Life as We Know It

5 1/2 Months.  Five and a half.  I'm aware that despite previous promises to step it up on my blogging, I have fallen short.  

Those who missed us, I'm sorry.  Those who doubted me, take a minute to gloat...

Okay, we're past it.  Allow me to let you know what has gone on in life, and a little of what is yet to come...

Johnson Family:

We moved out of our super cute apartment and into the basement of my brother and his wife, Moriah, who were gracious enough to let us take over the place with our... stuff.  This is only temporary.  Our game plan WAS to buy a home, so we didn't want to renew our lease in case we found the home we wanted.  Now, who really knows?  

I miss my old ward, and my tv, and I miss my organization, but sometimes we have to make sacrifices in order to get what we want.  (That was 100% Chris speaking.  I would never have said that on my own.  I'm immature and childish and impatient.  He's a better person than I am.)

We're figuring our game plan in the long run as far as living situation, education, etc.  We've had a lot of bumps along the road in our original game plan, but we're figuring it out.  And we're going to be just as surprised as you will be once we get it all together.

My beautiful, big sister, Meghan got married August 11, 2012, and Chris and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary on August 12, 2012.  Isn't that wonderful?!  (It's not like we planned that or anything...)

We (Chris and I) really like her husband, and could not have picked a better guy for her.

Megh got married with just over a 1 month engagement, so one brother wasn't able to make it out, but this is all the  rest of the ginger siblings on the day my sister married her best friend for eternity.
(Pictures from Megh's wedding are from Two C's Photography.)

Chris:

School.  And work.

I wish I could tell you there's been more, but he's just too busy with the two to squeeze anything else in.

I wish he would cut his hair, but I won't
 fight it until school is out.

He's working on his FINAL YEAR of school for his degree.  (I love his desire to learn and to share everything he learns with every person he speaks to.  I'm also secretly hoping he'll take a break for a while before furthering his education.  Of course, I see the benefit of earning a Master's Degree and on, but I want my husband.  Sue me.  (Don't really.))  He is ridiculously smart.  This allows him to be a bit lazier when it comes to his studies.  There are weeks when he'll have 5 hours of homework to get done.  There are also weeks when he has no assigned homework, but 5 major tests (ie, finals week).  

This is how Chris prepares for tests during weeks when homework is not assigned:

Wake up at 7:45 am.  Ride bike to 8 am class.  Take test with no studying.  Ace test.  Ride bike home.  Go back to sleep.

Anything wrong with this picture?  Does it bother anyone else that the hardest work he does in that scenario is riding a bike?  Gaaaahhh!  I love him.

This is what he looks like today.

Alli:

I work for OtterBox.  Best.  Job.  Ever.  Be jealous.

I work from home, with only a few exceptions where I have to go into the office.  If this were the office YOU had to go work in, would you be miserable having to actually get dressed?  (Yes, that is a slide.)--->

I.  Don't.  Think so.

I also work with the coolest people ever.  I love, love, LOVE my coworkers.  I love the company.  I love the customers (most of them).  I am just pretty happy about it all.  I feel incredibly blessed to have landed with such a great company and even better people.

This is just a glimpse of what I get to do at work when I DO go into the office.  (I'm in the back making the weird face.  Thanks for the heads up, guys...)

I was in a softball league with some OtterBox coworkers, and now I'm playing volleyball with a few of the same people and a few different.

I also had the pleasure of making it to another birthday.  Chris surprised me with a whole weekend of Elitches, dinner plans with friends, a new bike, and a SURPRISE PARTY!  He is the greatest.  He knew how great that combination of activities would make my big 22.

This is a picture my friend, James, sent me while I was enjoying my delicious ice cream cake at Cooper Smith's!  I have the best friends, and an even better husband.  I would also like to add that I am not wearing sunglasses.  That's simply the way the picture looks.

Overall, I'm busy.  And neglectful of this poor blog.  Someday I'll be really good at this.  Until then, let's be honest, you should not get too attached.  Ha ha ha.

