Six Months Married and As Happy as Ever

I know everyone has been wondering what the Newlyweds have been up to...well...
No we're not expecting! Goodness! Give us some time! We've only been married for six months!
We've been somewhat busy actually. Adam is working hard finishing up his last semester at SLCC and working full time as an evening custodian. We're waiting to hear back from UofU in hopes that Adam will be going there in the Fall.  He's thinking about majoring in Mechanical Engineering.
I've been working hard at the Chocolate Factory.  The beginning of January I was promoted to Sales Rep. Now I get to sit in an office with no windows and make orders for people.  I have to say it is easier on my hands and wrist than working in production.
So what else have we been up to since the day we said "I do" well in early October we went to General Conference with the sis.

Later in October we went on our official honeymoon.  We went to Logan for a long weekend and stayed in the Anniversary Inn in the Presidential Suite, which was amazing! On our way to Logan we went to the Bountiful Temple.

We also stopped by the Brigham City temple.

The next day we went and did a session as the Logan temple with cousin Sally.

For lunch we went to a local haunt called Angie's restaurant, where Adam got himself a massive cheeseburger called a triple double.  Yes it had six patties on it!

Later that night Adam and I dressed up and went to a fancy restaurant for dinner.

As we headed back home we decided to drive up one of the canyons and enjoy the beautiful autumn colors.

We also decided to stop by the Ogden temple and get a few pics.

Since then we've mostly just been working and going to school.
We did spend Thanksgiving with the Williams side and got a picture of all the kiddies.

We also went to The Desert Star Playhouse and saw How the Grouch Stole Christmas for a school assignment for Adam and as a fun date.

For our First Christmas as a married couple we kept it pretty simple and stayed home. We got each other a few little gifts, nothing too fancy, but it was a nice first Christmas together.
New Years we spent with the Williams family, playing lots of game and eating lots and lots of food.
Then of course Valentine's Day. We stayed in got some take out and just relaxed and enjoyed our time together.

So that is what we've been up to for the last six months. And just to give you guys an extra smile I thought you might enjoy this picture:

Yes look at what I'm getting Adam to do, and he enjoyed it!

Once upon a time...

This post might be a bit cheesy and very gushy, so if you can't handle it you should still read on anyway.
Also, Adam knows that I'm writing this and has given me permission to share the embarrassing stories.
On December 7th, 2013 I was set up on a blind date by my cousin Libby. I know what you're thinking, this is going to be another post about one of Jessie's awkward blind dates. No, not this time. This is the tale of a blind date that actually turned out to be amazing! I know what you're thinking "An amazing blind date, that's impossible!" Well I will admit that it was a little bit awkward, because let's face it, blind dates are almost always awkward, but it turned out for the best!
It was a snowy day and I headed down to my cousins' house because we were doing a double date. I got there a couple of hours early so I could hang out with my cousins for a bit before. Eventually my date showed up and Libby introduced us. She told me how she had first met Adam. I won't be able to do justice to Libby's retelling but this is the less dramatic version:
One day when Libby and Ethan lived in Indiana, Ethan was deathly ill with the flu. Libby had been calling around to different members of their ward to find anyone who could give Ethan a Priesthood Blessing, but no one was available, so she prayed and when she opened her eyes she noticed a couple of elders walking past her house. She went to them crying out "Elders, elders I need your help!" So she brought them in and had the greenie who had just arrived into the mission field the day before give Ethan a blessing, and within a few days Ethan was healed. Adam was the greenie who gave Ethan that blessing.
After I was told this story, Libby went on to tell Adam how patient and caring I was when I had to help take care of my grandma. Her story was of course very dramatic but it seemed to work on Adam.
For our first date we went and saw Thor: Dark World then went back to Ethan and Libby's and had dinner and played games. It was a fun date, but a bit awkward because we were both nervous and as much as I love Ethan and Libby they only helped make it more awkward, especially at the end of the date. We said goodnight and that was that.
The next day I text Adam and told him that I had a good time and would like to get to know him better. After a few texts back and forth he called me and asked me out on a second date.
Our second date was the following Wednesday. He came and picked me up and we went to City Creek Center and ate dinner at Kneaders. Then we walked around the mall and Temple Square for a couple of hours. It was a bit chilly outside but I honestly didn't really notice because Adam and I had a lot in common. We probably spent a good hour talking about Doctor Who alone. Now a few days earlier I had won a couple of tickets to see The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug on opening night. I was originally going to take Ethan with me but since Adam and I had such a good time on our second date I thought I would invite him to come with me. So on the drive home I asked him if he'd like to go with me.
So that Friday we went to see The Hobbit together. Now during the movie I was hoping that he might try and hold my hand so I had it resting nonchalantly on my leg so that it would be easy to grab. Throughout the first half of the movie I could see him trying to build up the courage to grab my hand but then he would chicken out. About half way through the movie he finally just went for it and grabbed my hand. Then we held hands for the rest of the movie. After the movie he took me back to my house and we sat and talked for an hour.
Sunday we were invited to my friends Kymn and Russ's for dinner. Then on Tuesday Adam brought me a rose to work. The receptionist at work brought it out to me. It was so funny because she came out and told me to close my eyes, so I did. Then when she told me to open them she had placed a rose in front of me and said that a very cute young man brought this for me. I got teased by everyone at work, but I didn't care because I was enjoying every second of it. As soon as I was off I called Adam and thanked him for it. That Friday he came over to my house and I made him dinner and we ended up watching White Christmas together. The next day he took me out to dinner then we went to The Piano Guys concert at the Energy Solutions Arena.

