Broken Furnace!

This weekend we'll be taking a trip down south to St. George with Riley's parents and Carolyn.

So stoked.

We've had a crazy whirlwind week and it's time for a much needed break.

1. Our furnace went out
2. We've been using space heaters
3. It's not fun

We're preparing to drop a chunk of change on a new furnace tomorrow, and the thing better be able to freakin' fly for the money we're spending on it. Just sayin'.

In St. George I plan to:
-Not think about school
-Choose not to be bitter about our rusty old piece of crap furnace.
-Not think about work
-Enjoy the weather (which better be splendid)
-Go to Zions
-Take LOTSSSS of pictures
-Have an amazing, super, fantabulous time.

As a sidenote I would just like everyone to know what Riley and I had for lunch today.
A chicken sandwich. Fruit snacks. White grape juice. And a clementine.

I PROMISE I know how to cook. Even though our menu seems totally juvenile (and it was), it was fun. We ate it in our living room and watched Season 3 of The Office, and reminisced about our school lunches growing up.

Even though our furnace is broken...we still find ways to have fun.

Junior Jazz

Carter has played Junior Jazz for the last few seasons and he really enjoys it. Before class started on Wednesday nights, I tried to make it to a few of his games. He's really making some progress and being more aggressive. He's still a pretty timid player, but he's making strides in "staying on his man" and his overall defense.

Wed, Jan 6

6:00PM FJH Pettit vs. Newhouse 24-19 W

Wed, Jan 13

6:00PM FJH Bell vs. Newhouse 31-24 W

Keep up the good work guys!!

Boys vs. Girls Bowling

On Friday we went bowling at Orchard Lanes. We originally intended to go to Bountiful Bowl next to Jordan and Alyssa's house. But it was "galactic bowling" night PLUS they had a "live band" playing. So they wanted 14 bucks a person for each game! Noooo way. The band was terrible and very high school. Orchard Lanes cost us less than half the price for two games, so it was a good investment. The boys ended up beating us...so we've got to make them a dessert sometime in the next week. We'll practice up and beat 'em the next time!

Saturday we went sledding at Eaglewood Golf Course. Riley and Jordan rode a huge snowball down the hill once, and two cute Asian girls got a good kick out of it. We did trains down the hill using these funny red sleds Riley's family owns. It's pretty much impossible for them to go in a straight line, so we ended up eating it most of the time. We ran Alyssa over pretty good on our last run...luckily she didn't die or break any bones. Riley also got run over 3 times, but he was a pretty decent sport about it and didn't cry TOO much ;)

Interviews and new married friends!

Riley and I have been so happy ever since Jordan and Alyssa got back from their honeymoon and all settled into their apartment! It means we get our friends back from their busy lives! They had their open house here in Utah last Saturday and it was beautiful. They had all sorts of cakes to choose from, and the decorations were really nice! They did a winter theme with Christmas trees and pretty purple decor. We stayed the entire two hours discussing relationships with Spencer and Brian and enjoying everyone's company. After their reception Jared, Sammie, Riley and I, and Riley's family went to Thaifoon for dinner. One of our new favorite spots. The coconut shrimp is to DIE for.

We spent Martin Luther King day with Jordan and Alyssa doing random errands with them. They had to purchase a vaccuum, a microwave, and other things at Target and Riley and I finally bought ourselves some new pillows for our bed. We've been using the ones I had before we got married, but they were green and REALLY didn't match with our cool blue walls in our room. So we bought some new decorative pillows that match perfectly. I'll be sure to post some pictures when I'm at home.

Went hot tubbing last night with Jared, Sammie, Jordan, and Alyssa. Always a good time. Riley has been making a mental list of things we need to do this summer!

So far....:
Four wheeling
Camping (Lots of it)
Disneyland
Vegas
Cowabunga Bay
Seven Peaks
Motorcycle Rides

Yesterday I had an interview to be an EFY counselor this summer. I'm crossing my fingers and toes that I'll hear back from them soon, because I think it would be such a great experience!

Classes, classes, classes!

Whoever had the idea to buy books for a class PRIOR to actually attending was WAY off base. I feel the need to explain that statement. So me, trying to be on top of things this semester signed up for my classes like a month ago. It was pretty much the day registration started. Go me for being prepared, right? About that...

