...the king's...

Every Sunday...

2012-02-12T18:00:00.003-07:00

Every Sunday I tell myself, "Today I'm going to update my blog!" and then next Sunday comes around and I still haven't done a thing. Here's to good intentions!

PS-This is my 100th post. What a waste.

..what is santa bringing you?..

2011-12-10T23:07:00.001-07:00

..so i've been getting asked that dreaded question, "what do you want for Christmas?" for a good solid month now. guess what?! i still have no idea. not a clue. i hate thinking of presents. i'm not good at it and i always end up asking for practical things like.......see i can't even think of a practical thing i need!! i don't know what to do..

..what are you asking santa for this Christmas? i need some ideas..STAT! speaking of stat why the heck hasn't grey's anatomy been on? it's killin' me..

..tis the season..

2011-12-08T21:39:00.001-07:00

..to be BUSY! i can't believe how much is going on. i am amazed by those that handle the holidays with children. i can't wait for next week to get here and what will be even better is the week after. we're right in the middle of holiday/work/school chaos. so much to do and not nearly enough time to relax and enjoy. matt and i have had to be very thoughtful in our plans to make sure we take time for ourselves to do some of the holiday traditions we love..
..this week has been full of final projects, final papers, and final days of classes. i'm SO SO SO grateful i'm done with school but i'm starting to eat those words with the classes i teach. i started teaching at UVU this semester and even though i LOVE it i didn't expect it to be so time consuming. in my free time i've been grading papers non stop and next week it'll just be worse as the students turn in their final 5 page papers and portfolios. WHAT. WAS. I. THINKING. when i put together my syllabus?? i'll have to put together something less time consuming next semester..
..matt had his last day of classes at the U for his first semester there today. YAY! only 3 (maybe 4) semesters left. he "loves" the commute he gets to take three times a week. luckily next semester he doesn't have to go up there at all. thank heavens for ONLINE courses! next week he'll be plugging away at his finals. send positive vibes into the universe for him okay?..
..for now here's to low key nights at home..and boy meets world dvd's from netflix..

..BFF's 4-eVeR..LoL..

2011-12-06T21:53:00.000-07:00

..so if you know me you know i am H.O.R.R.I.B.L.E. at keeping in close contact with friends and family. i'm just awful with it. i'm not sure why. not to make excuses but i always think that i need to have plenty of time to be able to sit and chat with them and i never seem to make that time. sad right? i'm pathetic. maybe i'll make it my new year's resolution? i don't know. anyway...every year around the holidays my dear dear childhood friend and college roommate heather comes into town from the great state of mississippi. her husband is in optometry school there so for now they live far far away. her and her adorable family ventured back out west right before thanksgiving and last night i was so kindly graced with her presence along with two of our other dear friends, michelle and bobbi. we all lived together once upon a time and some of my favorite memories are with them. this is the second year we've gone out to dinner at zupas and talked the evening away. even though this has become a once a year type thing-because you would think the three of us that live within an hour of each other could get together more often-it's something i really look forward to every holiday season. i love those girls and really enjoy hearing about the new things that are happening with them..
..it's amazing how fast time goes and how much can change and yet at the same time some things just never change. for example, i always cause us to start our evening late. usually i'm just running behind but this year i was 20 minutes early, sitting in a booth, waiting for everyone else. the only problem was that i was distracted and not paying attention to who was coming in and out of the restaurant. therefore these ladies were sitting at the front waiting for me while i was sitting in the back waiting for them. so just like usual i made our gathering begin a little later than it should. like i said...some things just don't change. but others change so quickly. for example, heather and bobbi both have not 1 but 2 babies, michelle has her little tanner who's allergic to peanuts (such a horrible allergy), i'm officially done with graduate school, and we've all moved what seems like forever away when we used to spend so much time together..
..one thing is for sure, although our location and lives change, our friendship won't. thanks for the wonderful evening out ladies! let's do it again soon. maybe we can turn it into a bi-annual thing and skype heather in?..

..of great gratitude..

2011-11-24T13:53:00.001-07:00

..today is the day! the turkey..the pie..the family..the black friday preparations..what a wonderful way to spend the day! thanksgiving is always an eventful yet relaxing day. i love it! i love the month of november as people reflect on the things that bring them such joy. those moments of recognizing what means the most in life and how truly blessed we are. this year i have much to be thankful for. and even though i know i should do this more often i can't help but share the things that fill my heart with such gratitude.

1) my Savior, Jesus Christ and His gospel-i wouldn't have the peace and happiness that i do without Christ and His teachings. i'm so very thankful for the scriptures, a living prophet, the Temple, and the Holy Ghost. each of things help me live in a way that brings me closer to my Savior.

2) Matthew Ryan King- my dear sweet husband. i cannot comprehend life without that boy. no one makes me laugh harder, helps me to be my best self, work as hard, or even enjoy life the way he does. i couldn't ask for a more supportive and encouraging person to be my spouse. i love him more than i will ever be able to express.

3) family and friends- i have some of the very best family and friends. i am grateful that we live close enough that we are able to get together as often as we do. i am truly thankful for the encouragement and support that we've been given by our family and friends. it's such a relief and blessing to know that we have such remarkable people there if we need them and so quick to offer help in any circumstance.

4) our home-this year has been exciting as Matt has taken on a new job that requires us to live on site. it has come with it's share of challenges but the blessings of it outweigh them by far. i'm grateful for Matt's dedication and diligence to his work that provides us with an incredible place to live.

5) my job- i love my job. even the hard days where i would be okay if i never saw another student again. i love that i get to watch others progress, accomplish goals, learn from failures, and find friendships that will last a lifetime. i am blessed to work in a place where i am able to express my own creativity and push myself to new limits. i am also so grateful for the income that it provides to help support our family.

it's such a blessing to have a day once a year where it's socially acceptable to throw out to the universe what we're thankful and grateful for. if only i could be better about sharing those thoughts with the world more often. may your day be filled with gratitude and love (even during those crazy black friday moments when you want to punch someone in the face!). happy thanksgiving..

..blaaaaaaaahhhhh...

2011-09-06T00:03:00.001-06:00

..i don't want to go back to real life tomorrow. i've LOVED my labor day weekend..

..tomorrow is a day full of catch up, check in, 102 tables of people to be taken care of, playing sophisticated a dinner, pro card statements, and so much more. i'm SO excited. i'm grateful for a job, especially one i love, but i could use an extra long week..

..what about you?..

..the perfect day for a wedding..

2011-08-11T22:35:00.001-06:00

..congratulations to mr. and (the new) mrs. humphrey!..

..my cousin got married today and it was a beautiful day for a wedding! doesn't jess look gorgeous!?! the sealing was incredible. my uncle's dad is the Temple President of the Temple in the Philippines so he was able to perform jessica's sealing. it was so special. the Spirit was very strong and i'm so glad matt and i were able to attend. we were reminded of what a covenant means and how sacred it is, how we have the opportunity to begin making covenants at a very young age, and how blessed we are when we keep and honor those covenants. it was simple and absolutely beautiful..

..i loved watching josh and jess. they are absolutely twitter-patted over each other. they were all lovey dovey and kissey face. it was cute! it was also fun to watch my aunt. i love her. she is so fun, super down to earth, and so easy to talk to. it was great to watch her run around making sure everything was absolutely perfect for jess and then the occasional burst of tears was just classic. she reminds me a lot of my mother. the whole day made me want to do the whole wedding thing again. as stressful as it seemed leading up to it, it was the BEST day and it was so much fun. i hope jess and josh always remember what THEIR day was like and what an exciting time of life it is..

..congratulations again! and welcome to the family josh..

..would you like a bean with that?..

2011-08-09T21:01:00.001-06:00

..tonight we took emily to the buy bean museum. we may or may not have told her that it was literally a BEAN MUSEUM. it was awesome. like black beans, pinto beans, bean plants, big beans, little beans, asian beans, guatemalan beans, you name it..the bean museum has it. haha! it was hilarious. she was so confused when we walked in and shasta the liger was in the foyer. after the museum we introduced her to what we call deliciousness..otherwise known as a cherry dipped ice cream cone..

..ps-emily is matt's youngest sister. she's been staying with us for the last couple weeks while she's visiting from tennessee. it's like having our own teenage to get up and get us stuff. it's great..

..they're starting to move in..

2011-08-02T23:51:00.001-06:00

..well, they're here. the students that we'll be working with this year have begun to move into their apartments. there are two cohorts in the program matt works with and the second year cohort started moving in yesterday. we have 15 second years and 21 first years on our floor. we're excited to get things going but i can't believe how quick time has gone by. i don't feel like we've lived here for a month now..
..to welcome our little buddies to their homes we decided to go around, introduce ourselves, and of course leave them with a treaty. what college student doesn't love free food? we figured that would be a good way to start things off. unfortunately, only ONE of the students was home when we went around. so we left FOURTEEN welcome packs on their doorsteps. good thing all the apartments are inside like a hotel and there aren't any random people living on our floor..

..the reflection in the mirror..

2011-08-01T14:45:00.001-06:00

..this is how my husband makes me feel..

..i don't think i could be more blessed. i hope everyone has or will have someone that makes them feel that way..

..this comicstrip is compliments of shelby's blog via her brother's blog..

..wedding bells & a flat tire..

2011-07-30T22:27:00.000-06:00

..today was GREAT. literally. i LOVE weddings. since matt and i got married i've become especially sensitive to the celebration of such a sacred unit. today we went to the sealing of two of my dear friends..brandon finch & his beautiful bride jessica jill jaynes. i grew up with brandon and went to college with jess so it was very exciting and special to see these two become one..

..it was beautiful wedding. the sealer talked about the importance of selflessness and companionship in a marriage and deep spiritual and temporal blessings that come with sacrifice. it was definitely a reminder i needed to hear. not that matt and i have any issues or problems, it's something to always work on. it was so fun to walk through the halls of the Temple and remember our sealing. it was the PERFECT day. i can remember everything so vividly. i'm thrilled for jessica and brandon. they are going to have a wonderful eternity..

..we also were able to go to another friend's reception tonight as well. it was in salt lake so while we waited for time to pass we went to lunch with my sister and her husband (HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRETT!!), saw transformers 3, visited with my mama, and bought 5 dads for $30 at f.y.e.'s discount sale. after that we made our way back to the deveroux mansion in slc-which is beautiful-for jayden and shelby's reception and then onto to pleasant grove for brandon and jessica's-their reception was straight from a fairytale. outside with big bulbed hanging lights, gorgeous flowers, and pictures galore. it was definitely a jessica jaynes event. i loved it..

..it was a wonderful day spent with the hubby. we haven't had one of those for quite some time. it was fun just to do whatever and celebrate with good friends. the only downer was the flat tire we got on the way to pleasant grove. but, even that wasn't horrible. in fact we were quite blessed in it happening when it did. it was right after we got off the freeway and main roads, next to a school parking lot, and seconds before a rain storm. plus we were prepared. for christmas we got a hydraulic jack, two weeks ago matt felt strongly impressed to get a new lug nut screwer offer thing-because i may or may not have driven away with our old one on the top of our car last time we got a flat, and we had a full sized spare in the trunk. so with those things in mind i can't really complain..

..overall, GREAT day..

..peace out girl scout..

2011-07-27T23:49:00.000-06:00

..well, the deed is done! we finally finished moving and cleaning our old apartment. wahoo!! matt was recently hired as an RA for a leadership program at UVU and with that came a move. obviously he has to live on site and obviously i have to follow him so we packed up and moved out. and it is pure heaven. we L.O.V.E. our new apartment. we're on the top floor with high ceilings and huge windows. it totally beats living in a half basement apartment with no light, no air circulation, and no space. we truly have been blessed. it's all worked out perfectly. i'll have to write more about matt's new job and what he gets to do. he's really excited and i'm really proud of him for stepping out of his comfort zone and doing this..

..i guess with any new beginning there always has to be an ending to something else. now as much as i hated where we used to live it's a little strange to leave an experience that is so dear to my heart. our cruddy little one bedroom apartment is a place of many memories. it was the first place matt and i lived together. it was our first home. i remember when we first found it. we had been looking for a place to live for months and had become so frustrated. everything was either to expensive or what we considered to be unlivable conditions. and then with pretty much nothing in our bank accounts and a prayer in our hearts we found apartment 12. it wasn't horribly run down and the price wasn't bad. when we looked at the apartments available in the complex i remember walking into 12 and we both felt completely at peace there. of course because of the lack of funds though we left without signing the contract. we also wanted to make sure that was exactly where we were supposed to be. we got about 2 miles down state st. when we decided to pull into the parking lot of a country western clothing store. there we decided that was where we needed to be and did the math again to see if we could do the whole deposit/first month's rent thing. we had just enough so we turned around, signed the contract, and officially had our first apartment together as a married couple. given i did live there for 2 weeks before our wedding but we won't count that. 15 months later we were ready for a move and couldn't be happier. it's fun to look back though and think about all we did while living there. it's a place of many firsts. first boy roommate, first set of couches, first washer and dryer, first holiday decorations, first fight, etc. etc. it was also a place of prayer and faith. matt and i had our struggles of newlywed-hood in that apartment. struggles being financial, emotional, disagreements, you know..the usual. we set goals and made plans to accomplish things together in the walls of that apartment. we scrimped and saved to get little things and do big things. it was a place of service and love. some of my favorite memories are of us laying on the living room floor playing footsie while laughing and making up ridiculous names for our future babies. lots of memories. but like i said..to every new beginning is a simple ending and for us the door to apartment 12 is closed. but don't worry..the door to apartment 406 has opened and life is grand..