Sunday December 21st Adam took me to meet his family, and I don't just mean a couple of people in his family, his whole family! Two weeks after our first date he took me to meet five of his siblings and their families as well as skyping with his brother's family in Maine and his parents who are on a mission in Germany. Needless to say I was very stressed and nervous about this. Luckily his family was very sweet and very welcoming. Adam's sister-in-law came up to me at one point during the night and told me that I was beautiful. It was a very interesting night but it wasn't bad at all, and luckily I love his family.
The next week I went home for Christmas I was distracted because Adam and I were continually texting. When I headed home the day after Christmas, Adam came over and I made him dinner and we did a puzzle while watching a movie. As we were working on the puzzle I spontaneously asked him if I was his girlfriend. He looked at me and said "Yeah, I think you are." We had decided that we were officially dating.
The next day we went to Ethan and Libby's place to spend some time with several of my cousins for the holidays. It was a fun weekend with family and our first overnight together! Don't worry nothing happened, except me falling asleep on the couch while we watched TV.
For New Years Eve we were invited to Kymn and Russ' for a party. There were a few of us there and we had lots of delicious food and played lots of fun games. Midnight came around and we were distracted playing a game that we didn't realize that the new year had already begun. Around 2am Adam and I left. I was dropping him off at his house when he decided it was time we finally kissed!
Now to start off, this was the first kiss for both of us. Yes I mean that neither of us had ever been kissed before. So we got out of the car and he had a plate of leftovers in his hand. We hugged and he decided to go in for the kiss...it was so awkward!!! He leaned in and his lips met mine, but nothing really happened. We pulled apart and hugged, and then his glasses got stuck in my hair! I was not satisfied with how this turned out so I told him we needed to try again, so we did. It was still weird. After that I left. The next day we were texting and I told him that he should come over so we could get some practice. ;) He did and we did, but it still wasn't that great. Don't worry, the kissing is much better now :D
January 7th was our one month anniversary together. So we decided to do something special, so we went up to temple square and watched the Joseph Smith movie. After the movie we went back to my place and just hung out for a little while. I was tired and we were cuddling on the couch when all of a sudden he told me he loved me. Yes! I wasn't sure if I had heard right, and so it took me a second, but finally I sat up and told him that I wasn't ready to say it just yet. He was very understanding and told me he would wait until I was ready to say it to him. I'll admit it freaked me out at first, and probably led up to my freakout.

