Days 5 through 9...

Day 5: I am thankful for cheap dates. On Tuesday, Keith and I decided to go see the movie Ender's Game. It's Keith's favorite book, and he has been SO excited to see the movie. So our thoughts were, "Hey, it's Tuesday. No one goes to the movies on Tuesdays. There will be plenty of seats. And we probably only need to be there 10 minutes early." Little did we know (or I guess we just forgot because we totally did know this...) that Tuesdays are DISCOUNT Tuesdays at the movie theater. So instead of tickets being $8.75, they're $6.25. The theater was PACKED. When we finally got to the ticket counter after waiting in line for over 20 minutes, there were about 10 seats left in the theater. All in the front row. Great. So we got some tickets, craned our necks for 2 hours, and watched the movie. Which was actually pretty good. I've never read the book, but I am pretty hard to please when it comes to movies. A general rule is that the movie is good if I bother to stay awake through it haha. Anyway, it ended up being a fun night. And $5 cheaper than we were expecting, which is always a good surprise.

Day 6: I am grateful for pizza and bread sticks. Man alive, I could live off the stuff! That and tacos! My two favorite meals ever! Yay carbs! You are just so yummy in my tummy :) I'm not really sure what else to say about that...

Day 7: I am thankful for weddings. On Thursday Keith and I had the opportunity to go to a wedding reception of a good friend of ours. I've known him since my freshman year at BYU so going on 6 years now, and he's just great! I have loved watching him fall in love with his now wife. They are SO CUTE and so perfect for each other. And they have a lot of class. Something that Keith and I definitely lack haha. So I admire them for that. They're seriously so great. Anyway, I just love celebrating love! It was great to be surrounded by our good friends cheering on these two on their wedding day. Every time I attend a wedding, it is a wonderful reminder of how I felt on my own wedding day and how much I love my cute boy. I still remember it like it was yesterday. Seriously. Such a great day. I LOVE WEDDINGS!

Day 8: Am I allowed to be grateful for my family again? Seriously I just love them so much. Maybe today, I'm particularly thankful for the sense of humor my family has. I think we got it from my dad. He's such a funny guy. And I think my sister got a lot of those humor genes. She is literally the funniest girl I know. And she has been for a LONG time. Heck, she's only 15! But for years now, she's been able to make me laugh so hard that I cry. And it's REAL, intentional humor, not the kind where she doesn't know she's being funny. She is very aware of how hilarious she is. I think maybe she's just mature for her age? I don't know. She's adorable. I'll post some pics just for fun because I love her. Hopefully she doesn't mind. :)

Day 9: I am thankful for sleep! I would have said frisbee or exercise again because I seriously just love it so much! But Keith says I can't do the same thing twice... So I'm thankful for the naps I get to take after working out so hard. Or the fantastic night's sleep I get that night. I just love the feeling of your entire body being worn out enough to fall asleep within 2 minutes of hitting the pillow. It's so relaxing! I remember my freshman year at BYU I lived off of 4 hours of sleep a night. Consistently. Like an entire year of it. I don't know how I did that!!! That was such a weird year. Now I LOVE my sleep. I try to get 7 or 8 hours a night. I can't believe the 360 I've done since then. Weird...

My sister sent me these photos in an email called "Sexy Secretary" hahaha! What a cutie patootie!

This is her formal dress for her glee club concert this Christmas.

Days 3 and 4

Told you. I'm already behind. No way this is going to happen every day...

Day 3: I am thankful for in-laws. Seriously. I love the family I married into. They are the sweetest to me. Yesterday was fast Sunday, and out of the blue, one special sister-in-law of mine decided that she would fast for all of her sisters... including me! An in-law. First of all, I am so happy that I get to be part of a family who cares so much about each other as well as plus ones such as myself. I mean I've only ever seen the girl like 3 times! How can she possibly love me enough to do something like that for me? I'm sure she didn't know I was struggling. It's not like we chat regularly. (Sorry Marisa!) I give Keith a lot of grief because I feel like I'm the black sheep of the family haha. We have a lot of differing opinions and ways of doing things, and I don't feel like I fit in quite right all the time. But man alive, when I'm with those guys do I ever feel loved! Thank you!

Day 4: I am thankful for my momma! Today in the mail, Keith and I got our annual Halloween package from her. Every year I feel like she gives us more and more candy haha! I'm so glad she continues to do those little things that make me feel connected to the family back home, even though I'm old and married now. ;) I know that if Keith and I really wanted candy, we could go out and get it any time. It's just good to know that Momma has my back. She is so thoughtful, funny, and excellent at showing her love for me. I love her. :) Now let me also say that I love the rest of my family too. I don't know of another family who is so good at teasing and loving each other so much at the same time. I have especially loved having Logan out here with me. Over the past 5 years, I've only spent about 10 months living in the same city as the rest of my family. So it has been a real treat being able to see him once a week or so. My family really is the best. I love you guys so much, and I can't wait to see you all at Christmas!

Our Halloween haul! Yum!

30 Days of Gratitude

I LOVE NOVEMBER!

I love November because

I LOVE THANKSGIVING!

Seriously, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of all time. Thanksgiving will forever be my "family holiday." It's probably the only day of the year I ever or have ever felt homesick since moving out after high school. One of my greatest dreams would be to spend Thanksgiving with my family every single year. And let's just talk about all that delicious food for a second. HELLO! Turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, veggies, pie, stuffing. Best meal of the year by far!

Anyway, since November started, I've been seeing the "30 Days of Gratitude" thing on Facebook again. I keep track of what I'm grateful for every day of the month too. I just keep it on a poster on my fridge instead of on the internet. But I think I've decided to share it here as well? Just for fun. So here it goes.