..just a little project..

2011-07-24T22:05:00.001-06:00

..so back in the day, a month ago to be exact, our bed used to be parallel to our bedroom window but when we moved our new bedroom was set up where the bed had to go directly under the window. we don't have a headboard and so in the old apartment i hung one of those old vintage windows above our bed in place of a headboard..loved it. now with the window though i've had to come up with something else. a couple weeks ago i built and stained one and today i finally finished it. i was going for the vintage meets country chic meets cheap look. i guess it came out how i envisioned it in my head but i still can't decide if i like it...i feel like it's missing something. what do you think?..

..what's your favorite game?..

2011-07-17T21:24:00.000-06:00

..howdy! howdy!..

..my friend shelby introduces me to a new blog, texas is for lovers, and i really like it. its hilarious and so down to earth. if you haven't read it before check it out at texasisforlovers2.blogspot.com. in fact right now she's doing a giveaway for a board game that made me laugh at first but now i kind of want to play it but you'll have to go to her blog to find out what's it called. we're big fans of games at our house! its our favorite thing to do when family come over. right now matt's favorite is bang! and my favorite is boxers or briefs. both those titles kind of sound a little weird so let me explain...boxers or briefs is like apples to apples but tons funnier!! and bang! is like uno but not. i don't know how to explain it. anyways...we love games at our house. this is a random post...so we're going to end it now. but what's your favorite? do you want to have a game night? we'll host it if you bring the treats....just sayin..

..disney world vacation..day 1..

2011-06-30T23:55:00.001-06:00

..our vacation has arrived!!!..

..earlier this year matt and i made plans for our annual summer vacation and decided we'd spend our time in florida soaking up the sun and taking in the disney magic. plus i said disneyland was better than disneyworld and matt wanted to prove me wrong. anyways..in the planning process we recruited our brothers to come as well. so both jared's saved and paid their way to spend a week in florida with their favorite siblings. it's been so fun to have them here. they both really look up to matt and matt enjoys spending time with them. it's been really fun for me to watch..

..we arrived in florida LATE last night. our flight from salt lake went straight through to orlando and it was the WORST flight i have ever been on. there was horrible turbulence and some crazy in the air turn that made me pee a little but after 4 glorious hours we made it safe and sound. we picked up our rental car and made our way to the hotel. which is only maybe 10 minutes away from the airport but took over an hour to get to because we got on the wrong freeway. always an adventure with the kings. ps-totally ran over a dead possum. it was an accident. i was trying not to run over it but totally nailed it. after we finally arrived at the resort via the kind lady from a del taco it was only 2 in the morning. but don't worry they put us in the wrong room so we were short a bed and because it was 2 am and my tolerance level was a bit low and the a/c wasn't working i called and complained and they moved us across the resort. now our room is the correct size and the temperature is 65. so nice. SIDE NOTE-i've NEVER felt anything like the humidity that's here. ugh. you can go from the perfect temp. to soaking in sweaty/muggy air in 30 seconds or less. so gross..

..we started our day at 8 am at epcot and cruised through the park. my absolute favorite part was "the seas" portion. why you ask? because my life long dream came true! since the third grade i've always wanted to see a manatee in real life and matt made plans for us to go to sea world while we're here so my dream could come true. but you know what is better than sea world dreams?? DISNEY DREAMS. oh it was wonderful!! we were just passing through the bottom floor of the building when all of sudden matt and grabbed me and pulled me to a giant tank and right there before my eyes were 2 MANATEES!! just eating some lettuce. it was awesome. weird dream i know..but so great to have it come dream..

..hello little manatee..

..it also POURED for a good 3-4 hours. we spent $32 on 4 panchos and it's probably the best purchase we've ever made. i would have died it we hadn't had them. we walked around for awhile in those until mine and matt's feet were so soggy we couldn't stand it. the jareds were still going strong though and wanted to go to magic kingdom. so, matt and i went back to the resort to switch shoes and take a nap while they played in the rain. matt and i made our way back to disneyworld later in the evening after the rain had stopped. we met up with the boys, rode the buzz lightyear ride a couple times, spent $3.50 on bottled water (all the water here tastes like the great salt lake smells...i hate sulfer.), watched part of a parade, and then made our way back to the resort..

..panchos aren't flattering at all..

..it was one busy day but such a great start to the vacation! i need to take more pictures...i'm hoping the weather is a little better as the week goes on...

..car troubles..

2011-06-12T23:10:00.000-06:00

..i HATE HATE HATE car troubles. in fact, i really do not like our car. stupid jetta. today we were in herriman for church. it was nice and then we enjoyed a little bbq with some friends of matt's from tennessee. it was a warm, pleasant afternoon until the car started to overheat on bangerter highway. it happened so quick. all of a sudden the a/c wasn't so cool and before you know it's overheating and we're off to the side of the road. stupid stupid car. after an hour or two of my dad and brother trying to get us on our way we decided to have it towed home instead. my dad searched around town looking for an open auto care store to get the special european coolant we needed while my brother switched cars with my mom to tow our car to orem, just in case. the coolant overflowed because after about a mile it would overheat again and because everything is so compact...real brilliant...there wasn't anywhere to attach the tow rope. so we called a couple tow truck companies and after the tow truck dude had to go back to his house to get the invoice book we were on our way back to orem. 4 HOURS from start to finish we were at our home sweet home..

..awesome sunday. very relaxing. super blessed to have the family we do that'll get up and go to help save the day. and you can't beat having insurance that'll cover the cost of the tow truck..

..HATE the jetta. keep your fingers crossed that it's nothing outrageously expensive..

..my first online order..

2011-06-08T22:14:00.000-06:00

..YAY!..

..i got my first online order this week with {mad dash gifts}. exciting huh? thank you sister sobczak! she lives in nebraska and wanted to give something to her daughter in provo. so i put together what she wanted, wrapped up all cute, and dropped it off. yeah! for the first online gig..

..cute right?..

..goodbye spaghetti bottle. hello new storage jars..

2011-06-07T14:45:00.000-06:00

..cute huh? for whatever reason i always feel guilty about throwing away glass jars, especially big ones. i know it's weird but i always think i could maybe use it for something else. recently i've saved two of them and last night when i was making cookies i thought to myself, "hey! i'll put salt and stuff in those spaghetti jars." and voila we now have storage containers..

..i'm sick of being sick..

2011-06-05T17:18:00.000-06:00

..hello there. it's been awhile. i was doing so well at keeping things up to date and here i am a week behind. oh well. let me give the up date on life at the king home...
1. i've been sick ALL week. i've never felt like this and it's been miserable. i went to work for 4 hours on thursday and thats it for the entire week. the rest of my time has been spent at home on the couch watching episodes of our favorite tv comedies (so glad we have hulu and netflix) or in bed..which is currently on the front room floor because the apartment gets a bit warm and there is ZERO air flow to the bedroom. good thing work at uvu is in its slow season. it won't last much longer but at least right now its ok. the theater on the other hand has been a little hectic. we worked 3 nights this week which probably wasn't the best for the immune system.
2. matt has been pluggin away at his school work. 3 days a week he takes the bus..he LOVES public transportation..to sandy, hops onto trax to murray, and takes another bus to salt lake community college. it makes for a long day but for cheap tuition, transferrable credits, and extra money in the bank doesn't make it too bad. the rest of the week is spent on his online classes. i'm counting down the many days where neither of us will be in school but then again i don't know if it'll ever happen. i'm getting the itch to go back and its only been a month. i've been looking at event management programs at george washington university...i tell you what if i could afford $28,000 in tuition i'd totally be there.
3. we participated in a mini golf tournament on wednesday evening. my mom's work sponsored it to raise money for primary children's hospital. it was supposed to be a couple weeks ago but with our crazy utah weather it was rained out and postponed. it was really fun to spend time with my side of our family plus my mom won a dutch oven that she let us have. matt and i saw a dutch oven demo a few weeks ago and we caught the camping bug. we're pretty excited for our 3rd annual one night campout with some of our friends.
4. today we went to a baby blessing. i love baby blessings. there is just something about a father or loved one asking heavenly father to give that new little person extra protection for the journey they'll be on in the world they'll grow up in. i love it. my bff, kim, just had her first little bundle of joy just a little over a month ago and it was fun to see her doing the mommy thing. all growing up she's always done everything before i did and i've definitely reaped the benefits of it. we have a very frank and honest relationship so it makes it easy to know what to expect because there isn't any sugar coating if you will. anyways..love her..love the baby...he's adorable.

..this isn't funny business..

2011-05-30T00:19:00.000-06:00

..so i started a little business. nothing terribly exciting but hopefully something that will keep me entertained while matt's at school or doing homework. it's maddashgifts.blogspot.com. basically i shop and put together gifts for other people or put together birthday/celebration parties. i'm actually kind of excited about it. it's simple but fun. and i'll be doing things that i love (outside of my 8-5 job). check it out!..

..summer is on it's way..

2011-05-29T21:35:00.003-06:00

..sort of..

..you wouldn't be able to tell by the weather. it's been rainy for a couple weeks now. but i'm starting to get the itch for sunshine, bbq's, and camping. plus in a month we're off to florida for a week! we can't wait..

..in honor of summer being practically here we bought otter pops and strawberries. we had this desert tonight. yum! yum!..

..i'm addicted..

2011-05-20T22:48:00.003-06:00

..to ice cream. and right now, farr's fresh..

..it's delicious. if you haven't been, you need to go. they have a wall of self serve ice cream (all kinds of flavors!!) and then a counter full of different toppings, kinds you'd never think of. it's awesome. i was skeptical at first but now i love it. the current favorite flavor is vanilla custard with fruity pebbles. weird, i know, but surprisingl

y delicious. matt enjoyed root beer ice cream. it tasted just like a root beer float. if you're an ice cream fan..try it. you'll love it. but call me first, i'll go with you..

..mmm...delicious!..

..happy birthday mike & matt..

2011-05-15T21:04:00.004-06:00

{the birthday boys..mike-15, matt-23}

..every month my family gets together for a sunday dinner and game night. there are some months that we celebrate whatever is happening that month, like mother's day, birthdays, graduations, etc. in may we got together twice. once for mother's day and again to celebrate matt's and my brother, mike's birthdays. mother's day gets it's own special visit to my mother and then the birthdays got their day. it's always fun to get together with the fam. it's always full of inappropriate jokes, great food, and fun games..

{jared taking a phone break during the phase 10 battle}

..grand master king..

2011-05-11T20:30:00.001-06:00

..well graduation has finally come!!..

..graduation from the university of utah was a success. i'm officially a master of educational leadership and policy with an emphasis in student affairs. i will now continue to make the same amount of money, work at the same job, but be able to flasharound some fancy credentials and make my students call me 'master marissa' or 'master king'. la di da! my father in law said that not only should i be known as "master king" BUT because i'm a girl i'm known as "grand master king". doesn't have a bad ring to it eh?..

..graduation was a really neat experience. i've sat through quite a few and they are always pretty much the same. someone speaks, someone else speaks, they read your name, you walk across the stage, and then you wait for 2 hours until everyone else gets to do it. honestly, i thought it would be pretty boring (and it really was) but, it was such an incredible experience to walk across the stage in the robes and recognize how hard i've worked to be there. i've loved being in school..a lot more than i thought i did. obviously, its school and its expected to learn a thing or two but i learned more than i could have imagined. not just about education or student affairs practices but about myself, what i believe, how to communicate, what i want to be known for, and so much more. it has been an experience that has changed my perspective on life, people, and the way we all interact..

..and to answer the question about whether or not i'll keep going? great question. i'll let you know when i know. for now i'm going to enjoy my free time. i forgot what it was like not to be busy. who knows how long that will last..

..happy birthday matt..

2011-05-02T21:57:00.000-06:00

..my little boy is growing up..

..matt's birthday was pretty low key. life has been a little busy so we didn't do too much. i made an attempt to surprise him with a little family party but things didn't go quite as planned. we had matt's sister and brother-in-law over for pizza and ice cream. it was fun to play games and do something with other people for a change. with everything going on with school and work we've spent what little time we have with each other. not that i don't LOVE spend time with matt but he's been a bit neglected by me lately..

..matt got a gift card to cinemark theaters so he can see THOR next week. he's super excited! he also some new weights and a racquet to start his new racquetball career..

..i can't believe another year has passed. we're aging so fast. time keeps speeding by and it couldn't be better. i love my birthday boy!!..

..and who of course could resist this adorable face?? love him..

..feet on the floor..

2011-04-29T14:34:00.001-06:00

..so let me explain this picture..

..last night i was working on a project that i've been trying to finish up and i had a lot of things spread out on the front room floor. i was going back and forth between some things and finally was so pooped that i just sat on the floor looking at everything. matt had gotten up and came back from the bedroom and sat next to me..on the floor. we eventually ended up laying on the front room floor looking at the ceiling just talking..

..i love random little moments like that. who needs cruises or an island. these are the moments that make me fall more in love..

..totally passed..

2011-03-24T09:44:00.006-06:00

..i PASSED..

..that's right! remember that paper that had to be written that i put off for a really long time and had to work on for what seemed like FOREVER?? well, i got it back on friday. and i passed!!..

