general, everyday possibility of a terrorist attack.} i'll be honest, i got a little nervous. i talked to zachary and told him the situation and asked if i should be scared. being the good husband he is, he replied no, told me not to worry about it and just to lock my doors. haha! i was curious as to why the sudden change in fpcon though and now i know:

osama bin laden is dead!!!

i've been watching the news for the last two hours and i am impressed at the response that this breaking news has gotten. here it is 2:30 a.m. and there are thousands of people outside the white house chanting and cheering about their love for this country. there is another group at ground zero singing the national anthem and waving our country's flag. i've heard from a new york lady that lived in the area around the twin towers. she was there when the planes hit. she saw people jumping from buildings and has been scarred since and feels justice from the death of this man. i've heard from a new york fireman that was there the day that the twin towers were hit and he conveyed his pride in our country and our brave troops in conquering the al qaeda leader. a national security official declared this as, "the best day of his life." i've seen numerous facebook statuses of excitement and gratitude in this news. {my favorite being from my sister-in-law, arika...."America: "I see your royal wedding and raise you 1 OSAMA BIN LADEN". England: *fold*"}

i don't understand all the details about this war and why we hate osama completely. everything i've learned has been from one night when zachary got on a "let's culture sarah" kick and proceeded to tell me everything i need to know about osama bin laden, al qaeda, saddam hussein, terrorism, etc. yes, i am very sheltered and naive. i will own up to that. but in all of this, i feel overwhelmed and almost emotional at how blessed i feel to live in this country. i am not being subject to a leader that is raising terrorism and killing thousands of innocent people. i can be whatever religion i want. i can go to school if i want to...or i can choose not to. the point is that i even have a choice! i have fresh food sitting in grocery stores, right at my fingertips. i have clean, running water. i can light a room with the flip of a switch. i can say anything i want and not be punished for it. as a woman, i am considered an equal to a man. most of all, i can feel safe. i am so grateful to live in a country that offers me these everyday freedoms that i take for granted so readily. i'm sure that any of you can agree that life is hard sometimes, but take a minute and realize how good we really have it.

God bless America.

-the wife



end-of-april resolutions.

i've been on a bit of an ambitious kick recently.

i gave myself my day to be sad and mopey about zachary being gone and

now it is time to get some things done with all of this time on my hands.

i have tried to set a few goals for myself to make the days go by quicker.

so far, they have done the trick extremely well.

i feel really lame admitting this, but we have been in our house for over

2 weeks and i still haven't put everything away from the move.

our house is a disaster.

and of course, the dishwasher just had to break right in the middle of it

all, so that definitely doesn't help my cause.

so my first goal is to get this room:

and this room:

in proper living condition. {don't judge}
right now i feel like i live in a pig sty!
not only do i want to clean them, but i also want to paint/decorate them too.
i'm thinking of a black, gray, and yellow color scheme for our bedroom.
any ideas on how to do it?

goal number 2: read my scriptures everyday.

zachary and i would read scriptures every night right before bed.

he was always been the one that would remember to do it and has taught me

so much in our relationship about gospel things.

he definitely can bring the Spirit into our home faster than

you can say "the church is true".

well, now that he's not here, it's time to put on my big girls pants and

take it upon myself to keep the Spirit in our home while he is away.

i love the scriptures and i love the comfort that i can receive from them.

goal numero tres: visit my brother and sister-in-law.

for a few months now, i've known that they were moving to texas.

they sold pest control in houston last year and that was their plan this year as well.

i've been planning on making the 7 hour trip to see them and have been

quite excited about it actually.

then i found out last week that instead of pest control, he will be selling

security systems and not only will they be moving to texas, but they will

be moving to austin, tx which is only 3 and 1/2 hours from me!!

i was ecstatic when i found out!

i definitely miss my family a lot while being out here, so having them close for

at least the summer will be a huge blessing!

goal #4: become a water safety instructor {aka swimming lessons teacher}

i have been a lifeguard before, so when i got an e-mail last month saying

that the red cross is going to be offering certification classes this summer,

i jumped right on it!

apparently del rio didn't offer swimming lessons to kids last summer because

they didn't have any qualified instructors in the area.

hopefully, this means that i will be one of few so i can get a lot of hours in and be

able to earn some extra cash for me and my honey. {while of course soaking up some extra rays!}

goal #5: lose 5 lbs.
i have been trying really hard to be sure to workout everyday.
the last three days have been awesome!
i get out of bed feeling pumped and ready to go.
as soon as i hit the gym, i feel a burst of energy and can get a
really good workout in.
i know myself though, and i know that this doesn't last long usually.
do you have any tricks to keep yourself motivated?

along with this, everything i have read has told me that it's not
just the working out alone that will shed the pounds.
it is also making sure that you burn more calories than you consume.
well,  i want to introduce you to "my fitness pal":

zachary and i have been using this for about a month and we love it!
i've lost 4 or 5 pounds using it already!
it takes into account your gender, your current weight, how much
you want to lose per week, your activity level, etc. and it tells
you how many net calories you should be consuming per day.

it has over 700,00 foods in its database.
i haven't ever had a problem finding a food that i've eaten.
and it gives you all of the nutrition facts for it as well.

it also keeps an organized running total of how many calories you

have consumed for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as snacks.



it's hard at first to remember to keep up on it, but it becomes a lot

easier after a while because it remembers the foods that you have already

eaten, so entering in the information takes two seconds.

the nice thing for those of you with smart phones, is it is a free app,

so it can be with you wherever you go!

those of you that don't have a smart phone can just log onto to

myfitnesspal.com and it works basically the same.

some people think that counting calories is for weirdos and people that

are obsessed with their bodies.

don't worry, i used to think like that too.

but now i've realized that it's not just about wanting to lose weight, it's

about just plain being healthy!

and last, but not least...goal #6: plant our flower garden.

or better yet, plant a yard.

our yard, was basically dead when we moved in.

i wish i had some before and after pics for you.

after having the sprinklers on it everyday now, we have made

some serious progress, but it still needs a lot of work.

my only problem is, i know nothing about gardening or lawn care.

i want to spread some extra grass seed, get the flowers planted, and

maybe do some extra landscaping around our trees to add personality.

i wanted to plant a vegetable garden, but i think it's too hot for that now.

i have no idea what i am doing, so hopefully everything lives!

my plan is to finish all of these things before the big man comes home.

i may have bitten off more than i can chew, but at least it keeps me busy.

i'll keep you posted on what i accomplish!

-the wife