Emmi:

She loves being in our temporary home with her cousin puppy, Choco.  They play and play and play and bark and play.  I haven't asked him how he feels about it, but she LOVES him; she follows him everywhere.

Her hair, however, does not love him.  I would bathe her and brush her regularly, but she would get very matted areas of hair.  I would cut huge chunks out every week after he bath, but there was no way to stay on top of it, so I had to just take her to the groomer and have her shaved very short to get rid of the huge matted areas, and will have to keep it just barely longer than this until she's an only puppy again.

$10 says Emmi did not win that round of tug-o-war.
(That's an unfair bet because I was there to
witness the loss.)

This is what she looks like today.  I had to add two pictures because she was literally falling asleep as I was taking the pictures.  She couldn't keep her eyes open.

Emmi was getting ready for her Aunt Meghie's wedding.

As of right now, we plan on saving up just a little bit more, and moving back into an apartment temporarily because poor Paul and Moriah have hardly had their home to themselves since they moved in.  After that, once we have a better idea of where Chris will be working, we'll start looking around for homes, starting a family, etc.  Basically, life as we know it is a mystery.

Bah!  Game plans.  What a waste of time...

Modest is Hottest

I was born and raised in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (click here to find out what that's all about).  That doesn't mean anything to most of my friends (other than that I'm one of those CRAZY Mormons.  If that's the case, click here (again) to find out that we really aren't so bad.).  This means everything to me.

There really aren't as many differences between Mormonism and other religions as most people would believe (... and here).  There are a few, though, and to some, those are big ones.

Growing up, I didn't always understand the reason behind the values I was to uphold.  If we're being honest here (and we are because I have no reason to lie), I didn't always uphold those values.  One of those values was dressing modestly.  I'm not the best at turning my words into thoughts, so I'm going to use one of the best tools provided to youth in the church:

to explain what I mean by "modesty" in the Mormon church:

"Your body is sacred. Respect it and do not defile it in any way. Through your dress and appearance, you can show that you know how precious your body is. You can show that you are a disciple of Jesus Christ and that you love Him.

"Prophets of God have continually counseled His children to dress modestly. When you are well groomed and modestly dressed, you invite the companionship of the Spirit and you can be a good influence on others. Your dress and grooming influence the way you and others act.

"Never lower your standards of dress. Do not use a special occasion as an excuse to be immodest. When you dress immodestly, you send a message that is contrary to your identity as a son or daughter of God. You also send the message that you are using your body to get attention and approval.

"Immodest clothing is any clothing that is tight, sheer, or revealing in any other manner. Young women should avoid short shorts and short skirts, shirts that do not cover the stomach, and clothing that does not cover the shoulders or is low-cut in the front or the back. Young men should also maintain modesty in their appearance. Young men and young women should be neat and clean and avoid being extreme or inappropriately casual in clothing, hairstyle, and behavior. They should choose appropriately modest apparel when participating in sports. The fashions of the world will change, but the Lord’s standards will not change.

"Do not disfigure yourself with tattoos or body piercings. Young women, if you desire to have your ears pierced, wear only one pair of earrings.

"Show respect for the Lord and yourself by dressing appropriately for Church meetings and activities. This is especially important when attending sacrament services. Young men should dress with dignity when officiating in the ordinance of the sacrament.

"If you are not sure what is appropriate to wear, study the words of the prophets, pray for guidance, and ask your parents or leaders for help. Your dress and appearance now will help you prepare for the time when you will go to the temple to make sacred covenants with God. Ask yourself, “Would I feel comfortable with my appearance if I were in the Lord’s presence?”

Woah!!  I know that's A LOT, so if you have ANY QUESTIONS AT ALL, please ask me, and I will gladly answer them!  (Or you can go here to find answers...)

I know that might seem crazy, but this is why...

I don't have any tattoos, and my only piercings are one in each ear.

My dress for my Senior Homecoming had sleeves (and you can't see, but I was also wearing leggings)...

