hello october

This, THIS, is my favorite time of year. It's just  g r a n d  and wonderful. What could be any better than falling leaves, crisp air, cinnamon candles, and cuddling on the couch with the cutest boy ever watching classic chick-flicks like You've Got Mail, or having a Harry Potter movie marathon?

Here are some highlights you might have missed over the last few weeks:

• We got lost in a corn maze for almost three hours and ended up cutting through the corn stalks and got covered in burrs that stuck all over our pants and shoes, but the PJ party after was lovely.
• Ate Little Caesar's pizza and watched a movie in a true architectural wonder. (a.k.a. a blanket and couch fort)
• One night, I had to stay up late to get some homework done and my hubs surprised me with a Diet Coke to help me get through the night.
• Went to a concert on campus that was kind of a bummer, but the dancing with Chaddy-babes was supah  g r a n d  .
• Went to a concert for Chad's birthday and got second hand high from all the sketchy kids smoking weed. It's chill though because we FINALLY got the smell of kush out of our clothes.
• Released a dragon fly back into the wild after it somehow got trapped in our apartment.

I guess the BIGGEST highlight is that Chad and I have been married for two.. *read it* 1, 2, DOS, months. Life is ABSOLUTELY wonderful. I really cannot describe how wonderful it is. Like I seriously just tried to write one sentence and it was really hard. I am at a complete loss for words. So here are some pictures instead.

Just us enjoying a  g r a n d  football game.

Having a simply wonderful time at the Atmosphere concert.

The most challenging corn maze known to mankind.

So.. that's basically it. Life is great. Gotta love the married life.

xoxo

.the m u r r i e d life.

So once upon a time this crazy chick met a super cute stud muffin and now they're married and life is just  g r a n d  . I was one of those girls who goes to college, gets into a serious relationship, and gets engaged within their first year. So if you're wondering, the answer is yes, I am nineteen. I'm not going to go into a huge rant about how 'getting married young was perfect for me... blah blah' because so many people are doing that now and frankly nobody cares about how you proved everybody and their statistics(which are total crap) wrong and such.. it's lame and over done. However, I will be somewhat of a 'spokesperson' on why marriage is so great!

I was pretty nervous to get married. I don't know why. Maybe because I felt like I wasn't going to be as independent as I had been, or the short amount of time that we dated and the even shorter engagement was just really fast, but I knew it was right... So I kind of jumped in and it has been the best decision of my life.

When the mission age change occurred, I had been swept off of my feet and almost drowned with excitement in the missionary work 'wave'. I had been preparing myself to serve an LDS mission for about a year and a half, but things kept going wrong. I had a tooth implant surgery that failed and I would have had to wait an additional 6-8 months to even submit my papers, I didn't get accepted into the university that I wanted and what I had planned out for the next three years kept falling through. I wasn't really frustrated, but there was definitely some confusion as to why my plan and righteous desire to serve the Lord and help with his purpose wasn't working out how I had intended.

While all of this crazy and stressful confusion was going on in my life, my husband had declined a scholarship from the university (that I was just DYING to go to) and decided to go to the one that we currently attend now. He also decided to serve a full-time LDS mission and came back to our university the spring semester of my freshman year.

Here's the love story: We met in freezing cold January. We had a humanities class and an LDS Institute choir together. I recognized him in my class from choir and decided that he was pretty cute so naturally I should strike up a conversation in class and see where it goes, right? (It was truly love at second sight) Well I did and this kid was pretty chill and totally opposite of me. He was SO quiet and reserved (with other people). We got along great. We would sometimes spend about an hour and a half chatting after class or choir. It took him about a month to ask me out on a date (it pretty much killed me because it seemed like it took so long), and I had the best date of my life on February 7, 2014. This kid had literally swept me off my feet (well, not literally.. at least one of my feet remained on the ground the entire date). We laughed a lot and I can only describe my feelings as blissful and wonderful. He liked me enough to ask me out on a second date on Valentine's Day. This date was such a hoot. I dolled up and he was looking pretty nice too, so we went to my favorite local place to grab some hot chocolate. As soon as we sat down, the embarrassment came.. the waiter spilled hot chocolate all over his pants and after that, let's just say that we watched a movie and our first kiss was probably MY most embarrassing moment in my entire life. I missed his mouth. It was that bad. But it's chill because the kisses after that were right on the lips! Later that month, we made our relationship 'official' and such.*BAM* *FASTFORWARD* We were engaged by the third week of May and married on August 9, 2014. It happened fast but it was great and I wouldn't have changed a single thing, including the fact that I missed his mouth on our first kiss.

