The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

I am not usually one that takes the time to get some thoughts down, but it is time.  I love pictures of my family, so that is what you will mostly see on here, but I hope to get a few more words down more...not just captions :) 

I do not consider myself someone that has really ever had any major struggles in life.  I have had hard times making decisions (big and little), I find myself struggling with jealousy, I find myself regreting things that I have said and done...but major trials in life? I haven't had...YET. 
This picture was taken the day or so after Christmas in 2015.  I had just gotten Paisley down for a nap and was sitting on the counter drinking hot chocolate, soaking in the last little bits of Christmas in my little home. 
I sat there thinking about how great life was. I took this picture of myself because I wanted to capture that little memory forever!  I thought about writing a blog post about happy I was with myself and where this life was taking me.  Now, I hope this doesn't sound like..."Oh look at me..." because that is actually quite the opposite. 
I think during that little month (and probably in the past also) I was getting down.  You know how you have those little ups and downs in life? Ya, one of those :) But this day, I was HAPPY.  That blog post that I planned in my head (or journal entry, if you will) was going to be great :) It was going to remind me of all of the good things I had going and would be there to tell me not to envy others and the materialistic things or happiness-es that they have.  Because I really did have all I ever wanted. 
But, you guessed it...that blog post never happened!
Instead, Christmas got put away and I spent time caring for my family. Before I knew it, another new (very full) semester had started again and that was again going to have to be a big focus of mine.  Working out was not happening anymore and I became unhappy or discontent with myself.  Let me just say that it really was JUST me.  I wasn't unhappy with Craig or Paisley, but me. 
I felt like I was focusing on the wrong things. I would sit in Sacrament meeting each Sunday and realize AGAIN that I had not opened my scriptures that week. I had failed at remembering (or pushed aside) Family Home Evening, and prayers were very sparse. 
Disconcerting? Ya, quite a lot.  Now this is just me. We all are different and we all go through the roller coasters of life.  But I KNEW that is what I needed to be doing to be happy. 
I needed to workout when I could because I WANTED to, not because I felt like I HAD to.  I needed to put my phone away and my computer down, unless I was doing good!! I needed to take time to look at others needs.  I needed to read my scriptures with intent and learn the stories of my ancestors.  I needed to remind my family on a daily basis of how much I love them...and remind them by showing them.  I needed to make time for my honey- because those husband are pretty darn important. 
Now, I am still not doing all of those things. But I felt like today I could write this post because I did take time for my Heavenly Father when I read the BoM. Did I forget my morning prayers today? Ya...when your husband runs in to the bedroom where you are sleeping with a baby girl that has poop up her back, you don't kneel down and say..."Just a minute honey!" ha But hey, isn't it great that there is still room for improvement!  I worked out today also. It felt good to know that I took care of myself. 
I hope that I (and maybe whoever else reads this little space) can remember that we don't need to be perfect to be happy. We just need to give a good effort every day!  And remember, that we are still going to mess up. 
It's why we are here.
So smile! Think of Christmas, if that helps :)
Happy Monday <3

In the Spirit of the Season

If you want to have your spirits lifted and shed a few tears... PLEASE WATCH THIS!

Smile

hope your weekend was just an absolute party!   happy monday folks!  

 

Little Things

I have learned many...MANY new things since I got married.

I mean, I know it has only been about a year and a half now, but seriously...I have learned a lot :)

Growing up as pretty much an only child (my next oldest sibling is 8.5 years older than me) I was pretty darn spoiled.

Oh, I hated it when people would tell me this (especially my siblings) but looking back, I can honestly say how spoiled I really was. 

I had friends that had EVERYTHING plus some...so in my mind- it was only unfair if I didn't have almost everything I wanted. 

Don't judge...I was naive.

But, ever since I married Craig- I have had my outlook change on many different things. 

A lot of it has come from just being a poor newlywed. 

We haven't bought everything we have wanted because we just have been wanting to save for the future. My security blanket is money- and I don't feel safe without it.

Craig agrees that saving is way more important than buying what we want right now.

But, another part of this is the person that I married.

Craiger :)

He is such a simple guy. 

I, on the other hand, am not as simple. 

I grew up going to dinner with my parents each Friday and Saturday night.

But, a normal dinner to me was at a sit down restaurant like Olive Garden!

...

Oh gosh- wake up call when I got married!

Craig and I think a nice dinner is a little Taco Amigo on the go with a Redbox in hand!

We feel ultimately spoiled when we go to a nice sit down restaurant!

And you want to know what I have decided?

I like it that way :)

I have learned that I don't have to have big extravagent things always. 

Yes, sometimes and once in a while is PERFECT. 

But, I don't need it everyday.

And it most certainly should never feel normal.

...well at least not till we are retired and SPOILED. :)

  So- ya- I am grateful for a simple man that is by my side. I am happy that he has taught me how to enjoy the simple things in life. I am grateful for the trials that we have.  Big and Small. They help us grow and become who we are! No matter how hard it is at times :)

 

Simple...