A few weeks into January I had a little bit of a mental break down, but first let me explain something. This was my first relationship ever. I'd spent 25 years alone, I'd never had anyone be affectionate with me, and I'd never spent so much time with a person so it was a bit overwhelming for me. So Adam and I had a pretty rough week. I was acting insane, and he had no idea why! So after advice from a few different sources I asked Adam to come over after work and we talked. Apparently that was all I needed. I was afraid of talking to him about stuff that was bothering, but that's all it took. Once I was able to get stuff off my chest and just talk to him things changed for the better. Apparently communication is very important in a relationship! Who knew?
The next big thing in our relationship was Valentine's Day. That morning I got up early and heart attacked Adam's door. Adam was working at Dominos at the time and had to work Valentine's Day. He was supposed to get off by seven but didn't get to my house until 10:30! It wasn't the best Valentine's Day, but it was definitely nice to finally have someone to spend the day with.
At the end of March I went through the temple and recieved my endowments. I went through the St. George temple, and I decided that this big weekend for me would be a good time for Adam to finally meet my family. Because it was a big event in my life there was a lot of people there to support me, so Adam got to meet everyone all at once. Sounds familiar, but at least he got three months to work up to it ;) It was a big step for me and after seeing how the weekend went there was something I knew for sure...

A few days after I went through the temple. Adam and I were playing a game with his brother. Adam basically stole the game from his brother, and the two of us were left alone to finish the board game. As Adam was stealing the game from me, I leaned over and said: "You're lucky I love you." Adam stopped and looked at me for a few seconds before saying "I love you, too." I knew before we had gone to St. George that I loved him, but I wanted to see how things went with my family before I took that step.
For my birthday I flew to South Carolina to have a short vacation with my sister and her friend, so Adam and I celebrated my birthday the day before. We went to the temple, ate pizza at the Pi, and got Red Velvet Cakebites from The Sweet Tooth Fairy.
On Memorial Day weekend Adam and I were headed down to Southern Utah to spend the weekend with my family. At the point Adam and I had been talking about marriage quite a bit. As we were driving down Adam basically asked me if we were getting married. I was taken aback but I told him that I thought we were. So we had decided at that point we were getting married. Many of you may find this backward, but I had already told him yes before he even proposed. That weekend we told my parents, who decided to tell the whole world. So by the time we got home on Monday, we had our date set, colors picked, and wedding plans in motion.
Two weeks later Adam took me to Dayne's Music to "look" at pianos, and play on their nice grand piano that they use for recitals. We went into the recital room and he played a song called Valentine for me. After he'd finished he told me to come tinkle with the piano, before I had sat down on the piano bench Adam was on one knee asking me to marry him! I was so excited that I barely let him finish before I was yelling "Yes! Yes! Yes! Put it on! Put it on!" June 7, 2014 we were officially engaged!

Two months later on Saturday August 9th, 2014 Adam and I were married in the St. George Temple. The happiest day of my life, and I got to marry my best friend.

Now we're beginning our new life together, and so far it has been awesome, with a few bumps along the way, but it's an adventure, and not all adventures are smooth sailing, but this is one adventure that I am very excited for this one! I'm ready to start our happily ever after!

Entering the Temple

This last weekend I went home to St. George and got my endowments. I went through the St. George temple with my family and friends and Saturday March 29th, 2014. I started thinking about going through the temple about three years ago but because of some technicalities my bishop told me to wait until I was 25 since I wasn't getting married or going on a mission. So that put my decision on hold since I was only 23 at the time. So after I moved to Salt Lake I decided that I would try again. So about six months ago I talked to my Bishop. This time I was determined. My bishop and I talked and decided that I was ready, I just had to set a date. Since I really wanted my sister to be there she was the finalization. So after three months of her trying to get a weekend off, I was finally able to set a date. So about three weeks ago I got my recommend, got my temple clothes with my mom, and was all ready to go.
Several members of my family and several of my friends were wonderful enough to come join me for this awesome experience. I just want to thank everyone who came to support me with this decision!

Libby, me, my mom, and my dad.

Me and my boyfriend Adam.

Me and my cousins Ethan and Libby.

Me and my cousins Summer and Klint.

Me and my family.

Me and Adam being silly.

The cake my mom got me in celebration!

I think what I'm most excited for now is getting to visit all of the temples. Adam and I are going to try and hit every temple in the valley and maybe hit all of the ones in Utah.

What Have I Been Up To?