Day 1: I am thankful for my husband Keith. I know it may be sappy that he's the first thing I think of, but he truly is the greatest blessing I have and will ever have in my life, so I think it's only fair that he gets the day 1 slot. I am so thankful for his patient, kind, and service oriented personality. I fall in love with him more and more every day, and I am so excited to be with him forever.

Day 2: I am thankful for exercise, especially in the form of team sports (aka FRISBEE). I love that worn out feeling you get after a good work out. It makes me feel strong, happy, healthy, and accomplished. I especially love group sports because I love spending time with my friends. Two of my favorite things (friends and exercise) in one place! What could be better?!?! I so appreciate that my friends are tolerant of my hyperactive behavior and are occasionally willing to help me release some of that energy.

Anywho, by tomorrow I'll probably forget I even posted this, but at least I'm making an attempt... Hooray for November!!!

Just Wondering...

Do people still blog??

I just remembered that our blog existed. I mean, I was always forgetting about it, but only for a few months at a time. This time, however, I forgot about it for a whole year! Sorry blog. I apologize for the fact that my husband and I suck at writing about our lives. Hopefully we'll dust you off and use you again soon!

Shoes

Julie likes shoes. She has a particular taste in shoes, however. Every once in a while, we'll end up in a store that sells shoes. When this happens, she has a game that she likes to play. It's called "Make Keith Guess Which Shoes I Like And Which Shoes I Think Are Ugly." Not exactly the most exciting game. But I'm pretty good at it. She really likes heels, but they have to be just right.

Not too short, not too tall. Somewhere around the 3-4 inch range.


The heel itself has to be small, not a big fat thing.


She hates wedges.


She's not a fan of the platform that you often find in the front of a heel.


No weird patterns/designs.


And she prefers the shoe not to be too shiny (like plastic) or suede.


She also likes boots, but has yet to find a pair for herself. She claims that her "beefy calves" make it hard to find a good pair that fits.


If we had way too much money and she wasn't afraid of spending money on things, we would probably have a shoe museum. Sometimes, it's ok not to have a ton of excess money to throw around.

I love weddings. Drinks all around!

Keith and I are taking a break this weekend. And by "taking a break," I guess I just mean that we aren't going to any weddings haha.

The weekend of the 11th, we went to Denver. One of my best friends and roommates was getting married to another one of my best friends. These two were both in my freshman ward, and I had the opportunity to see their relationship develop from the very beginning. It took a little hiatus while he was on his mission of course, but we all knew they would be together again in the end. Don't you love when that happens?! :)

Then this past weekend, Keith and I got to go back home for my brother's wedding. My bro and his wife started dating November 2010, so they've been together for almost 2 years now. Their wedding and reception wasn't half as good as mine, but that's not really their fault. I'm just that much more fun than they are. :) Either way, it was SO incredibly fun to spend a week with my family. Man alive, we drive each other crazy sometimes, but it's always worth it for the fun times we have together.

That's really why I love weddings so much. It is the best possible excuse to get your closest family and friends together in the same place at the same time. The most memorable moment of my wedding day was when I walked into that sealing room and saw all of those people. Those smiling faces exuded such love, support, and overall happiness for me that I was completely overwhelmed. One year later, I still consider the time spent in that holy house the best of my life. :)

Here are just a few pictures from this past weekend. Their photographer did some really creative shots. Their wedding pictures are definitely going to be something to cherish. The whole album is fantastic and so funny! I wish the weather would have been nicer when Keith and I got married. Maybe then we would have spent more time taking pictures haha

The happy couple

Thought this was a neat idea

The whole clan being wacky... like usual

And just for old time's sake. Happiest day of my life :)

Entomophobia anyone??

"Whenever I hear you scream bloody murder, I assume it's just a bug."

Thanks Keith. Really. If ever something awful actually WERE to happen to me, my screams would be brushed off as if I'd merely seen an ant. Comforting.

It's not my fault that I have somehow become terrified of bugs. ALL bugs. Except ladybugs. I can handle those. But bugs in general give me the creeps. I hate them. I look at them and want to throw up. Or cry. Or run away screaming. Or all three. Which was the case today.

I was watching the Olympics, which is literally ALL I have done for the past week and a half. And for some reason, while I watch really intense athletes perform amazing feats, I like to sit on my couch and eat candy. No biggie. So tonight, I reach over, pick up my bag of sour patch kids (YUM), and see this HUGE bug on the bag. I don't even know what the thing was, just that it was big and black. I literally screamed at the top of my lungs and threw the bag to the floor, spewing its contents. I wonder what the neighbors were thinking?? They probably didn't jump to the conclusion that I had seen a bug... And as a side note, the candy bag was almost empty. Otherwise I never would have considered throwing it to the floor and contaminating that much sugary goodness. Anyway... I made a complete fool out of myself. Again. But then Keith, being the studly man he is, killed the bug for me. My hero.

Keith and I are lucky. Our apartment is really pretty clean for an old married complex in P-town. I've only ever seen like 3 bugs in our place, and we've lived here for a year now! Sometimes people try to convince me that bugs are good. That we need certain bugs to control the numbers of certain other bugs? (In my opinion, it would be great if NO bugs existed at all. Then they wouldn't have to try and keep track of each other all the time...?) But since they exist, and I can't do anything about it, I will accept it. I will NOT, however, accept bugs in my HOUSE. EVER. And ESPECIALLY not anywhere near my candy. If it ever happens again, Keith will end you quickly.