Riley and I attended our first institute class together on Wednesday and had a fun time! Turns out a girl I knew in elementary school from Altara is in it with us! Here's hoping that we'll be able to stay in that class and not have to switch to a different one. The reason being, is I had a 4:30 class in President's Circle after institute. Riley was kind enough to drive me down so I could get a better idea of exactly where the building was. We had an hour break between when institute got out and the next class started, so we spent some time driving around the neighborhood below the U and dreaming about purchasing a house there one day. Seriously people, some of those houses are SPECTACULAR. I would absolutely adore an older house in that neck of the woods. I'm sure they cost an arm and a leg...but that was a random tangent.

Anyways, he dropped me off at my car at the institute building just a few minutes before my class was supposed to start. I jumped in and decided I'd just pay to park somewhere at a meter for the day, since I didn't have enough time to walk. The class was scheduled to be for three hours, and of course you can only pay for up to two hours at the meter. Worst idea ever. So I set an alarm on my phone that would go off after two hours, reminding me to feed the meter. I did so begrudgingly, muttering bad things about the campus parking police under my breath. I've been bitter with them ever since my first semester at the U. No I am NOT going to pay hundreds of dollars for a parking pass. I'm lazy, but not THAT lazy. Plus I'm already paying an extremely large amount for tuition. Trying to dip into my little pockets a bit more? I dont THINK so!!

I found the class after much wandering around in the Avery building, and sat through about the first 20 minutes before realizing that I had no vested interest in the subject. I flipped open my laptop to hurry and see what other class I could squeeze myself into around the same time slot. I ended up finding a class that started at 6, but was up at the Bountiful location. I dropped the class I was in, and signed myself up for the Philosophy class. But then, the challenge of physically getting myself out of that classroom presented itself. I couldn't sit there through the whole duration because I'd probably implode of boredom, PLUS I had to book it to get up to Bountiful by six. So I made up some random excuse to the professor, and excused myself in front of a stadium seating classroom FULL of students. Awkward....but it was worth it, because my philosophy class will be SO much better. Much smaller class size, and the professor is like 27 tops. So that's pretty legit.

Point of this post? Never buy books for a class before attending. Because now I'm stuck with four books I don't need, and I'm out like 150 bucks! I threw a couple ads for them up on KSL, so here's to hoping someone possesses an interest to take that terrible, three hour long, RANDOM class.

As a sidenote, I had an interview scheduled for yesterday at a dental office, but I chose to decline the offer because my friend Cody brought up a very good point. Who the freak wants to listen to terrible dentist office music all day? I think it's in a class very similar to elevator music. Plus it wasn't going to work with my schedule. Good news though, I have another interview tomorrow at a place up in Farmington. I live in Farmington and commute to Salt Lake. Then I move to N. Salt Lake and possibly commute to Farmington? I dunno...we'll see if I end up taking the interview/job. I still love my current job, and if I can't find something that'll work with my schedule now I'm just going to stay where I am. I'm keeping my fingers crossed in hopes of finding other part time work, but I'm not in a huge rush. If the right position comes along, I'm sure it'll work out someway!

Back to school!!

Well kids, it's officially back to school time. Gone are the days of sleeping in extended hours, because now I have to be at work at noon two days out of the week. Other than that, my day will start at 2 on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Everyone should be jealous of this awesome schedule I've managed to acquire. Two of my classes are telecourses, so hopefully that'll make for a slightly easier schedule this semester. I signed myself up for an institute class once a week, and have also talked Riley into registering for it, too. Actually, it didn't take much convincing at all. He was happy to accompany me, even though we'll have to drive in two separate cars getting down there. I wanted to find a "Preparing for a celestial marriage" class, but I struck out matching my schedule with that class in particular. I guess we should've taken it prior to getting married anyway. If it's not going to work out NOW, we're probably out of luck... But learning about the prophets of the church should be just as much fun, right?

