yesterday was one of the longest days i've had in a loooong time. i can't tell you how glad i am that i'm now sitting on my couch watching ncis with tyler. i've been waiting for this moment for a long time: work done until january 3rd and me back in my cozy apartment away from the anxiety-inducing snowy roads. what a joy it was driving an hour this morning in two feet of snow.

anyway, yesterday. so i'm used to coming home after work each day around four or five and wasting away the rest of the day by spending time with tyler, eating and watching our favorite shows. yesterday i had a lot of things going on after school and let's just say i was a little pms-y when i got home at 11:00, which btw is usually when i've been in bed for an hour already. it was already snowing hard and i knew it would be a commuter special the next morning on the way to my last day of work for the next week and a half. anyway, i was happily surprised to see flowers, chocolates, and a note waiting for me when i got home. bless his heart! (well, i was actually in such a bad mood when i got home that i headed straight to the bedroom to change and didn't see the flowers for like ten minutes...)

so needless to say i love being married to tyler. he's the only one that can make me laugh after a day like that.

yahoo for eight paid days off! i heart christmas break.

just me

so yeah, that's my hair in a pile below the vacuum. tyler spent a good while pulling it out of the spinny thing after vacuuming.

tyler and i had an interesting weekend a week ago. we headed down to lake powell (my favorite place on the planet earth btw, even in november, but esp. in the summer) for a fishing trip with tyler's parents and sister on a family friend's fishing boat. tyler and i left from provo and were to meet his family/friend near lake powell. there were a few miscommunications and tyler and i thought we were supposed to head toward kanab. well, after five hours of driving, nearly three hours of no cell service, and a couple hours of confusion, we realized we were FOUR hours away from where we were supposed to be. so we decided to spend a lovely evening in page, arizona in a sweet motel and head out the next morning for another 4.5 hour drive that basically took us on a round trip around lake powell.















the route we should have taken
















the route we took

so there were some positives from this accident. 1: we saw a cow right after it got hit by a car. i'm no vegan animal lover but this was seriously sad! it was moo-ing out of control and it's leg was basically behind its head. 2: we got pulled over for the second time together and for the second time got out of a ticket. i think the putrid skunk smell in southern utah was mostly responsible for getting the cop away from our car and back into his, dodging another ticket. 3: we got to see way more of lake powell than we bargained for. now you might think all three of these are negatives, but no, we are choosing to see them as positives.

motel 6 (notice the beautiful bed cover)

anyway, the trip was fun. it was surprisingly warm (except for the 70 mph driving in a fishing boat) and lake powell still looked as stunning as ever.

this past weekend was a little more relaxing. we spent friday with friends at happy sumo and a relaxing saturday at home. i finally went to the eye doctor yesterday after five years. i've been having problems with my contacts and basically feel like i put anyone in my car in danger of their lives when i'm driving.



well i'm glad for a break this week. only two days of teaching and then off to denver. hooray for family, fun, food, and thanksgiving of course.

tyler said, "it's been awhile since you've blogged." yes, he checks our blog. i said, "why don't you write something?" silence. yeah...

sometimes i just feel like i don't have anything to say or my thoughts are worthless anyway. i don't know. my day is the same every day and who really cares? i don't have a baby that i can show adorable pictures of daily. i don't have a crazy job that sends me to fantastical destinations. i don't have drama in my life. i feel pretty good about the constancy but as far as blogging goes, it doesn't go over very well.

but, maybe some of you are like me. maybe some of you check blogs every single day and delight in even the smallest update. so here i go...

everyday i do the same thing:

yes, i wake up at 5:40. it's a beautiful thing - not!

every morning i have to brush out my wild hair. believe it or not i think my hair's getting even longer and perhaps thicker. my mom has a wild lion's mane and perhaps my hair is heading in that direction. anyway, i have this weird habit: i rock and roll in my sleep like a crazy monkey. basically when i was a baby i broke my leg, had a cast, couldn't move, and so i developed this endearing rocking habit. tyler loves it! so now i wake up with knots in my hair. it's awesome.

i teach junior high. the first two periods i teach modern dance to eighth and ninth graders. this has been quite an experience. right now we are rehearsing for our dance concert in january. the way i set it up the girls volunteer to be choreographers and i put them in groups. some of the girls are great leaders and natural choreographers. other girls are so timid with the whole process. i have to really coax them to lead and be the boss. it's interesting to see how much girls that age care what others think about them. don't worry, those classes can be very entertaining too. let's just say "non-coordinated." oh and on monday two of my students got drunk in the girls locker room before class, btw.

the last four periods i teach english to seventh graders. and that's all i'm gonna say about that.