..it's official. as long as i finish my current coursework and do "ok" on my paper presentation i will be master king (i'm making my students call me that for at least a week after graduation) as of may 6..

..now let me be honest about something. i really think that if i had put just a little more effort into it and perhaps didn't procrastinate to the extremity that i did i could have gotten a "pass with distinction" but i'll take a "pass" any day over "pass with revision"..

..isn't it funny how we know what we're capable of something and we don't push ourselves to do it? we work so hard at the last minute and then we're satisfied with a mediocre result. what if we were consistent in our work? what if we put a solid effort in everything we did all the time? we're such a strange people. i totally know i shouldn't procrastinate but i do. and for whatever reason i'm totally ok with it. well, most of the time. sometimes bernice acts up a little bit because of the stress that comes with the procrastination and thats for sure not worth it. anyways..

ya for me!! i passed!!! i'm graduating!..

..it's brooke..

2011-03-03T09:40:00.003-07:00

..my new follower is no other than BROOKE!..
totally makes sense now.

..brooke and i were roommates once upon a time. those were the days where jenny, karlie, carlee, and lisa lived with use too. the good ole days where we would pull pranks, stay up far too late, talk about boys, kiss boys, take turns using the washing machine, you know..the usual college dream life. now most are married, one has babies, we work full time, and never see each other. we should all get together sometime soon. especially since jenny works in utah county now..

..brooke, welcome to the blog. it's not to exciting but it's life. i'm excited to follow yours. i didn't know you had a poodle named truman??..

..who are you?..

2011-03-02T20:28:00.002-07:00

..there is a new follower of my blog. so new that they weren't there a couple of hours ago. but i can't figure out who they are. they do however follow some of my friends' blogs but they are friends from different times of my life so i can't figure out what the connection is and who they are..

..who are you new friend?..

..the spill..

2011-03-02T17:01:00.003-07:00

..so I've decided that I'm very blessed..

not really a surprise.

..my day started with a crappy bagel and a cup of V-8 on ice spilled all over my desk, paperwork, and a co-workers book that I now get to replace. super awesome, right? let's just say that set the tone for one of those days where you think "can we please end this day?" it was just long and full of a lot of things that I didn't necessarily want to do. and to top it off I get to spend my evening at school. don't worry that the girl behind me that's freakin crazy just whispered to the girl next to her saying, "I've got a knife in my bag." not weird at all...

..enough with the complaining. it's been a long and I'm ready for bed BUT in the midst of it I have been very blessed. I have a job that I love despite the V-8 smell of my desk. the fact that I have a job is enough to be grateful for. my husband is so patient, kind, and forgiving despite my impatience, emotional craziness, and irrational nonsense. and on the way to school I heard from a friend that I absolutely love and adore. I haven't talked to her in awhile and it was such a blessing to talk to someone that completely understands me. given Matt is my very best friend. but he's not a girl. and although he gets it he doesn't always get it in the way that I necessarily want. if that makes sense? it made me realize that regardless of all the stuff that needs to be done talking to and spending time with those that I love is what I have to do. it's almost therapeutic. to sum it up I'm grateful that she felt prompted to check in. it's exactly what I needed after the spill..

..2/23 finally came..

2011-02-23T18:31:00.003-07:00

..guess what..

i finished my paper!!!!

..after 5 hours on saturday, 10 hours on monday, 4 hours today, and some additional hours throughout january i finally got it done..

..goodbye monday..

2011-02-21T19:51:00.002-07:00

..it's almost done. 7 hours later. good thing today was a holiday and i didn't have to work. tender mercy i tell you..

..hello saturday..

2011-02-19T18:29:00.004-07:00

..welcome to my saturday..

..it's been stupendous. i love when my saturdays are full of typing, reading, researching, sour starbursts, and no fun. don't worry though i get to conclude the evening with grocery shopping. it'll be the highlight of my day. literally..

..he's so good..

2011-02-17T23:28:00.005-07:00

..so we're sitting here, matt and i of course, at uvu doing homework. we can't do homework at home. more so..I can't do homework at home. which leads to the point of this post.

matt is so good at being good.

if that makes any sense at all? he's so disciplined and focused. if he knows he needs to get something done, he just does it. no hesitation (at least not any that i'm aware of), no distraction, none of the -get up, do this, do that, come back, facebook stalk, check the blog, write a blog post, you tube gwyneth paltrow glee videos, find random students and discuss love languages, take the love language test, taste jelly beans, get up again, hang out by the water cooler by yourself, go to the bathroom 4 times, look in all the places other than the most obvious for a highlighter-kind of business. i on the other hand...i'm supposed to be working on my paper (by the way it's due in less than 6 days) but instead i've done all that kind of business listed up top and wasted 2 hours of my life. all the while matt sits quietly with his head phones in his ears jamming out to dashboard confessionals while he configures some sort of math equation to save the world using a wheel rim (he attempts to explain what it is he does but i look at him like he looks at me when i show him how i use photoshop...we just don't get it).

ps-totally just got busted. we're on separate sides of the room but he still always knows exactly what i'm doing. i wish i was more like him. not so easily distracted. i think i'm responsible but man oh man my brain has had it with school work and i want to be anything but responsible. honestly, you'd think i'd just want to get this over with (which i do) mostly because of the anxiety i feel when i think about it and the stomach acid the churns away inside making it hard to breathe (i need to remember to explain that another day). knowing all of that will go away once i'm done should be motivation enough but..nope. it's just not doing it.

..oh well..life will go on right?..

..by the way i'm equal on all of the love languages except for receiving gifts i only had a 1 on that. matt's love languages are equal on physical touch and quality time. i got him to take 2 minutes and take the quiz. i feel quite accomplished for the evening..

..it's 4:58 pm again..

2011-02-17T16:59:00.002-07:00

..well its that time of the day again..
..4:58 PM..
..2 minutes away from the end of another work day..
..i love my job but today it was hard to find motivation to do anything. i helped a few students, sat through a student council meeting, went to hobby lobby on a quest to find a magnet board for my office, broke a vase while i was there, played cupid for a couple students that i think would be a cute couple, text matt, missed a call from mi madre. i even made time to go to lunch at cafe paesan, which i've decided i really don't like that much. all in all..not too productive. now do you know what i get to do? my integrative paper. i am THRILLED to do that tonight. and currently i would say that my definition of thrilled would be LOATHING. i hate this paper so much...if anyone would like to write a large research paper about the use of technology in higher education please please volunteer. i already have a title for you..

..burnt out like burnt toast..

2011-02-09T19:29:00.002-07:00

..today i feel like i'm sitting inside a toaster. i'm on the verge of some serious burn out. did you know that my integrative paper is due TWO WEEKS from today? no bueno. i'm not even going to say how far i am along. am i freaking out? you betcha. totally freaking out. do i have time to write this paper? no. am i going to need to take a couple days of work to make sure it gets done? yep. will my stress level increase because if i take time off work there's the catch up factor that will be there when i come back? surely. are my students driving me crazy? yes. do i feel like a bad advisor because of it? sometimes. do i worry about them too much? possibly. am i ready for a new set? today i am. do i still like working with them? ya. will this all go away in two weeks when i turn in my paper? i don't know. i hope so. but school will still continue until the end of april. which is fine. but then that whole should i walk in graduation or not questions comes into play. not that thats stressful but i'm so done with school that i'm way done with school. do i sound crazy? wouldn't be surprised if i do..

..how blessed are we..

2011-02-01T14:48:00.000-07:00

..last tuesday i got a phone call from a dear friend from washington. a woman i love called to tell me that she was being baptized into the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints on sunday. so after a little research on the world wide web i found an amazing deal on plane tickets and a phone call to my adorable husband we were on our way to washington. it was a great trip full of visits and memories..

..it was great to be at jessica's baptism and definitely something i'm glad i didn't miss. i'm so proud of her, the decision she's made, and the hard work, dedication, and effort she's put in to prepare for that great occasion. she has an amazing testimony of the Savior and eternal families. i'm thrilled for their future as a family..

..we also got to see many others that matt and i love and adore. it was fun to reflect and laugh about things that have happened with people that have impacted each of our lives so much. i LOVE that we served in the same mission. it was AWESOME to meet and visit with people matt worked with, lived with, and loved on his mission..

..there are times where my heart yearns to be in washington. to see the green, to be with the people, to be doing what i did for 18 months. it was much needed and we hope we get to go back soon..

..i'm becoming domestic..

2011-01-31T23:46:00.005-07:00

..matt surprised me with this for Christmas this year..

..it's one of those things that i think i've mentioned maybe twice about wanting but would never get it because we have no room and i have zero time to do anything with it. it was the perfect present though. i've been really excited to put something together..

..in fact i was so excited that i spent an evening at joann's picking out this fabric..

..and since then i've spent hours cutting out hundreds of pieces like this..

..as strange as it sounds..because i was cutting so much i got tennis elbow. ridiculous i know..

..anyways i spend this last sunday using my martha stewart approved singer to put together this..

..cute right? super excited about my domesticness? you betcha..

..reunion..

2011-01-29T20:52:00.000-07:00

..in honor of homecoming week my office hosted a reunion for all the students that were on student council since 1941 when the school first opened.

our office does this every 5 years. it was really fun to meet i've heard about and visit with friends from college..

..if you didn't know.. i LOVED my experience at UVSC and i met some of my very best friends while i was involved in student government. it was a gre

at time of my life and helped shape the person that i am today..

..needless to say it was great fun seeing these two besties..

..and to visit with these folks was a blast. i'm so blessed with friends i have and how easy it is to pick up with them where we left off..

..winter wonderland..

2011-01-22T21:33:00.000-07:00

..sometimes i wish i enjoyed snow more. but i don't. i like it in the mountains but not in the streets. i'll even say that i enjoy it on the lawn but hate it when its on the sidewalks and driveway. way to risky for individuals like myself (the freak accident prone type). honestly, i like to look at it but thats about it. its cold, wet, and blah. i'm fine when i can pick and choose when i participate in my snow filled leisureactivities. last night was one of those moments of choice. matt and i have made it a tradition to go to soldiers hollow every year (given its only been two years) and go tubing. its so fun! we sit in these huge inner tubes, get pulled up the mountain on this pulley thing, and then scream our guts out as we tube down this giant hill. i always freak out and get nervous my legs are going to snap in half because you have to drag your feet to stop. oh but it is so fun! plus i don't know how other married couples are but it is nice to get out and do something outside the usual work and school routine. plus we saw moosen!! they were huge..

..tennessee christmas..

2011-01-03T22:13:00.001-07:00

..we spent Christmas in tennessee this year with matt's family. it was such a fun trip. it was great to spend time with our family that live almost 2,000 miles away. we flew in super late on December 23rd, spent Christmas eve playing games (cranium has become a family favorite for sure!), and Christmas day was full of aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins and presents. on thanksgiving grandma and grandpa king drew names for everyone and we had the month to do secret detective work to figure out what we should get our person. it's supposed to be a surprise but everyone seems to have figured out by Christmas morning. matt and i decided we wanted to do something special for his family for the holiday so for the last couple months we've been collecting pictures of everyone from when they were young all the way up to this year. we put them together along with important family dates and had a calendar printed for everyone. it was really fun to do and it helped me have a better understanding of his family history. i feel a lot closer to his side of our family and i'm excited to do some more family history in the future..

..these are some of the calendar pages we put together. it was so fun to do..

..from top to bottom-dan, dad king, matt, jared..

..matt and jared playing the skittle game. disgusting is all i have to say about that. boys will be boys..

..a couple days after Christmas we made the wonderful and exciting drive to florida for my sister in law's wedding. she actually married the brother of a friend of mine from college AND he served in our mission. we didn't know him but still..it's such a small world..

..i'll be honest. we aren't the biggest fans of car trips..

..not only was the weather outstanding but the wedding was just amazing. their sealing was a lot different than any sealing i've been to. the sealer didn't give the traditional spiritual reminder about the sacredness of the ordinance. he just asked if everyone was there and performed the sealing. it was beautiful. it was such a great reminder of the significance of the covenants you make over the alter. none of the fluff matters it's the covenants that matter. they had a small reception at a park with a pier on the water. it was gorgeous and i got to put my long lost event planning skills into action so that was really fun. i forgot how much i missed those kind of things..

..our time in florida was a blast! i've never been there and i'd have to say that i loved the palm trees everywhere. obviously with the holiday, orlando was pretty busy and so getting a hotel was a bit of a struggle but with the endless efforts of matt's mom we got a sweet hook up at the "sister hotel" of a cheap, local hotel.

..this is the view from the main road..

does that look like it would be connected to a local, cheap hotel in any way?? it was amazing! outside our window were 3 huge heated pools, volleyball courts, and a golf course. it was awesome and only cost us maybe $100.00 a night. we totally lucked out. matt and i are really wanting to take a family trip out there in the summer and go to disney world before his brother leaves on his mission. leaving the 71 degree weather for a mini 11 degree blizzard was not fun..

..if all the rain drops were lemon drops and gum drops..

2011-01-03T10:45:00.001-07:00

..meet my rainboots..
i love them. matt got them for me as a "2 days after christmas present" as we were roaming the isles of walmart. don't worry that i've been looking for a cute pair since i was on my mission. i was never successful.
..now i walk through snow and puddles on purpose. why? because i simply can..

..the king family Christmas letter..