I have 2 minutes. AND I REALLY MISS THIS LITTLE SPACE.   I was looking through pictures of the summer and was think about how I miss having my camera with me all the time and being able to write about things that have been going on, or my opinions, etc.  Blogging has seriously become something that I love.  It is my own space to share Craig's and my little life.    I have so many thing that I am dying to write about, but I guess you just do what you have time for...and that

is the issue right now.

TIME.

So this will do for now.

My Craigers and I went on a date….I don’t know how many weeks ago…

It was late one Friday night after he had gotten home from work and after I had gotten home from coaching my drill team at a football game.

We were both pretty tired as usual, but we were set on spending some time with each other and this was a great idea :)

We decided to just order some pizza and take it home and enjoy a movie together.

On our way to get the pizza, I plugged in my Ipod and put it on some lovely TAYLOR SWIFT songs…because honestly, it is really hard for me to get sick of her.

I love listening to all of her albums because it totally reminds me of the giddy and free high school years!! (anyone else??)

Little did I know that Craig has a little love for my girl Taylor!

We seriously cranked the music so high and didn’t get out of the car till we had finished many songs through.

Gosh- he is a cutie

On our way home, we did the exact same thing.

Guys- I am tellin ya.

It is the simple things.

I sometimes get down because we aren’t that couple that has forty different couple friends that we are with, but heck. We have each other.

We have pizza and we even got some Swifty :)

I love my husband and how very simple he is.

But if I go into detail- it will take way to much time…because…

TIMES UP!

Happy Fall Everyone

Gimme A Break

Ok so this is going to be one of those super pointless posts.  Prepare yourselves.
I really have not taken anytime to blog about life lately. I am just lucky I got our Sacramento trip on here.  Life has been OH SO BUSY!  And I know everyone feels that way...but really, I have never been this busy.  Well, maybe I was in high school, but I wasn't a wife back then...so yes.  This is busy :) Trying to work full time, plus coaching drill, going to school (2 WORDS: UVU ANATOMY), and being a wife?  It is a lot on this little plate of mine.    But Craig and I are managing some how... and you want to know the funny thing?  We are so happy :)   The whole first year of being married- I managed to make a pretty fantastic meal almost every school night. We treat ourselves on the weekend, but honestly! I was a pretty awesome wife!  The house was cleaned each weekend, laundry done, and homework finished. All with working 40 hours a week still.    Well, this semester has been a very different story.  I get up early (5:00 AM) at least 3-4 days a week and help coach Lone Peak's Drill Team. And ya know what?  I love it and I have no regrets about doing it.  Those girls bring me joy that no one else can.  Dance is in my blood.  Heck- I only danced in college for a year- but that doesn't mean that it isn't still a huge part of me.  I am so grateful for dance, drill, and those sweet coaches and girls that bring me so much happiness.    Then there is school.  I have to remind myself that there will (eventually) be an end result. MORE ON THIS LATER...  School has nearly killed me these past couple of weeks.  We are talking like 30+ hours a week of studying.  It is a joke.   Then there is work.  All I will say is that I am so grateful for the people I work with. I am grateful that I can take time off if I need to.  I am grateful that I am needed. Just Grateful.   Then there is Craig. Not one complaint has escaped his mouth.  He is completely O.K. with having CRAP for dinner.  He has been so helpful. He has been so understanding of me for having to stay at school till 12 AM. I love that boy :)   So, sorry for the randomness- more to share later :) But I had to get it down somewhere right?!    Is anyone else on the same page as me?   As my Marmee says, "There are times and seasons for things." Thanks for the wisdom mom. It is keeping me sane.    As if things weren't bad already-  I got super sick on the 16th.  I started to feel WAY better by last weekend, but then this Tuesday it came back 2 times worse. 
Achy body, fever and chills, stuffy/runny nose, sore throat, bad-BAD cough.  Seriously- Craig can't sleep with me at night because I just keep coughing. 
After 100 cough drops, cough syrup, and a ton of DayQuil- I think I am starting (STARTING) to get rid of this nasty thing. 
Anyone have any helpful hints on how to get rid of it?? I can use any kind of relief right now.  Bloggers unite :)  Thanks. and thanks for reading this stupid and generic post :)
Much Love!!

 P.S. I like this picture because this is totally Craiger and I :) We had not prepared for anything before our wedding...I mean, we didn't even talk about the dance (because Craig hates dancing- so he just accepted the fact that we were dancing and that is all he would communicate :)), we didn't talk about the garter, the cake cutting...etc.  So when it came to this part of the night- I reverted back to memories I had stored of all of the brides I saw growing up and how it was done :) When we finally got it cut, we looked at each other and there was nothing!  No look of "I am totally going to get you" or "Let's be nice about this..." HA!  We both were thinking the same thing- "I don't want cake all over me, but I totally want to SHMEER you with it :)"  So that is exactly what happened :) And of course- he let me get him WAY worse than he got me :)
Good memories are sometimes what get you through the rough times :)
P.P.S. I promise I will share all of our wedding photos soon :) When I am not a crazy busy person...if that ever happens :)
Happy Friday!