Halloween

Halloween was laid back this year, but we still found ways to have fun. We painted our faces, made cupcakes, and watched a movie. Andy recently has a new found love of cheetahs and I, never having dyed my hair before, experimented with a "fake" colored streak of hair as a mermaid. It was a fun art project! :)

Time Flies

Well, school started and the semester is almost over. Can you tell? No time for blog posts or not much to tell beyond the ordinary routine. Either way, we are still doing fine.

Summer went well working to afford school...and we did get to visit my family! Yay! :) Attached are a few photos from our camping trip in Northern CA. Luke was fun to see, still fresh from his mission in Africa.

When I introduced Andy for the first time
(they have never met in person), Luke
quickly stated "We have met before."
Well, I am glad they already feel like
family. Haha!








Keeping up with school has actually been fun. I have more assignments and two jobs but I love them all so I don't mind putting in the time. Working with those with disabilities warms my heart every day as I get to serve, and as a teaching assistant I get to teach others about math and the human body, which is very rewarding to me.
I think we often enjoy creativity and teaching because it connects us to God. I would assume that creating this world and His children, and guiding us through this life are God's most sacred and favorite experiences. And they are vital to the plan he has set up for us. I just love it! It is important to learn and find joy in Godly skills as we go through life.

Well, I have a great husband! I just wanted to say that though I enjoy all these aspects of my life, it is still stressful. These last two weeks were stressful beyond what I find acceptable, and my sweet husband swooped in and gave me a surprise when I came home. Pumpkin pie, beautiful flowers, and a love note. He remembered when I said as we walked by the pies at the grocery store earlier this month, "If you ever want to make me happy, buy me a pumpkin pie. It will cheer me up."
I just want to publicly show gratitude for my husband and all he does. :)

OUR FIRST ANIVERSARY

The cake was still good! (Good selection Mom! :) )

I am so grateful for my loving, goofy, intelligent and oh so sweet husband! This journey we've been on the last two years gave us joy and growth... but being MARRIED this last year, has made those moments together much sweeter. There is meaning in marriage and nothing is better than being sealed in the temple. We won't say marriage is easy peasy, but we have found greater joy in marriage as we work together.

Here are a few photos of us as a married couple this last year!

Camping at Bear Lake

Fourth of July Fireworks

 Hiking Locally with Andy's Family

 Sandiego Anderson Reunion

You can see the family way down there! :)

 Santa Cruz Honeymoon (never been seen before!)

 Walk on the Bluff

The Redwoods

Hanging out inside a tree

Tidepools and Beaches

Sunset at the Warf

Capitola

Dinner with Capitola beach view

Private inlet for our picnic lunch

Inlet from above

We celebrated our one year of marriage on March 8th by spending a day in Salt Lake and enjoying day dates the rest of the week, for it was spring break! With school being so consuming, some quality time of no worries with Andy was paradise! We visited Hogle Zoo (I had never been) along with a few other museums and an AWESOME Chinese restaurant Andy surprised me with, called Mandarin. Yum! Yum! We both love food and we really like having that as a common interest! We were so captured by the flavors, we didn't take any pictures!

Can you see the lions!?

Family for the Holidays

Holiday parties, good food, and final exams were all a part of our holiday season this year... but Andy and I both agree the best part was the time spent with family!

For Thanksgiving, we enjoyed a holiday dinner at Andy's parents house! It was fun to get to know Andy's sister, Gwyn, and her family better and spend some quality time with the whole group! When family travels so far to visit, it makes you cherish every moment!

We were blessed with the ability to see my family in California this Christmas! We saw our little niece, Liliana, for the first time and hung out with my favorite people! Grandma Ethel was even able to visit at the same time. :) It is always comforting to go home, and the delicious fresh fruit we ate there made it even sweeter! Can't wait to see everyone again when Luke comes home and Kaelee (and fam) can be there!

A Few Christmas Crafts

So when the season came for the holidays, I realized I didn't have any holiday decorations to make it feel special. Of course, our apartment will not look like my home did growing up, but I could try to add a few touches. Here are two cheap cheap ideas I used to brighten our home! (Yes, I am proud and want to share what I accomplished! :D )

And here is our cute Christmas tree...