So Far . . .

. . . I love being back in Utah. I don't really expect that to change, so I'm not sure why I prefaced it that way, but oh well.

I love being close to family. I love working with them, seeing them on the weekends, going on vacations with them, even living with them. I knew I missed them, but I didn't know how much I missed them until we came back. I'm so lucky to have such amazing people to call family!

I love experiencing a Utah summer. I've forgotten how amazing they can be. Especially compared with the summers in Tallahassee. There is little to no humidity. There are no bugs. (I know Utahns say there are bugs, but trust me, there are no bugs.) It actually cools off when you're in the shade and at night. I love going on runs here. I love eating dinner outside. I love the walks I take with my husband just about every night. It's so beautiful and so peaceful.

I love the mountains. They are majestic. There is no other way to really describe them. They are so big and beautiful and each one is unique. I love looking up at the mountains, being on top of the mountains and looking down, seeing all the bicyclists trying to go up them. It's quite entertaining really. And impressive.

Of course there are some downsides to being back in Utah. For example, the construction. Especially on the roads. It's everywhere and it's like this every summer. They never finish, I swear. Then there's the people. Lots of great people live here, don't get me wrong, but so many of the people here are the same. I miss the diversity. And I'm not going to lie, I miss going to church outside of Utah. Maybe I was just spoiled with a great ward in Tallahassee (no maybe really, I was definitely spoiled), but this ward is just not the same.

Anyway, life is grand and I'm so glad we are where we are. Still missing my Tally friends of course, but that's expected.

Happiness =

• Night swimming in the summer
• Getting a new tube of mascara
• Spending time with loved ones
• Coming home to a clean house
• Getting flowers from your husband
• Knowing there is a healthy baby growing in your belly
• Getting a compliment at work
• Reading a good book in the shade of a big tree
• Eating freshly baked chocolate chip cookies
• Trying your hardest and succeeding
• Dancing your heart out
• Running in the grass with no shoes on
• Accomplishing your goals
• Being married to your best friend

Small and Simple Things

Life has been pretty chill lately. And by chill I mean nothing exciting is going on. And by nothing exciting, I mean it, for the most part. I do have a few "small and simple things" to share.

Last week I got home from work and Lish said, "Whit, what's wrong?"
Me: "I don't know. I'm just in a weird mood."
L: "I'm in a weird mood too. I don't know why."
Me: "Hm, maybe we should bake a cake."

It totally worked. That cake looked and smelled and tasted delicious and we got to enjoy it for the rest of the week! Lish went and played basketball that night and I stayed home and did a workout video. When Lish got back home, he asked what I did that night. I told him, "What I wanted to do was sit in front of the TV and veg while snacking on some cereal. But I didn't." He suggested we have a cereal party the next night for dinner.

Moving on to the next night... I got home from work and went for a run. While I was out running, Lish went to the grocery store and bought 7, yes, SEVEN, boxes of cereal. We already had 3 different kinds, but that just wasn't enough for our cereal party. WE LOVE CEREAL! So we had cereal, pop tarts, and fruit for dinner. It was pretty much amazing.

Last, but not least, I am a runner. Yes, I run and I enjoy it. Who woulda thunk? I decided back in November that I wanted to run a 10K. I couldn't find a 10K around Tallahassee, but I found a 15K in a city that's 2 1/2 hours away from here. But that's 2 1/2 hours away and we'd have to pay for a hotel, and the expenses started building up for this race. So, I checked again and there is a 12K race right here in Tally on February 20th. And yours truly is going to run in it. I'm excited! I ran the length of a 10K just a week and a half ago, and it felt great!

And what's even better is that I get a t-shirt with a picture of "The Flash" on it. This is going to be the best. race. ever!

Happy Two to Us! (A Picture Story)

Two years ago today, Lish and I went here

to do this.

We were surrounded by lots of family and friends.
Had a lot of pictures taken.

Ate a little sliver of this.

And it was lovely. Two years have come and gone and we have made some fabulous memories. I love you Lish and I'm truly grateful to have you by my side on this journey throughout eternity!

Shout Out to My Favorite!

Happy birthday Lish! My amazing husband turns __ old today! Alright, it's 27. I don't think he cares about people knowing his age, even if he is creeping up on 30. That dear old man. (Just kidding, love you!)

I've been excited about doing this "Shout Out" ever since I decided to do them. Why? Because Lish is amazing. He is my favorite person and my best friend! For anyone who has ever met Lish, you know why I think he is so amazing. This guy can be put in a room with anybody or a whole group of people, and in 5 minutes they'd have found something to talk about and they'd made a great relationship. He is so easy going and so fun to be around. He's a big teaser too. I love that we can joke about pretty much anything and he's so lighthearted about it all. He is also one of the most caring people I've ever met. He really wants his family and his friends to be happy and to know that he's there for them and he does a good job showing that.

I know this sounds dumb, but Lish has an amazing brain. The way he thinks about things and solves any problems or dilemmas he has is astounding to me. He can look at things from so many different angles and figure out the best way to do something. I always feel like I have to ask his opinion or advice about something because I feel like if I don't, I'm missing something.

He also has an amazing way with words. It's like he's a natural poet at heart. When it comes to things he loves, he has an incredible passion about it. He is completely dedicated (which was great while we were dating since I was such a poop) and such a hard worker. He does things for me every day to remind me that he loves me. He goes out of his way to do so much for anyone who needs anything from him. He is an amazing friend and an even better husband. I am so lucky to have him in my life!


As you know, I could go on and on, but I won't. The post would be much too long. But happy birthday dear husband of mine! I love you so much and I'm so happy to have you by my side as we go through eternity together!

St. Valentine's Day

I think 2.14.09 was the best Valentine's Day I've had to date! Lish and I had a blast together. I woke up Saturday morning and headed down to our church. We had a Primary service activity that morning. We were performing a "Labor of Love" for our Heavenly Father by cleaning things that don't usually get cleaned, like all the plastic chairs.

When I got home there was a very sweet and touching letter on my pillow that Lish had written me. It was beautiful. He truly has a way with words and of course I ended up crying. For him, I had borrowed a massage table from work, borrowed some relaxation CD's and gave him a nice long massage. He seemed to really enjoy it. He said we should do that every Saturday. I don't think that's going to happen.

It was raining all day Saturday, so Lish told me we could go see any movie I wanted. Well, it just so happens that Twilight just hit the dollar movies. Yay! I know for sure now that Lish loves me after sitting through that movie with me. He didn't think it was too bad either. He said some of the ideas were really creative. Now I'm trying to get him to read the books.

After the movie we went home and I made some sugar cookie dough. While it was refrigerating we went to a Chinese restaurant and got some take out. We wanted to have a picnic, but since it was raining we set up a little picnic in our apartment. It was fun to just sit and talk and eat together on the floor. I was exhausted though, so after our early dinner I took a nap. It was delightful. When I finally woke up (it took me 45 minutes from the first time Lish came to wake me up until I finally got out of bed), we made our heart-shaped cookies. I think Lish had a good time cutting out the cookies. And they turned out delicious by the way! After we were done making those, we met up with some friends to get some ice cream and then headed to their house to watch the Slam Dunk Contest, and let our dogs have a play date.

We were busy, but we had such a wonderful time. We always enjoy spending time together. I love him so much and I'm excited that I get to be with him for eternity! I love coming home to my best friend and being able to wake up and go to sleep by his side every day.