We may or may not have missed church at our ward again this past Sunday. Riley set his alarm for 8, and it either didn't go off, or he turned it off and doesn't remember doing it. Whatever the circumstances were, neither of us woke up till like 10! Oops! So we accompanied my mom, sister, and Carter to my home ward. My dad was out of town on business in Florida (which, by the way, is only sporting temperatures of about 40 degrees, so I'm not even jealous he got to go!).

Here's to:

-Working overtime this week
-Making it to my class(es)
-Going to RS with my mother
-Finishing my Nicholas Sparks book

Wish me luck!

As I was contemplating on everything I had last year...

I am thankful...

For the bed I have to make every morning, because it means I had somewhere warm to sleep.

For the taxes I pay, because it means I have a job.

The mess to clean after a party, because it means I was surrounded by friends.

The clothes that fit a little too snug, because it means I have enough to eat.

My shadow that watches me work, because it means I am out in the sunshine.

For the mom that overworked every detail, because it means she wanted my wedding to be perfect.

The in-laws that sacrificed a weeks worth of their timeshare, because we had a wonderful honeymoon.

For the mornings I woke up tired, because it means I had a fun day/night previously.

For the friends that came and stayed, because it means they truly care for me.

The new camera that's smarter than me, because it's helping me remember all the fun times I've had.

A room that needs vaccuuming, windows that need to be cleaned, and gutters that need fixing because it means I have a home.

For all the complaining I hear about the government, because it means we have freedom of speech.

For the parking spot I find at the far end of the parking lot, because it means I am capable of walking.

For the money I have to spend on gas, because it means I have a car to get me places.

For my heating bill, because it means I was warm the last month.

For the lady behind me in church who sings off key, because it means I can hear.

For the pile of laundry and ironing, because it means I have clothes to wear.

For all the heartaches and other emotions in my life, because it helps me differentiate them from the good ones.

For weariness and aching muscles at the end of the day, because it means I have been capable of working hard.

For all the disagreements and long talks I've had, because it means it meant enough to that other person to work things out.

For overtime at work, because it means I'll have money to buy groceries with.

For the husband who is on the sofa being a couch potato, because that means he is home with me and not out with someone else.

For the husband that hogs all the sheets and sometimes pushes me off the bed, because that means he'll still be there when I wake up.

And for the husband who tries to hug me at annoying/inconvenient times, because it means he loves me and wants to show it.

Sherlock Holmes vs. Avatar

Riley and I went on a date with just the two of us on Tuesday night to see Sherlock Holmes. We ended up running into Parker and his date at the 10:30pm showing. Walked away from it in awe! I absolutely LOVED it. Loved the plot, loved the actors/actresses, and it was just overall enjoyable to watch. We went to Avatar last night with Jared and Sammie, in 3D of course! I'm not going to lie, I didn't enjoy it as much as I'd hoped. I had been anticipating going to see it for a long time because of the good things I kept hearing about it. I'll clarify that I didn't DISLIKE it, persay, but I just liked Sherlock Holmes a lot more. Avatar was fun to watch, but it was sssoooo freaking long! I have the attention span of a 3 year old when it comes to sitting for longer than 2 hours. The 3D aspect was cool, and we all walked away with our glasses even though they told us to dispose of them before leaving!

Resolutions, and a recap of our year.

This year I've decided to set resolutions different from my ordinary, "Lose 10 pounds, don't procrastinate, exercise every day..etc etc etc" Maybe it's just me, but I never seem to accomplish any of those. I get bummed when I miss even a single day, and then I kinda just give up. So I decided to set different types of goals this year. Fun ones, that I'll actually enjoy accomplishing. And hey, if I happen to lose 10 pounds on the way, so be it ;)

1-Get good at the XBox 360. Riley enjoys it, and the only game I can beat him in is Mario Kart for the N64.

2-Get my concealed weapons permit. Enough said.

3-Apply for the Amazing Race once I turn 21. Shrena+Me=Amazing, unbeatable team.

4-Get my motorcycle license. Riley takes me for rides on my dads motorcycle, and he has a few of his own, but I want to be able to ride one on the road myself. Legally.

5-Be better about blogging. There's a lot of fun things that happen everyday that I want to remember down the road.

6-Make a movie at Lake Powell.

7-Talk Riley into letting me get a bunny.

Those are all the ones I've had on my mind for the last little bit, and I'll be sure to update on my progress!

