Best Valentine's Day Ever

I had the best Valentine's Day ever. But not for reasons you would expect.

I had been subbing in a Primary class for the past three weeks, so when the Relief Society asked for volunteers to help out at a missionary luncheon for the holiday, I jumped at the chance so I could get to know the sisters better since I hadn't really gotten the chance to do so since we've moved in. Besides, it had been a while since I participated in an act of service, and Phil would be at work during the luncheon anyway, so it wouldn't affect our time together that day.

When I got there, I found out the lunch was actually a part of a zone conference for the Sacramento missionaries – all 105 of them. I never served a mission myself, is that a lot? Because it blew my mind. My Relief Society president, Sister Anderson, poured her heart and soul into this luncheon. The Valentine's Day/Presidents' Day decorations we set up and the food we served (potato soup, sandwich wraps, sliced oranges and brownies/ice cream) were awesome and delicious. I wish I took pictures because everything looked so nice. Sister Anderson and I had made Valentine's Day cards for all of the missionaries earlier in the week, and she had added individual handwritten messages on each of them, encouraging the missionaries to do their best and letting them know how much we loved them – the missionaries loved those! And, hanging up at the front of the cultural hall was a huge banner with all the missionaries' signatures on it.

During the lunch, I got to talk to a lot of the elders and sisters (who were quite fashionable and super cute!) while serving them the soup. They were all so nice and easy to get along with (my favorite was an elder from France, he made me laugh). I was touched by their gratefulness toward us just taking the time being there and giving them food. After the lunch was over, the volunteer Relief Society/Young Women sisters were asked to come out so the missionaries could thank us. They sang to us Called to Serve and Love One Another. I almost cried during the second song because of how lovely it was and I just focused on feeling the Holy Ghost. It really was a sweet moment.

Afterward, we quickly cleaned up the tables and the kitchen. Most of the volunteers had left after that point, but I stayed around to chat with Sister Anderson and a girl who was still in Young Women (and who I bonded with instantly) when a couple of sister missionaries popped their heads in asking if we had any extra Valentine's Day cards since one of the volunteers accidentally threw theirs away during the cleanup. We felt horrible because we didn't have anymore and they thanked us anyway and walked away sadly.

I don't remember whose idea it was, but one of the two women suggested we go dumpster diving and find some Valentine's Day cards. We couldn't let the missionaries down, gosh dang it! They ransacked the garbage, while I just stood there and laughed at the scene. But, they did find five cards unscathed! So, we ran and found the sister missionaries and gave them the cards, haha. They were sooo happy. We found a few elders who wanted cards, as well.

I had such a good time there and even asked an older missionary on the requirements for couple missionaries because I would love to go with Phil on a mission some day. This opportunity to serve rejuvenated my love for our missionaries and serving in general.

I also had a nice Valentine's Day with Phil when he got home from work. We didn't do much because we splurged on Sacramento Comic Con tickets, so we were broke, but we did make delicious cheese stuffed manicotti for dinner, along with sourdough french bread and martinellis. He surprised me with an Amazon gift card and a bag of peanut m&ms (my fave). I love him so much and so grateful for everything he does for me!

Our new apartment

Ah, to have the Internet again. It's crazy how we have come to rely on it so much, but it really does make life a lot easier and much more enjoyable.

Anyway, we are officially settled in here in Sacramento. Technically, we live in a suburb 20 minutes outside of the city called Carmichael. When we first got in we were overwhelmed by the size of the place and the huge population that comes with it. But each day we go out for about a half hour to an hour and explore a different neighborhood in the surrounding area, and we are slowly adjusting to it. It's not too scary after all!

We love our apartment already. It's definitely the nicest place we have ever stayed in, though of course it is a lot more expensive. It's in a quiet, gated community, which we like. Though there is a rooster somewhere next to the complex that cock-a-doodle-dos all freaking day. And I mean all day. Anyway, we have gotten a lot of requests for apartment pictures, so here you go! (The fireplace is still funny to me.)

