23!

Guys! I'm 23 now! And I've gotta tell ya, it feels...well...pretty much the same as 22. Except Taylor Swift didn't write a hip, bubbly, over-played song about being 23 this year, so I had no idea what hashtags to use on my Instagram. Can't win 'em all, I guess. But really, my birthday was fantastic! I definitely got spoiled. I mean, can't you tell by this picture of my perfectly displayed presents that just so happened to be arranged like that naturally?? It's a blogger thing, guys.

I've decided that birthdays are really just like any other day, except people are nicer to you and everything you do is justifiable. Eat a candy bar at 9 in the morning? Justified! Tell people in PE class not to tag you out because it's your birthday? Justified! Wander aimlessly around Ulta and drench yourself in perfume samples? Justified! Wear fake eyelashes to dinner? Justified! Birthday trumps anything and everything and I love it.

Yes, this justification-filled day of mine was everything I dreamed it would be. For those of you who sent me birthday wishes and said, "I hope Chris spoils you," I just wanted to let you know that he didn't disappoint (even if I didn't wake up to a kitty purring in my face). He surprised me with everything I emailed him about 2 months in advance ;) He also was on his best behavior and wore exactly what I asked him to at Texas Roadhouse and let me choose what to watch on TV, and he didn't even complain once when I asked him to take pictures with me! I love birthday Chris.

Oh, and Chris was cute enough to wake up early and make me pancakes! Contrary to popular belief, those aren't injured seahorses, they're actually the number 23. 

In all seriousness though, I really did appreciate all Chris did for me yesterday. I could tell he tried so hard to make my birthday special and he totally exceeded my expectations. Chris Gourley is seriously my most favorite human ever! He just gets me.

I know I said this last year, but I really just can't help but realize how blessed I am on my birthday. All the texts, FB posts, snapchats, voicemails, and surprise visits throughout the day just made me so grateful for the amazing people I have in my life. I get a little teary-eyed just thinking about it all! So thank you to everyone who made turning 23 so fun and memorable--you did not go unnoticed!

"Ugh, you guys keep me young, I love you so much."

mundaneness mondayness

You  know it's Monday when...

-the milk:cereal ratio is off. And by off, I mean there's half a gallon of milk in the fridge, and less than 1/4 cup of Reese's Puffs left.

-you're late to class... twice.

-your husband accidentally took your lunch to work.

-you're sporting the top-knot for the third day in a row.

-you studied all day for a test you thought was today, then found out it's not until Wednesday.

-you remembered you have to speak in church on Sunday (I'm never letting Chis answer an "unknown" number. ever. again.).

-you get hit in the leg with a softball.

-"Aunt Flo" drops in to say hello.

-you forget the tostada shells at the grocery store--the whole reason you went there in the first place.

-you cry after forgetting said tostada shells (thanks, aunt Flo!).

-your "light" sour cream is in need of about 180 more calories.

-you're midway through Zumba class and you realize you forgot to shave your armpits.

-the highlight of your day is eating a chocolate pumpkin spice caramel while watching Grey's.

-you're already asking, "Is it Friday, yet?!" (or "is it Wednesday, yet?!" because it's my birthday on Wednesday! aka my annual dinner at Texas Roadhouse!)

Don't worry, though. My Monday wasn't all that bad, I did find out I don't have to take my independent study class to graduate. *heel click* + I filled out my Swig card. Yes...there's light at the end of the tunnel! Rainbows after rain! Or to be quite honest, Dr. Pepper in the back of the fridge!

Congrats on making it through another Monday, ya'll.  

No Walking Until The Van Passes

I'm pretty sure the universe was working against me last weekend as I was getting ready for the Red Rock Relay. Our team had a couple of people bail last minute, Chris couldn't go down with me because of school, the race got cut in half so we only had one day of running instead of two, and our team of 10 had to be split in half. Oh, and I forgot to pack a sports bra and running socks. Thanks, universe! 

Even with catastrophe after catastrophe, our team still pulled it off. Did I mention that our team was short a runner + 2/5 of us were not even runners?! Hence our team name: No Walking Until the Van Passes. I totally lucked out with the funnest team ever. Seriously, there was so much food and soda and dirty jokes and swear words and laughing-- my kind of people. We had so much fun, in fact, that we are already planning next year's race! Sports bra and running socks are at the top of the list...

So, for anyone considering running this race, I say, DO IT. You will not regret it. It's such a social race and so pretty! Half the fun is just seeing the other teams's cars and team names. My favorite team I saw was called the "Derek Zoolander's Van For Kids Who Can't Run Good, and Want to Learn To Do Other Things Good Too." So awesome. Also, there's pizza at the finish line if that motivates you to run... sure works for me.

See you next year, Red Rock Relay!

small paychecks, big memories

Did your mom and dad ever tell you stories about their "struggles" when they first got married? Well, my mom and dad did. They would tell me about their teeny tiny apartment where they lived as newlywed teenagers, and how they would turn the lights off and immediately hear mice crawling inside their walls. I also remember my dad telling me he still to this day can't eat Campbell's Vegetable Beef soup because they ate it so much when they first got married. That + scrambled eggs + fried potatoes. Oh, and if they really wanted to splurge, they would walk across the street and buy an order of potato logs to share.

I used to be convinced that when I got married, I would want to go through that struggle, too.

That's so cute! I want to be poor and just live on love with my husband! 