2010-12-21T11:06:00.002-07:00

..we decided to sent out the traditional Christmas letter with our Christmas cards this year. it's pretty simple. nothing really happens in our lives outside of work and school. that's actually why I avoid talking to people sometimes. i hate the response i tend to give to people when they ask "so, what's new?" i can't say "well, just turned in this beast of a paper and Matt is sleep deprived." so everyone just gets the usual answer of "nothing much. just work and school, work and school." like I said..not much happens in our lives. BUT don't get me wrong..i LOVE how my life is. simple and busy..

..anyways if you click on the letter it'll get bigger so you can actually read it. don't worry they're in the mail. so if you want to wait for the real thing you can..

..to send? or not send?..

2010-12-17T16:38:00.003-07:00

..this is it..
our first family Christmas card
..now here's the question..do i send it? is it too late? i can't decide..

...christmas miracle #17...

2010-12-17T10:46:00.003-07:00

..theraflu..

there is nothing left to say than that. i've developed a terrible head cold and between wanting to tear my ears off and pull them through my nose..i feel like dying. i hate being sick. i hate how whiny i get when i'm sick. i hate how mean i am when i'm sick.

i hate being sick.

but theraflu has saved the day. my steaming hot cup of medicated lemon water every 4 hours has been a bounty of goodness. i wish i could hook it up through an iv and have it as a constant flow.

..theraflu..my christmas miracle..

..christmas miracle #16..

2010-12-16T22:51:00.001-07:00

..pizza delivery..
who ever came up with that idea...sure genius! i've been feeling a little under the weather. and by a little i mean 6 ft. under. it's horrible. pounding headache. stuffy nose. sore throat. plugged and hurting ears. no bueno. anyway, today being thursday means that matt and i take our regular trip to slc, ut for school. (gotta love night school) lucky me though, i'm done with finals. matt unfortunately had to take 2 tonight. total pits. and due to my lack of energy and desire to be around people i opted out and stayed at the casa. but as many of you know i'm sure when you're sick you just don't feel like cooking not even for yourself. so for maybe the second time ever i chose to order a pizza. i'm cheap and would rather pick food up rather than pay the extra fee to have someone drop it off. plus i don't tonight though, it was totally worth it. i picked what i wanted, someone else made it, and someone else dropped it off at my doorstep. ahhh..the epitome of laziness.
..thank you pizza delivery lady for my christmas miracle..

..oh, christmas tree..

2010-12-14T21:04:00.000-07:00

..i love this time of year..

i love the decorations, the treats, giving presents, shopping, crafts, and the snow. i especially love that special Christmas Spirit that seems to be in the air. everyone's hearts seem softer and more open to love of our Savior. what a special time of year.

i'm also a HUGE fan of decorating the christma

s tree. growing up we would have a family meeting about what our christmas tree was going to be like every year. we'd pick a theme and go to the store to get the things we needed. we'd do snow

men, silver and gold, cinnamon sticks, gingerbread men, candy canes, you name it we did it. i loved spending that time with my family. it was always fun to make the ornaments, watch my brothers hang them on the tree and then watch shannon go through and fix them.

..obviously this year was a little different because matt and i have our own tree! matt humored my excitement and before thanksgiving was even here we went and bought our tree. we picked out 6 ft. skinny alpine. i love it! we went with a traditional green and red theme. i th

ink it came out pretty cute. it was fun to spend time with matt and decorate OUR home for the holidays. we even decided that as a family tradition we would get a new ornament every year symbolizing something significant that happened in our family that year. this year we got married so it was only fitting to get an ornament at disneyland while we were on our honeymoon..

..last year matt bought me the first piece to a nativity scene that i really really wanted. each year he plans to get me the next piece until i have the set completed. we also had the traditional pine cones and santa claus figure. i love having the words like "joy" and "believe" around our home and i'm thinking about keeping up all year. i like what they signify and mean. i think we could all use a little joy in our lives year round and believe a little more in the things we love and know to be true..

..needless to say i'm pretty excited for what the holidays will bring and spending our first official christmas together (even though it's really our third..)..

..bathroom blessings..

2010-12-03T12:12:00.003-07:00

..i've decided that i really like it when i have to use a public bathroom and the toilet water is still the color of cleaner they've used. as weird as it is i'm glad that my bum is sitting on something that hasn't been used by a hundred other bums yet..

..random. i know..

..Christmas Miracle 6-"Called to Serve"..

2010-12-01T21:15:00.002-07:00

..if you know me you know i'm a tiny bit addicted to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. especially missionary work. nothing melts my heart more than hearing and seeing the stories of others' spiritual experiences especially those that have inspired them to change the very way they live. with that said i got a letter today from a dear friend of mine. elder colton balmforth. he's a gem. and he's serving the Lord in the South Africa Cape Town Mission. he's doing great. he just recently left the MTC there and is loving the plains of Africa. he's learning a new language and will probably have to learn another as he's transferred but his testimony is growing and his Spirit is becoming stronger. one thing i love about elder balmforth is his passion and commitment. if he's going to do something, he's going to do it right. i think we can all be a little bit more like that. especially after a mission you realize how much more you can do as a person. the realization is even greater when you reflect on all you would do as a missionary. i love letters from missionaries and today's letter from him was the perfect Christmas Miracle. we love you elder balmforth. you are in our prayers..

..if you'd like to know more about what elder balmforth is doing and why he's in Africa, click here..

..oh christmas tree..

2010-11-30T21:46:00.000-07:00

..i love this time of year..

i love the decorations, the treats, giving presents, sh

opping, crafts, and the snow. i especially love that special Christmas Spirit that seems to be in the air. ev

eryone's hearts seem softer and more open to love of our Savior. what special time of year.

i'm also a HUGE fan of decorating the christmas tree. growing up we would have a family meeting about what our christmas tree was going to be like every year. we'd pick a theme and go to the store to get the things we needed. we'd do snowmen, silver and gold, cinnamon sticks, gingerbread men, candy canes, you name it we did it. i loved spending that time with my family. it was always fun to make the ornaments, watch my brothers hang them on the tree and then watch shannon go through and fix them.

obviously this year was a little dif

ferent because matt and i have

our own tree! matt humored my excitement and before thanksgiving was even here we went and bought our tree. we picked out 6 ft. skinny alpine. i love it! we went with a traditional green and red theme. it was fun to pick out and put up decorations with matt. i'm excited for when we have kids and can do it as a family.

these are some of the decorations around our apartment. last year matt got me the first part of the nativity scene i wanted. i get a new piece every year. i'm excited to get the next piece this Christmas.

matt and i decided that as part of our christmas traditions that every year we'll get a new ornament to put on the tree representing something significant that happened during the year. this year we got married and so when we went to disneyland for our honeymoon we got a mickey and minnie wedding ornament.

now that the tree is put together we're definitely ready for santa to come!

...Christmas Miracle 5-$8!...

2010-11-30T21:06:00.000-07:00

..have you ever had something that you thought was just awesome? like certain brand of ice cream? or a certain shirt? or the Facebook set up? just something that really has no real significance in your life but, that you just LOVE? i do. and it's always the pits when it's discontinued. always the pits. well i have some friends that introduced me to the world of "boxers or briefs?" maybe 4 or 5 years ago..before you judge me..know that "boxers or briefs?" is a game similar to "apples to apples". anyway, so this game is HILARIOUS. it's so fun and so funny! at least i think so. well i bought the game as a gift for a couple different people particualary married friends because what else do you get the marrieds when you're single? but, I never bought the game for myself. well guess what! just like my amaretto ice cream (actually it was around the same time. i think the world was out to get me.) it disappeared. they pulled out of print. it was made no more and if you googled it you may have been so lucky to find it online for $150.00. RIDICULOUS. so just like my hope in the ice cream reappearing i would search the walls of local stores in a quest to find the game i loved. no such luck. until TODAY. ladies and gentlemen a CHRISTMAS MIRACLE has occurred. while taking my student shopping at the local wal-mart for some board games for a project they are doing none other than my beloved game sat on the shelf of the toy department. for $8. AMAZING. miracle you ask? i would say you are correct. life could not be better. you'll have to come over and play..

..Christmas Miracle 4..

2010-11-29T10:06:00.003-07:00

..I know it's early but I think my Christmas Miracle has already happened. a few weeks a student lost her wallet. besides thinking "aww...that's the pits." it wouldn't have been a big deal to me except for the fact that inside that wallet of hers was my campus credit card that she borrowed to buy some things for her club. a lost campus credit card is bad news bears. after canceling the card, requesting a new one, and having that tough heart to heart about responsibility with the student I needed to start making phone calls to all the stores that she had made purchases at. we get audited every so often and if I want access to my budget I have to submit every single receipt regardless of the amount spent. think about though...would you want to make all those phone calls? NO. of course not. it's busy work. and it's not fun arguing with stupid seasonal temps at the local wal-mart about why it's important to have that receipt, so I don't think it's necessary to say but after 3 weeks I have yet to do this. well folks...we live in a day of miracles...homegirl lost her wallet on trax in the SLC, someone (bless their heart) turned it in to UTA, they called the student, and today she brought me ALL of the receipts I have failed to collect. need I say it?

...CHRISTMAS MIRACLE...

...and in this instance, procrastination paid off...

..Christmas Miracle 3..

2010-11-28T23:09:00.003-07:00

..today's miracle isn't necessarily an event or something great that happened. it was simply a thought that strengthened my testimony. today we woke up to that "blizzard" that was supposed to happen on wednesday and with church at 8:30 AM the idea of not going did cross my mind-don't act like you've never thought that-but, thankfully, immediately after I thought to myself "no. no. no. it's not like it's never snowed before." and I rolled out of bed, threw on my boots, and off we went-there was some additional effort in getting ready in there somewhere. when we got to church-keep in mind, church is at 8:30 AM-we were 1 of maybe 5 couples there. it was awesome. by the end of the meeting about half the ward finally showed up. now getting to church in a blizzard isn't the Christmas Miracle I'm writing about but the fact that we were on time (which is hard enough on a regular sunday) is right up there. our stake president came to our ward today and spoke for a few minutes after the scheduled speakers. I enjoyed his brief words and the phrase that stood out to me was this.."Do not be casual in your church attendance. If you are casual in your actions, you will receive casual blessings." Isn't that interesting? given it's not a new concept or even something I had never heard before but the power of the statement, especially on the morning of those tempting thoughts, was something special to me. he continued to discuss the topic of being a covenant making people. basically in summary, even though someone may have gone to Temple and "made" those sacred covenants with God doesn't mean they have actually MADE the covenant. if you are casual in your covenants you didn't truly make them. if you haven't renewed those covenants through by taking the sacrament or by attending the Temple regularly then what was the point of those covenants that you "made"? a person that MADE those covenants honors them through his or her actions and presses forward in their effort to be obedient. they are not casual in their covenants or actions. interesting thoughts huh? so all in all my Christmas Miracle was the realization of the importance of my actions and effort to be obedient. my gratitude for the power of the Holy Ghost also grew. I couldn't be more grateful for those little promptings Heavenly Father sends us to push us just a little further..

..Christmas Miracle 2..

2010-11-27T22:59:00.000-07:00

..I can't decide if today was a day of Christmas Miracles. I think it depends on the eye of beholder. anyhow...I did get an INCREDIBLE amount of homework done. and in thinking about it that truly is a MIRACLE. if you know me and my current view of school work you understand why this is such a big deal. I've developed the art of procrastination and with my grad school burn out level on the rise sitting down and doing homework is quite the feat. plus when you throw in a weekend on top of it...no bueno. thank heavens the byu vs. utah game was on. Matt was preoccupied with that so considering him as a distraction wasn't possible. I'm proud of myself though. this is a busy semester and I got a lot done. now I just have to survive the next 2 weeks. if I can do that it will surely be a Christmas Miracle..

..Christmas Miracles..

2010-11-26T23:02:00.000-07:00

..in the spirit of the holidays I've decided to record my experiences on a day to day basis. and because it's that time of year I will call them "Christmas Miracles". I think if it was October I would call them "Halloween Miracles" and maybe if it were February I'd call them "Cupid Encounters". anyways these experiences range from this to that but overall help me to "remember the reason for the season", to "have an increase in faith", have "an attitude of gratitude", or to simply "find joy in the journey". hopefully I'll remember to do this everyday..but I hope to be able to look back and remember all the little blessings or tender mercies that I'm trying hard to recognize more often..

..Christmas Miracle 1: there is nothing better than your favorite treaty..

..during our black friday adventures today, Matt and I decided to get some ice cream from the local ColdStone's at the mall. during my childhood, teenage, and college years I rotated my ice cream choice between 2 flavors. banana ice cream with mini gummi bears or armaretto ice cream with brownies...so good. well, as of a few years ago armaretto ice cream (my number 1 favorite) was pulled from the options. with great sadness in my heart every time I've gone to ColdStone's I have always asked if they have some secretly stored in the back and of course the great let down of a response is "No. We no longer have that flavor." or "No. I've never even heard of that." depressing, I know. well tonight my dear friends a Christmas Miracle occurred. as we stepped in the doors and I gazed through the freezer window I found, to my surprise, a little label with the word "amaretto" printed on it. it was pure bliss. my long time number 1 favorite has returned! I'll be making a regular visit to the local ColdStone's for quite some time I'm sure. if you'd like to join me by all means please do. plus it's the season of giving, maybe I'll treat you to your own favorite treaty..

..oh halloween..