Our experience here has actually been really good so far, thanks to the ward we moved in. Everyone here is soooo nice. The stake missionaries live in the same apartment complex, so when we got here, a couple of them helped us get everything moved in. I had been in contact with the bishop a few times before we moved here, so when we got into town, he offered to take us on a little tour of the area, which helped us out a lot. We just came with everything we could stuff in our car, so he has even lent us an inflatable bed and sent out an email to the ward asking if anyone had extra furniture they could give us. We received the dining table, chairs and coffee table you see in the pictures from ward members, which we appreciate dearly! 

After sleeping on an inflatable bed for a week, however, we decided it was time to go out and buy our own furniture. We went to a legit furniture store to buy our items for the first time ever. Since we've been married, we've always had (free) hand-me-down furniture, which we felt blessed for, but we felt it was time to actually buy brand new furniture. Needless to say, we felt very adult, haha. But, holy cow, furniture is expensive! We can't believe how lucky we were to be given furniture before. We bought the bed set you see in the pictures, as well as the couch, chair and pillows in the living room. We could not be more excited!

And, I cannot forget to mention the weather. We went from 20-degree weather with lots of snow to sunny, 60-degree weather. It's been sooo nice. I do not miss the snow at all. I guess there's been a drought here, been it has rained a couple of times this week, so everyone was very excited about it. The ward members were just asked to focus their fasts next week on getting some more rain, though.

Phil started his job on the 15th, and everyone there welcomed him with open arms. The team he now works with (developer support engineers) even took him out to lunch on his first day! So far, he has really liked it; the work environment is awesome apparently, but just in case he ends up hating it for some reason, we only got a six-month contract for our apartment, so we can venture somewhere else if need be. I miss my family terribly, but I can see myself living here happily if it does turn out to be a good job. And, for those who are wondering, I am going to try out the housewife route for a while (since we only have one car and all right now). I'm hoping to find some remote writing opportunities, and I am working on a novel, so hopefully that works out! I will keep you all updated! 

We have an exciting announcement!!!

For those who were expecting a baby announcement, I'm sorry to disappoint you (though we are still trying!).

Phil has been applying for jobs for two months now. Twenty-five applications were sent out before he got a handful of interviews at all sorts of companies (Amazon and Gearbox Software - the people who created Borderlands, the video game - were the biggest companies he heard back from). Talk about pressure! The last interviews he got were for Synergex, a business applications company in California, and Scientech, a flow control company here in Idaho Falls. Which, I should mentioned, happened on the same day.

Synergex immediately asked for a second interview (which we thought was a good sign!) and Scientech said they would get back to him in two weeks. Phil was asked to take a programming test and then had the next interview with Synergex, which they said they would get back to him. We were disheartened. We thought he was doing well with the interviews, and did well on the test, so we figured he would get a job offer.

Well, we didn't stay disappointed for long. A couple of days later, Synergex called Phil and offered him a job - and for more than he asked for too! It wasn't the job he originally applied for, but it is a similar position and we could not be happier.

So, as it stands, we are moving to the Sacramento area the beginning of January after Phil graduates at Idaho State University. (Phil's official start date is January 15.) To be more specific, Phil's job is in Gold River, a 20-minute drive from Sacramento. The cost of living is a lot more, but we have already found a place we like, which is $725/month for a one-bedroom apartment located in Fair Oaks (sheesh!) and will only be a five-minute drive to his new job. I love the location because it is pretty much right next door to an LDS church, across the street from a Lutheran church and a two-minute drive from an elementary school. That sounds like a pretty safe community, right?

We were going to wait and see if Phil got the job at Scientech because we would like to stay in Idaho Falls, but when he sent a followup email about the position, they said they were still in the middle of interviews and would let him know in three weeks. Which means the beginning of December and that wouldn't give us nearly enough time to get ready for the move to California if he didn't end up getting the job. But, I am super excited about this. It will definitely be an adventure for us! But, I will keep you all updated if anything changes! 