So there was my answer to all of my confusion. I had a different mission in life and I'm totally okay with it. The married life is so great. I finally have somebody to share my love of Disney/ Pixar movies with and a Disneyland ride partner for all of time and eternity. Really, who could ask for more? The Lord's fingerprints are truly all over our lives. I could probably write a blog post on all of the little ways that my husband's life and my own lined up and such, but that would probably be pretty boring and a waste of time because there is only one explanation to it and it's that our Heavenly Father loves us and puts His hand into our lives so that we may have happiness in this life and the life to come.

xoxo

hmmm....

So it's spring break and life is soopah crazy like always. I had to get my tooth implant thingy for a second time (because the first time it failed) and it hurt like a mother. This time I asked for laughing gas and holy coww... I really liked it. I probably shouldn't have liked it as much as I did but, I did. It's great. Don't get it. It's really fun. But seriously, don't get it. It's too fun.

My sister Lyndsey is such a trooper. Her husband was recently diagnosed with cancer, but it hasn't stopped her from pushing through life. Health problems have always been something my family has been challenged with. It can sometimes be really discouraging and hard, but that doesn't mean you can't smile. If there is one thing that I have learned from my upbringing is that no matter what, find the joys in life. Life can be super hard and rough and icky, but it shouldn't stop you from living. Yes, things are really crazy right now and they will probably continue to be crazy for awhile, but I know that everything will work out. This sounds kind of weird but sometimes my soul feels the most at peace during these crazy times. I know that it is because of my Heavenly Father. He really is so great! I'm blessed to have God in my life. Without him I would feel so lost and alone. He helps my family and me during our most difficult times. I'm grateful for these challenges because without them, my relationship with my Father in Heaven would probably not be as strong. I figure whenever I'm faced with a difficulty in life, I have two choices: let the little bump in the road bug me, distract me and harden my heart, or allow it to humble me and give me a chance to grow closer to God. They both can be difficult, but one reaps a greater reward. No matter what happens, you gotta beam a smile and keep positive.
(If you want to take a gander and learn a little bit more about my sister and her husband's journey with cancer, go to this blog: http://kentbarkerupdates.blogspot.com/2014/03/side-effects.html )

So.. Let's get positive! The highlights of my break so far:
-sleeping in
-eating yummy homemade food
-watching frozen.. again
-getting letters/emails from my missionary friends
-going to the art gallery at BYU with the beautiful paintings of Jesus
-going to a Venezuelan/ Colombian restaurant
-playing with my nephew
-face timing... :)
-chilling with the fam bam!!

This break has been great. I survived midterms and I feel ready to finish the semester strong! It's gonna be great!

xoxo

They Say When It Rains, It Rains Pennies From Heaven..

It's been a really long time since my last blog post. I have such a hard time keeping up on it! Today was a pretty crazy day. It was pretty stressful because I had a three page paper due and I had started it just this morning. The weather pretty much matched my mood perfectly-- rainy, wet and stressed. As I walked into my Sociology class, I found a penny heads-side up. It reminded me of the saying, "Find a penny, heads-side up and all day long you'll have good luck!" I loved that saying. It makes me feel like the luckiest girl in the world and somebody is really looking after me. Just that feeling of having somebody looking after me reminded me of one of my favorite poems:

      Pennies from Heaven
i found a penny today
just laying on the ground
but it's not just a penny
this little coin i've found
"found" pennies come from heaven
that's what my grandpa told me
he said angels toss them down
oh, how i loved that story
he said when an angel misses you 
they toss a penny down
sometimes just to cheer you up
make a smile out of your frown
so don't pass by that penny
when you're feeling blue
it may be a penny from heaven
that an angel tossed to you

     ~ C. Mashburn

xoxo

May the Finals Be Ever in Your Favor, and Happy Holidays!

The semester is almost over and finals are here! The stress and struggle are real. I honestly cannot believe how fast this semester has gone, but it's fine. I'm totally ready for next semester to start!

Let's be real though.. the real craziness right now is the Holidays!!! I abso-freaking love this time of year! It's all about family, friends, and food (Mmmmmm... food!). It's so great.

Thanksgiving:

     This year, our family get together was so small. It was really weird too because I didn't have my best buddy there. It's chill though because he got two meals and one of them involved a deep fried turkey so.. yeah. He's fine. The food was amazing and I don't think I've ever eaten that much in my life. EVER. 

     I also got some major Black Friday shopping done too. My cousin Kellie and I woke up at the crack of dawn to head over to Smith's Marketplace. She is a hoot! We had a blast quoting Studio C's "Lobster Bisque" and talking in the most absurd voices. It was great! We also went to Walmart which was pretty great too. My mom and I went to Old Navy to grab some of their AWESOME 50% off deals. I am sooo stoked for Christmas so I can start wearing a bunch of the cute stuff I got!
     Before I left for the break, Kayla and I transformed our apartment into a winter wonderland. It's pretty great and totally made our apartment feel more like a home. I'm going to miss that lady so much! She's so great and Pittsburgh is one heck of a lucky place! She is the glue that holds my apartment together. She is simply amazing. But I heard we are getting Marissa Bailey's sister as a roommate and she is the cutest darn thing. I'm really glad we get such a cutie!