So the last few months have been busy. As many of you know my Honda Civic was stolen a second time, but you can read about that and my new car Elanor in a previous post.
So in August after my previous trip to Chicago my roommate Allison and I went to the Church History museum for the Boy Scout of America exhibit. They had several Norman Rockwell paintings, and that was what we really went for. After exploring the Church History Museum we decided to wander around Temple Square. It was a lot of fun, and the last big thing me and Allison got to do before she left on her mission in September. She is now in the Rancho Cucamonga, California mission, and is a great missionary.

After Allison left, I had to find a new roommate. Allison actually owns the condo that I live in, so she asked me to stay here and look after the place while she is on her mission. After two weeks of living alone I finally got a new roommate. I will say that living alone was fun but I don't know if I could handle it for longer than a few weeks. I got really depressed and mostly stayed inside, but now I have a roommate who barely talks and is more introverted than me.
In October I went to Chicago for a second time. This time I went with my cousins Anisa and Summer. I arrived Wednesday around noon and rode the train all by myself to my sister's apartment. My parents were very worried about me, but I enjoyed the independence. Later that day Summer arrived and Libby and I went and picked her up at the airport. After we picked her up we went and met with some of Libby's friends at a bar for dinner. We got some burgers and I got the best damn Sweet Potato Fries that I have ever tasted. I don't know if I was starving or if they were just that good, but damn they were yummy! The next morning Anisa arrived and we started our adventures. First we went for Pizza at Giordano's then we went up to the top of the Sears (Willis) tower. Last time I went up to the top of the Sears tower I cried because my cousin Ethan was trying to force me onto the glass box, luckily this time my cousins were nicer about it. They tried to convince me to go out on those boxes but they didn't try to force me on. Libby, Summer, and Anisa had fun on the box while I stood next to one of the windows freaking myself out. Then we went to Millennium park and saw the bean and then we walked to the Buckingham fountain. The next day we went to Navy Pier and rode the Ferris wheel and wandered around Downtown and did the Magnificent Mile. We also went to Wrigley Field and Goose Island bar and got some delicious Ginger Soda. We ate at several different restaurants and had a lot of fun together. On Saturday, Libby got called to work so Anisa, Summer, and I went to a place called Mindy's Hot Chocolate for breakfast on our way to the airport. I got this rich, thick dark hot chocolate that coated my esophagus and was too much for me to even finish. Then we headed to the airport and headed home.

As many of you know Halloween is one of my most favorite holidays. The weekend before Halloween my friends Kymn and Russ had a Psych themed Halloween party so I went as Detective Juliet O'Hara. This year my friend Shelby got married on Halloween so I got dressed up for her wedding. During work I didn't want to get my dress dirty so I gave myself a broken nose and a gash on the side of my face. For her wedding I went dressed as Merida from Brave. There were several people from work so I had to get pictures with them.

Now I need to explain this following picture. The only reason that I am posting this is because I'm so entertained by it. So several weeks ago I finally went to an Allergist because I have some pretty bad hay fever, especially this time of year and I wanted to go see what I was allergic to, and if there was anything that might help. So as you can see by the picture there are several things that I am allergic to. So what they do is take several different samples and scratch them into my skin and let them sit for about ten minutes then see what I have a reaction to. So I am allergic to several weeds, several of which are native to Utah, dust mites, Cottonwood trees, and Timothy Grass. I don't have any allergies to animals or food that we know of, so it's just lovely hay fever. My doctor said that I could get allergy shots which I would have to get twice a week but I don't have the money or time for that. He told me to just keep taking whatever allergy medicine best works for me.