My dress for my Senior Prom had sleeves...

And my wedding dress (along with all of my Bridal Party's dresses) had  sleeves.

I'm very aware of today's fashion.  I'm very aware that my own WEDDING dress doesn't fit the guidelines for "IN" or "Stylish".  Cool.  I'm okay with that.  I respect myself.  And I never have to worry about someone else showing up to a formal event in the same dress.  Word.

As I said earlier, I wasn't always on board with this idea.  I often only dressed modestly because I was expected to.  I've grown quite a bit since high school when I questioned the expectations set for me.  I've developed and understanding and an appreciation for this standard of my own.

My friend Jessica once asked my 3 year old niece (at the time) why we dress modestly, to which she replied, "Because we're beautiful."

There are so many reasons "Modest is Hottest".  Here are just a few:

1.  I have saved my self a very significant amount of time shaving over the years.  When I'm in a rush, I never have to worry about rubbish above my knees.  Don't you dare judge me.


2.  I can put on a bathing suit without worrying about being a pasty-paste white girl.  Yeah.


3.  As previously stated, I never have to worry about duplicate outfits.  I'm a one of a kind.


4.  Layers and Sweaters are "In".  The perfect way to cover up just a little more skin without looking stupid.


5.  Spring/ Summer shopping can seem like such a nightmare- there aren't a lot of cute items of clothes on display that fit my expectations for clothing these days.  You really have to dig.  Here's the great part:  I find clothes that others don't find.


6.  I've become very creative with layering and making an outfit cute with accessories because I can still look trendy and cute without showing what my mama gave me.


7.  I've spent so much time trying on clothes that I know my body type and what looks good on me vs. what should be avoided at all costs. 


8.  I stay pretty warm.  Six layers can do that.


9.  I don't attract the wrong type of guy when I'm dressed modestly because the wrong type of guy is looking for the girls who are dressed the wrong kind of way.***


10.  I've developed and immense respect for myself and my body because I know the importance of respecting my body and dressing to show that I respect my body.  I know that I'm not impressing anyone by getting a tattoo on my buttocks.  I know I am a daughter of God, and as such, I should dress as the royalty I am.


I know this can be kind of a touchy subject.  I'm in no way trying to tell my friends who are not Mormon that they should repent and be saved because they wear tank tops!  I just want to share why I dress the way I do, as I haven't always understood myself, and I've had many friends throughout the years ask why I dress so conservatively.

I only ask that you keep in mind the message you portray to the world around you when you walk out your door every day.  If you don't like seeing something on someone, chances are, they people won't like seeing it on you either.  Most importantly, think of how you want your daughters and sons to dress (and for that matter, their boyfriends or girlfriends), and start setting that example now by dressing that way.

If you have any other reasons why "Modest is Hottest", please let me know!  I would love to hear what others have to say!




***  Modesty is in NO WAY a reason to get into a car with a strange man.  Bahahaha!

Oh, It Is Love

I say this every time... but life has gotten away from me.  Basically, I'm mostly just a slacker.  I feel like there's not enough time in the day.  I'm cleaning, or working, or just distracted by our newest addition.

I left you in suspense right before I brought home our little princess, so let me fill you in from there.

That road trip was EPIC.  Charley and I had a great time catching up about life.  Can I just tell you she has the best impersonation (im-animal-ation?) I've ever heard in my life!  If my eyes had been closed when she first did it, I would have thought there was a goat in the car!  (And I also probably would have crashed the car into a ditch.)  

Just to give you the gist, here are a few pictures from the trip:

This was the gorgeous view we had almost for the entirety of the trip.

We stopped at some VERY hot tourist locations along the way

We were chased by buffalo...

And almost killed by a Semi!  (He was driving in reverse.  Craziest thing.  ;-)

When we got to the hotel we previously saw had great ratings, we noticed a few things were off.  Like the building smelled like propane, there were nasty-looking mysteries in the pool, and this...