Yeah...that was until I got married, and I went probably two weeks eating a peanut butter sandwich for lunch. Every.single.day. I remember just losing it in the car on my way home from somewhere with Chris and I looked at him all teary-eyed and said, "I can't eat one more damn peanut butter sandwich! I just can't!" and of course, Chris just laughed. He now refers to peanut butter sandwiches as "damn peanut butter sandwiches," and always says it with a little smirk. Punk.

Obviously, Chris and I have never had to go through the kind of struggle my parents did. Actually, when I think about it, we haven't had to go through very many struggles at all (which I'm very grateful for). There have been some times throughout our marriage that I have thought, "I can't wait to tell my kids about this," though. Tonight was one of those times.

I was scrambling through our fridge and cabinets trying to find something to throw together for dinner. The final product: semi-freezer burnt tator tots and fettuccine alfredo. Well, if we're being technical here, it was spaghetti alfredo, since we only had spaghetti noodles. Normally, I would just suggest going across the street and getting a $5 hot-n-ready, but for some reason, I was kind of excited about having to get  creative and work with what we had. Am I finally growing up?! Probably not. But as I was making dinner, I just couldn't help but think about the other things I'll get to tell our kids about to convince them that we were once "poor newlyweds" too.

Here's the list that I have so far...

• Our fridge for the first month of our marriage was a little mini fridge that sat on top of a bar stool.
• The dryer we got on KSL has a high-pitched squeak that doesn't stop until about 20 minutes into the drying cycle.
• Chris had to walk to the church parking lot to use wifi.
• We can't use the shower in our hallway bathroom or it will set off the fire alarm.
• For the first 6 months of our marriage, we shared a car and I had to bum rides (mostly from my brother) to school. One time I even rode the bus. Guys, big girl pants!

I know half the things on that list are things I've complained about, but today, I'm grateful for them, because I know that this is the time in our lives where we get to trade in the small paychecks for big memories.

 So for now, I'm going to try to enjoy the random dinners, the little quirks about our home, and the many, many bowls of Spaghettios that lie ahead of me as Chris and I finish school .

too school for cool

... can you tell by our "first day of school" pictures? The awkwardness is not entirely our fault, though. Taking "first day of school" pictures when you're in your 20s and outside in front of your neighbors can get a little weird. 

What I already love about this semester:

+ Basically knowing everyone in all of my classes already. I love my little School Health Education friends!

+ Having a class with Shelbs.

+ My classes being in more than the same two buildings, which means I get to walk more. I've even lost 4 pounds already... walking does the body good.

+ Even though I'm taking 7 classes, I still managed to not have any classes on Friday! 

+ My team sport fundamentals class. I basically get to learn how to play sports in there. PE majors have the dream major, I tell you!

Even though I'm pretty sure these 17 credits (19 if you count my independent study class) are gonna crush me, I'm still really excited about this semester, which I'm sure has a lot to do with the fact that this is my last "real" semester on campus before I start student teaching. There is finally light at the end of this (almost) 5 year-long tunnel we call college! 

I wish I could say the same thing for Chris, who just started his 3 year-long Masters program last night. The poor kid came home exhausted. I would too, though. Especially if I had to go to work full-time and then go sit in class for 5 hours, like Chris'll be doing every Thursday night from now on. I've decided I'm equal parts happy and sad about this. Happy that he got into his program and that it will create better opportunities for him at work, but can't help but be a little sad that I'll be all by myself on Thursdays for the next three years (I know! Selfish!). I'm sure me and Netflix will grow even closer. But I know the lonely and exhausting nights will be worth it for us!

Wish us luck this semester!

Goodbye Summer

As the sun sets on this summer, I can't help but be a little sad. Don't get me wrong-I'm totally ready for fall! But there's definitely going to be some things I will miss about this summer. Like 1/2 priced shakes at Sonic, Pickleball every night, working out with the cross country team every morning, getting off early on Tuesdays and roaming Target with a large soda in hand, and probably most of all, having the state of Meredith and Derek's relationship be my greatest (if not only) concern. Yes, summer of 2014 has been good to me.

I think yesterday was an almost perfect way (except for the fact that Chris was gone most of the day hunting) to say goodbye to summer, though. It started off with a hike up Big Springs with my favorites, Whit and Carly, where we admired the color-changing leaves + had inappropriate/hilarious conversations --a usual for us. 

Then I went school shopping with Shelbs. And by school shopping, I really mean us roaming through H&M and Forever 21 talking about how we don't have any money and maybe spending a little too much time in the men's section. Oh, and try not to be weirded out if you see me in this $10 sweater every day, I'm really just trying to be cool like my sister, who so effortlessly looks stupidly good in a snap back. I've also decided that this will be one of those pictures that my kids will look at when they're older and just laugh at me and be like, "What were you thinking!?" and then I'll have to painfully explain selfies (and chesties!) and foodstagrams and everything else our society does right now to get a "like." So, to my posterity: You're welcome for this picture of me and Shelbs attempting to be cool. Which, is that even possible when you ask your mom to take the picture for you?..... multiple times? I digress.

Even after the painful reminder with Chris last night that our shakes are no longer 1/2 priced, I still felt like I had the perfect last day of summer. Plus, I couldn't help but feel a little giddy to trade in my pool bag for a back pack, my flip flops for booties, and the 1/2 priced shakes for hot chocolate. Even though it really takes Utah a couple months to get into the real fall weather, that doesn't mean I can't pretend and stop shaving my legs now, right? Because, ain't nobody got time for shaving legs!

So goodbye, summer. You will be missed. Especially in about a month when my back-to-school butterflies have disappeared.