Two Dates

Last week was my last week with Nate for the entire summer so we tried taking advantage of it and spending as much time together as we could!  On Thursday (the 17th) he picked me up from work.  He came to IF to get our car's windshield fixed (it's been cracked for an entire year) and then just hung around until I was done.  Sadly, that meant he has a couple of hours to kill because the windshield was fixed at 2:00 and I don't get off work until after 6:00 (and I was rushing to get my stuff done!).

He had already wandered around stores for a few hours but he wasn't hungry so we didn't want to eat quite yet.  We settled on walking around the mall for a bit.  The amazing part of this story is that we didn't buy a single thing!  That's quite an accomplishment for us :)  However, we did walk by some of those massage chairs and splurged a whole $2 a piece on a ten minute massage.  Best $4 we ever spent.

After our massage, we went to Texas Roadhouse and had the best steak we've ever had at a Texas Roadhouse.

On Saturday (the 19th) I was convinced we needed to do something fun because it was the last day we'd have together since I work during the week.  I've always wanted to go to the IF zoo and have never gone so that's what I decided on.  Nate woke up not feeling well so I didn't think we'd have time to go (I had to work at Broulims in the afternoon) but he sucked it up for me, because he loves me!  The zoo was little, but still fun!  I especially loved just listening to all the little kids there talk about the animals.  The monkey's were probably my favorite because they actually did more than just lay around.

There was a little, itty, bitty amusement park outside the zoo and I wanted to go on the ferris wheel but Nate thought it looked too sketchy so we passed.  To his credit, it was pretty old looking.

Funeral for Grandpa Bob

We flew to Ohio for a last minute weekend trip at the beginning of June.  Nate's Grandpa Bob passed away and so we went for the funeral.  Even though we had to go for sad reasons, it really was a great trip because all of Nate's siblings, and their spouses, were able to come as well.  It was just a big family reunion!  And of course it was great to see my family as well.  We flew out Thursday afternoon and then back on Sunday so it was a quick, quick trip.  We really missed Sawyer...as you can tell from the only pictures we took haha

4th of July Weekend

This year we decided to go down to Utah for the 4th.  I have had to work Saturdays so we haven't been able to go anywhere on the weekends.  Somehow, I got Saturday the 5th off so Friday night we headed down.  I had to work at Broulims until 6:30 so we didn't leave until 7:30.

I was really sad we weren't going to be able to go to an actual fireworks show but it worked out that we got to Tremonton around 9:50 and was able to watch fireworks all down the highway to Provo.  It was amazing!  There were some points where we could see probably 10 different firework displays at a time.

We didn't get to Provo until 11ish and our first stop was to pick up my brother Eli from his apartment.  We then changed our plans slightly and ended up getting a hotel in Provo for the night.  Well, we tried finding one in Provo but they were all booked solid because of the Carrie Underwood concert so we got one just outside of it.  Once we got there, we realized we were all hungry so back out we went (it's now 1:00am) to find food.  The only places open were Del Taco and Taco Bell...so we went to both!  We never had Del Taco before so Eli and I wanted to try that.  Nate didn't want to try something new so he wanted Taco Bell.  Eli and I also ended up getting stuff at Taco Bell too, just in case Del Taco was bad.  Since the food was so cheap, it didn't matter!

When Eli worked at the gas station back home he developed the habit of walking over to McDonalds after his shift to pick up dropped change from the drive-thru....so he hopped out of the car at both places and found some.  I think he made a whole 45 cents or something.  (Excuse our very dirty windshield).

Eli posted this picture on twitter with the caption "Third Wheeling Level 100"

On Saturday, we took Eli to run a few errands since he doesn't have a car.  First, we went to DI to buy him some kitchen essentials that he was so lacking.  I happened to find a mini muffin pan which was nice because mine has gotten lost at some point during my college career.  Next, we went to Super Walmart to buy food because he'd been surviving on Saltine crackers for the most part.  He spent over $100 which was definitely the most he's ever spent in one trip on food.  Thankfully, most of the stuff he won't need to buy again for a really long time (flour, oil, salt, rice, potatoes etc.)

Last time Nate and I were in the area we discovered an outlet mall that we didn't get to spend much time at so we went there next.  The boys enjoyed looking around the Nike store (which bores me) but then we went to J. Crew and Gap.  Outlets are a fantastic thing, I might add.  They make stores like J. Crew have prices in a range I can actually afford...since I can't be buying $50 pairs of shorts and $70 shirts!  But I ended up getting a pair of shorts and a shirt and Nate got some shorts and shirts as well.  At Gap I found a pair of jeans (which is good since I've basically been wearing one pair for the last year...I need some variety) and two really cute shirts.  It was a great trip all around!

In my new Gap jeans and shirt, with Eli right before we left to go back to Idaho.

After shopping, we met up with Nate's brother Brandon's family for pizza at Pizza Pie Cafe.  We have one in Rexburg but rarely go because Nate doesn't really like it.  I was glad it's what the kids picked because I hadn't been there in so long!  Sadly, it wasn't as good as I remembered :(

These kiddos are hilarious!!

