5.14.2012

I did it: COLLEGE GRADUATE!

I can't believe I have been in college for four years and finally graduated last Saturday at the age of 22! I never dreamed of this day coming.  I have learned so many valuable things that have impacted me for the better. My freshman year of college I decided to move out of my parent's house and move in with some friends in a house just off campus. Buying food, paying for gas, staying up late, having a part-time job on top of school, and dealing with other roommates was a huge adjustment for me. It was also a scare when my GPA slipped from a 3.9 to significantly lower than that in one semester. I had to learn the hard way the importance of attending class and studying for countless hours to get the grades I did in high school. I was so blessed to have my family live in the same area I went to college because they were always there for me when I needed them most, when I needed a place to stay, or just a home-cooked meal! I have met many lifelong friends and most importantly my husband :) during my college journey! I would never take my college years back for anything.





On Friday night, the day before graduation, my family/ close friends and I went to dinner at The Coppermill to celebrate. My mom was so sweet and bought cute "teacher decorations" to place around the tables and also a graduation cake and cupcakes. I love the quote about teachers, it is so true!

Josh and I

Mand and Dad
Mom and Rick   



Larry and Ellen

Jeanine and Brad
Craig and Linda
Carrie and Bailey






GRADUATION DAY:
My Level 3 buds
Shayly- one of my good college friends

Getting my diploma
Friends since 5th grade and all the way through college
So grateful that my Papa was willing to pay for my college
Sissy's (Yes, I'm taller but I wore monster heels that day)
Next year this is where Josh will be (crossing our fingers ;)
Love my parents. They have been a huge support to me!


5.07.2012

March: The Birthday Month

Josh's BIG 25
March is the coolest month to be born I guess. Josh and my sister Charlie share the same birthday on March 10th, and my birthday is March 14th.

March 9-12, 2012 
Since I was student teaching at the time, I didn't get the same spring break as the rest of the college and Josh but luckily I was able to get the weekend off at work so we could take a quick little trip to Viva Las Vegas!  We left on Friday afternoon and stayed with Grandma McDonald in Milford for the first night. The next morning (Josh's big 25 birthday) we continued our journey to Vegas. We stopped in St. George on the way to see Jim and Carrie and arrived at Andy and Kelly's house Saturday afternoon. The first thing we did was put our swimming suits on and tried soaking up what was left of the sun. That evening we went out to dinner with the LeGrow clan and then we went to a casino where I officially gambled for the FIRST time! (Last year I turned 21 after spring break which was spent in Las Vegas, so this was my first opportunity to gamble legally). I can't say I'm addicted but I definitely enjoyed it. The game I spent all of my twenty bucks on was some Sex and the City game. It was quite an entertaining game and I can see how people get addicted to gambling if you have the money to do so. On Sunday we laid out at the pool for a few hours and then went into the city to shop and walk around. We drove back home Monday morning. We are so lucky to have family that lives in warmer weather so we can sneak away for a weekend!

Birthday Boy


From the left: Me, Josh, Mitch, Kelly, Andy, Stephanie, Jake    



Hapy Birthday To Me!
March 14, 2012

This year was one of my top and memorable birthday's for sure. I love surprises and Josh managed to surprise me twice on my birthday. My birthday started off pretty normal just waking up and going to school except one minor problem, my phone wasn't working and hadn't been working since the night before. I didn't really think anything of it because I've had problems with my phone for the past few months, but I was worried that if people were trying to get a hold of me on my birthday they couldn't. (Only I would worry about such a thing)! 

At lunch, my mom came to my school and surprised me with balloons and took my phone saying that she was going to take it to Josh so he could take it to the store to get fixed. When I got home Josh was here and kept asking me if I was going to take a nap. I thought I might as well because we weren't going to dinner until later. I had a lovely nap and was woken up by a cell phone ringing but not a familiar ring tone. I sat up and saw a gift bag next to me so I opened it up and there was my phone but not my phone...a new iPhone!! I was so ecstatic and had no idea he was getting it for me. There was also a cute poem in the bag that he wrote about us that rhymed and everything! 

