12.29.2010

we have a new nephew!

baby Colter Henrie was born today!
7 pounds, 10 ounces, and completely adorable.

i was getting texts about the safe delivery during narnia.
which, was a pretty good movie by the way.
here's a picture of the crazies before the show.

12.27.2010

and then there was light.

one of the benefits to living in an old house,{that george and leslie graciously let us invade},is that i have the privilege of learning all the strange things people did to their houses way back when. for instance, before george and leslie bought it, the old folks living in it plastered over a perfectly good ceiling light. our room is usually dark dark dark.  but, happy day! santa bought us a ceiling fan and light. here are some precious moments from the installation:




















thanks, dad, for the professional installation.  we love you!

12.26.2010

i hate zombies.

i hate zombies. in stark contrast: john seems to love them.
allow me to explain.
last night, john and sam forced me to watch three and a half hours of The Walking Dead.
if you like feeling safe at night, {like i used to}, getting a full nights rest, {like i used to}, and being free from nightmares that involve the undead surrounding you and tearing you to pieces, {like I used to} -- then i wouldn't recommend it.
if you like your mind to be miserably poisoned, then The Walking Dead is for you.
needless to say, i had a very restless night last night.
i listened to David Archuletta and other happy, anti-zombie music on my new iPhone for about 3 hours, finally drifting off to sleep sometime after 4:30am.
it wasn't john's fault of course.
i wanted to watch it initially.
and i am a pansy.
but by the time I had the thought: maybe i shouldn't be watching this.....
i was already hooked.
and also too afraid to walk from the family room to the bedroom.
now john and his friends, {ryan, john crespo, and nat harward} are in the living room playing
a video game.
a ZOMBIE video game.

on a glass half-full kinda note,
my Christmas was the best yet, despite the zombie movie.
i have the best husband in the world.
and my family {on both the brunt and neff sides!} are the kindest, most loving, and most generous people i know. i am so lucky so have them.
oh, and zombies aren't real.

12.22.2010

birthday fun.

monday. john's birthday.
leslie's cinnamon french toast in the morning.
presents.
work :(
lunch at DP with ryan and janessa.
more work :(
dinner at thai drift with parents and brother george.
delicious chocolate cake and byu ice cream.





















kinect from george and leslie, which resulted in at least an hour workout for paige and john.
we made the parents play, too.
highlights:
1.  john blowing out the candles, resulting in a powered sugar explosion off the cake.
2.  the pictures that kinect took of us.  hilarious.

12.20.2010

101 reasons why my husband is the best.