last year my job was about survival. it was so hard! the hardest things i've done in my life are: 1.mission 2.an unnamed event when i got home from my mission and 3.first year teaching. this year i'm over that. i feel like i can actually teach now and not just survive. i love being around the kids because they're so ridiculous and entertaining. i also feel so bad for some of them because of their home lives. why are some people allowed to have kids?

tyler and i are super lucky that we get to spend every afternoon together. we're fans of fox news (bill), dancing with the stars (tyler's favorite), glee, criminal minds, and the office. tyler's also still very in love with his amazing new ipod.

life is a routine. for me anyway. the daily grind, now i know what that means. anyway, i'm happy 98% of the time (especially now that udot has left me alone), because i know i'm blessed and mostly due to my amazing husband who by the way is happy 100% of the time (i don't understand it) and always gives me something to look forward to every day.

My current love: Tyler! Especially at Timp in the fall...

My current hate: UDOT! For the love! An hour and half drive home after work? Life is so hard...

what is this, seriously? it's 8:45 a.m. on saturday and i've been awake for an hour! i can't sleep in anymore. i guess waking up at 5:40 a.m. every day during the week will do that. anyway, i'm starting to turn into my parents. i've always made fun of them because they're overjoyed if they can "sleep in" until 8:00. tyler's peacefully passed out in our bedroom, snoring as usual. so precious!

today i didn't know what was going on when i woke up. is it really saturday again?? i asked myself. the last two days were also saturday. it's fall break in utah and it's glorious. last year i valued my breaks by 100 fold. this year they're certainly nice but i don't dread going back to work like i did last year.

last week was my birthday. 2-6 people! what is happening in the world? thank heavens i'm married or i'd be in a deep depression right now! no offense to all my '03 graduates still living the single life. i still don't feel quite like i'm all grown up. yes, i've graduated college. yes, i have a career. yes, i have a huband. but without kids i still feel like a kid, even at 26. and i probably am. i have no idea what it's like to have a child and i'd like to keep my ignorance for many years to come. i see pictures of friends with their adorable babies and yes it looks so appealing but then i think of all the sleepless nights they must be having, puke and poop they're cleaning up, screaming and crying they're dealing with and then i feel pretty good about still being a kid, even at 26.

all my dreams are coming true! it's been sunny and HOT in october! i do love fall but i can't stand the season that follows it so i'm reveling in this record breaking heat.

yesterday i had the day off of work. we have a compensatory day on the week of parent-teacher conferences. i guess they decide we need a day off when we work two thirteen hour days. i spent my day off by sleeping in, getting a deep conditioning treatment, going to the pool (brought me right back to summer), and attending my (and tyler's) mission reunion. it's getting weird going to the mission reunions. i was the oldest sister there. i think that means we should stop going.

today was also a day to celebrate. conference has been great as always. we also went to kneaders. i could die for their turkey bacon avocado on foccaccia! we decided that we needed a new router so we went to rc willy. we ended up buying a tv, naturally. tyler's been wanting a tv for a long time and his dream finally came true today. it was a great deal and we couldn't pass it up.

tyler's love affair with his new ipod touch

life's been treating tyler and me well lately. last week we enjoyed one of our anniversary presents at the brad paisley concert. it was packed! i've never seen the usana lawn so full. of course we were sitting next to drunk smokers. yuck. sometimes i forget that there are people in utah that drink, until i go to a concert. sad, i know, but i live in utah county. the week before that we got to go with jamie (tyler's sister) to the timp. temple as she received her endowments. i still can't believe she's going to russia. i know she's probably itching to leave but i just want to tell her to enjoy her time in the good old u.s.of a. i didn't realize how good life is here until i lived in armenia! the very first thing i thought when i walked in my house after a year and a half was how clean it was! seriously. the little wonders of this nation like cleanliness, walmart, people with good hygiene, and smooth running church meetings were sorely missed. earlier this month we also got to spend a weekend with friends at a cabin in the uintas. we went up to one of tyler's friend's cabins with a bunch of couples, played games, ate awesome food, and hiked. currently, teaching is going so much better this year! it's ridiculous how much easier this second year is. well, peace out till next time...

p.s. katie: you inspired me to make this post. just want to give you something to do on your lunch break :)

this weekend was tyler and my first anniversary! friday the third to be exact. we celebrated with a trip up to my cabin on hebgen lake, montana.

hebgen lake

dead mice. yum.

yellowstone park

playmill! we saw beauty and the beast.

such a joy. i can't believe it's been a year! it's been awesome. i love being married to tyler!

so tyler and i finally moved back into our apartment in provo. it feels good to have a sturdy life again.

