adventure with the Jells

Noelle and I went on a little adventure to the Gateway today to see Tangled.

She is the funniest kid.

First, we are driving down to the mall and there were cement trucks in front of us, those ones that spin as they drive, you know? Well, Noelle points out the truck and says to me,

"Do you know what are in those?"

"Yes, it's cement."

"No, it's cinnamon."

"Cinnamon?"

"Yes, cinnamon to keep the bricks together."

Cinnamon. Well okay.

Then we get to the movie theater and we get up to the ticket counter and she holds out her hand. In it was 27 cents.

She said "Here. To help pay for the movie."

CUTEST THING EVER.

Tender moment.

I asked her after the movie if she liked it, and she said yes. Even though she spent most of the movie either with her head in my chest, or hiding behind her coat.

I think it scared her a little bit.

But I would definitely recommend it.

It's a very cute Disney movie.

december.

We're alive. I promise.

I have failed at blogging this entire month. Literally.

So I guess I'll update you on the past 30 days.

We started out the month with ending the semester.

I out-right failed one of my finals, but I passed the class so I wasn't too worried about it.

I haven't found out about my other two classes and the anticipation is killing me. I hate waiting for grades more than anything.

John got an A in one of his classes, and didn't pass his other class. Not too sure why he didn't pass the one, but we'll have to deal with it.

We had a little family photo shoot at Memory Grove for our Christmas card.

Kati was our photographer and she was very patient with us.

We chose Memory Grove because they allow dogs, but with that comes the fact that there are going to be dogs there, guaranteed, and we have a pooch who thinks he should be with the other dogs constantly, even though he doesn't know how to play nice.

We saw Elder Oaks out for a walk while we were there, that was unexpected. I get stage fright when I see general authorities. Weird, I know.

Kati had John stand like this and wanted me to try and stand with my legs crossed. I couldn't do it, I couldn't stand up, which led to the next picture...

This became a favorite of course.
It's just too cute.

This is the one we used for our Christmas Card. It turned out so cute! Even though Rufus isn't looking at the camera, I don't even care because that is how Rufus is.

This one turned out awesome also.

I wanted to do a card with three pictures on it, but the only one Costco had had blue on it, and I knew that if I used a Christmas card with blue in it, then I would never hear the end from my father. So we went with a one-picture card.

It's just me.

I was looking at a photographer taking a couple's engagement pictures, and they were sitting at the meditation temple, sitting Indian-style, in the meditation pose.

I found it cheesy.

Also this month, of course, we put up our Christmas tree. I forgot how massive that thing is. As you can see, not all the lights work, and since the lights are pre-strung, it wasn't something we were about to try and fix. Oh well, we didn't mind it!

We celebrated Sara's 24th birthday with her and Chris and a couple other people. We went out to dinner at Chili's and this was our dessert. I had never had it before, but it was delicious!

We helped out with Mama Roos' work Christmas part.

Santa (aka Mr. Swensen) was HILARIOUS.

It was honestly one of the best experiences of my life.

Santa also visited Patty's house so that all the children and grandchildren could let him know what they wanted for Christmas...

...John asked for the Utes to beat Boise State, and I asked for my camera.

Neither of us got what we wanted.

WHOMP WHOMP.

On the 20th, John and I split up for the night.

I went to the grub to celebrate the Dubster's birthday, and John went to a mission companion's wedding.

Ben and Kate's wedding was in Heber, and was a sit down dinner, so it wasn't really possible for us to go both places in one night, and both events were very important to us.

This is the only picture John took from the wedding, and of course it was of Kate's dress. He knew I would want to see it; and I am very impressed.

Gorgeous girl, gorgeous dress.

Oh, Christmas. We spent Christmas Eve at my parents' house with all the Grow's that wanted to come, and then we slept at my parents' and spent Christmas morning with them to open gifts and to eat the annual breakfast.

John got a new iPod along with other things, and I got a new iPhone along with other things. We are both very spoiled, but both very grateful.