What I have gained this summer...

Phil and I haven't done anything too exciting this summer. We have mostly been working and spending time with family. But, there is something that I have gained this summer: I have built up my courage. I can be a pretty timid and shy person. And there are times where I have little confidence in myself. So I have been trying to overcome that.

For starters, I decided to try something I always thought I would never do in my life: I participated in a 5k - the Color Vibe 5k to be exact. I imagined it would be a pretty awful experience just because I have never been a runner in my life (I am more of an elliptical kind of gal). But I was determined to do this for myself. And, it was for a good cause too!

I wanted to train as much as a could for it. I downloaded the Couch to 5K app on my Kindle - and it kicked my butt. And I felt muscles I never knew existed. But, I kept pushing myself to do it and every time became a bit easier for me, and I found myself running a little longer each time. Unfortunately, a couple of weeks into it I pushed myself a little too hard and killed both of my knees. I could hardly even walk for a week. Thankfully, it turned out it was just some strained muscles in my knees, but I was scared to go back to my training.

Before I knew it, the 5k came around. My sister Stephanie went with me, though I was a bit apprehensive about even participating at that point because I didn't get much more training done. As it turned out, the running I was able to do was just as good as how I was training and a lot of other people were just walking anyway, so I didn't feel like I was failing at anything.

I had a really good experience and I finished in 45 minutes, which wasn't as good as I originally hoped for, but it wasn't as bad as what I assumed would end up happening. I really want to do this again next year, but I plan to train a lot more for it and do a lot better. I feel pretty proud of myself for accomplishing this.

And, this is not all that I have gained courage for. I am working on a project that I have been wanting to do for a couple of years now, but I never have had the confidence to do it. I can't say what it is I am doing at this time, but I will once I get farther into it (or if you can guess what I'm doing) I will be sure to let everyone know. I just want to express how excited I am for this and that everyone should always try to follow their dreams even when it seems impossible or when they think they shouldn't even bother because they feel like they will fail. You will never know until you try, and if you don't, you have already failed yourself!!! 

Summer date ideas

After Phil and I got back from Orlando, we realized that was the most time we had spent together in a REALLY long time. With him being in school full-time and me working full-time, we never really got to see each other much over the school year, so we decided to make the effort to have a weekly date night throughout the summer (since we know come September we're going to be crazy busy again).

So far, we've had two date nights and they have been super fun. On the first one we went to see Iron Man 3 (such a good movie) and ate at Cafe Rio. This last date, we decided to keep it budget-friendly by staying at home and having a pirate-themed night. At first, I thought it would be too cheesy, but we had a blast! I found this chicken daggers pin on Pinterest where you cut up chicken, marinate it in teryaki sauce and grill it with red peppers and pineapple. You then make it into a kabob to look like a pirate's dagger. It was delicious (and super healthy too)!

 
We had spanish rice to go along with it and that's as pirate-themed as we could think of. We enjoyed it though! We watched Muppet Treasure Island, which I haven't seen in forever, and played three pirate board games we own, which we recommend - they are so fun!

I also recently pinned date ideas for the summer to encourage us to go out and enjoy the sunny weather while it lasts (which, in Idaho, is an iffy thing). A lot are budget- and kid-friendly, so I encourage everyone to try them out too!

  
Other than that, our biggest focus this summer is trying to get pregnant. I've started using prenatal vitamins and working on getting in better shape overall. Once my insurance kicks in (July 1), I'm going to go in for a preconception check to see if there is anything specific that has prevented us from conceiving over the last 14 months. Our ward has also started a 180-day Book of Mormon challenge. Once I heard that, I had the strongest feeling that if we do this challenge faithfully, we will get pregnant. And, it will provide a much-needed spirituality boost, as well! I'm nervous, but super excited, so we will see what happens!

