As of Late

Last night, at 10:55, Stephen rolled over and said to me, "I think it's going to take me a while to fall asleep. I just can't seem to get comfortable." By 11:05, he was snoring.

He and I have a lot of fun moments in life. There are plenty of time where we look at each other and laugh. He's also really great at holding me and getting me to cry even when I'm too stubborn to let it go. I've become a better listener when he just wants to vent for a bit. I also love when I can do something silly that makes his face crinkle when he smiles. It's really the little things that make our marriage so good for both of us. We're still learning for sure, but I feel like we're getting better at being married. I mean, we've been working at it for over five months now, so we should be pros, right?

I've gotten really good at making bread that Stephen loves. I can almost count on him eating half of the loaf as soon as it's done. I also had a lot of fun last Saturday freezing food. I couldn't sleep, so at 5:30, I went to the Bountiful Basket sight and helped set up the baskets. I then came home with a laundry bin full of fresh produce and decided I still wasn't tired enough to sleep, so I went to work on prepping my food. By the time Stephen woke up, I blanched and froze broccoli and asparagus, chopped and froze bell peppers, and cut potatoes and made hash browns from them. That morning, I also made a smoothie base by blending fruits and celery and froze that too, so I can add it to smoothies later (I needed stronger fruits to overpower the celery taste). During all this, I listed to Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks. It's been a while since I've listened to a mushy love story besides my own (awww). I felt so much like my mother, cooking and cleaning the kitchen while listening to an audiobook. Growing up, I would sit in the kitchen and listen to my mom's stories while she worked. Only now looking back do I realize I should have been helping her while listing to the stories. Sorry, Mom. 

One of my new years resolutions is to do my hair more. I had gotten really good at letting it air dry in an awkward angle and hiding it in a ponytail. I decided that I should either cut my hair or actually do things with it. So I've been practicing new braids, buns, and bobby pin tricks. I have A LOT of thick, blond hair. My whole life, anytime I've gotten a hair cut, the beautician has commented on how thick my hair is. My mom can curl her hair in four curlers. I use to use all the curlers just for one side of my head, and then wait for them to set before doing the other side. I got some more curlers for Christmas, and if I strategize well enough, I can make it work now. But I wanted to get better at doing my hair, and so I'm putting my pinterest to use and practicing! I put a picture on Facebook of my most adventurous attempt and I'm proud of the results. I had only ever done a dutch braid on myself the day before, so I was nervous, but it worked!

The job interview I had for being an apartment manager didn't turn out how I wanted it to, and no one else has contacted me. I'm going to now follow up, but it's a little discouraging. I've been brainstorming other ideas and am considering being a nanny for the Summer. From what research I've done, there seems to be enough of a demand that hopefully, I could find a good job that way. It would also be far too much fun for me to play house every day with someone else's children. But I'm not giving up on the management job hunt either. I have faith that something will work out for me.

This week, I went to an optometrist and updated my prescription. I also chose some new glasses, since the frames I wear now are the ones I chose in middle school for my first pair. I'm excited to get them either tomorrow or early next week. I also got new contact lenses and a scolding from the optometrist to not sleep in my contacts. Oops. I'm going to try harder now to take them out before I sleep. My friend, Kim, drove me to the appointments since Stephen had the car for work. I feel bad to impose on people and ask them for a ride, but it was really nice to spend time with Kim and chat. She's in my ward and lives nearby, and has been friendly and helpful to me.

My whole ward has been so nice to me. I gave a lesson in Relief Society a few weeks ago, even thought that's not my calling. I substituted for someone and spoke on a talk about including everyone and making sure people feel welcomed at church. I felt our Relief Society could really benefit from the lesson and was prompted by the Spirit a lot to share important things. Most of my lesson was discussion based, and I'm grateful for the input from the women. I got a lot of positive feedback, and felt successful. Really though, I think a teacher's role in Relief Society is more of a discussion facilitator rather than a lecturer, so I can't take credit for most of what people said and felt. But it has helped the women in the ward to recognize me more by name, and that's something I will take credit for--I tend to be quirky and memorable in front of a crowd like that.

Stephen's been working really hard lately. He had a meeting with his supervisors at work who told him they see potential in him and want to help him learn and grow as a programmer. While he's still considered somewhat as an intern, they intend to offer him a full-time position once he graduates. It's comforting to have that job security. He's also been working at his art skills and has been drawing more lately. I can tell he's improving, and I'm proud of him for it. Stephen also continues to impress me with his help around the apartment. I made it his assignment to check the mail since I want to be in the cold as little as possible. He's dutifully checked the mail immediately after work, but he normally just brings back icicles instead of envelopes. He likes to watch them melt in the sink. I sometimes think I married a five-year-old. He makes me smile.

Well, it's late, and I believe I've rambled enough. Don't bother looking for some overall theme or flow of idea. It doesn't exist. This is a post of things I can come up with besides saying life is normal (which it is). But I'm not complaining. I told Stephen today I feel bad for everyone who's not us, because they just won't ever understand this level of happiness, which is really a shame. Honestly, I'm sorry for you that you're not married to Stephen. It's like the best thing ever, even if he eats the bread far too quickly or leaves icicles in my sink. One day, I'll look back on this blog and roll my eyes at how much I gush about him, but for now, it's just cute.