Now for our year recap. I've seen this done on some of my friends' blogs so I decided to do it on my own. Here's a month by month history of our year!!

January-Started dating officially. Nothing TOO exciting that I can remember from this month other than spending a ridiculously large amount of time together. I think since we met, there have been literally less than 5 days we've gone without seeing eachother.

February-Had our first Valentine's Day as a couple. Riley spoiled me with a dozen roses and a cute pink teddy bear he had delivered to my house that morning. He wrote me a note that was delivered with the flowers, and in it he told me he loved me for the first time! Aww...

March- We took a trip to Moab with our friends Jared, Peter, Brianna, and Trenton! We made the decision before we got down there that we wouldn't eat at any recognizable fast food chains. Instead we ate at little hole-in-the-wall cafe's and things, and had a blast. We slept in tents, went to Arches National Park, had a few campfires, learned that people can sleep through shoes being thrown at them, only got one speeding ticket (Riley...) and came away with tons of memories with awesome friends!

April- April marked the beginning of our camping adventures. We went up to Logan canyon. The boys brought their guns and had a fun time shooting at random targets. Peter heard/saw a "Bear/Mountain Lion/Satan Indian", we had an easter egg hunt, ate omelets in a bag, and built houses out of the logs in the fire. We also spent a lot of time at Farmington Pond fishing and playing with Riley's remote control boat. RIP.

May- One crazy month. It was during May that we: 1. Saran wrapped Peter to a pole on Main Street in Centerville. Funny until people called 911 and two cops showed up. Then it was hilarious. 2. Did a better toilet papering job than anyone could ever out-do. This was done to Peter's car...wow. I promise we don't really hate him? 3- Riley showed me, Jared, and Sammie how to make our very own wallets out of plastic and colored duct tape. 4-Took another camping trip up Logan canyon 5- Went bike riding for the first time on the Legacy Trail. Two bikes+Jordan's tandem=lots of fun!

June-The weather started getting nice so we did a lot of four wheeling up Bountiful canyon. Minus the few times we had to pull the machines out of the snow, it was a good time!

July-Went to Lake Powell with Riley's family! Did lots of cliff jumping, carp catching/torturing ("Eat some ham, eat some ham!!!), eating, swimming, death tubing, and cave exploring. Got lots of sun and even more pictures. Slept on the roof of the houseboat (learned to appreciate my AC) and played lots of Vampire Baseball!!!

August- Got engaged at Farmington Pond, one of my favorite places on earth. Had a pregnancy scare (Not really, inside joke...) and started up on the wedding plans. Reserved the temple before I even had a ring.

September- We spent my 20th birthday in New York with my dad! One of the funnest trips of my life. We went to Times Square, the Empire State building, Immigration Island, the Statue of Liberty, Canal Street, Chinatown, Carnegie Deli, World Trade Center reconstruction site, Carmine's, Wall Street, and pretty much every other notable place in Manhattan. Ended up having to leave Riley alone to sleep over at JFK for one night. One of the worst days ever, having to leave my fiance in New York alone, AND having to explain to his parents why he wasn't on the plane back with us. Note to anyone reading: Never let your ID leave your person when you're vacationing. Or ever. Had a few bridal showers, and started looking for a place to live.

October- We bought our condo and started the renovations about two weeks before we were getting married. Spent lots of time working on that, while I struggled to stay afloat in my classes at school, too. We got married on the 30th in the Logan Utah Temple. We had our beautiful reception at the Manor at Eldredge Square in Bountiful, followed by our honeymoon. We spent two nights at the Anniversary Inn in Salt Lake then took off for a week to gorgeous Lake Tahoe. Had an absolute blast being with my best friend.

November- Spent our first Thanksgiving together. Had dinner at Riley's parents house, then went to a movie with my family. Had an overall successul day/month.

December-Spent our first Christmas/New Year's together. We spent New Year's with our friends Jared and Sammie and my family. Went up to my Aunt and Uncle's house in Pleasant View for games and food, then stopped at the church building my other Aunt and Uncle had reserved for more games and MORE food. Also spent some time in December visiting my grandpa in the skilled nursing facility he has been in for a few weeks recovering from surgery.