{he}
1.  tells me he loves me at least ten times a day
2.  makes me breakfast in bed
3.  treats me like a princess
4.  takes me out to dinner
5.  pretends to like my cooking
6.  holds me when i'm cold
7.  tells me i'm pretty - even if it's a grunge day
8.  kisses me good morning
9.  is genuine
10.  is kind to everyone
11.  makes me laugh
12.  takes care of me when i'm sick
13.  dries my tears when i'm sad
14.  is easygoing when i'm neurotic
15.  will do something that i want to, even if he doesn't
16.  likes the same tv shows
17.  teaches me things
18.  lets me teach him things
19.  calls me out on my crap when i'm simply being dumb
20.  helps me study for school
21.  supports me in my little whims
22.  eats vegetables for me
23.  sings and plays guitar for me
24.  says things like, "on a scale of one to awesome, you're super great."
25.  believes in me
26.  holds my hand
27.  will drive me to salt lake every weekend to see my family, though he makes the trip 10x a week
28.  does the dishes
29.  focuses on the Savior and becoming like him
30.  protects me
31.  takes me to exotic places like playa del carmen
32.  makes me feel happy
33.  makes me feel giddy
34.  likes ice cream just as much as i do
35.  drinks water just as much as i do
36.  makes the bed
37.  is willing to watch glee with me, even though he hates it
38.  is generous
39.  cares about things, and expresses his opinion
40.  is a genius
41.  stays up on what is going on in the world
42.  is willing to share
43.  can take off his thumb
44.  makes life thrilling
45.  puts up with me
46.  is strong enough to carry me
47.  opens my doors for me
48.  does the things for me that i ask him to
49.  does things for me without me even asking
50.  works hard, every single day for me
51.  makes me feel good about myself
52.  goes running with me
53.  goes on walks with me
54.  helps me get back on track if i slip-up
55.  likes to try new things, especially the treats that i attempt to make
56.  makes goals with me
57.  takes me to the temple
58.  looks good in anything he wears
59.  is tall
60.  makes me feel special
61.  is fun
62.  likes to be outdoors, just like me
63.  can tell when i am just trying to be tough and i am really sad inside
64.  gets excited about little things, like the color of bedsheets or the pumpkin muffins in the oven
65.  makes sure our activities revolve around maximizing our time together
66.  efficiency is the nature of his business
67.  tells me i'm smart, even if i bomb a test
68.  is the adult when i am acting like a total child
69.  drives me to school
70.  is just so darn handsome!
71.  is patient with me
72.  is a gentleman
73.  carries in the groceries
74.  buys me ice cream
75.  always likes to have discussions about insignificant things, but we always agree on the big
76.  finishes my plate for me when i can't
77.  likes to sleep a lot, just like me
78.  is righteous
79.  kisses me goodbye and kisses me hello
80.  helps me cook
81.  knows the scriptures and can pull them out of thin air when i need one
82.  is a tease
83.  buys me diet coke {he's noticed that it is a miracle cure for paige's crabbiness}
84.  studies with me
85.  drives me where i need to go
86.  rubs my feet when they hurt
87.  tells me that all he wants for christmas is "love"
88.  sings songs with me, and doesn't go berserk when i'm in a singy-mood
89.  is sometimes a nerd
90.  introduces me to all kinds of great movies
91.  laughs when i laugh, and vice-versa
92.  buys me nice things
93.  takes me to fun places
94.  has great hair
95.  teaches me new vocabulary words
96.  listens when i'm ranting
97.  is super funny
98.  challenges me in many ways
99.  calls me to tell me he is on his way
100.  makes me want to be a better person
101.  will probably be super-ulta-embarrassed upon reading this post

have a happy birthday, dearest.  there are 101 reasons why you completely deserve it.

12.17.2010

low

john and i have been spending time with my family.
this means:
a shorter commute for him....
much more exciting days for me with my family....
very few blog posts....
and the opportunity to go to the "low" concert in salt lake.

the concert was in a run-down area of salt-lake....
and my friend lizzy had been to a concert in the same venue.
she described it as "ghetto" {oh, how i love her, and i'm thrilled she is home!}.  

we loved it.  
the band was absolutely amazing.
they sang some pretty great songs, 
and added some christmas tunes in there as well.
i was a big fan of the harmonies and distorted guitar.

here are the pictures:
























i really love low.

12.13.2010

quick weekend recap.

friday night, john and i went to our friend phil hurst's surprise birthday party.  there were several of john's friends there, and it was so great to see and hang out with everybody.  after some delicious cake and cider {briana is an expert at cooking delicious things, the cake tasted like a chocolate orange} we played backwards charades and signs with the remaining bunch.  it was a lot of fun.  sometimes john and i tend to be anti-social, {probably because the little time we spend together, we feel like spending alone.  plus we're lazy....} but it was nice to remember that i actually do have fun in a group of people.  silly me to forget that.

saturday, i hid in the library for awhile, and then came home to john playing black ops.  i cracked the whip and we cleaned for awhile, but then ended up being L-A-Z-Y.  we watched about ten movies, watched the jazz vs. mavs game {i don't really want to talk about it}, and ate a rather-depressing dinner at some greek restaurant in orem.  not that the food was particularly horrible - but when you fall in love with a splendid greek place in salt lake, it's kind of difficult to accept a sub-par place of much lower quality.  {especially when the workers at the greek broiler in salt lake know your faces so well that they say, "hey, long time no see." [wink] each time you come for a falafel}

sunday, george and leslie flew in {yay!} and ryan and janessa came over.  we played a funny game where you have to finish a lyric of a song, the second half of a proverb, a line from a play or book, or a quote from a movie.  i have learned that i do pretty well with the proverbs {as did most of us} but can't finish famous lines from american presidents to save my life.  it was a fun night and i desperately needed the break from studying!  i should probably end this post now though, since "brevity is the soul of wit."