Orlando Vacation, Part 3

On our last full day in Orlando, we went to Universal Studios. There wasn't much of a crowd that day, so we went on all the rides we wanted to go on and still had time to spare before our shuttle arrived. Like Islands of Adventure, we went around the park in a circle.

The first ride we went on was Despicable Me, a 3-D simulation ride. Since it was the newest ride, the wait time was the longest we had in that park, but it was so worth it! I loved the movie and I loved this ride. We then went to the Twister and Disaster attractions. Phil really wanted to go on the Mummy ride, but (thankfully) his legs were too long to fit in it. I didn't mind because it looked scary.

We then headed over the Men in Black shooter ride. This was my favorite ride of the day because it actually kept track of your individual scores. Phil beat me by 103,000 points though, it was ridiculous. I got my revenge though when we had a rematch and I beat him the next time around. :) We also went on The Simpsons ride, which was cute, but we weren't overly thrilled with it since we went on it at Universal Studios Hollywood.

After that, we decided to take a break and have lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe right next door. This place is amazing!!! We love the food and we love looking at the merchandise around the building. This is the fourth Hard Rock we have been to together (we've been to the New York, Las Vegas and San Diego ones together, as well). It's apparently the largest Hard Rock Cafe in the world, too. It was way nice because we tried to make reservations to eat there, not wanting to risk a long wait time, and while we were informed they didn't do that, we got a $5 certificate to take off our check to make up for it. So worth it!

After lunch, we went back in to the park. We went on the E.T. Adventure ride, which turned out to be for kids, but it was interesting, nonetheless. We also went to the Terminator 3-D show, which was really cool, though I've never seen any of the movies. 

We were a little disappointed in our visit because: 1. They closed the Jaws ride, which was so awesome when I went 9 years ago, and 2. The new Transformers ride wasn't going to open for another week. We were so close to the opening date!!! Overall, though, we had a lot of fun. We already miss Orlando because the weather was so nice there. It's been cloudy and rainy in Idaho ever since we got back.

Now that we got our vacation out of the way, we are just going to focus on working this summer. Phil didn't end up getting an internship, which was frustrating because we applied for like 90 internships and only a third were courteous to get back to us. I know that some places get thousands of applications, but come on, a quick email wouldn't take that long to send. But, Phil did pass all of his classes with flying colors, even though for some reason he stressed about failing a few. So he officially has one more semester to go!!! We could not be more excited!

Orlando Vacation, Part 2.5

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter was so awesome, it earned its own post, so this one will be about the rest of the day we had at Islands of Adventure. Now that we had finished the main attraction, we decided to take our time and just circle the park (literally) to enjoy the other rides and shows.

The next place we went to was The Lost Continent to go to the Poseidon's Fury walk-through show. I remember this being one of my favorites when I went to Islands of Adventure 9 years ago for a school trip, and I was hoping Phil would love it as well. It was the longest line we had to wait in during our stay in Orlando, but it was worth it! (And, Phil seemed to enjoy it too!)

We then cut through Seuss Landing (a kiddie portion of the park, though it looks so awesome) and went to Marvel Super Hero Island which, after Harry Potter World, we were looking forward to the most. We went on the 3-D Spiderman ride (which is another one of my faves) and Storm Force Acceleration (as in Storm from X-Men. It was a very cheesy version of Disney's teacup ride). We ate at the Cafe 4 (as in the Fantastic 4) diner there (we were not impressed) and did a lot of shopping. Phil got a Deadpool hat, I bought a Captain America shirt and we bought a really cool super hero keychain.

After that, we hit up Toon Lagoon and we got soaked on the Popeye raft ride. We walked back over to The Lost Continent to watch the Eighth Voyage of Sinbad stunt show while we were drying off. I thought it was really cheesy, but some of the stunts were cool (such as the bad guy being set on fire and then fell off a cliff into a pool of water). There was still so much to do and re-do, but we didn't have the time, unfortunately. We had an amazing time, though!!!