Something tells me this lock was broken...

But don't you even worry!  Charley set it up with a secure booby trap that was SURE to wake us from our sleep should any creepy-creepers try to come in and kill us.

 (I DARE you to try getting through this trap!)

Needless to say, this was not a safe location for us to stay a second night, so I called my brother, Jon, who lives in Kansas, and asked him if we could stay with him the following night.  That was not on our original route plan, but the detour would hardly add any time to our trip, and it seemed worth it to both of us to stay alive...

After explaining our situation to him, and ending the phone call, I sent him the picture of the broken lock, and this is the message he sent back.  Bahaha!

We finally reached our destination, and I met my sweet little puppy.

Emmi.

Thanks, double chin, for showing up in this picture... but this was Emmi's first picture with me!  :-)  She was so tiny and scared!

This is literally my favorite thing:  When Emmi tilts her head to the side.  :-)  True Love.

This is what she did for the majority of the trip, thank goodness!

She would occasionally pop her head out of her nest and come play with us.
"I'll take it from here, mom!"

When we finally reached Jon and Mallory's home  (at 3am) after some crazy  side trips, he brought this in for us .
"The door doesn't lock, but you can use this..."
My family.  :-)

Our last stop along the way was to stop and visit with a good friend from High School.  Dylan!  He is going to school in Salina, Kansas, so I ambushed him, and we all went to lunch at a tiny burger joint.  Best burgers and shake I have ever had.  Yummm!  And it was so great to see how great he was doing and catch up on life!


Now, we've had Emmi for just over two months.

(We can get her groomed until she's had all of her shots,
so she's just going to have to look shaggy for now.)

She's about doubled in size, she was potty trained (on puppy pads) within only a few weeks, and she's so playful!  When I first picked her up, the breeder was worried about her lack of appetite because she was bullied by her siblings (she was the little one), but the vet says she's right on track, and healthy as can be!

We recently enrolled her in a puppy training class every Wednesday, and she LOVES it!  (The treats and the other dogs are sure a change from regular, every day life.)  She sits whenever she greets anyone, rather than jumping on them, she knows her name, she can go for walks without rudely tugging on the leash, and she continues to amaze me every day!

She stock piles everything she can get her
little teeth on in the middle of the floor.
Super funny.
(Our carpet just looks that nasty because of
the lighting...)

Emmi is so perfect for us because she's high enough energy that we can go running around the park freely, but she's too slow to really be able to get away from me;  We play chase, so anytime I think she's getting away from me, I mix up the roles, and run away from HER, so that she starts to chase ME.  (Much easier to catch.)  She doesn't shed, she isn't a "yappy" dog, and she just loves people and other dogs!  Her jaw isn't strong enough to tear anything up, so she can chew all she wants, but nothing is going to come of it.  :-)

She's been to two movies with me (she just sits quietly on my lap and watches the movie or chews on a toy), and I literally take her everywhere I can with me.  I never thought I would turn into the girl who puts her dog in her purse, but I totally get it now... she's my kid.  I feel terrible just making her wait at home for me all day while I'm out and about.  :-/

I think Chris is starting to like her as well...

This is when we first brought her home.

Chris would probably never admit to being as in love with her as he is, but they snuggle all the time!

They love to take naps together!

This is them today, taking a nap between  General Conference sessions.

We love Emmi.  She's so funny, and sneaky.  I know that those of you who have children, think I'm crazy for treating my dog like one, but she's all I have for now, and I'd say she's going to pretty good job acting just like a toddler.  :-)

The Johnson Family Grows

Do you remember how in this post, I mentioned that Chris and I would be adding to our family very soon?  (It's at the very bottom.  Very small.)  Well, it's happening!  :-)


I've wanted a baby since I was a baby.  They're so wonderful.  Tiny, little miracles.  How on earth can something so small be so wonderful?!  Well, hormones have a lot to do with it.  Also, the weird invisible connection mothers have to their children.  Honestly, babies look like weird little aliens... Wonderful, fantastic, amazing, stinky little aliens!  And then they grow into children.