We then went up to John's parents' house because David was calling from Mississippi, and we wanted to be there to chat with him. He's doing great, he's a zone leader, and currently in Clinton. He'll be home this time next year which is absolutely crazy to think about.

We then opened presents with all the Lawrence's, and once again, we're super spoiled. John's parents gave us a new wireless printer, new jump drives, earrings, clothes. John's mom painted this picture of a finch in oils that John loves, and so she gave him that. He also got a junior pottery wheel, it's made for like 12 year olds, but hey, he loves it already!

I also got things to start up a journal. Millysa had me for Christmas and John explained to her how I love her way of keeping a journal, and that she should get me some of that stuff. What she does it she buys the big journals from Deseret Book, and then she tapes in pictures when she writes things. Genius idea if you ask me, because pictures are so much more fun than just a bunch of writing, and then people who look at it years down the road will know what we looked like at that time! I just love it.

For Christmas from John, I got some new jeans, and leggings, which I knew I was getting because I bought them on black Friday. Ha.

But it was the cutest thing ever...John hands me a small box on Christmas day, and I open it...in it are my favorite pair of earrings that have been broken for almost the entire time we've been married.

He said "Since we don't have that much money, I decided I would make you a gift."

SO CUTE.

I cried.

It's the little moments like that that count people, I'm tellin' ya.

This was what I gave John for Christmas. He's wanted coveralls for when he works on his car, so I got him some grey ones, and then above the pocket we had his name embroidered.

He was stoked.

I couldn't be happier.

Overall, December has been a very busy, seriously stressful month. I love Christmas more than anything but at times it gets a little nerve wracking.

I have more pictures, well...Kati has pictures, and so I may post those as soon as I get some of them from her.

Starting a new year again this weekend, I can't believe it.

Really, where did the decade go?

I'm excited for another year, because you never know where it will take you.

Here's to 2011.

Oh, p.s. John and I have been married for 17 months, TODAY.

Almost a year and a half. Has it really been that long?

coming to an end

It's ending.

It feels like it's been going on forever.

A lot longer then four months.

The semester is over.

Almost.

The last two weeks consist of..

A Debate

3 Papers

3 Finals

I gave my debate tonight. So I can cross that off. One paper is done. The other two will be started soon.

I can almost taste it, it's so close.

Can't come fast enough.

U.T.A.H.

I still don't know what to say about that blocked field goal, besides thank you Brandon Burton.

Geeze. I for sure thought we were had another 365 of harrassment coming our way.

We got lucky tonight boys.

The Cougs really out-played us.

But a W is a W.

UTAH MAN SIR, UTAH MAN AM I. UTAH MAN SIR, AND WILL BE 'TIL I DIE.

GO UTES!

AWESOME DEAL!

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Easy peasy lemon sqeezy!

what a week

well let me tell you, it has been one hell of a week!

This could come as a TMI to all of you, so just be aware.

I woke Monday feeling a little cloudy, as John would say. He likes to compare moods to the weather.

Anyway, I stayed home from work, and stayed in bed, and nothing got better. It just got worse.

My body ached. It felt like I was cramping constantly, and I felt like I had to go to the bathroom ALL THE TIME. Oh, and not to mention it hurt like h-e-double hockey sticks when I actually was able to go to the bathroom.

So Tuesday morning comes along, and I end up staying home from work again. And I skipped both of my classes. I was just in so much pain. I didn't even mention that I was nauseated, and every time I attempted to stand up the room spun and I had to sit back down.

So as the day passed on Tuesday, the pain got worse, and worse, and worse. I finally decided I couldn't just get over this with cranberry juice/pills and water. I needed to go to the doctor. So I went to InstaCare. Peed in the cup, like they have you do, and my urine was almost straight blood. It was disgusting to say the least. So I go into the room, waiting for the doctor and that pre-throw-up feeling game over me and the room started to spin again. I got up and told the nurse I had to use the bathroom, I was going to throw up. I got to the bathroom and of course, didn't throw up, but I definitely almost passed out. I knelt down and was using the toilet to hold myself up. I've never felt that way ever, in my life. And if you know me, you know I'm sick, a lot.