Finals:
    I've had some really great classes this semester. My favorite is probably my religious studies because my professor is probably the coolest dude ever. I've had so much fun and love all the buddies I've made! Next semester is probably going to be super crazy but I'm geared up and totally ready.
     I took my first final this Wednesday and ACED IT! I officially have an A in that class and I feel so good about it. I definitely have not gotten as much sleep as I need though. Whatever though, that's what Christmas Break is for, right? Studying is basically the only thing I ever do now. I feel like I have turned into the anti-social caterpillar.. That doesn't really make sense. (Sleep Deprivation is setting in!) But after next week, my life will be soooo much better!
     I CANNOT WAIT UNTIL CHRISTMAS!!! I'm so excited! It's fine! We set up our Christmas lights before I came back up to Logan and have to say my house is looking FABULOUS! This is seriously my favorite time of year. I love spending time with family and friends. I'm probably going to go to Temple Square for the lights and hot chocolate. I've been really thinking about my cute grandma who passed away about six years ago. She always made the holidays so much fun! She probably sparked my love for Christmas music. Gotta love that Grandma Geniel! It's probably just going to be my parents, brother, grandpa Garn and me for Christmas this year! Super small and weird. But it'll still be really fun! I can't wait!
     My goal this month is to really find the Christ in Christmas. This time of year is really fun, but sometimes we get distracted with the parties, fun and sometimes the stress of the holidays. I know that if we search for Christ's love, and really do take time to remember him and all that he has done for us this season, we will truly be blessed with the Spirit of the Lord being upon us. I know that when we feel His spirit and the witness of the Holy Ghost, the peace we feel is a gift that is truly priceless. 

So college is probably the greatest thing ever. I absolutely love it here in Logan. It's a perfect fit for me. My friends are fabulous and the adventures we have are unforgettable.

I went home this last weekend for my cousin Jeff's farewell. We have been best buddies since we were little and it has been a friendship that has been consistent in my life. I'm so glad for all the fun we've had but I am even more grateful that he made the righteous choice of going on a mission. I know he's going to grow to be a spiritual giant after this. I already miss that turd so much!

The friends I've made up here are seriously the best I've ever had. I love being able to come home from classes and crash on Halie's bed and having her think it's not weird at all! We don't even have to have huge adventures all the time to have fun. We could be sitting in a room doing nothing but talking and still be having a blast. There is no need for impressing or trying to 'one-up' each other.

Yesterday, my babe of a friend Kalli called and invited me to go to a USU hockey game with her and Megan. It was so much fun! After the game we went to McDonald's and got some food (which was fabulous! Fast food is heaven-sent!). I loved the chats we had. I definitely feel like I got to know them better and I just love being their friend! After that we came back and got in our jammies, painted our nails and watched A Cinderella Story (Love me some Chad Michael Murray!). Our buddy Brandon came and watched with us too so we gave him a manicure too. It was so much fun! I'm pretty sure Brandon's nails turned out the best!
I love my girls! They are simply... BABES.

It's Been too Long...

I feel like I haven't posted in forever! So, these last two weeks have been crazy. I haven't gone home on the weekends and I've gotten to know a lot of the people in my building which has been wayy fun! I love Logan. It is so beautiful and I feel like I'm in the right place.

Some highlights:

-I finally went to dinner at my uncle's place. It was pretty fun but also kind of weird because growing up I didn't see him all that much and so it's kind of weird trying to build up a bond. He's a pretty cool guy though so it's gonna be EASY.
-I got some gorgeous flowers from somebody who wanted to remain anonymous. It has been driving me crazy! I just want to know so I can give them the biggest hug ever!
-Talked with my best friend Megan and that just makes me happy :)...
-Finally took a long walk through the cemetery across the street from my housing and it was the best decision of my life. The trees are gorgeous and it was so peaceful. I love fall!

College is the New YOLO...

I LOVE COLLEGE.

So at first I wasn't too down with this whole moving away from home and not being able to watch The Mentalist with my parents every Sunday night. I feel like these last few days have totally changed how I've felt and it's all because of some pretty amazing girls.

Today was so much fun! I got to know the awesome girlies across the hall and got to hang out with my super fun buds who live two floors below me. Let's just say good laughs, nail polish, cookie dough, and hair dye can make a good day even better. No I didn't dye my hair, but I am styling a pretty cute brown nail polish thanks to one of my new buds! It's really so much fun to get to know people and go outside of your comfort zone.

BIG NEWS: I'm starting to journal too! Dang.. this week just keeps getting better and I'm super stoked to see what else my college career has in store for me.