2010-11-01T09:38:00.006-06:00

..HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!..

halloween was fun as always around our house.. this year Matt and I celebrated in our simple traditional way. we love halloween. you would never guess it but, we really do. we both hate dressing up-it's just not our thing but, we like carving pumpkins (and by we I mean I like carving pumpkins.) and had a blast at Amanda and Dan's at their "annual fall festival". we ate caramel apples (so yummy!), carved pumpkins, and played games. it was fun for all and is becoming a new family tradition..

..we decorated our house with some new purchases from the local hobby lobby-my new favorite store. it's like robert's and tai pan on steroids. love it. it's been all spooky-like with spiders and pumpkins for the last month. we'll now move onto the thanksgiving decor this week...and then CHRISTMAS. don't worry now that halloween has passed I can begin listening to christmas music and don't you dare leave a comment saying I'm crazy that I'm supposed to wait until after thanksgiving because I just won't do it..

..sadly we missed a halloween party with some dear friends in salt lake due to my place of employment. we spent another splendid evening at UVU watching young single adults toss their standards to the side and get their "groove" on. lucky us. honestly though we did get lucky. I was assigned to be the advisor in the theater for a hypnotist show so I didn't have to deal with any dirty dancing, stinky alcohol, or student who try to sneak in. all in all for me it wasn't to bad. expect for the whole not leaving the campus until 2:30 AM. that part was not fun..

..sunday was super fun though! growing up my mom would always make a big deal about holidays. like valentine's and balloons outside our bedroom doors, green eggs and ham for st. patricks, 4th of july picnics, sandwiches with orange bread for halloween dinner, and of course a month full of christmas crafts and treats. holidays with my mom are some of my fondest memories. so I decided that I want to create traditions of my own for our family so our kids will have memories like that. even though we don't have our own kids we still decided to have a "SPOOKTACULAR DINNER" which we plan to hold every year. we invited Dan and Amanda and ate vampire livers with brains and blood and guts, fresh weeds from frankenstein's garden, bones, and maggots for desert. in translation we had chicken parmesean over fettuccine with garden vegetable tomato sauce with salad and rolls shaped like bones. we had caramel puffed corn for desert (so addicting.) and we played a mean game of killer bunnies (which I openly hate but, secretly sometimes like...don't tell Matt).

..overall...it was a fun halloween weekend. I love the feeling of the holidays. everyone gets so excited. the creative juices get going. and you can't just help but smile..I can't wait for the upcoming holiday events..bring on the turkey!!..

...(gay) mormon guy...

2010-10-13T16:22:00.004-06:00

..so a friend posted this link on facebook...

http://gaymormonguy.blogspot.com/2010/10/president-packers-talk-from-gay-mormon.html?spref=fb

..and seeings how this has been quite the topic lately i decided to check it out..you should check it out too..i'm glad i did..

..first of all, it gave me a perspective on sin in our lives and how general authorities in the LDS church address it that i didn't necessarily see before..

..second, it gave me a better understanding of the perspective of someone who struggles with same-sex attraction but who is very active in the church..

..third, it was a powerful spiritual boost..

..now i'm an active follower of his blog. his blog is about faith, the love of our Heavenly Father, and the importance of applying the gospel of Jesus Christ in our lives..

..each of us struggles with sins that others don't. we need to be respectful of those around us and not shun them because their choices. i think it's admirable of anyone, regardless of the sin they are struggling with, to take a stand against the advisary and rely on the Lord to provide us with the strength we need overcome them. judging and being disrespectful to someone because they struggle with something and it just happens to be public knowledge isn't right. we each have secrets that we keep and who's to stay they aren't any worse? all i know is that i'm grateful for the example of the Savior and His love for all, clean or not. what a blessing it is to have the restored gospel in our lives..

..grown up purchase..

2010-09-14T13:48:00.007-06:00

...do you see that??? that my friends is 5 washers full of laundry. 5. not to mention that fact that 2 of those washers were the rough n' tough, double capacity, gigantic washers! luckily i could put everything in at once to wash and then again to dry. honestly i would recommend the dryers i used to homeless people to use as shelter. they are HUGE. so needless to say that 2 hours and $17.50 later our laundry for the last month or so was done and matt was very excited to have clean under-roo's for the next day since he was on his last pair..
..because of my regular trip to the local laundry mat a few months ago we began a diligent quest of saving and searching for an affordable washer and dryer. we've gone back and forth between new or used and when we think we should make that big leap and buy them. i'm proud to say that we conquered our battle. tonight we went by the local homedepot to buy a couple nails for a project i'm doing and upon walking in we noticed this little beauty..
..please note the sign...and matt's incredibly cheesy excited face..

...in case you can't read it that little sign says the $699.00 washer is available for purchase (only until 10 pm) for $297.00..wicked sweet deal?? i think yes. with that said we are now the proud owners of a washer and dryer set. we were definitely in the right place at the right time. literally. now that mess up top will no longer occur. thank heavens..

...i must say though..i feel that the purchase of a washer and dryer is very grown up..my mom makes those types of purchases..not her baby girl..kind of crazy..

..the blessing of a baby..

2010-09-05T17:38:00.000-06:00

..hello king family (minus dan)..

..it's amazing to me how much the gospel of Jesus

Christ blesses our lives. first and foremost families centered on Christ grow closer together. it's the most powerful foundation a family can be established on regardless of if you are me

mbers of the LDS church or not. Jesus Christ lives and provides us with the strength we need to overcome trials and hardships, provides us the hope weneed for the future, and blesses us with bonds and direction we need to grow and become our very best. i'm so thankful that the authority of God was restored to earth through the Prophet Joseph Smith and is available to worthy men today. today our family was blessed because of that priesthood. today our adorable nephew seth hyrum was given a blessing promising him the strength and discipline he would need to overcome temptation and be an example to all he encounters through his life. it was a beautiful blessing. the day was full of the Spirit as we heard the testimonies of some sitting in the congregation. i love when someone bears their testimony of the Savior. it is always a powerful experience. plus at such a young age little seth has already brought about great miracles. because of his birth and his parents choice to have him blessed in the LDS church, his grandparents of course had to be there. because grandpa and grandma king came to visit, grandma king took advantage of the time she had in utah to visit with a family member who she hasn't seen for many many years. this family member was reunited with family she didn't know she had. it was so fun to get to know her and her family and plans have already been made to gather together again soon. so like i said seth has brought unity to a family. bonds that didn't exist before have been established and friendships have been created.

it's an exciting thing i'd say..

..we loved having our family in utah to visit. we had some much fun playing disc golf (which i gladly chose not to participate in), going to dinner, playing games, and of course picking on jared and emily..

..i love this picture. everyone in true fashion. i especially love jared's face..

..do i appreciate this picture? i'm not sure..

..i love my husband..

..uno yearo..

2010-09-04T00:06:00.000-06:00

..one year ago today matt and i went on our first date. can you believe time has gone that fast? since that date a year ago we've been pretty much inseparable. i spent many late nights making that wonderfully boring commute from salt lake to provo. in celebration matt took me out on our first date again. an evening full of mini golf, cafe rio, a walk in the park, a little star gazing and of course a little hand holding action. except tonight we only got to the mini golf. we ate a late lunch and so we weren't hungry for the rio and we cruised through the golf course thanks to the byu football game. no one was around for miles. because we went through the course so quick and skipped dinner it wasn't dark enough to walk through the park flirting and looking at the stars. plus we have family in town for our nephew's baby blessing so we took advantage of our extra time and spent it with them..

..tomorrow we will celebrate our first kiss. i wonder what that'll entail?..

..matt's encounter with a set of zoobies..

2010-09-03T13:54:00.009-06:00

..i'm not sure why but for whatever reason i can never seem to remember everything i need for the day. on a regular basis matt and i will start our way outside when i remember and blurt out "i don't have my ring!" (that would be my WEDDING ring) and matt says "it's in my pocket", turns around, pulls it out, puts in on my finger, kisses me quick, and says "i love you." and then we hurry off to here and there. we're typically running late because who would i be if i wasn't? lately though in addition to my ring i have this tendency to forget my phone and for those of you that know me i'm pretty much naked without my phone. i blame it on school starting. i have to much junk to remember to gather that my phone just isn't a priority anymore. remember when we used to not have cell phones? weird. anyways..on days like today when i don't have my cell phone my cute husband and i email back and forth. today i went to a meeting and came back to a series of messages. below is our conversation. i laughed. hope you enjoy...

message from matthew king:
So I am sitting here doing my math homework having to listen to some guy and
girl having a DTR. They met for lunch and took notes on what they were going
to talk about and everything. It is ridiculous. Haha. It's so dumb. What's
funny is is that they are in my LDS Marriage and Family class.

message from matthew king:
Now they are talking about the first time they kissed and this girl is
saying that she was prompted by the spirit to kiss this guy. This
conversation is ridiculous. Haha.

message from marissa king:
That's hilarious! Do they seem to be normal people? Or weirdos?

message from matthew king:
Weirdos for sure.

message from marissa king:
That's what you get for going to BYU.

..i'd have to throw this little couple into the zoobie category and for the record ZOOBIES do exsist. BYU has even confirmed it. check out this article. i personally enjoy this definition provided by urban dictionary when the term "zoobie" was googled-

"A zoobie is a term for a certain genre of people who attend BYU. The term evolved from the word zoo, which was a common nickname for the university in the 80's. Possible explanations for this nickname may include the chaotic, often carnival-like atmosphere of raging hormones and desperate hunting for mates.
A zoobie is the quintessential BYU student. A zoobie is just a member of the flock of sheep. Zoobies don't think for themselves, they are the oblivious morons who roam BYU campus in droves.
You can't tell a zoobie by appearance only, although there is certainly a stereotyped look. Preppy sweater boys and plastic girls are often associated with zoobiehood."

..we're moving on..

2010-09-01T23:47:00.001-06:00

..we're moving onto the next bill..

..this little puppy got paid off today..

..and we couldn't be happier about it..

..it's one less thing to focus on and hold us back from financial freedom..

..now as a brief explanation before you judge us..when we got engaged we were both going to school full time, newly returned missionaries, and as poor as poor could get. not to mention prideful therefore asking for help from either set of parental units was not in the plan. thus we financed my ring. we got a wicked sweet deal and started to build some credit for matt so it all worked out pretty well. it's such a great feeling to know you don't owe someone else the buckaroos. simply wonderful. but now that's paid off we're moving onto the next one..

..hello student loans..

..crazy in love..

2010-09-01T08:30:00.003-06:00

..every morning matt leaves for work at 3:20 am..i have no idea how he does it. sometimes i miss seeing him in the morning and during the day but i try to keep it a secret because it makes it harder for us both. anyways TODAY in the spirit of love...haha! that was funny to me...anyways i woke up and our apartment was COVERED in post its just like this. cute huh? pretty positive my husband is crazy in love with me..

..i hope we always do cheesy newly wed things..

...sometimes you have to drop the asian...

2010-08-31T20:06:00.008-06:00

i'm not sure if it's possible but sometimes i wond

er if life could get any crazier. with that said our home teacher came over tonight and amongst the message of the importance of temple attendance we talked about sometimes it's difficult to find balance in our lives.

he shared this thought...

yes this was the visual that came to mind (minus the asian on the top). but really do you ever feel like you have all these plates and you need to keep them spinning? talk about pressure..once you get one going the way you want you realize the one on the other side is about to fall and then once you get that back up to speed you have to focus on the next. and then before you know it, the asian you're balancing on your head falls off and hits the ground (i'm referring to the picture by the way. in no way am i trying to be racist.).

thats what life feels like right now. i'm not trying to complain because really i LOVE how my life is. i couldn't be more blessed. but honestly between school starting, work getting INSANE with students coming back, matt's work and school schedule, church callings, our little side job, and everything else sometimes i want to smash all the plates onto the ground and run away to an island somewhere or disneyland or even karlie and jenny's houses. it's even worse when family calls and invites you over to a family bbq but you can't go because your schedule is planned out for the next month. literally.

anyways..i feel better now that i got that out. it's funny how the Lord works. that little visual helped my remember the Atonement. weird how an asian spinning a plate could do that but the reality is that we may never find the perfect balance. there may always be a plate that you'll have to pay special attention to but what a bles

sing it is to know we don't have to do alone.

Christ is there to help us.

i personally love this photo and this video...click here!

i personally believe that we tend to forget that Christ not only alleviates the pain of hardship or sin but provides the strength, hope, and assistance we need in ALL things even the positive things of life like work, school, family, etc. etc. because of the Atonement the good things in our lives are made better.

anyways..i'm glad our home teacher was able to come by and as strange as it is i'm grateful for the asian i get to balance on my head.

..12 months have passed..

2010-08-18T18:51:00.000-06:00

..well today it's been one year since this..

..weird..

..it went by so fast..

..its hard to imagine i'd celebrate milestones like this..

..in the beginning i thought that 6, 9, 12 month marks would never come..

..and when they did get there, they had come much too fast..

..it's been a long time since i did service and it brought about events like these..

..sometimes i miss spending all of my time with bff's like these..

..they truly are my sisters. we would laugh, cry, pray, wish, hope, and teach together everyday. i learned more than i ever thought possible from these women..

..there are times where i think about my "washington families" and i miss them terribly..

..i couldn't have been more blessed to have my many homes away from home. family truly is forever..

..i began my mission with all of these fine elders..

..and these men taught me more than i could explain..

..mornings were spent in this little corner..

..and afternoons/evenings were spent like this..