So I go back into the room, waited for the doctor, who came shortly after, poked and prodded at my stomach and back, and then proceeds to tell me I have a bladder infection (oh really, sir? I couldn't tell). He said the infection was definitely into my kidneys i.e. the blood in the urine. So he prescribed me two different medications and sent me on my way. I almost didn't make it home, I was so woozy. Luckily, my mother talked to me almost the whole way there so I was safe, and didn't pass out at the wheel. Unfortunately, I took my meds as soon as I got home, except I hadn't eaten anything. Can anyone guess what happened next? It was AWFUL.I must say the medications have definitely help. Today I went back to work. But my back has hurt all. day. long.

Killed.

John is really worried about me, so he's making me do everything possible to get rid of this bogus. He thinks I may have kidney stones, so tonight he made me do this remedy that his mother swears by.

What is it you might ask?

Drink a SIX PACK OF COKE (can not be Diet Coke) and eat about a bushel of Asparagus in an hour.

AN HOUR.

For one, I despise Coke. It's disgusting. Too sweet.

I love asparagus, but after tonight I may not.

I achieved this goal of an hour, but I am about to kill over. I've never felt so sick in my life. But if it works, then I'll be very grateful.

It seems to make sense, the Coke is acidic, so it breaks down the kidney stone(s), and the asparagus makes you have to pee, so then you pass the stone(s).

Wish me luck. I'm so over this whole mess.

Oh, and not to mention. I got Jury Duty today.

LOVELY.

Please say that they won't like me because I work at a law firm.

Please, please, please!

photography

Matt wanted pictures taken of his 4-door model A, so that his mother can paint a picture of it for him. He asked me to take the pictures, and it was quite the event. Other than the rain and the cold, it was fun.

Thanks sissy for letting us borrow your camera...again. I promise, I'll get mine soon enough.

This is the best one of just the car, in my opinion.

So pensive.

This is my favorite of these two. I can't decided if I like this one more, which is just in sepia..

Or this one, which is in sepia and has a soft focus.

Matt and his cig.

Millysa wanted some family pictures taken, so this is what she got. :)

I like the one with her glasses the most.

And last but not least, we celebrated Matt's birthday last night.

Jenny looks special. NBD.

Wanna know how to go from 8-0 to 8-2?

Just ask Jordan Wynn and the Utes.

They got butt-raped two weeks in a row.

SUCH A JOKE.

I'm sorry to anyone who traveled to South Bend to watch that sad excuse of a football game.

poor little guy..

Rufus got a hair cut.

More like got shaved, completely.

He was so matted, that they had to take all his hair off.

He shakes every time we're outside.

Guess I'll have to get him a sweater.

Poor thing.

embarrassing...

Wanna talk about the biggest embarrassment ever?

"It's going to be the biggest game ever played in Rice Eccles Stadium"

College Game Day.

A season's worth of hype for a single game.

A GIANT FLOP.

It's safe to say I was severely disappointed in my Utes.

I thought they could at least put up a fight. Especially after getting run over last year, by these same frogs.

But no.

47-7.

Huge loss.

Three interceptions thrown by Wynn, and he fumbled. The worst excuse of a fumble I've ever seen in my entire Utah football life. And I've been attending games for NINE years. Watching them longer than that.

ONE touchdown. A single touchdown. Scored by my boy Matt. Which is under controversy...people are saying he was a yard and a half short, but I don't know how the refs would miss that.

Oh well.

It was embarrassing. That's the gist of this.

Well...not all of it. It was fun until the game started.

Sissy and I at game day. Woke up at 4AM, at the U by 5:30AM. It was a long day.

We decided we should make We ♥ Lee Corso shirts...

Then he picked TCU.