To our excitement, there were fireworks planned for the night in Spanish Fork, where Nate's brother lives.  Apparently, it is just some guy that puts a show together because he loves fireworks.  Sounds like not a big deal, but it was legit.  It was set to music and had huge fireworks and everything!  Since our expectations for it were not really big, it was far more exciting than we anticipated haha (and I never got a picture of a big firework so this picture will have to do...)

On Sunday we went to church with Brandon's family and they fed us a delicious dinner of steak, potatoes, and pineapple jello salad!  The girls wanted to paint nails before I left so we went onto the porch outside to do that.  They painted mine first (a wide variety of pinks, reds, oranges and one blue) and then it was my turn to paint theirs.  Well, me being a total klutz, dropped the paint bottle and spilled silver nail polish all over my brand new jeans which I had been wearing for literally 15 minutes.  Brandon was a lifesaver and scrubbed it out using nail polish remover and after washing them when I got home you can't even tell it was there!

Overall, it was a fantastic weekend with family.  I especially enjoyed visiting with Eli and meeting some of his new BYU roommates.  It was a fly-by-the-seat-of-our-pants weekend, but that's how we like it :)

For the Record: Equality in the Mormon Church

I wasn't going to do this.  I really had no intention of writing any of my feelings down because I've probably read a million (maybe less...) blogs on this topic in the last few weeks and most have expressed how I feel.  But I decided I have this blog for a reason and it is to write down what I think about things and this is something I feel I should go "on the record" about.  Not because I have anything new to say.  Not because this is some well thought out argument that I've been working on for months or years (like some "blogs").  But because I want people to know how I feel and what I have been thinking.

It's women's equality in the Mormon church.  It's women who want the priesthood so that they can be equal to the men.

The thing is, from a secular point of view men and women are not equal in the Mormon church.  You can't really argue that they are.  There are many more prominent positions for men and even the highest woman leader still reports to the President of the Church (a man).  So no, we aren't "equal" and women can't do the same things that men can.

I am not a parent so this next bit is not from personal experience, but observation (I'm the oldest of six kids).  My parents parent each of my siblings differently and I've heard that's how it goes is any family with multiple kids.  Some kids need tough love, some need daily hugs and words of encouragement, some do chores willingly, some need a little push, some are stubborn and some are always obedient.  Parenting would be easy if every time a kid did X, the parent would do Y and peace would abound!  Since God is our parent, I expect it's the same with him.  Just like my parents gave all of us food, a bed, clothes and the essentials for earthly survival, so our Heavenly Father gave us all scriptures, prayer, and the temple for our spiritual survival.  And just like my parents gave me different chores than my siblings so that our house would function, our Heavenly Father gives us different chores/ responsibilities so that his church will function.  His sons were given the opportunity to exercise his power and authority to perform certain ordinances and hold certain leadership positions and his daughters were given the opportunity to utilize his power in other ways.  It is the same power, given in different ways to different children, NOT because he was trying to make them equal, but because he wanted his church to run a certain way.

And his church is an eternal church.  Not a church governed by earthly laws and understanding.  Not a democracy.  It's not like any other organization on the earth today.  So how can we put our secular version of equality on something that is in no way secular?

I remember sitting in 8th grade math one day, wondering what more there could possibly be to math.  We added, subtracted, multiplied, divided, found square roots and used the Pythagorean theorem (and used negative numbers sometimes!).  It seemed like that was all that numbers could possibly do!  And then I got to 9th grade geometry and a whole new facet of math was opened to me.  And then trigonometry, precalculus and calculus.

In 8th grade I could not have fathomed proofs, limits, imaginary numbers, etc.  But all those years of math were teaching me the basics for what was to come.  If someone tried to teach me calculus in 8th grade I wouldn't have any basis to start to comprehend it!  I needed precalculus, and before that I needed trigonometry.

Sometimes I like to think God works the same way.  Right now we are in 8th grade math.  Everything we see and do is based off our earth life and we can't even fathom what will happen in 12th grade calculus.  God doesn't even bother telling us what will happen because even if he did, we wouldn't understand it!!

But one day we will.  When the time is right.  First we need to ace algebra.  And then we need to ace geometry.  And finally, one day, God will tell us how it all works.

Whenever I don't understand why something in the church is the way it is, I have to have faith that one day I will.  I will always try to figure things out, and ask questions, but if I can't get the answer, I have to know it is okay!

Once we're done with our mortal state, I wouldn't be surprised if things changed and evolved!  I'm not going to venture to guess what those things could be on here, but each person can study and pray to find their own answers.  If some women want to believe that they will receive the priesthood in the future because of answers they found in the scriptures and their personal communication with God, through prayer, then I am not going to say they are wrong.  However I do not believe it is okay for them to preach to others their own, personal beliefs as if it is doctrine.  It's okay to talk with your husband/ wife/ close friends about your questions and ideas and wonder what things could be like in the future.  It's even okay to ask your bishop/ stake president what they think about the topic because maybe they will have insights you didn't have.  And if you feel like that's not enough and you want to ask the presidency of the church, by all means, do so!  But when those men (who have the very authority which you are seeking) say that what you are seeking is contrary to church doctrine then stop it.  Stop preaching your ideas like it is something that can be changed if enough people demand it.