..i wish i could put into words the things i learned from miracles like these..

..and these gorgeous spots seem like they were memories from a postcard..

..even though i miss my mission horribly some days, i couldn't be more blessed..

..this last year has been one the best. i got this little catch for heaven's sake..

..i'd have to say..

2010-08-15T17:36:00.003-06:00

i'd have to say that there is much to blog about today. it's been awhile. so enjoy...

1. i'd have to say... that i definitely should not have posted anything about the possibility of being pregnant. live and learn right? for all of you that are curious i'm not pregnant. i do however have some crazzzzy acid reflex thing going on.

here's a little health fact for ya..if you have heartburn or you're throwing up or anything like that your lungs automatically tighten up and have a little covering that goes over the top of them to protect them from the stomach acid. interesting huh? so with that said let me explain...last sunday night i had what most would describe as an asthma attack. super scary. i've never experienced something like that. it was horrible. except i don't have asthma. the next day the doctor was called and come thursday we had an idea of what was going on. for about the same amount of time that i've had the heartburn and nausea thing, i've also had trouble breathing. i haven't been able to fully catch my breath with just basic breathing, so after sunday night matt and i were really worried about it. hence the doctor. good thing too because after he taught me about that little tid bit of information up there he put me on a prescription of prilosec and an inhaler. blessings straight from heaven i tell you. i couldn't remember the last time i didn't have heartburn. do you know what it feels like NOT to have your esophagus on fire?!?! AMAZING. and i can breath. that's awesome too. it's so nice not to have to try to make yourself yawn just to get air inside you. the doctor says that the acid business could be from stress, or new foods, or pure luck of the draw. in two weeks we'll have a final conclusion though. he said more than likely i got the luck of the draw and it'll go away with some medicine it's just a question of how long i'll have to be on it. i'll keep you posted.

2. i'd have to say...i've been very blessed in my life. a couple weeks ago in church someone said that their mom had always told them to be and to have friends that the Savior would have. isn't that profound? that simple phrase has stuck with me the last couple weeks. i've taken for granted the friends that i have and what amazing examples they are to me. i've truly been blessed by their influence, compassion, and friendship. i've also thought a lot about how i can improve to be more like the Savior myself so I can be a friend that the Savior would have. given i do believe that the Savior would accept anyone and treat everyone as His friend but those he surrounded Himself with on a regular basis i'm sure were great in their Christlike attributes as well. with that said, as always there is definitely room for improvement. what a great blessing the Atonement is.

3. i'd have to say...that i'm STILL working on getting my thank you cards out from our wedding. ps-do you know how long ago that was?? FOREVER in thank you card time. all of the tennessee ones have been written, stamped, and mailed. all of the utah and washington ones have not. 3/4 have been written, most have been sealed, but none have been mailed. horrible. i feel awful about it. life has been insane with getting married, moving, finals, summer school, and starting a full time job. plus matt says it doesn't help that i can't just say thank you but have to personalize and express my appreciation. i don't want anyone to think that that's all justification it's merely an explanation. i truly am grateful for all we received for our wedding. it's just embarrassing for me to not have expressed that gratitude sooner.

4. i'd have to say...that work is great. i love my job. it's getting busier by the day as students begin coming back. school starts a week from wednesday so our office will be full again. summer ending is bitter sweet.

5. i'd have to say...that i'm not excited for school to start. i just officially finished my summer semester and am not ready for it to begin again. i am grateful however that this is the beginning of the first of my last two semesters. april could not come sooner.

6. i'd have to say...that life is grand. and this post is long. so until next time...

..heartburn update..

2010-08-07T10:20:00.002-06:00

..no worries..i'm fine..and not pregnant..just a little acid reflex..

...my tummy is a achin...

2010-08-04T10:46:00.002-06:00

yesterday and today have been filled with heart burn and nausea. my two least favorite things. i sleep A LOT when these two friends come to town. sleep helps me to avoid them. after work yesterday i took a nap that lasted two and a half hours, made dinner (mmm...quesadillas), watched the office and went back to bed. during the office matt went to the store to buy my favorite drink, pepto bismal. blah. while he was gone i called my mom to whine. i get whinny when i'm sick and she's an excellent listener.
today she called to see how i was feeling. nice huh? i think she loves me but, then she mentioned that maybe its not a bug that is making me sick but maybe something else. like a baby. she said that if it didn't go away by next week she'd buy me a pregnancy test. how thoughtful. it seems to me that someone wants to be a grandma.

i'll keep you posted on my heartburn status.

..sno-cone saturday..

2010-07-31T15:56:00.008-06:00

yet another reason as to why i LOVE saturdays.

..SNO-CONES..

delicious.

pretty much on a weekly basis matt and i work the saturday matinee at towne cinemas (the local dollar theater) and this little beauty can be found next door every week. my favorite sno-cone shack would have to be artic ice in american fork, utah. they make a mean sno-cone complete with ice cream in the bottom and cream on top.

in fact this summer, saturday was officially dubbed as

SNO-CONE SATURDAY

in fact every friday matt makes sure he has cash to be prepared for my sno-cone request. he's very thoughtful that way.

what can i say? life is grand.

please enjoy this little clip of sound. it's a classic. i prefer the cherry.

..music to my ears..

2010-07-30T11:37:00.004-06:00

i always wish that our lives would play to music.
or i guess music would play to our lives.
like in the movies.
that'd be awesome.

what song would play today?

...saturday is a special day...

2010-07-24T11:01:00.009-06:00

..i love saturdays..

we've had a busy busy busy saturday full of fruit baskets, mario galaxy on the wii, work, and laundry. love it. i love having tons to do but not super stressed about being here and there (minus a 4 hour shift at the theater...i heart towne cinemas).

we started our saturday with Bountiful Baskets. what is Bountiful Baskets you ask? its a food co-op. i didn't know what it was until just recently. we have a few friends that have been doing and RAVE about how much they love it. so we decided to try it out this week. here's what you do..you go to that website connected to that link up top, register, place your order, pay $15, show up at the time and place you picked, and get THIS:

i'll be honest. i was a little nervous and hesitant about the whole thing but it really is pretty cool. our basket

was 30 lbs full of fresh locally grown produce. we had bananas, pineapple, plums, peaches, watermelon, corn, cauliflower, lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers. all for $15. we were quite excited. they have add on's you can sign up for too. like bread from a local bakery and cases of fruit. i'm hoping they'll do cases of strawberries soon...i'm wanting to give canning a go.

lately i've also become quite the ksl.com classifieds watcher. after we got home from grocery shopping i decided i wanted to continue my quest for a tall skinny shelf for our bedroom. no luck. but i did find this new little guy for $10. not a bad deal i must say. matt and i scurried over into the depths of provo to pick it up and now my storage room is finally put in order. tools, nails, tape, my bags of buttons and ribbon, and of course the scrapbook paper and notecards all have a place. it always feels so good to get organized. now i'm ready for my day of rest. sunday here i come.

ps-is it bad to move someone's laundry (aka-bath mat and shower curtain liner) from the complex shared washing machine if you've been waiting 2 hours for it be moved? i may or may not have done that. i'm a little nervous to go my laundry to the dryer..what if they're waiting for the jerk that moved their stuff?? i think it might be. but i did it anyway.

pss-HAPPY PIONEER DAY!

..excuse me, but grasshoppers do not belong up my shorts...

2010-07-22T09:34:00.006-06:00

last night Matt and I were driving home from a blood drive at our church building (not that we donated blood. they filled their quota. since when is there a quota for saving lives?) and all of a sudden I felt a tickle on my upper thigh. naturally I reach down to scratch the tickle away but instead I felt a bump. a crunchy nasty bump. last time I felt a bump in my clothing it was a bug and bit me! needless to say I FREAKED out.

Matt started panicking a little because I may have been driving and was no longer holding the steering wheel or looking at the road. I was trying to get the bug out of my shorts before it ate my leg off. of course, I was convinced I was going to have rabies or something so driving was the last thing on my mind.

ANYWAYS once we finally got home I jumped out of the car, shook my leg and jiggled my shorts until this little guy fell out. now you may not be able to tell but that my friends is a freaking GRASSHOPPER!!! SICK!

don't worry...he is dead. and I think a bird came and ate him last night because this morning he was no longer by the car. take that mr. grasshopper up my shorts. the end.

...i am an extraordinary being...

2010-07-20T09:32:00.004-06:00

you know those moments where you just think "who am i?" or "why am i like this?" or "how am i going to do this?" or "am i really good enough?" ? i had a moment like that yesterday.
i was going through a box of mission stuff last night: pictures, journals, scriptures, talks i've marked up, etc. etc. and while i was looking through these memories i longed for that girl. first of all, i was skinnier on my mission (minus the end, that's when i gained everything back plus some), i was more spiritual on my mission-i always said i wouldn't be one of those returned missionaries that loses it or breaks good solid habits. i am one though. it's a lot harder than i thought it would be. i still do the small things but it's definitely not as enlightening or powerful as it was then. i was more disciplined on my mission, i was more service oriented and a lot more selfless-i never had time to think of myself, now it feels like "every man for himself" and even though i know i did i don't feel like i ever doubted my capabilities of something being possible.
i knew miracles happened. and even now i still KNOW but fear seems to sneak in a lot more lately.
don't get me wrong. i LOVE my life right now. i have been so blessed. and if i was still that girl running around in knee highs, my name tag would say 'sister neumann' and not 'sister king'. i absolutely love the boy i married. he gives me hope. he gives me strength. he makes me cry. he makes me smile. he makes me laugh. in fact last night in my moment of self pitty i said a little prayer and asked Heavenly Father to help me see myself the way He sees me and to help me know that i am worth it, that i can do it, and that even though my house is a mess, homework never stops, i'm tired, chubby, and exhausted all the time that i am worth all the blessings He's given me. in that very moment matt rolled over, hugged me, and told me he loved me and was grateful that i am his wife.
in that moment i knew who i was.
i am wife. i am a daughter. i am sister. i am a friend. i am co-worker. i am an aunt.
i am a daughter of God.
i am an extraordinary being.

You Are Eternal

There will always be voices telling you that you are foolish to believe that you are swans, insisting you are but ugly ducklings and that you can’t expect to become anything else.

But you know better. Because of the revealed word of a merciful God, you have seen your true reflection in the water and you have felt the eternal glory of that divine spirit within you. You are no ordinary beings, my beloved young friends all around the world. You are glorious and eternal.

-President Uchtdorf

..click here to watch a video..

...seth hyrum jenson...

2010-07-17T13:41:00.004-06:00

...as of 8:28 pm on Friday, July 16, 2010 the Jenson family are a family of 3...

...Seth Hyrum Jenson entered this world at a whopping 7 lbs. 6 oz. and 20 inches long...I must say this little guy is ADORABLE...Unkie Matt and I are already in love with him. We're so excited for the little bugger to grow up so we can get him hopped up on sugar and send him to his Mom and Dad. He's a little stinker and doesn't really do anything, but sleep and poop. And cry...as you can see above...he's got a good set of lungs...

..the proud mommy and poppy..

...congratulations amanda & dan...

...do it to it...

2010-07-12T22:15:00.006-06:00

Tonight for Family Home Evening, we talked about G-O-A-L-S. It was nice friendly reminder of what a slacker I am. Don't you love those kind of things? It was like New Year's all over again. PS...I'm not the biggest fan of New Year's... I'm not one for staying up late waiting for a big, expensive, not super pretty piece of metal to be lowered down a giant stick in a city across the country 2 hours before it would be applicable to me while eating junk food, thinking about all the things I didn't do during the year before, and probably wishing I had someone to kiss when that ball finally comes down...good thing I have Matt now...at least I have someone to kiss.

Anyways, you know during the month of January when you think you have a new start to life because the holidays are over and you feel like you're going to die because of all the junk you've eaten and you make plans to do everything you didn't do last year? I got nervous the lesson was going to be like that. But, instead I was reminded of how much I LOVE setting goals. I really do enjoy it but had forgotten because I've put it off for quite some time. That whole personal growth thing sometimes isn't what it's cracked to be-at least in those moments where you "learn" patience or the importance of budgeting, etc. etc. Overall though, goal setting isn't so bad. The actual doing them part on the other hand may or may not be something I struggle with.

There is nothing much more satisfying than writing down what you hope to achieve and making a plan to do it. And I love even more the feeling of accomplishment that comes knowing when you've made a step in the right direction. But, at the same time I don't think there is anything more disappointing then looking back a month or two later and thinking, "where did I stick that list?" or "well, so much for that...bring on the chocolate!" Hence, why I might have been putting it off..

To my relief, tonight we talked about the importance of setting long term goals and then short term goals to achieve them. And the importance of remembering you're not perfect and you may not always accomplish the goals in the way you hoped or in the time frame that you find to be ideal. That of course is always good to remember and definitely reassuring.

Matt shared a great article by Elder M. Russell Ballard from a magazine put out by the church we're members of. You can find the whole thing HERE...but these are my favorite little snit bits...

"I am so thoroughly convinced that if we don’t set goals in our life and learn how to master the technique of living to reach our goals, we can reach a ripe old age and look back on our life only to see that we reached but a small part of our full potential."

“Start doing each day some one thing you know you should do! Write down one thing that you are going to start doing that you have been meaning to do for a long time but that you just haven’t gotten around to. I don’t know what it might be, but place into your life, beginning tonight, one thing that you are going to do that is going to make you a better person."