We tailgated with Cousin Eddie. It was the first legit tailgate I'd been to and it's the only one I'd ever spend my time going to. The people were awesome, the food was awesome, I loved it.

(Don't get any ideas from this picture. I'm not pregnant, just fat.)

Rebekah got a ticket literally a half hour before the game started. I'm sure glad she didn't pay outrageous amounts for it.

All the siblings that live in Utah were present at this game.

We're cool like that.

Um, notice how nice the weather is? Yeah..middle of November. Utah weather messes with my brain.

cabin weekend

We went up to the Sorensen cabin with Mandy and Daniel the weekend of Halloween. Mandy's birthday is the day before mine so we decided that we should get away from the city for a day and go have some fun.

Of course he has his guitar in hand. That should be no surprise.

This is John's guitar. He drew that. Free hand.
I took a really cool picture of his guitar, which actually ended up not turning out so I won't even post it. Made me a little sad though.

We went four-wheeling all day Saturday while we were up there. I think we took every trail possible. John and I have come to the conclusion that WHEN we own four wheelers, he and I will always need our own because we both enjoy driving them way too much.

Yep. That's my husband.

And...I don't even know.

My eyes are open. I swear.

It was so pretty when we got to the peak of the mountain. I could have just sat there and looked for hours. Except it was freezing.

It was a fun weekend. We didn't do anything for Halloween. We didn't even dress up. Oh well though, I'm not a huge fan of the holiday anyway.

Thanks Sorensen's for letting us tag along!

PS...the jacket I'm wearing in all of these pictures is the infamous jacket from the birthday post.

Utah v. Colorado State

Um, can you say cold, wet, freezing, SOAKED?

That's what this game was. I was near telling Kati we were going home because we were kickin' butt and I was freezing.

But we stayed. Through the whole thing.

These are our fans of every color.

Dad only had one poncho that wasn't green or blue, so I took it. Kati, on the other hand, was forced to wear an orange garbage bag. Forced, by John. He said she would get sick if she didn't stay dry, so he made her take a garbage bag. Thanks honey.

happy 21st to me

My birthday was weeks ago, but I figured I should update the blog with what we've been doing since then.

I am officially 21

And guess what? It feels no different than 20. My birthday fell on a Thursday this year, which makes it oh so exciting. I have class on Thursday nights, but I decided I had a good enough excuse as to why to not go.

John took me out to sushi, which is always my favorite. They even gave us a roll on the house for my birthday...except every time we go to sushi we get a free roll so I guess it was nothing special.

John and I rented the movie "Date Night" and watched it that night. I found it funny. John thought it was okay. I must say the Cabbie was my favorite part. He was hilarious.

Can I just tell you that I have the sweetest husband?

I told him about a jacket that I wanted that was for sale at the U bookstore. After I described it to him, he tried so hard to find the right one (with the help of Kati and my mother) but unfortunately for him, I had told him it was an Under Armour jacket, when it wasn't. So I set him up for failure. It's okay though! We returned the Under Armour one and got the one I wanted. I felt so awful because he had tried so hard, and I had told him wrong from the very beginning.

He also got me this super cute laptop. It's green. I love green anything. My laptop was super old school, so he got me a new one. :)

And these super cute black flats. (I also have them in brown, go me.)

Rufus chewed up the heel of my black pumps, so John got me black flats so I have at least something to wear to work that doesn't look so awful.

By the way, I'm getting those black pumps fixed. They are my favorite pair of shoes, so I refuse to just let them go.

Like I said. Sweetest husband ever. Love you babe.

"Many questions in life, however, including some related to same-gender attractions, must await a future answer, even in the next life. Until then, the truth is, God loves all his children"
-Dieter F. Uchtdorf

He then went on to say that we should all love all of God's children also, but I don't have that exact quote.