One day, once we've all aced "calculus" I think we will look back at our time and earth and realize why things were the way they were.  And we will understand what equality through God's eyes truly means.  

The Drive-In: Part 3

Last Thursday we went to the drive-in again.  On a Thursday?  Yup!!  Nate's Friday classes were cancelled and I didn't have to work (but had to work early on Saturday) so it made more sense for us to do it then.  Instead of the 150+ cars that would be there on a Friday night there were 30, maybe.  It was fantastic!  This time we saw How To Train Your Dragon 2 and Edge of Tomorrow.  Both were really great movies and I would watch them again!

We just keep talking about how much we love going to the drive-in together.  I decided to compile a list of why the drive-in is the greatest way to watch a movie.

1. It's only $6.50 per ticket and you get to see TWO movies.  So it's $3.25 per movie which is like the dollar movies!
2. It's dollar movie price for the regular theater movies.  This particular drive-in changes the movies almost weekly to whatever the newest movie is.  And they always show the good new movies...not the lame new movies.
3. The food is cheaper.  A large popcorn is $4 instead of $8.  A large drink is $3.25 instead of $7.  Plus you can bring food in so we usually get a pizza or Mexican to eat in the car.
4. The "seats" are more comfortable.  Instead of sitting in an upright seat that a million other people have sat in, I can sit in the back of my car and cuddle with my husband!  It's the best!!

Regarding #4, we keep upgrading the back of our car.  The first time we went we brought pillows and blankets.  The second time we brought the back couch cushions to put behind our backs and our comforter to sit on/ cover up with.  This time we got really smart and brought the bottom couch cushions to sit on as well as the back ones AND pillows and blankets.  I've never been more comfortable!  We both stayed awake for both movies too.

I can't wait to see two more new movies in a few weeks when we decide to go for date night!

A Few Favorite Foods

I've been loving to eat recently (like, the last 22 years) so I thought I'd share some of my favorite foods as of late!

PopSecret Homestyle Popcorn- This stuff is heavenly.  For a while I favored popcorn popped on the stovetop because it was light and didn't make me feel nasty after eating it.  (I do however LOVE movie theater popcorn but only when at the movies.)  This stuff might be better than homemade!!!  It is so great and I can eat an entire bag without blinking an eye.

Broulims Homemade Salsa-  It's to die for.  We eat a whole container in a day...usually less.

Tostitos Cantina Thin & Crispy Chips- These taste just like chips from our favorite Mexican restaurants.  And they go great with the above salsa.

Guittard Chocolate Chips- Once you try these, you will never go back to your old chips.  They are perfect in every way possible for a chocolate chip.

Lipton Noodle Soup- I forget which of my roommates told me to eat this when I was sick one day but it's a cheap and great sick soup.  I like both the straight noodles and the one with chicken (even though it's not exactly fresh...).

Sabra hummus with pretzels- In the past I would buy hummus and then never finish it.  I couldn't find the perfect accompaniment.  Then a friend had some with pretzels and I was hooked.  It's delicious!

Well, that's what I've been eating recently!!!  Nothing too special or fancy...just good :)

A Place to Sleep

We finally got a bed!!!!!

The first month and a half of our marriage was spent with me sleeping on the couch and Nate sleeping on the floor next to me (sometimes I would give up the couch and go sleep with him...but the floor is just not very nice).  Once we had a bit of money we bought a mattress and put it on the floor in our bedroom.  It was definitely a step up but a mattress on the floor doesn't exude the coziness I think a bedroom should have.  Instead of crawling up into bed we literally fell down onto it.  

It's been almost 10 months of marriage and this past weekend we finally buckled down and bought one.  Nate has been looking online for one basically since we said "yes" so this was no impulse buy.  Gosh, beds are expensive!  We went with an IKEA bed that we found online a few months ago.  The closest IKEA in in Utah so we had to wait to get it until we went down there.  

Our comforter is actually a down comforter we bought on ebay a few weeks ago with a duvet cover (also from ebay) that just came yesterday.  The down comforter retails for $450 and we got it brand new for $50!  Score!  We almost bought one with the Macy's giftcards from our wedding and ended up getting pots and pans instead...definitely the right choice as we spent way less money later!

Have I said how happy I am that we have a bed finally?!?!?!  It just makes our room 10X better and it doesn't take up as much space as I thought it would either.  Also, can I brag about my husband for a bit?  Because he put this whole thing together by himself while I was at work for 7 hours yesterday and totally surprised me.  I was under the impression we were going to do it together later in the week (which now doesn't make sense since we are going to Ohio on Thursday...).  Anyways, he's the best.  

Life is good at home, sweet little home.

It also came with covers for pillows but they go on King size pillows and ours are just regular ones so those are on our "to buy" list for the future.