"Perhaps as important as anything, we have to have faith. We have to have faith in God. We have to have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And oh, how desperately we have to have faith in ourselves."

"Past problems are like a stream when you are standing on a bridge—the stream is rolling underneath you, and your problems have gone downstream. Regardless of how hard you try, you can’t change the past. What I want you to learn to do is look upstream. Watch for the things that are coming down the river of life that you can change and control."

"Set clear and specific goals. When you set a goal and commit yourself to the necessary self-discipline to reach that goal, you will eliminate most of the problems in your life. Spend your energies doing those things that will make a difference. Then you can become what you think about. If you just have the simple faith that God is in His heaven and He is your Heavenly Father and He does know that you are here and He does love you—and that Jesus is the Christ, that He is your Savior, that He is your Redeemer, and that you love Him with all your heart and are going to do all you can to keep His commandments—then peace comes."

"Live a righteous, pure life. Do the right things for the right reasons, and in God’s due time, all of the blessings of eternity will be yours. The key to this is personal self-discipline that leads to righteousness. The key is to do and to learn to master living the gospel for the right reason, to build the inner self."

It was such a simple article but powerful in principle. I really do believe as we set goals that are realistic, work as hard as we can to achieve them, recognize that we aren't perfect, forgive ourselves when we make a mistake, and rely on the Savior and His Atonement for that added help that we can become good in ways we wouldn't have otherwise. I believe we each have an incredible amount of potential but that we as individuals don't see or recognize it. You are your own worst critic right?

After Matt's little lesson we set some goals as a family. Just a few things we want to achieve by July 2011. I think it's important to start small and progressively add more as we go. Some of these things include having X amount of $$ in our savings account by next summer (I would tell you how much but, I don't think you understand how poor we are and I don't want you to judge me by what I think is a big amount...), eating healthier-fruits and veggies aren't to prominent in our home unless they (specifically fruit) are in gummy form, going to the Temple every other week-with so many so close and no babies there's no reason we shouldn't, and starting food storage by buying a thing or 2 every time we go grocery shopping. That's just to name a few but a good start for us.

A few weeks ago we set a goal to not eat out as much but to set aside time to plan out meals for a week or so and then do the appropriate shopping. It hasn't been to bad and as actually become almost fun. I'm becoming quite the little cook. With having a good handle on that goal we're feeling fairly confident in being able to accomplish the new ones we've set.

We're also thinking we should have a family theme every year. Something that we live by and try to incorporate here and there. We haven't decided what it'll be but I'm excited about it. Particularly excited about making some sort of crafty thing to display the theme in our humble abode. Any thoughts?

I'm glad Matt chose goal setting for the lesson. Secretly I think it's something he's been thinking about but, so have I so it was perfect for us to do. Plus, it's Christmas in July right? Which means New Years is right around the corner!

Wish us luck in our new endeavor. I'll keep updated.

...dear husband...

2010-07-01T12:55:00.003-06:00

...i've been thinking a lot about you today...i can't believe we've only been married 3 months today...it feels like i have never not had you...hope you're feeling better...love you oodles...

...sacrifice...

2010-06-30T22:55:00.006-06:00

So tonight was my last night of having to go up to the U for class..YAY!!! At least until August. Then it starts all over again. But, thats not the point of this post. Another girl and I were talking during our 10 minute break during our 5 hour class (ridiculous I know) and she asked me what my husband did. For such a simple question there came a fairly intense conversation. I told her he went to school and worked early early in the morning. Then she said something interesting. She asked me if that was hard for us. Naturally I said no but then she asked why. Thats when I started to think and after our discussion I've concluded the following.

In reality sometimes it is hard for us. Matt works from 4 am-8 am and goes to school full time and does homework throughout the day (darn mechanical engineering...) Then I go to work from 8 am-5 pm, go to school, and do homework in the evenings. Then we try to go to bed early so Matt can get up before the butt crack of dawn. So, yes even as I type this I think to myself "Yeah. It is hard. But, it's what we do. And it works." There are times where we barely have any time to spend together and often times when we do, we're exhausted. But, we're together so it's worth it.

Why is it worth it though? I've decided it's because we sacrifice. We give up this and that to prepare for our future and even though we might not necessarily get too much time together it makes the time we do have sacred.

Now this isn't to toot my own horn or anything but the conversation I had with her really made me think about how grateful I am for what I have.

Now think about this....

Have you ever gone on a vacation that you've had to scrimp and save for? What was that vacation like? Probably rocked. Do you think you would have appreciated it as much if you didn't have to give up a little here and there for it?

What about those with kids? How much personal time do you give up to spend with them? How many times have you passed up buying a new pair of shoes to buy them new shoes because their little feet don't seem to stop growing?

What about school? It's hard work, takes time, and you have to give up hard earned money for it. How much does your education mean to you?

Or what about girl scout cookies? You sacrifice calories and time to do an extra a workout but, think about how good those little bits of heaven taste.

All in all the things we sacrifice for we appreciate the most. And when we sacrifice together it brings us closer to one another.

"Today we are not likely to be asked to make such a big sacrifice as giving up our lives, but we can see many examples of Saints who make painful sacrifices to keep their faith and testimonies alive. Let us make the sacrifice of small things."

Won Yong Ko-Sacrifice is a Joy and a Blessing

...the happiest place on earth...

2010-06-27T14:46:00.011-06:00

last week matt and i went honeymooning in sunny california. we spent five wonderful days at the happiest place on earth!

...there is just something about disneyland...

i'm not sure if it's the flashbacks to your childhood, the frozen chocolate covered bananas, the mint julep, the yoho yoho's of pirates, or the happy music that's playing in the background all the time but disneyland vacations are just great! everyone around you is in a chipper mood, the "cast members" are so happy and helpful, the sidewalks are different colors in every land, and special effects are AWESOME! you can't help but be happy when you're there.

..we are graduates of the animation academy..

..nothing like toon town..

..LOVE this movie...so cute..

..mad hatter's tea party..

..thats my game face..don't mess with this..

it was the best vacation. we didn't have to rush to anything, we got to see every show and parade we wanted, and we got to go on the buzz lightyear ride like a hundred times. we loved it!!

to be quite honest though...it was just great to spend time with matt without any distractions... but of course... spending time with good old mickey was a bonus.

..1 week to go..

2010-06-10T12:04:00.003-06:00

...I think I've figured out my lack of desire to want to be at school or work...it's because in one more week I will spending 6 glorious days here...

..I can't wait!!! Matt and I are going to finally have a "real" honeymoon and a much needed vacation..so excited!!

work..WoRk..WORK!!

2010-06-08T16:39:00.004-06:00

count your blessings...

today for the sake of my lack of desire to be here I am grateful for WORK. that even though I haven't wanted to be here all day long..at least I get to kill the last few minutes of my day blogging.

I hate that feeling of not wanting to be somewhere you have to be. you know what I mean? like I don't like that I don't want to be at work today but I REALLY haven't wanted to be at work at all today. I don't know why though. I love my job. I am oh so grateful for my job. I love the people I work with. I love the students I work with. I have plenty to do. but for whatever reason I just don't want to be here. I want to be on the other side of the window in my office.

speaking of work..have you ever had a secret job you'd want to do if you didn't have to worry about anything and were incredibly talented and could actually do it? my secret job would be a landscaper/construction worker/interior designer/photographer. weird I know. mostly though I'd just like to be outside and tell someone the vision in my head, let them figure it out, and then help them do it. as long as there isn't any risk of getting a massive irreversible sliver or dropping a brick on my foot. and let's face it...those things would happen. honestly I think I just REALLY REALLY want to be outside today.

...long LOST love...

2010-06-02T09:17:00.003-06:00

...meet Jason Bourne...
...last week's obsession..don't worry that we bought all 3 movies...
...pretty sure Matt would date him...
...I can't blame him...

...this is the current family obsession...5 episodes...one night...today...exhausted..but not so much because of the staying up late but because of all the QUESTIONS I had forgotten about...
...so much happens..so much I don't understand..Davies tells me I'll never get the answers...
...I'm determined..let's just say I googled "polar bear" this morning...

...one year ago...

2010-05-26T19:03:00.008-06:00

Look at this cute couple!! Who knew that 10 months and 5 days later they'd be married!?!

Funny story...I used to be a little embarrassed for people to see this picture because I thought people would make all the assumptions that they do anyway when they find out we served in the same mission..what assumptions you ask? That Elder King and Sister Neumann had the HOTTS for each other on the mission. WRONG. We were very good and very obedient missionaries and good friends but that is it. Now we're REALLY good friends..and shame on you for thinking something dirty.

Matt came home from his mission a year ago today!
Weird huh? Sometimes I feel like it was all a dream. Other times it feels like it was yesterday and other days it feels like it was FOREVER ago. I remember this day quite well. I can remember Matt standing in front 180 missionaries bearing his testimony of the love he has for the Savior. His friendship and example helped me a lot through my mission. He was a very humble, obedient, and faithful missionary.

I loved that Matt and I served in the same mission. It's one of the things I am grateful for. My mission was such a sacred experience and sometimes it can be hard to describe. But when Matt and I talk about our missions he knows exactly what I am talking about. He understands the things we did, the way we did them, what was expected of us, and the people that were involved. Its a unique connection that we have and I love it.

I may be biased but Matt was an outstanding missionary. He was hard working, obedient, humble, charitable, and diligent. It's amazing that I had the chance to see him completely immersed in the Lord's work. It's such a blessing to me. I saw him grow and change in the ways that mission changes you. I saw him become the man that he his today. A lot of the things Matt learned on his mission are an active part of everything he does on a daily basis.

Matt loved his mission and it means everything to him (minus how much he loves me!). I am grateful he chose to serve a mission. I am grateful that he listened to the promptings he received and waited for me. I am grateful that even though I loved being Sister Neumann I couldn't be happier being Sister King.

..such a cute little missionary..

...saturday is a special day...

2010-05-23T20:24:00.006-06:00

I love Saturdays!! Last Saturday was the first Saturday in I don't know how long that we didn't have anything specifically we needed to do or somewhere we had to be. It was AMAZING!!!

In celebration of this I decided to start on a project that I've been wanting to do for some time now. When Matt and I first got engaged we had several friends so kindly donate various items to our new family. One of these generous gifts came from the Stones! They gave us (along with several other things we love) a dresser. They got it when they first got married and Chelsea said that she wanted to re-finish it but never had the chance. With that said she gave me the idea for my project! We bought some paint, sand paper, some new knobs and handles, and VOILA! (that's french for "that's wicked sweet!")

..this is how they started..
Oh I forgot to tell you!!! The same Saturday morning at 8:00 am (mind you this was the first day in FOREVER that we had to sleep in) we woke up to a small child POUNDING on our bedroom window. After I recovered from my heart attack I went on a quest to find out where this child came from. Don't worry some of women that live in our complex decided to have a yard sale on the patch of grass outside our apartment. Lucky us...
Seeings how I was now wide awake I decided to scope it out and find that little treasure that now sits on the side of our bed...they were asking for $20 for that and a coffee table..guess how much I haggled it down to...$7...BOOYAH!

..ever heard of primer? apparently it makes all the difference. thank you helpful paint man from Lowe's..

..da da da!!! here it is..our new cute dresser and end table set! it's not the best picture but its super cute in person..THANK YOU STONE FAMILY and LITTLE BOY THAT WOKE ME UP..

...party across the USA...

2010-05-10T20:31:00.012-06:00

Don't I make a cute country girl?? Haha! I mean kissing in front of a barn is definitely my look right?

Matt and I spent the last few days in Tennessee celebrating our wedding and spending time with family. It's been so much fun to visit!

As you can tell this reception was a little bit more relaxed and casual. And there was a very apparent theme. Can you guess what it was?? M&M's!!! Apparently our initials are quite catchy and easy to work with. Matt's mom has spent months collecting different M&M dispensers and other knick knacks to make our reception complete. She's become very familiar with eBay! She did an amazing job!! We're so grateful for all she did for us to make it fun!

Below is a picture of some of our family in Tennessee. From left to right we have Grandpa Cecil, Grandma Evelyn, my HOTT husband, ME, Emily-Matt's sister who loves to remind me that she's 11 years younger than I am but obviously taller, Carla-Matt's Mom, Tim-Matt's Dad, and Jared-Matt's younger brother. We have a lot of family out here that we love!!

To top the night off we had performances by a live band..the M&M'S! Very clever I must say.

To say the least we enjoyed ourselves and had a ton of fun!
OH! And Matt didn't push me on the floor this time when it came to the cake...I ran away inside...stupid short little legs didn't get me far though..

hApPy BiRtHdAy MATT!!!

2010-05-02T21:58:00.007-06:00

As noted below...this begins blog #2.

Today was Matt's birthday!! YAYA!! My little husband is growing up! (I would tell you how old he is but I don't want you to know how much of the cradle I robbed.)
In the King family we don't just have birthdays but we have birthday weekends/weeks (depending on what day it's on and how much effort I want to put forth) so we've been celebrating since saturday.
To start off Matt's birthday weekend we went out to lunch at Tucano's...so good..where I was very sneaky and got them to come out and sing to Matt. As I am sure you can imagine Matt wasn't incredibly thrilled about holding a tambourine while they basically yelled Portuguese words at him...but I liked it...I thought it was hilarious! After that we went to the dollar store where Matt picked out birthday hats, a banner, party favors, and wrapping paper for his presents...I am all about the surprises if you can't tell...Afterwards we came home, I wrapped his presents and he opened them a day early (he's very impatient when it comes to presents). It was so nice to just spend a Saturday together and we had a blast doing nothing but laugh.