Thank you President Uchtdorf, this is my thinking exactly and I needed so badly to hear it said.
I love everyone around me - gay or straight, black or white, male or female. The way you live your life is not going to change the fact that I love you all, and I am always there for anyone who is willing to ask.
Don't you forget it.

the winds of change are here, and I'm hating them.
Please go away.
I've lost one of my best friends.
Going from talking every day to not talking at all isn't normal.
I know the reason it's changed, but I'm scared to say something.
The reason isn't going anywhere so I'm afraid I've lost them forever.
Pathetic, I know, but I cry about this a lot.
Other friends are going through hard times, and I wish I could fix it for them. I wish i knew the answer to this loaded question that has been pushing down on them forever.
Why can't everyone just get along and be happy.
One thing I have learned from this...I have the best parents in the world.
They have always supported me in everything, and let me be my own person.
I owe you everything for that.

Sorry to be such a Debbie-Downer.
It's been one of those weeks.
John thinks he did something every time he finds me crying in our bed.
He just wants me to be happy. What a fantastic person he is.
I think he also wishes that I would realize I can't do anything about these things, it's just life.
Life isn't fair.
I wish it were.

really?

There is a school that I drive past every time I'm on my way to my parents' house from my apartment.

The marquee outside of the school says

"Its getting colder

What R U wearing?"

UM, HELLO.

1. "It's" should have an apostrophe

2. TEXT TALK? "R U"

R U Kidding me!?

A freaking school, where they teach children ENGLISH, is using text talk.

I was utterly disgusted.

Enough that I burst out in the middle of John's story the other day, just to rant about it.

Come on people. Spare me.

Many people that know me don't know that I have this deep passion for photography.

Ideally, I would like to be a Sports Photographer; it would be my dream come true. But it's a hard field to get into (photography as a whole is hard to get into) so I'll take whatever jobs I can get.

I decided that I was going to go for it. Get my degree in something related to Photography, and just do it.

I've changed my major about a thousand and a half times.

Then I decided I was just going to go after photo.

I went and talked to the art advisor at the U and discovered that the art department is about commercializing your art; they're more about just doing art to express yourself.

I don't want to express myself. I want to make money.

So, I was told to do Mass Communication...the Media Sequence.

I'll learn photography skills, web design, etc.

So, that's what I'm doing. Officially. Now.

I'm also minoring in both Political Science and Business, but that's irrelevant.

Anyway, I like to take pictures of whatever I can, and whenever I can. At the moment, I don't I have the camera I would like, but we're saving for it and hopefully I'll have it come spring.

So, I've just been using other cameras that I can get my hands on.

These are some of the pictures I took with Kati's camer at a wedding this week.

I did some minor editing. I just felt like posting them really.

Hopefully you like them.

Sissy and I have been discussing starting our own business, because she shares this passion for photography.

I think it's a grand idea.

:)

My sister sent me this today..

I've been having a hard time with this subject, but this made me feel better.

http://blog.cjanerun.com/

Thanks sissy.

october fun

I fail, I know. I haven't blogged in a while.

We've been so busy, it's not even funny.

I just got done with midterms, and work right is nuts, so I feel like I haven't even had time to breathe. On top of that, John has been sick, so that's been fun too.

Every conferenence, there is a mission reunion and this is the only picture we have from that night.

This is John and Elder Long. Timothy, is his first name.

He is pretty much the only reason we went to the reunion this year.

He's a funny kid, I'm glad I got to meet him.

These are our homemade Halloween decorations.

Patty got the idea to do the candy-corn thing out of a magazine. We wanted to make wreaths, but unfortunately Michael's didn't have the proper materials for that certain project.

The candy-corn took me THREE HOURS.

Freakin' A.

It won't even last until next year. Boo.

Patty made the pumpkin, well, decorated it for us. :)

I like it a lot.

This is what John made.

It's hanging on our front door. :)

Taylor's baptism was this last weekend.

We are so proud of her!

Pretty much the coolest family picture I've ever seen.

This is a little blurry, but I think it's adorable.

Super zoomed-in.

And I told John I look haggard.

He laughed.