Thanksgiving 2015

This Thanksgiving was even better than last year, because we spent it with family!! My parents and siblings made the long journey from California to Idaho, and spent several days at a hotel nearby in Rexburg. We had so much fun together!

The kids playing Blokus with Jake. Even Zoe "helped"!

My mom and I making Nana's homemade rolls! A lot of work, but definitely worth it.

Alex and Jake playing football with Will (not pictured)

Thankful for this family!

Sarah, my mom, Zoe and I

Alex, Will, and Jake

Zoe had fun with her "grandpa" taking a nap on the couch!

I'm so grateful that my family was able to come spend Thanksgiving with Jake, Zoe, and I! My mom was the only one who had previously visited Rexburg, so it was fun showing my siblings and Dad around the town and letting them see where we live. Even though it was cozy fitting 7 people in our apartment, it was worth it! Everyone was constantly tripping over or running into each other, so there was a lot of fumbling and laughing and just smiling. Definitely a Thanksgiving to remember!

The ABCs of Gratitude

A is for appetizers you split with good friends.

B is for blankets you can snuggle til the end.

C is for Carly, cuz she's just so great,

D is for dinner even if it's late.

E is for embraces that warm you to the bone

F is for family, because you're never alone 

G is for games, especially when auspicious 

H is for horchata that tastes like Christmas

I is for ice cream; it doesn't need an explanation,

J is for Jake without second consideration!

K is for Krispies, of the Rice variety

L is for love, an act of piety

M is for music, a sound quite inviting

N is for notebooks, because stationery is enticing!

O is for omelets made with precision

P is for purple, it's not a hard decision!

Q is for quacking of ducks as they waddle

R is for roses when you're being coddled

S is for sleep when I'm weary and tired,

T is for teaching, I hope I get hired!

U is for umbrellas to shelter from rain

V is for vacations when they help ease the pain!

W is for water, though that might sound absurd

X is for xylidin cuz it's such a fun word.

Y is for yearbooks, since they always crack us up 

Z is for Zoe our sweet little pup.

"Rear Window" and More Snow

Zoe likes to get in my way while I'm trying to do
homework...such a diva!

On Tuesday night, Jake and I went onto campus together for a "laboratory" for one of my classes. I'm taking a Detective Fiction class, and our professor was showing the movie Alfred Hitchcock's "Rear Window" in one of the rooms on campus that is a lot like a movie theater. So basically we got a free date night! Everyone that came brought a friend or spouse and something yummy to share, so Jake and I settled in with some homemade caramel corn from my professor's wife, chips and guacamole, and all kinds of other good stuff. And the movie was AWESOME! Anyone that hasn't seen it should definitely go and rent it somewhere, because Jake and I both really loved it. It was funny, a bit scary, and very suspenseful!

We had a bit of snow on Wednesday, but Thursday afternoon was when we really started getting a good amount, and it came down hard for several hours. Not enough to completely cover the ground, but plenty to make it feel like winter time! Zoe wasn't a huge fan of having giant snowflakes raining down on her while she tried to use the bathroom; it was easy to tell from her expression how unhappy she was haha! Poor little thing. And the snow will only get more intense from here on out!

On Saturday Jake and I picked up our turkey for Thanksgiving, and the last of the supplies we'll need for cooking this coming week. My family is getting here on Tuesday to celebrate with us, and we're so excited!! I can't wait to see them again and show them around Rexburg, since only my mom has ever visited before. It'll be a week full of fun, that's for sure!

Zoe is SO EXCITED about her new homemade sweater! Thanks,
Maime!

Living Boldly

What does it mean to live boldly?

Living boldly means that you take chances. 

You are willing to admit when you are wrong; you apologize when you've done something that hurts others. 

You never live with regrets. 

You remember every day that life is short, and you act on that realization. 

You be yourself, no matter what.

If It's Gonna Be Cold, At Least Give Us Snow!

This was a frustrating week here in Rexburg weather-wise...temperatures have been dropping day by day, but not enough for snow to stick to the ground. If it's gonna be this cold, there AT LEAST needs to be some snow around so that it looks pretty outside! Sheesh Rexburg, get your act together.

Zoe had me laughing out loud with some of her antics this week. While trying to work on some homework, she was pretty grouchy that I couldn't cuddle her. So she decided to lay in her own bed and get comfy without me. However, it took her quite a while to get situated, and I could see her out of the corner of my eye constantly moving around in her bed, so I finally looked up. And this is what I found. What a SPAZZ!

Jake and I are busy with school-related stuff since the semester is coming to a close, so we're both up to our ears in exams, projects, and papers. Just a few more weeks and then the semester is OVER! We can make it!