I took this video last saturday.  i thought it was hilarious.  listen carefully, and you can hear me say: "i won't put it on the blog!" yep. that was a lie and a half.

12.09.2010

a fun look at our tree


last saturday, john and i went and got the tree of my dreams.  literally.  i've been dreaming about this for quite some time now.  who needs an air freshener in the home when you have a christmas tree?  ahem.  going and getting the tree just gets me into the christmas spirit so much.  i love walking into the lot and knowing that when you walk out, one of these special noble pines is going to live in your family room for the next month.  ah.... bliss.  and, since i refused to turn on the lights, we got some slow-shutter pictures of the tree.  so, rather than a picture of john and i standing in front of the tree, i gave you a little bit of a different approach.  

in other news, i studied for about 8 hours today.  not straight through, naturally, but collectively.  i hope that it ends up being worth the effort.  pathophysiology:  you will be the death of me.

lately i have been reading my neighbor's daughter's blog.  it has made me think a lot about my life and how lucky i am to be where i am.  i have so few challenges compared to other people.  sure, i am having to work my butt off to stay afloat in byu's nursing program, but other people really do have much greater challenges.  i imagine that they will be eternally blessed for their faith, hope, courage, and love.  if you want to look at her blog, (which i highly recommend) the link is here.  if anything, it should make you grateful for the blessings you have, and help you admire the true Christ-like love and faith that this woman has for her children.  i hope that one day i am able to show as much compassion and faith as she has. 

12.07.2010

finals! {and the way i will reward myself when they are done.}

every semester, i find that it is excruciatingly painful to force yourself to take five comprehensive finals in the course of three days.  especially after the promise of jingle-bells, gingerbread houses, decorations, mistletoe, shopping, jack frost nipping at your nose, yule-tide carols, candy-canes, sugar-plums, chex mix, movies, and family has been eating away at you for the past three weeks.  the only thing that gets me through it - is the reward that i know will be waiting when john and i can finally bunk at my parent's house for a week or so.... and that i can have not a care in the world, knowing that all my homework is in, finals are over, grades are being calculated.  after that, nothing is in my hands.  and it's time to enjoy my holiday doing the things that i love most with my family.
my mom has promised me hot cheese dip and this:


while we watch this:


12.06.2010

why i love byu.

 "nice guy
will D8
4 food"
and i've seen him there about 5 times.




"the life of a married female byu student"
not usually, but sometimes....
i DO see it....


"you choose..... your destiny"

you can't really tell,
but they're wielding swords....
very dangerous,
body-mutilating swords.
since when is this a school-approved club?

"BYU - Where your
best hasn't been
good enough since
1875.
Good luck on finals" 

ONLY at BYU.



12.04.2010

saturday adventures: {and finally! a tree}

today was so fun!
i woke up at the crack of dawn for no good reason.
but then i thought:  why not make the most of this?
thus came the cleaning, scrubbing, wiping, spraying frenzy.
i do love cleaning.
john woke up {at a more reasonable hour for a saturday morning},
to a scary-looking wife.
sleeves rolled up, hair in a tight bun, six inches deep in shower cleaner.
he must have known what he was in for.
once the shower and bathrooms and laundry and kitchen were done,
we cleaned the garage!
oh what fun.

this is the garage before we cleaned it....



























and this is the garage three hours later....






















i know.  you're definitely impressed.
it was a fun and also terrifying experience.
and i mean terrifying because we had an encounter with a rather nasty-looking spider.
and john and i made a critical oversight in our choice of spouse....
neither of us can be the spider-killer.
but john bravely took the job.
he's such a brave man.
and it was hilarious watching him gingerly picking up the towels that the spider was hiding in...
trying to catch and kill something that is merely a millionth of his size.
i could laugh because i wasn't the one having to deal with it.
or i would be crying.
in the end, john come out victorious.
we had to dispose of the towels, obviously.
a spider had been on them!