I respect children so much because of their constant honesty.  You always know they're being honest when they tell you how great you look wearing your leather bomber jacket, skinny jeans, or ankle boots... because they have no problem telling you how awful you look when you're wearing dress clothes with sneakers, pajamas as day wear, fleece, and/or fanny pack, and sporting butt cleavage, visible pantylines, and/or mullets***.  Kids really do say the darndest things!

Unfortunately, Chris and I are not quite ready to have any little Jr.'s running around quite yet.  False.  CHRIS is not ready yet.  ;-)  But it's a decision we've made together to wait for the time being.  However, Chris is never home, and I get so lonely.  We took in Chris's sister's dog to help deal with this, but we had to give her back because Caylee missed her baby.  Now I'm back to square one.

After a lot of research and calculations, we've decided to bring in a love of our own!  One week from today, I will be bringing home a beautiful baby Shihpoo.  That's a mix between a Shih Tzu and a Poodle.  (My brother and sis-in-law have a Shih Tzu that I absolutely love, but they're hard to train.  With a poodle's brian, Shihpoos are much easier to house train.)  

Our little Emmi.  We love her.

I'm going on a road trip with a friend to pick up our little baby.  Chris has to work and attend school, so he won't be able to join me.  :-(  I'm so very, very excited!  This little girl will LITERALLY be my child.  I will take her on errands with me. I will let her snuggle with me in bed.  I will be bathing and feeding her.  I will clean up her poo until she understand the "toilet" concept, and I will love her uncontrollably.  I already love her. 

I look at the pictures I have of her every single day.  I want to spoil her and snuggle her and play.  I know I won't enjoy taking her to the bathroom every fifteen minutes, but her bladder will grow strong she will learn quickly.  She.  Will.  Learn.

*** The fashion tips in today's edition of The Johnson's Junk is dedicated to Miss Marylou by special request, but you may take it as your own.  I googled those tidbits.  Clearly, I'm not much of a fashionista.  I wore every single one of those awful items today at the same time.  This picture is of me yesterday, in fact.  Good luck.

Behold Your Little Ones

At the beginning of the New Year (Rather, at the end of last year- December 30.), Chris had visitor ( I remember this because I just happened to be cleaning, and I was SO embarrassed that there were piles of folded laundry everywhere and junk all over the table.  Dang.).  Brother Windsor from our ward who is in the Sunday School Presidency (his wife is also my visiting teaching companion- what a great family!).  

Chris got a new calling (voluntary assignment)- or rather a new age group of minions to teach- and he was a little sad.  He was really liking his 16-year-old kiddos.  He was just getting how to keep them engaged in the conversation and on topic during the lesson.  Now he has the kids turning 13 this year- a major difference.

Turns out Chris loves his class. There are only three kids in his class, all boys.  They were great in conversation- very intelligent.  They went six minutes over, and didn't even make it through their lesson because the guys were asking such amazing questions.  Chris is pretty happy.

I'm in Nursery (kiddos 18 months to 3 years).  I love it.  Every single week.  But with the new year, I lost the Nursery Leader to an older Primary class and half of my kids to Sunbeams.  Sure, I'm happy for them.  Or something.  I'm not selfish... I just don't want them to be happy without me!  One little boy named Matt still comes to the door after Sunbeams and shows me what he did that day.  

"Um, excuse me.", he says because he doesn't remember my name- just that I was his teacher, "Look what I did.  That's Jesus, and that's me, and that's my sister, and that's our house."  Makes my day better.

I love my class to pieces still!  They are so wonderful, but why forget the good times?  I wrote in my journal every single cute thing I heard in the four months I was there in 2011, and now, I'm going to share those with you.  You've earned it.  I'm sure.

Brook:  I'm still coloring.
Me:  That's alright.  You can take your time.
Brooke:  Well, I actually think my sister would like to color it.  I'll take it home and share it with her.  I'm going to play now.