This month I was able to go home twice for Thanksgiving. Because Libby had to work Thanksgiving weekend we decided to do an early Thanksgiving two weeks early since Libby had that weekend off. So I drove down with my cousins Ethan and Libby and had an intimate dinner with my family. It was the six of us plus both of my brother's girlfriends and Ethan and Libby. It was very nice and fun. We had lots of fun and laughs playing Balderdash.
This weekend I flew home Thursday, which flying on Thanksgiving is great, I walked right through security and the flight was about half full. We had a small Thanksgiving with my aunt and uncle and cousins in Kanarraville. Soon after we finished eating we went black friday shopping at Walmart and I got a few movies. Friday we had lunch together and just sat around talking and I flew home Friday night. There were only five people on my flight home. I think I know how I'm going to get home on Thanksgiving from now on!!!
Last but not least I must tell you about an awkward date I went on last week. I went on a date with a guy I work with. Apparently he has liked me for a while and was shy, so I needed to help him out a bit. So after I encouraged him a bit he finally asked me out. I made him be the man and decide what to do, which took a while, but finally we decided on a day and time and made plans. So the night came and first of all he was a half hour late and waited for me in the parking lot. Then we went bowling and he was so boring! While bowling he showed no emotion, I thought maybe he's just being shy or having a hard time easing up. After two rounds of bowling, some minature golf, and a little time in the arcade he took me home. He did talk a little more, but for the most part I was the one doing most of the talking. Anyway when he dropped me off he just dropped me off. He pulled up and said goodbye, but I wasn't content with that, so I asked him for a hug which was an awkward side hug INSIDE the car. Then I walked to my door alone! Seriously it was so awkward and too much work, and boring! I tried to have fun and I did have fun bowling and what not but I would like someone who would actually try and talk to me. He apparently had a great time, and of course he did because I'm a fun person, but I would like the other person to be as fun as me.
I was happy to go on a date since the last date I went on was quite a while ago, but seriously will I ever be able to go on a fun date with someone who actually interests me and will actually converse with me! So if anyone knows of any single guys please set me up. I'm not getting any younger and apparently the only way I can actually get a date is to get set up.
It's been a busy and interesting couple of months and now it's time to get ready for Christmas!!!!

Chicago with the Libbys'

So I know this was a while ago, but I'm getting ready to head back to Chicago this week, so I thought I would blog about my last trip.

So back in July, I took a long weekend trip to Chicago to visit my sister the flight attendant. I flew in Saturday and my sister came and met me at the airport. After a couple of hours in the airport, Libby had a friend flying in for a layover, we finally headed downtown. After a stop at Libby's cute little apartment, we wandered around downtown. We walked the streets of Chicago, road the Ferris Wheel at Navy Pier, and took a water taxi up the Chicago river.
Sunday we just went to church, then met up with cousin Libby and just hung out all day.
Monday we went to the Lincoln Park Zoo, ate some delicious food at Glenn's Diner (which was on Diner's, Drive-in, and Dives), went to Wrigley Field, went to a Goose Island bar and got some soda (side note, I am now addicted to their Spicy Ginger Soda! So good!), then ended in Millenium park where we saw the Bean and watched a free concert in the park.
Tuesday we ended up parting ways, and when I got home to Salt Lake I had discovered that my precious Amelia (that's my old Honda Civic if you didn't know) was stolen for the second time.
It's probably a good thing I had just had a fun, relaxing weekend or else I probably would have been much more upset about my car being stolen. Don't worry, I'm taking all the precautions I can with my new car. I'm sure she will still be safe and sound once I get back from Chicago this next time.

In Memoriam

It all began February 2006. I bought a Silver 1998 Honda Civic from my cousin. I was a senior in high school and ready to become an independent adult, I know, I was young and naive.
This lovely lady helped me get through the rest of high school, three years at Dixie State, three years at Southern Utah University, and a year in the city.
Sadly a few weeks ago my dear, sweet Amelia was stolen for the second time.
First let me go back to May. I woke up one day in May to find my car missing. Luckily my car was found a few hours later a few blocks away from my condo. That time around a few things were stolen, thank goodness I didn't have anything really valuable in my car, except for my voice recorder.
After that experience I should have learned and bought a steering wheel club, but alas I thought I would be safe.
In the middle of July I took a trip to Chicago to visit my sister. I was gone for four days and when I came back I noticed that my car was missing. I was much calmer about it this time around, but I was also resigned this time. The longer the car is missing the less chance of getting it back in one piece. Well a week after I had reported my car stolen, I was actually taking a nap when my phone woke me up and it was the police calling to say that they found my car. They said that it wasn't driveable, which led me to automatically assume that my dear Amelia was dead. My awesome roommate Allison drove me to my car.
Amelia's windshield was shattered and everything loose was stolen from inside, as well as my license plates. The only things left were a pair of snow gloves and my ice scraper. I had her towed, and after my insurance looked at it they said she was still running just fine. At which point I got the windshield fixed and had decided that I was going to keep Amelia, at least until I could afford to get a new car. The next day my brother Flint called me and asked me if he could buy my car. After some discussion with a few different people and a night of thinking, I decided to sale her to my brother.
This weekend I drove Amelia for the last time. I drove her and we had our last road trip together.
My dearest Amelia, I will miss all of our time together, and all of our deep conversations. I came up with a lot of story ideas on our drives together, and we cried a lot together. The last seven and a half years were amazing and difficult, but you helped me get through.