{anyways...}
john was so very excited,
to be able to park his car in the garage.
and avoid the fifteen minute de-icing routine that he has grown so accustomed to.



















our saturday adventures didn't stop there.
we next went to get new tires for john's car,
grab some lunch,
go to sunflower market and costco,
go to bed bath & beyond
{and drive back and forth and back and forth many times in between}.

and finally, the best for last.
at our ward christmas party,
we got to sit on santa's lap:




12.03.2010

i think i am a horrible wife.

last night, i threw john's jeans in the dryer because i was in a hurry.
now, they are a little tight.
i am trying to do things right.......
make dinner every night, do the laundry, keep the house clean, keep up on my schoolwork.....
then every once and awhile i make a big mistake like this.
like the time i left chicken-juice on the counter for a minute before disinfecting it.....
and john promptly came and sat in the chicken juice.
i am definitely a newlywed.

12.01.2010

more joys of nursing

sometimes, i love the nursing program.  sometimes, i hate it.
right now i am feeling the latter.

i know that i need to chill out and believe that it will all be okay -
that in three weeks time i will be home.
with my family.
and my cute husband.
for christmas.  {yay!}
but right now i have so many scary tests looming over my head.
and i am terrified that my grades won't be up to snuff.
sometimes, the nursing program is so incredibly difficult!
actually, it all the time is.  {please excuse my poor grammar}.

but i know i shouldn't be complaining,
since i am so lucky to have what i have.
and to be where i am.
and to love who i love.

speaking of who i love.....
it's our 2nd month aniversary.
i just thought i'd tell you, since you're probably DYING to know.
i promised myself that i wouldn't mention it in my blog.....
but i guess i don't keep promises.

11.28.2010

to be perfectly brunt: thanksgiving edition

thanksgiving with the brunts went far beyond exceeding my expectations!
leslie, ashley, and erin totally outdid themselves.  the company was wonderful, the food delicious.  
luke and weston practically mowed me over when we got to the henrie's house.  
they were actually excited to see their new aunt!  it warmed my heart.
thanksgiving day we played soccer, ate DELICIOUS food {of course!}
and spent some quality time napping.
on black friday we saw tangled, which i highly recommend, 
unless you're a ball-baby like me, 
in which case you should bring a box of kleenexes and mascara to re-apply after the show.
but seriously, it was darling.
we also went shopping,
and i have now learned that janessa has a weakness for H&M.
and leslie has a weakness for nordstrom rack.
but don't we all?
we played BANG today,
a game that i still believe is way over my head.
but extremely entertaining nonetheless.
{good thing i had a husband to back me up for the last two games}
ah i just love my in-laws.  i couldn't have asked for a better family to marry into.
they are so accommodating and will just do things for each other.  
no self-serving motives necessary.
i'd like to be more like that.  

11.25.2010

sitting in the shower letting the rain pour over my face.

this morning, i sat in the shower for about an hour.  i literally sat down on the cold tile floor and let the water fall on me.  believe it or not, it feels really good.  especially when things aren't 100% great and you need to chill out.  sometimes, nothing can make you feel better, but a hot shower and butterscotch cookies can certainly help.  finally, the water heater's stores were spent, and i was forced to get out on account of freezing.

i watched little women, pride and prejudice, and also watched my brothers make a snow cave. {which, sam and his friends seem to want to sleep in tonight. crazy boys.}  i cleaned my parent's kitchen, played incessantly with andy jack, and ate nothing but chex mix.  i also tried to mimic a whippycake flower, unsuccessfully.