Gretchen (Asking the class):  "What are you going to do on Thanksgiving?"

Matt :  "Watch the BYU game!!!"


Jonathon (Snappily):  I have a question!
Gretchen:  Okay, Jonathon.  What is your question?
Jonathon (Snappily):  I don't.  Know!  (And then he runs away happily to play!)


Me:  What are you doing over here, Bud?
James:  Hiding from you.  Go away.

Me: "Jonathon, do we push our friends?"

Jonathon (Calmly Declaring):  "He's not my friend."


Sister Hansen:  Can we sing one more?
Jimmy Jo:  No!  Okay... but then no more!
(After the song, Sister Hansen tries to leave)
Jimmy Jo:  Don't go!  We have to sing another one!


Me:  Does anyone have an extra truck to share with Jonathon?
Adulus:  I have some!
(Not moving...)
Me:  Well would you like to share your trucks with Jonathon?
Adulus:  Oh!  No... He has some.
Me:  No he doesn't.  He's looking for one to play with.
Jonathon:  I have some.  I was hiding them.  

Holy goodness!  They are so wonderfully cute.  I wish text did their cuteness justice.  I wish you could see these kids in action.  I wish I could just put up a video of my favorite two hours of the week.  I wish I could just see these kids at home.  I wish YOU could see these kids at home (but that would be really weird unless you know them...).  These kids are so clever, and honest, and so refreshing!

Also, these are literally the type of lesson we have every week.  Trying to get the kids to sit down and listen at the same time seems like herding cats.  When they are all sitting and listening though, I'm blown away by the knowledge they retain.  They have the answers to every question every time.  Clearly, the kids in my class are being taught at home and have amazing, loving parents.  Blows.  My.  Mind.

"Hello, Mr. Heartache. I've been expecting you..."

I'm sorry to announce that Winter is finally upon us.  That ground hog has NOTHING on my Winter-sensing skills.  I know what you're thinking: "Winter started December 22."  (If you weren't thinking that... then you're a liar.)  I'm going to tell you that you're wrong.  The calendars are wrong.  Science and precise calculations are wrong.

Every single winter for as long as I can remember, I've gotten a sickness that will last the entire Winter.  It just starts suddenly one day, and ends suddenly three months later.  It's not contagious and I rarely have a fever; I wake up every single night (BEFORE I've had a full eight hours of sleep) with a clogged nostril, and a sore throat from trying to breath through my mouth.  I LOVE sleeping, but during these hard times, I will stay up as long as possible just to avoid the hassle of trying to de-congest myself.

Being a vocal music major for an entire year was very difficult- half of the year, my throat was so dry that I could never sing the full range I was expected to.  I was basically told I had to fix the issue or I would be kicked out of the Music School (I know what you're thinking: "Rude.  It's not like Alli had any control over this!  I'm sure she tried emergenC, and chugging water.  I'm positive she purchased an expensive humidifier to help keep her vocal chords moist!  UNC was being unfair!"  You're right.  It was out of my hands, but they had a point.  How could I do this for the rest of my life if I'm really only able to do it for HALF of the rest of my life?!)  I HAD to figure out what was wrong with me, and fast!

In my freshman year of school, I spent a lot of money, and went to a lot of doctors to figure out just what was wrong.  I was tested for bacteria that may just be growing in the cold.  Nothing.  My sinuses were check for misshapenness (it's a word).  Nothing.  I was checked for allergies.  Three times.  Nothing.  Not a single person had a cure for me (which is why I'm no longer studying Music Education and UNC).  I've thrown in the towel.  I will never get better, so I might as well just push through the harsh winter months.

Two nights ago, as I was sleeping, I was woken suddenly at 5:30.  The flood gates were open.  My nose was suddenly uncontrollably runny, but so clogged I couldn't blow at the same time.  This is literally my least favorite feelings ever.  Give me cramps.  Give me cold feet.  Touch my neck!  I don't care!  Just don't let my nose be one big contradiction!  

