Today was a perfect microcosm of the entire winter season.

8:00 am- Matt and I have a conversation about how awesome it is that the weather is starting to warm up a bit, and the snow hasn't stuck for the last couple weeks. We look out the window and celebrate the fact that we don't have to scrape our cars this morning.

8:30 am- I get dressed in the least wintery clothes I can while still maintaining some warmth. Flats, jeans, a jacket.

8:50 am- I look out the window once more before I leave and find a full fledged snow storm going on. I change my clothes. Boots and parka.

9:00 am- 2 cars spin out on the freeway in front of me. Scary. Add 30 minutes to my drive to Provo.

10:00 am- Snowstorm hits Provo. My thesis advisor calls me and asks me to run to his classroom to tell his students that he'll be late. Walk to classroom in blizzard, my boot comes apart at the toe and my sock and foot are now soggy and freezing.

12:00 pm- Try to find my car in a parking lot full of snow burried vehicles. Think I spot it in the back, a few aisles away. Someone follows me to my car and watches as I try to open it. I wipe off some snow from the window and look inside and see that indeed, it is not my car. Wave sorry to person who was waiting for my spot.

12:15 pm- Stand in parking lot and think really really really hard about where I parked this morning. Decide to start back at the beginning. Remember how I got a great spot right at the front of the parking lot. Wow good thing it saved me all that time as I walked right past it and wandered all over the whole lot!

1:15 pm- Foot is still soggy and freezing. Met Matt at our favorite Thai place for lunch. Finally stopped snowing. A ray of sunshine breaks through.

I am so ready to go home, get in the hot tub, and call it a day!

Today

Today has consisted of more thesis writing. Here are some entertaining things I looked at during my breaks.

Did you know...

It may be beneficial to open a Chinese Bank Account ?

A man was shot in the head and sneezed out the bullet ?

Britney Spears' new song is great, but these covers are almost better ? (For you, Stephanie)

The Broncos got (another) new coach ? (And that one's for you, Matt)

And check out this neat buy vs. rent calculator from NY Times.

That's all. Oh except for this yummy gluten free pumpkin chocolate chip bread/cake thing. I wish I still had some left.

 

Okay, I think we're all caught up now.

And a Happy New Baby!

Madeleine was born! Congratulations! I was SO HAPPY to go out to see the little one and help out.
Sooo I love babies. A lot. It was neat seeing Steph fit into her new role as a mother. She is already a great mom! I really miss little Madeleine. Can't wait for their move to Idaho in a few months. Sad saying goodbye to them but I was VERY glad to come home to my wonderful husband on Wednesday.

And a Happy New Year!

Our New Year's Eve was pretty exciting. Any time we feel like we haven't argued in awhile we go purchase a piece of hard-to-assemble furniture. This was actually our first time doing it but if any of you are craving a gold old fashioned "discussion" I highly recommend buying an office desk, with at least 100 pieces to assemble, which may or may not be labeled, and then go into a room and decide not to leave until the desk is complete. You think this will take an hour. Five hours later you're hungry, tired, and you can't figure out why the drawer doesn't sit right. Seriously- that's what we did. All night. After it was done, we realized it was actually kind of fun. I think we did a midnight toast with cocoa.  What better way to ring in the new year? 

Notice the white plate organization system for small pieces

FINALLY FINISHED!! A real looker.

2010 was a REALLY good year: romantic engagement, perfect wedding, tropical honeymoon and a lot of vacations.... but.... I have high hopes for 2011- here's to graduation!

Merry Christmas!

Wow has it seriously been a month since the last update? I'll do a few to make up for the gap.
We had a lovely Christmas with our families in Carlsbad and Poway.

Before we left for California, we got into the Christmas spirit by baking up some little treats for our friends and neighbors.

I felt genuinely sad putting the little fellows in the oven.

A gingerbread marriage!

Then Matt helped me make his mother's famous "Santa Cookies" which just may be his very favorite thing about the whole Christmas season.

Confession- we opened up all our gifts to each other about 4 days early. And it was so much FUN.

Matt got me this big piece of wall art for our living room!

AND he hung it up for me!

Nothing says "Merry Christmas" like Emergency Food Storage!

We spent Christmas Eve with the Morris clan... they have some legit nativity play costumes.

Christmas morning was with the Lonas clan... we got this BEAUTIFUL olive wood nativity set! I played doll house with it when we got home. Seems too beautiful to put in storage.

Doing the back and forth thing wasn't too bad- we just feel lucky that we could spend time with both families and have a nice place to stay the whole time! Thank you to both sets of parents, Jeff, and Natalie for being so accommodating :).