then my mom drove me, john, and jesse {john and ryan's good friend} to the airport.  with much trepidation i approached the new t.s.a. body scan.  what luck!  i didn't have to go through it.  we went to the airport thinking that it would take an hour to get through security, when really it only took like ten minutes.  almost a new record for me!  then john and i got pizza for dinner {disappointment}, and then watched prison break, {an old series that we have become re-addicted to}, whilst waiting for our flight.  in the end, we landed in the airport safely.  i think i'm a little tired though, because i keep forgetting that i am typing and just start staring off into space.  {a couple of times, people have actually caught me blankly staring at them - how embarrassing!}.

george treated us to in-and-out, which is growing on me, [despite the {seemingly} exaggerated hype about it from anyone who has ever lived west of slc.]  okay, who am i kidding..... in-and-out is delicious, and i am now fully prepared to put my tail between my legs and admit it.

i would just like to let everyone know what a wonderful husband i have.  i am quite certain that he is the kindest person in the world {certainly more kind to me than i am to him}.  and although i have endless weaknesses, he still manages to see something in me.  i love him with all my heart.  i also love his family.  and i am so ecstatic that we get to spend this weekend with them.  thanks to ashley and seth for having us in their home this thanksgiving.  i am certain we will have a great time together.

11.23.2010

10 things that make me {inexplicably} happy.

1.  making paper snowflakes.
2.  when class gets canceled.
3.  listening to my husband play the guitar.
4.  fresh fruit.
5.  stealing a kiss.
6.  reading other people's blogs.
7.  stretching out on the floor.
8.  saying 'thank you'.
9.  my camera - photo ops - editing.
10.  discovering something else that i love.

11.21.2010

it's the freakin weekend baby!

friday night:
john and i went to HP.
it was awesome.
unfortunately, john also had to study for the GMAT,
since he was taking it the next day.
every time I glanced at him, this is what I saw...


















and then forced him to interact with me....























isn't he so handsome???
but seriously, HP and the Deathly Hallows is a must-see.
it was absolutely fabulous!
also, something that is noteworthy:
my patronus is a wolf.
a quiz on facebook said so.

john still studying:
























saturday:
also included studying.
we went running to blow off some steam.
then poor john had to take the 4 hour test,
and miss the BYU v. New Mexico game.
which was a blast.
that's what he gets for being responsible!


sunday:
what else is there to do on sunday than go to church...
eat food....
take naps....
???
cause that's what we did.


also,
here are some pictures from the BYU basketball game last tuesday.


















mady, kristen, and maddy are seriously my favorite girls ever!
they are so fun and cute.
even though 90% of my free-time is spent with my hubby,
they are always willing to play with me when we can actually get together!
i love them.



















and i love this handsome guy too! {naturally}

11.19.2010

the big picture.





















^^^this really isn't that great^^^






















^^^until you see the big picture.^^^

{in the absence of clearly-defined goals, we become strangely loyal to performing daily trivia until ultimately we become enslaved by it}
*Robert Heinlein*

while i've been complaining about school incessantly for the past couple of weeks, i haven't sat back to think about the big picture.  i decided that it's about time that i realize that each day i am one day closer to being a real nurse.  each day i am becoming more comfortable with the care i will be giving.  each day i grow in appreciation for the Savior, Jesus Christ.
and that is the big picture.

summer memories

{lake powell}


thanks to uncle gary, who took most of these photos!


sam, who can be a total stinker sometimes, 
has a way of making our family feel so happy.


i couldn't resist.


ah!  so much fun.  i could live there.


{island park}
























my first trip to island park! with john, lizzy, pordie, ryan, and janessa.


one of the many floats down the snake river.































i now love island park {almost} just as much as john does.

{and my girls}

janessa's eye peeking through:  priceless.





















trek was fun, but i ate peanut butter.  THAT won't ever happen again.  

this summer was fun because john and i got to share our favorite places in the whole world with each-other.
mine: lake powell.
his:  island park.
thinking back on it, i don't think i have ever had a more fun and exciting summer.  
we spent 6 days in lake powell,
we spent at least 5 weekends in island park.
we got engaged.
i went to havasupai and on pioneer trek {john wasn't happy to have me gone}
all in all, i am currently in the happiest time imaginable - hands down.  
don't you just love life?