Last night, I put an ice cube in my mouth to sooth my sore throat, sprayed my nose (which I'm very cautious about!), and laid perfectly still on my back.  At 6 o'clock, I got up.  Still able to breath out of BOTH nostrils!  Ahh!  Relief!  This will happen two more times this Winter.  I'm never lucky enough to have it happen more often.

I hate winter.  Part of it is the cold.  Most of it is this sickness I'm dealing with.  My whole life.  This is what I'll be dealing with all winter; I'm not okay with this, but I'll get through it.  I've gotten through it at least.... eighteen times.  (I don't remember much before eighteen years ago...)

I'll let you know when Spring is upon us.

Changes are a Timing...

One year's over and another begins.  Last year ended with a bang.

I quit my job for so many reasons I can't even list them all (I found out there's a limit to how much you can blog.).  I got my hair done.  Finally.  Yeah, that alone could have made my entire year fantastic.  I set up an interview for a new job, but for the past few weeks, I've just had a lot of time to clean and exercise and just play!  (Then why the stink haven't I updated this bad boy?  Pure laziness.  Believe it or not, running around Fort Collins in the freezing cold is a lot easier than trying to share my life with everyone.  Turns out my incredible life is really only interesting to myself.)

Chris is, well, Chris.  I feel like that should be a synonym for so many great adjectives.  I think I might start calling everything wonderful in life Chris.  Starting after this blog, because chances are that habits going to take a little while to develop.  That man actually did a lot more this year than be amazing.

He got married for eternity.  ETERNITY.  (No pressure.)  I feel like that was a pretty great decision.  He went through an entire semester of schooling with a ridiculous schedule. He was never home, and when he was,he was usually sleeping, and who can blame him?  Well all that hard work paid off- we can pay our bills, and he finished his school year with phenomenal grades.  I'm almost positive that he studied only the day of each final.  And it worked really well for him.

Not only did he end the year with great grades, but he also had ANOTHER birthday this year.  He has one EVERY SINGLE YEAR.  What a lucky guy he is!  He turned 25 on December 24, 2011.  Chris got a Kindle Fire, which I know he wanted, but I've only seen him use it twice. This is how I know he's been very, very busy, even though he's supposed to be on Winter Break from school.  Bummer.  (He worked approximately 168 hours a week for the past couple weeks.) 

Also, Christmas happened, so that was obviously a pretty major part of ending the year.  By far, my favorite part of the year.  For so many reasons.

This Christmas was different because I didn't spend it with my family.  We spent this year with Chris's family.  It was a lot of fun to see everyone and catch up, but it was soo FULL.  I'm used to lounging around in pj's and playing games and watching movies all day.  Best ever.  But I had real clothes on this year.  Real clothes.  And makeup.  The sacrifices I've made for love.  (I don't have a lot of room to talk.  It would seem that sacrifice is all that Chris does for me.)

Ringing in the New Year brings changes.  I didn't officially set any resolutions, but I certainly have a few goals I'd like to accomplish.  "How can you accomplish a goal that isn't really set?", you ask.  I'm Mormon.  I  just.  Can.

This year, I will be reading (and completing) at least one book every month.  Chris and I save $11 a week on insurance if we work out three times a week and record it on a specific website through his work, so not only will we be taking care of our bodies, we'll be held accountable by this website, and we'll be saving money (not a TON, but that's $44 a month!  Totally adds up.). 

Chris has three more semesters of school left, and has worked it out so that he'll be able to continue to work full time at night AND still have time to sleep somewhere in there.  He's so smart, and such a hard worker!  That's his resolution.  Keep a roof over our head.  :-)  He is also doing a great job accumulating backpacking gear, so.... looks like we're going to be good friends with nature this summer.  Yay.

We will also be adding to our family this year.  Very soon.

That's right.  I said it.  It's out.

Yeah... Chris and I have a pretty great year ahead of us.