quick story: so i got to provo to move in on friday and went to the office to check-in/get our keys. meanwhile there's a couple next to me in the office signing a contract for married housing. i tell the guy my last name (of course having to spell it out) and he can't find anything. i tell him the apartment we signed our contract for last april and again he can not find our contract! so then he goes in the back for like ten minutes, comes out, and announces to me that they sold our apartment a few weeks ago for the school year! he said they misplaced our contract, thought the apartment was open, and sold it to another couple. then he said quickly after, luckily we do have one last open apartment so we'll give that to you. by the way, doug, he said to the guy working with the couple seated next to me, that apartment is taken so you guys won't be able to sign a contract. the couple, understandably so, freaked out. apparently they had driven down from salt lake and cancelled plans just to sign this contract for the apartment they were forced to give to us. wow. i couldn't believe it.

anyway, tyler and i actually ended up getting a nicer apartment than last year with better carpet and hot water. so i guess we lucked out in the end.

tomorrow tyler and i are finally moving back into our apartment! we're living in the same place as last school year. it will feel so good to have a little home again! summer was awesome and i never had so much fun being so lazy. but i can't wait to have a home with tyler again.

p.s. our anniversary is in one week! i'm so excited!

school is going really well. i have great students. my classes are much smaller than last year and unlike governor jeb bush says, smaller is better to me! things are going so much better now that i know what works best.

last weekend i drove up to boise to see my mission daughter marry an elder from our mission. like mother, like daughter i guess. i cried a lot. whenever i go to sealings now i can't help but think of my own. then we got down later at the reception with some armenian dancing, all the armenia missionaries raising the roof.

even though i've missed being with tyler these past two weeks, i've had a lot of fun with my family. my mom and i have hung out a lot and i've really enjoyed her company. it's interesting and really nice how mothers become friends the older you get.

well...it's that time again...seriously i wonder if my students think of me as this anal old woman pictured here. hopefully they do!

yesterday i made the eleven hour drive back from arizona to beautiful bountiful utah. the drive went quick because i had so much on my mind. i found myself talking OUT LOUD to myself several times, going over things i had to do and how i was planning to start the school year. i couldn't even sleep last night because my mind was reeling and reeling.

the first day of school is friday. already i see SUCH a difference from last year. for example, i put my room together today and it took me three hours, compared to the TEN hours it took last year. i have all my lessons ready for the entire year and of equal importance i have a strong and sturdy management plan that will begin on day one. those kids aren't getting away with anything this year! and trust me, they try to get away with everything and more. anyway, i'm excited for a new year. it's good to be productive again.

Forgiveness: My Burden Was Made Light

As I watched this video I thought about a really profound General Conference talk a few years back. I can't remember who gave it (I think it was Bednar) and I don't have time to look it up (gotta get dinner on the table in ten minutes) but Elder Someone said that when we are offended by others' actions we are actually sinning because we are not forgiving them. When I heard that I was like, whoa, no more getting offended! Through experience, I've learned that when we don't forgive, most of the time we are the ones that hurt. I recently discovered that I had been holding a lot of built up years of resentment toward someone (no, it's not Tyler). I then realized that I was not forgiving that person for being imperfect. I suppose I wanted that person to be perfect and treat me perfectly and when it didn't happen the way I wanted my relationship with that person began to suffer. And no, I'm not talking about a past boyfriend either. It wasn't until I FORGAVE that person for being human and making mistakes that I FELT BETTER and my relationship with them IMPROVED. Thank heavens for the atonement, repentance, and forgiveness.

this monday aug.2nd it will be THREE years since i got home from my mission in armenia. the experiences, the feelings, the language, the people, it all seems to be slipping away from me as time goes. but i know, or hope, it will never leave me entirely. i was reading my journal the other day from this time...

August 1, 2007:"I am really excited to go home. I have missed my family so much. I also miss the familiarities of home and am excited to be there again. What do I look forward to? Some serious things, some kind of not so serious.

Serious: seeing my parents, playing with Aubrie and Cory, attending an American ward, dancing again, going on dates, going to lunch with the old sisters and MTC sisters, going on trips, the TEMPLE, talking with my brothers, catching up with my friends.

Non-serious: CEREAL, sleeping when I want, listening to love songs, milk, not using a filter for water, a normal shower, driving, staying up past 10:30.