This last weekend after I dropped off my car, I went and bought me a new car. I got me a 2011 silver Nissan Versa hatchback. She is so cute!!! My sister Libby calls it a Hobbit Mobile, which is why I have named her Elanor. Because I'm a nerd, I named her after Samwise Gamgee and Rosie Cotton's daughter Elanor from Lord of the Rings.
Everyone meet my new friend Elanor.

Farewell Amelia, I hope Flint treats you well. I will never forget you!!!

Fun at the Scottish Festival

Today I went to the Scottish Festival at Thanksgiving Point. It was a ton of fun and I may have gotten a little bit sunburnt on my neck and arms, but it was so worth it.
I went with my friend Tricia and we met up with my cousins. I also ran into my friend Shelby, who is actually the person who told me about the Scottish Festival. We got to wander through the booths and see lots of men in kilts. Plus we got to hear a lot of beautiful bagpipes being played all throughout the day.

Yes Sam is biting me, but it's only because she is missing her four front teeth, so she looks like a little vampire.

 We spent most of the day together. Amazingly enough I made it out of there with only a giant bottle of root beer and a bunch of Shortbread cookies.

I hope you enjoy this video. It's a little long but you need to at least watch the last minute of it because that's the funny part. It's me doing the Caber Toss, a Highland sport. Go ahead and laugh, I did.

2012 in Review

So this year has been a very exciting year for me. So lets cover it by month.
January:

I started my year off right by slicing my finger with a rotary blade causing me to spend New Years Day in instacare. Don't worry all I got was a pretty big bandage and a tetanus shot.
I went on my one and only date of the year in January, which of course went well as I'm still single ;)
I began my final semester of school.
February:
I bought my plane ticket to go to London, and made all my final arraingments for London.
March and April:
Nothing much happened except work and school. I decided that I was going to move to Salt Lake in August with my friend Allison
May:
I turned 24 and graduated from SUU with a Bachelor of Arts in English: Creative Writing emphasis.

Because my birthday and graduation were so close we had a party and several of my friends came up to Kanarraville and we had a BBQ.
May was a very exciting month because I went to London!!! London was the best trip I've ever taken, and the most memorable for sure. Hopefully there will be many more trips to England.

Right after London my friend Kymn got married.
Memorial Day weekend I moved in with my friend Erika.
June:
I started working at Tuacahn and the Chocolate Factory again. Discovered that the Chocolate Factory was merging with Utah Truffles and would be moving to Salt Lake City. I of course went and saw the plays at Tuacahn. Loved Hairspray, Aladdin was okay. I absolutely loved The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.
July:
I spent the 4th of July in K-town with my family

I continued working. At the end of July my family went to Idaho and Wyoming for a weeklong trip.

I had to leave early from Idaho for my friend Erika's wedding. I was her Maid of Honor, plus we've been friends forever, so I had to make sure to be there.

August:
I moved up to Salt Lake City.

Allison and I went to the Brigham City Temple open house.

September:
My friend Camilla came down from Alaska for a wedding, and stayed the weekend with me.

October:
Allison and I drove up through one of the many canyons up here and enjoyed the Autumn leaves.

Then of course there was Halloween.

November:
There was Thanksgiving with the family in K-town.
I saw Breaking Dawn Part 2, and yes I did enjoy it. Now I get to look forward to The Host.
December:
Went and saw The Hobbit and loved it!
Walked around Temple Square and enjoyed the beautiful lights.

Allsion and I went to the zoolights at the Hogle Zoo.

Made Gingerbread houses

Then spent Christmas with lots and lots of family.

Sorry Libby, stole your picture :D

All in all a very busy, very exciting year for me. Hopefully this next year will be just as eventful and exciting!