I Love

Thanks to my cousin Lisa for not only giving me an award, but something to blog about. It's been a couple of weeks. I can mostly blame it on my brief for law school that I finally turned in...but that was last Saturday. I think I was burned out after that, and didn't feel like doing any more writing. Luckily, I'm over it, and hopefully you'll see some more posts from us this week.

So! As part of this award, I must write about 10 things I love, and then pass on the award to 10 other bloggers. In no particular order, here goes...

1. Jonathan! He is my favorite. He works so hard, both at school and at work, to make our dreams a reality. This last week he had interviews for a management position with Nestle - four interviews in one day, and one more this Tuesday. We should hear in the next week or two what kind of offer they make him.

2. Our new tv! And cable. And Playstation 3. Yes...we spoiled ourselves with part of our tax return. And we LOVE it. I mostly love it because I can actually watch all of the March Madness games in my own home! No more listening on the radio or trying to find somewhere to go watch. I can watch them in my own living room. And if I can't watch it live, I can record it and watch when I get home. We no longer have to watch our favorite tv shows online. And I can watch Sports Center in the morning while I get ready. Seriously people, it's the best.

3. BYU Men's Basketball. I love this team. I'm obsessed. I will have to find something really good to fill the void in my life when March Madness is over. I've loved having two games to look forward to each week. BYU basketball is what got me through the last 6 weeks of law school and finals last semester, and what has mostly gotten me through this semester so far. April is going to be rough. Oh, and my team had another epic win tonight, winning 107-77. Go Cougars!

4. My living room. With the new tv, we took out some of our bigger pieces of furniture and opened it up. The huge desk that took over one corner of our room is out. The tall entertainment center is out. The love sac is back. We got curtains over our window. And the whole room looks and feels so much bigger! When people come over, they can actually find somewhere to sit. Next step - get a couch to go with our love seat.

5. Spring. Even though it snowed a ridiculous amount the last couple of days, at least the sun came out and it was warm for at least half of the day. Just a few more weeks and the harsh Utah winter will be on its way out the door for good.

6. Basketball. For the last couple of weeks, Jonathan and I have been playing basketball in the mornings for our workout. Running on a treadmill or doing stairs is just not as much fun as 1 on 1, or doing drills, or even running ladders. I feel more comfortable in a gym - probably because growing up, that's where I spent so much of my time working out. I know how to condition myself in a gym, and it feels good. And I've still got it. Muscle memory is amazing.

7. New friends. We've finally made some new friends in our ward. For most of the time we've lived here, we've made friends with a couple, started to hang out a bit, and then they've moved. It's quite discouraging. We felt like a curse. For example, we've lived in the same apartment for about 18 months, and had 4 different neighbors across from us. Ridiculous. And because we were both in YM/YW, we didn't meet new people very often. But then the Robertson's invited us over one night, and we met the Wells and the Nelsons. And we have fun.

8. March. There are so many great things that I love about March. Spring. Spring Break. March Madness. Tennis. Birds singing. Daylight savings. My brother's, sister's and niece's birthdays. March 17th is a particularly big day. It marks 3 years since Jonathan proposed to me. It's St. Patrick's Day. It's my friend Erin's birthday. My friend Justin comes home from his mission that day. It's the day I have to give my oral argument on my brief for school. And it's the day before we get to go up to Boise for 4 days.

9. Testimony meeting. It was just a really great one today. Even though our ward is a bit dysfunctional, everyone finds a way to help each other, and we all make it work. There are some wonderful people in our ward with very strong testimonies of the gospel. Our situations in life and our challenges are all different, but our testimonies really do unite us. Just this week, something tragic happened to bring everyone closer together. A young man who used to be in the ward was killed in Afghanistan on Monday. He had grown up with and was very close to the youth in our ward and their families. It has been a sad time for them, but I am so impressed by their understanding of the gospel and the Plan of Salvation, and their renewed commitment and determination to do what is right. And their faith strengthens the faith of others in our ward. It's a continuous cycle, and I look forward to testimony meeting in our ward each month.

10. My Savior. He is so kind to me. In my calling, sometimes it is hard not to get discouraged. I preside over some great young women, and I love them so much. But sometimes things don't turn out the way I think they should. And while I've learned that they have their agency, and have to make decisions on their own, that hasn't stopped me from praying for them. Today, one of my prayers was answered. I did not expect it. I did not think it possible. I was quite shocked and surprised. I needed that reminder that He does hear me and answer my prayers - just on His timetable, not mine.

Okay, time to pass this thing around to 10 more people. I choose...

My Mom

My Aunt Lavinia

My friend Nicole

My friend Andrea

My sister-in-law Missy

My friend Melissa

My friend Deveny

My friend Melanie

My friend Amber

My friend KaRynn

Can't wait to read about the things that you all love! We'll try to post again later this week, maybe after Jonathan hears back from Nestle about a job offer...