As much as I am excited to go home, I feel a sadness for leaving this calling and this country. There are many many things that I will miss, which are all serious to me: preaching all day every day, speaking Armenian, meeting random people and becoming best friends, seeing people's lives slowly change for good, the tatiks (grandmas) and papiks (grandpas), seeing the power and influence of the elders, P-day gatherings with the sisters, giving out copies of the Book of Mormon, seeing big miracles, hearing Armenian jokes that are never funny, the ice cream, the fruit, the bread, little kids speaking Armenian, mission conference, hearing missionaries' testimonies, getting advice from President, telling the Joseph Smith story in Armenian, feeling the hush and the spirit while telling that story, crazy drivers, laughing with companions, crying with companions, seeing and experiencing the gift of tongues, wearing Christ's name on my chest every day, flying with angels, knowing that I am doing the same work as the Apostles, teaching the Plan of Salvation to those who have lost a loved one, having conversations about Christ on marshutnies (buses), always carrying a Book of Mormon, and being a missionary for Jesus Christ."

August 2, 2007 on the plane home: "I'm not sure how I feel right now. I kind of feel like I'm in a dream and that any second I will wake up in a little apartment in Yerevan. I guess I will say that I feel peaceful. As weird as it is to actually be on the plane heading home, I feel good and know that I am in the hands of the Lord."

what an experience! i was excited to go home. i wasn't one of those missionaries trying to extend their mission or crying for days before they had to leave. it was freakin hard! by far the hardest thing i've ever done in my life. but if i could go back, i would do it all over again. it's an experience you can't get anywhere else. it makes you stronger. and more importantly, it touches people's lives and spreads the gospel over the earth.

my sister-in-law, jamie, just got her mission call today! she will be serving in the russia samara mission. wow. if anyone can handle a russia mission, it's jamie. i know she'll love every minute of it.

this morning tyler and i went to the mesa arizona temple. my first temple outside of utah. it was such a joy. i remember when going to the temple single i couldn't wait to have a man there with me. a lot of things are better married.

a fit woman that doesn't have double Ds, an inch size waist, and toothpicks for legs! ok. i kind of really like this. i'm not saying my butt is huge. actually i wish it was bigger. but this just makes me feel better about not having a victoria's secret barbie like body. i would be a liar if i said i was 100% satisfied with my body. i think any woman would be lying if she said that. but i'm trying. sometimes it sure is hard when i'm home all day watching america's next top model and underwear commercials. i see the impact media has on the image of my female students at school. most of them act, dress, and wear make up and hair like they're twenty years old. seventh graders are pulling out mirrors in the halls and constantly applying lipgloss. if there's one thing i hope to accomplish with my future daughters it is to instill in them a healthy self-image and a high self-esteem. my mom was so good at that. she always built me up and of course still does. "Of all the creations of the Almighty, there is none more beautiful, none more inspiring than a lovely daughter of God who walks in virtue with an understanding of why she should do so, who honors and respects her body as a thing sacred and divine, who cultivates her mind and constantly enlarges the horizon of her understanding, who nurtures her spirit with everlasting truth." - President Gordon B. Hinckley

Today was really fun! I went to a local farmer's market and a street faire at the mall. I never buy things at these outdoor splendors but I just think they're fun. I like the individuality and uniqueness. Then Tyler and I went to a bbq fest where they had tons of bbq vendors from all over the state who compete in all their bbq glory. We got to taste test some and it was delicious! I will never be a vegetarian. (Pictures were taken with phone.)

I am really loving life right now. I'm recovering from my first year teaching, having fun every day, I'm madly in love with my best friend, and perfectly content with things how they are. Ah summer.

here's some pictures from hike #2. this time we headed to tanque verde canyon, a suggestion from tyler's dad, jim. other news: we moved today from tucson to prescott. it's a lot cooler here and there are trees. joy! just a suggestion: never drive three hours in arizona in the middle of summer without air conditioning.

we're pretty intense

isn't that precious

so here's the tanque verde waterfall! wait...where's the water?

this snake decided to get in our way until i threw a rock at it

tyler got stung by...something. he now has one cankle.

yes those are bugs. yum.

my mom is so talented. she completely decorated and painted this entire room, including the bed frame, dressers, and night stands. i seriously want to hire her to interior decorate my house when i'm older. my parents bought this little home in west bountiful right before i left on my mission. it was all white with plain carpet. when i got home i found painted walls and brazilian hardwood floors that yes, she did all by herself. now my parents are trying to sell this little cute and much improved house. so cute mom. i love it. love you.

i love being outside and i love hiking so i was thrilled to get the chance to go hiking this morning with tyler. we went up sabino canyon on a short hike to sabino dam. it was hot. and wonderful.

my attempt to be artsy

these lizards are everywhere down here

gross

dead cactus. never knew they looked like trees when dead.

sabino dam. there's no dam water. welcome to arizona.

such a cute pouty face

July 4, 2010 was so much fun. We had a bbq and went to a park to watch fireworks. Watching fireworks is so much better when you've got a sexy man by your side.

Jeremy, Tyler's (special) brother, delighted us all with a new haircut.

Matching t-shirts! Tyler will do anything to make me happy.