...we're both very excited, if you couldn't tell...

Today in celebration of his REAL birthday day we had a small get together with Matt's sister and husband. We had cheesecake, cupcakes, and played games. It was fun and Matt was able to send them home with plastic rocket shooters and a puzzle after he had forced us all to wear birthday hats...I don't know if they'll come back...my only hope is the fact that I sent them home a bajillion cupcakes!

...i make a wicked awesome cupcake. cute huh??...

To say the least it's been a fun weekend and I couldn't be more grateful to have the husband that I do. He's everything to me. I am so happy I have him forever and that we have many more birthday weeks to celebrate together!!!

..sunday..sunday..sunday..

2010-05-02T21:36:00.002-06:00

Let me begin this post by saying I have a lot to blog about today so I'm blogging twice...I would do just one but who really wants to read a SUPER long post..with that said..here is blog #1.

I love Sunday! It's always exactly what I need. A simple day of rest. No having to stress over school work, shopping-of any kind!, getting the car fixed, etc. etc. I get a whole day to do nothing except spend time with my husband, family, and friends. I love it.
I also love going to church. I'll be honest though I think my mission ruined me. Not in a bad by any means. My mission had played incredibly significant role in my life and has helped shape who I am and what my testimony is. But what I mean is this..as a missionary you pay CLOSE attention to everything that everyone says and does when you have investigators or recent converts around, ESPECIALLY at church. Why you ask? Mostly to have a heads up on why someone might take offense or be confused about what someone said or did. Honestly, members of the church can be kind of funny (that whole Mormon culture thing) but just like in any other place (not just church) you have your WEIRDOS that do or say things that you wonder about. So as a missionary you watch for those things and in a way protect those you're teaching. With that said I think my brain is wired to still keep close watch for things and people so while in church I notice some really funny things.

For example today in church the following things occurred or were mentioned....
...during Sacrament meeting someone bore their testimony on the power of Facebook....
...another talked about their feelings about sunshine...
...in Sunday school discussion took place about the intuition of animals, specifically the inspiration and revelation cats receive and demon seeing horses...
...PETA (not the deliciousness I love to eat but People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals)...

I must say I couldn't help but laugh. And to be fair although each of these things are a bit odd to discuss at church some POWERFUL testimonies of the love of our Savior were borne.
Honestly though isn't it amazing how people of all different backgrounds can come together and have a conviction to the same thing? I love the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I know it to be true and my testimony of the love of our Heavenly Father grows each day. What a blessing it is to have a day out every week to gather and partake of the Sacrament, to renew our covenants, and bear testimony of Jesus Christ. It's incredible to me.

..one of those days...

2010-04-23T10:00:00.002-06:00

So I know it's been FOREVER (1 month and 1 day to be exact) since I've posted anything and I have MAJOR things to post about but I don't have any pictures yet. I love when blogs have pictures so I'm waiting until I get some. But two major changes in my life have occurred in the last three weeks.
I got married..best decision of my life...and I started a new job...which I love.
I couldn't be more blessed.

But today is one of those days. Have you ever had

...ONE OF THOSE DAYS...

One of those days where you wake up not in a bad mood but not in a good mood either? or when you feel like the last two hours felt like two hundred hours? or when you just don't feel like you have the motivation or energy to do anything but want to do everything? or you look at your to-do list and secretly hope that you accidentally throw it away and can't remember anything on it? or when you look out the window and think blah? Its supposed to be cloudy and rainy in Washington not Utah. Not after a week of sunshine and flip flops. Or when you've gotten plenty of sleep but are still tired?
I know you know what I am talking about! These days are the pits. These are the days that I want to go crawl back in bed and sleep until tomorrow.
Where do they come from? Why do we have to have them?
Do have those days to help us appreciate the other days?
I am not quite sure.

..12 is my new favorite number..

2010-03-21T18:13:00.004-06:00

This is it!! Apartment #12..my (soon to be Matt's) new home! I love it. It's a bit bare at the moment seeings how I moved in yesterday but, as soon as I have it put together I'll post some pictures. Love it. Love life. Love you. Happy Sunday!

am I really that crazy?

2010-03-19T00:01:00.002-06:00

So, today I was at work and one of our co-workers came down to visit. Mind you, I love this girl. She came to say hi and was asking how things were. I told her about my sister's wedding, how I've been feeling sick (I've had a stomach ache the last couple days), and how I had TONS of homework to get done before our wedding. She then proceeded to bellow, "YOU'RE CRAZY."

Excuse me...what?

Now, she didn't mean this in a bad way in any shape or form but, it did catch me off guard. She then began to say how she still couldn't believe I was getting married while I was in grad school and working. She kept going off about how many "life changing" events I was going through and how I just kept plugging along like it was "normal." And what events? I had no idea what she meant. She then explained "life changing events" as in coming home from a mission, going back to work, getting engaged, starting grad school again, planning a wedding, and applying for full time jobs.

What else am I supposed to do with my time?

I guess yeah..in a way those are all life changing and yeah I am exhausted but, what am I supposed to do? Take all those blessings and just be like "oh thanks..but I'm not ready" Nope. I don't think so. Plus, I never really looked at any of those things being life changing but, after she mentioned that I guess they kind of are. I mean, once I get a full time job no more making my own schedule or taking time off when I need-that'll be the pits, I'll a boy for a roommate-that's kind of weird, my mission-no words can even begin to describe that experience, and school is school-that never seems to change.

I don't think I'm crazy. But, who knows? I'll just keep plugging along and we'll see what happens.

Is this what it feels like to be grown up?

weddings..weddings..so many weddings!!

2010-03-17T16:13:00.005-06:00

It's been awhile since I've posted anything and there's so much to catch up on!! Matt and I are still plugging along getting ready for our wedding (PS: it's in TWO weeks!! I cannot wait!). But, as of late we’ve been attending some other important weddings and we’re getting more and more impatient each day.

Last Saturday one of my mission companions got married. It was SO much fun! Lauren was one of my many favorite companions and we’ve become very close friends. She made a beautiful bride and we couldn’t be happier for her and Josh! They were married in the Salt Lake Temple and it was really interesting for Matt and I to be sitting there knowing that in less than three weeks, we’d be in the same place. It’s insane how quick time goes!!

Speaking of how time flies…yesterday was also a BIG wedding day for our family!! My baby sister got married yesterday (I wish I had a picture..I’ll post some as soon as I get a copy or two)!! She was gorgeous and absolutely glowing! I’m so proud of her. Brett, her new hubby, is one lucky boy! She’ll take good care of him. It was a beautiful day and no one could have asked for better weather. Brett and Shannon were sealed in the Bountiful Temple and it was incredible. Her reception was at Memory Grove in Salt Lake and it was picture perfect. Beautiful centerpieces, delicious mini cupcakes (those were SOOO stinkin good!), pictures galore, and of course an incredibly good looking wedding party! I am a little biased but, we’re all very good looking people, especially those brothers of mine.
Overall, it was an eventful and wonderful day to spend with family and friends! Sometimes it’s crazy to think my little sister is so grown up! I’m lucky to have her. We’re best friends and I’m excited for her new little family! Congratulations Shannon and Brett!!

PS...we got our "broomals"back...super cute! Here's a littl e sneak peek!

..April 1..here we come..

2010-03-01T23:42:00.002-07:00

Well...it's official. The countdown began today..one month left until I will be Mrs. Matthew Ryan King (OR Sister King..which ever you prefer).
I cannot wait!! Time has gone by so fast. It's amazing to me that not even 7 months ago I came home from my mission and now I'm counting down the days until I say "I do." I never anticipated to be getting married so quickly but, I'm so excited.
Matt is one of the greatest things that has ever happened to me. (Prepare yourself for the sappy, lovey, dovey stuff...) I couldn't ask for anyone better to spend eternity with. Matt makes me laugh, he makes me cry (happy tears of course!), he helps me to be my best, he's supportive, he wants me to accomplish my goals, he lets me be crazy when I need to be and he holds my hand when I need to be brave, he stays up all night long with me when I have to work, he's a worthy Priesthood holder, he's smart, good looking, and very sweet, he's willing to sacrifice any and everything to make sure we're taken care of, he works hard, he plays hard, and most importantly he loves me.
Honestly, I could go on and on and on about why I love him but, I'll spare you the novel. Overall, I couldn't be happier. Well..maybe if April 1 was here already...30 days and counting...

...tender mercies...

2010-02-23T00:14:00.005-07:00

I'm constantly amazed at how Heavenly Father answers prayers...He's gotta have a sick sense of humor. I've been praying for opportunities to share my testimony with others. When I was on my mission that is all I did all day every day and I really miss that. There's just something so powerful about telling someone what you believe to be true.
Well, today I had the opportunity to do just what I've been asking for.
This morning my cute little Jetta was having some troubles..(splendid, I know)..Thankfully I only live a few blocks from work so I was able to walk there and use the computer to figure out what I was going to do. After many silent prayers and much searching I felt really good about going to Valley Transmissions, a little family owned shop in Orem. They were SO helpful and I'm so grateful for their kindness. After having my car towed there and the diagnostic testing done the owner came to break the news to me.."your transmission is shot" (FABULOUS!) He then explained to me my options..1. have the transmission rebuilt or 2. sell it for parts. What great options! We talked it over some and I made the choice to have it rebuilt. My car isn't worth anything anymore so I'm willing to put the money into necessary to make it last until Matt is done with school.
Now, let me back track a little and explain how this is connected to my testimony..first of all, the owner's wife is the receptionist there. She set up the towing, waived the towing fees, and made sure that when my car arrived that an open lift would be available. While her husband was finishing up on another car and running the tests on mine her, her daughter Aubri (whose 4 and super cute), and I became best friends. Aubri and I read together, I learned about their family, how they started their business, she gave me advice for wedding plans and so on and so on. I felt so at home in this little car shop. Also, during this time, I praying my heart and guts out asking Heavenly Father to help me know what I needed to do and to ensure that we had the financial means to cover any and all costs. The owner came in told me of my new found troubles and as he began to tell me how much it w0uld cost to fix I began to cry.
Now, I'm sure this isn't the first time they've seen some poor girl sob in their lobby but, for whatever reason I began to tell them something very special to me. I told them of how I was in graduate school and had recently received financial aid to pay for my tuition and that after making those payments there was some money left that I had just put into our savings on Saturday. I told them of how I was praying that Matt and I would have the funds we needed to take care of this while still being able to make all the other payments we needed to. I told them that I was crying because the amount the owner told me the approximate cost would be was the EXACT amount that I had left from paying my tuition and what a great blessing that was to me. The owner's wife, Yvonne, began to cry too and said thank you for sharing something so special.
I know I know! Who does that? Who shares that kind of story and cries with complete strangers? As strange as it may seem it was exactly what I needed and where I needed to be today. I had the spiritual experience I was seeking, I was granted the peace of mind and heart that I desired, and I've been blessed with the means that are necessary to take care of the problem.
I was reminded today that Heavenly Father is mindful of us. He's mindful of the things we ask of Him. He cares about our personal growth and just when we think we can't go any further He blesses us with strength and miracles we need. As hard and as frustrating it's been, today has been an answer to many prayers.

it's about time

2010-02-17T23:05:00.005-07:00

Well...we made this blog (And by that I mean Matt watched me make the blog and said "that looks nice" when I would look at him. He' s so patient through my random obsessions.) and its been FOREVER since I wrote my one liner. I'm trying hard to be tired but, it's not working out so well. Thus, I decided to update you on our life right now..ready or not...here it comes! (In a list form..)

* Matt is working his guts out with school. I hate it but, I love it. He's such a smarty pants. Which means smarty pants classes. Which means LOTS of studying and homework. He works so hard and I'm so grateful that he does. Sometimes though I do feel bad because that's all he really gets to do right now. Work..school..study..work..school..study. Blah.

* Work at UVU is great! I love my job and have so much fun. Sometimes I almost feel bad calling it "work" because it's really not. I mean I do work but, I love what I do so it's fun work, if that makes any sense! Between that and school I keep myself pretty entertained. I struggle with the long Thursday nights but, in 3 semesters it'll totally be worth it.

* Wedding plans are coming along...they deserve another BLAH. Don't get me wrong I'm loving planning our wedding but, boy oh boy is it exhausting. My least favorite part right now is making the address list for announcements to be send out. Not fun. Speaking of announcements..we finally picked a picture to go into them!! Wahoo! That was a tough one for me. Tabitha (Matt's cousin) and Kara (my cute cute friend. We love the Fugals!) did such a great job with the pictures that it was terribly hard for me to pick just one..so I picked 4. Haha! I hope you like them..we're sending them out in about 2 weeks. Here's a little sampler..I LOVE this picture!

* Our biggest project right now is finding a place to live. I've spent A LOT of time on Craigslist and KSL looking for apartments in the Provo area for us to live in from anytime between now and March until August. It's a headache and I'm hopeful that something will come along soon.

Overall, life is GRAND!! I don't think I could possibly be more blessed. I've thought a lot about what a blessing it is to be in the place and with the people that I am. The Lord definitely has a hand in all things. So very grateful I am.
Promise I'll be better at this blog thing..

today's thought...

2010-01-18T22:08:00.001-07:00

girl really really loves boy