For dinner we went to my favorite restaurant Callway's. For those of you that aren't locals, it's the best Italian restaurant ever!! I knew that Josh had made a cake for me that afternoon when I was napping and I was so worried because during dinner he kept saying that just him and I would go back home and eat the cake. I wanted my family to be there with us so bad because that is a tradition of ours. I kept saying things like, "Are you sure you don't want to invite anyone over?" "How are we going to eat all of that cake?" On our way home he made a stop at Wal-Mart to purchase some ice cream for the cake but he bought three tubs of it and I wasn't quite sure why so much. We arrived back at our place and when I stepped into our house friends and family popped up and surprised me. I was so shocked and amazed that Josh coordinated all of this behind my back. He did such a good job at keeping it all a secret. I'm so glad I was able to share my cake with our family and friends :) and be with them on my birthday. I owe the planning of such a perfect birthday to my hubby!


Side note: Josh had purchased the iPhone the night before my birthday and so my original phone wasn't working because it got shut off. When my mom brought it to him at lunch he took it directly to Best Buy so that they could load all of my contacts, photos, etc. on it. Sneaky? I think so!




Friends

Had to get a picture with the cheese ball. She LOVES the camera

All the girls (minus Char)

The cake Joshy made. It was delicious!







Catch-Up: Ketchup: Catsup

I am probably the worst blogger EVER but I have a good excuse for my slacking off...it's called SCHOOL. These past three months I have been finishing up my last semester of college ever! So between student teaching Monday through Friday from 8:30- 4:00 and working at Sports Authority, I was also trying to be a good wife and keep our house in order and spend as much time as I could with Josh. So after the excuses I still want to catch-up everyone on our exciting past 3 months of being newlyweds. We've had so much fun! Read up:

My First REAL Valentine!
February 14, 2012
This was Josh and I's first Valentine's Day together and it is the one I will never forget because he is my first true valentine that I can say I truly love. So on lover's day I woke up extra early and made him Belgian waffles for breakfast. Then I created a little scavenger hunt for him and the gift was at the end. Each heart had a sentence written on it that I especially love about him. The hearts were placed throughout the house, each heart hidden in a place corresponding  to the clue from the previous heart. For example one of the hearts said, 'I love that you are athletic and enjoy playing sports' so the next clue was taped onto the remote. I enjoyed watching him find the hidden hearts. I believe it to be true that men tend to be blind...you'll see why in the fourth picture below!
Valentine's Day breakfast


The hearts for the scavenger hunt


'I love your obsession with Oreo's'

This is the blind one...Josh COULD NOT see the heart. So funny

Opening the gift



3 Month Anniversary
February 19, 2012
I know for some of you 3 months of being married is nothing but time has just flown right by for us! This month it will be 6 months. We have learned and grown so much as a couple. Anyways, for our 3 month anniversary Josh surprised me with a candle light dinner with my favorite meal-- mandarin orange spinach salad, fettuccine alfredo with chicken, coconut shrimp, garlic bread and brownies for dessert. It was a Sunday and I had to work late that day but when I came home my favorite meal was sitting before me. He was so cute about it too because he was trying to surprise me with what he was going to cook. I am so impressed because he did some research online and found recipes to make all of the food. He is such a fantastic cook! Sometimes I wonder why he doesn't just cook for us all the time...

The dinner-- PS the beautiful flower arrangement on the table is what Josh got me for V-Day :)







The Lucky Slice Pizza = Not So Lucky!
March 2, 2012
For Josh's birthday all he wanted was to go to the Jazz vs. Heat game in SLC (simple enough). He was so excited about it and bought the tickets like a month in advance! Our friends Checketts and April came along with us. On our way down to the game we stopped at his cousin Mike's restaurant The Lucky Slice Pizza in Ogden. Mike hooked us up with hot wings, pizza, and bread sticks. It was absolutely delicious and I would recommend it to everyone (except Josh had to make a pit stop at the gas station on our way to the game due to the hot wings). I figured from eating there we would bring some luck to the basketball game, but unfortunately that didn't happen. Usually when I would go to Jazz games I am cheering for the Jazz but I guess Josh has switched me over. It was weird to be the outcasts in the stands cheering for the away team. I can't remember the final score or all that happened during the game but the Jazz turned out with a win. The heat were not so hot that night. It was fun to be able to see Miami play live twice in a season (once in Miami when we were on our honeymoon).


'The Lucky Slice Pizza'

Heat fans at the Jazz game. Rebels!