spring fever.

I've decided it's time for spring. For the past couple of weeks I've even started to convince myself that it's coming. I think it started when I walked into the grocery store the other day and saw a giant bouquet of daffodils right by the entrance.

Daffodils are my favorite. I just think they are the most cheerful, happy, bright flowers there are. Maybe it's because they are some of the first things to show any sign of life after the long winter months. Doesn't it just warm your heart when you walk out and see those little daffodil sprigs poking up out of the snow? That's what I think of when I see those things - spring! Hope for a day when I can walk out the front door without spending twenty five minutes bundling up for the five minute walk to school! Then those thoughts start to lead to thoughts of green grass, picnics, sunburn, freckles, flip flops, watermelon, swimming pools, blue skies... it's endless. And I just get so excited for it!

I think it's safe to say I have a serious case of spring fever.

Now, I am well aware that I am no longer in the sunny south where if it is below 70 degrees in February it is a scientific anomaly, and that since it is Utah, thoughts of spring have no place until, say, the middle of April. But yesterday, I was ready to jump for joy when I realized the sun was peeking through the clouds and it was much too warm for the coat I was wearing.

So what if it started snowing four hours later? And so what if I almost fell on my bum after slipping on ice on the way home from work today? I am convinced that spring is on its way! With little twinges of hope like this every once in a while, I can make it another couple of weeks (.....months...) And if springtime decides it wants to come out of hiding and show its face for an early appearance this year, I'd be just fine with it.

Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

It's been a while since the last post - sorry Mom. But here I am, once again, with the highlights of the past few weeks. This is going to be the longest post ever...

To start off, we had a wonderful Thanksgiving with the Burt family. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures, but it was awesome. Ruth made the absolute best turkey I have ever had the pleasure of tasting. I don't know how she did it. We ended the night with a frigid game of croquet in the back yard, which I would have dominated, had we not left in the middle of it. I am very grateful to be able to have family so close.

We got a TV! Ben and I had our first black friday experience this year, and I kind of hope to never do it again. After standing outside of Target from about 2:30 to 4:00 am, and almost freezing to death, and then getting lost in a stampede of insane black friday shoppers, we finally got to the TV, just as the last ones were being claimed.


I am not a picky eater. Especially when it comes to fruit. But Ben introduced me to a new one recently: the mango. I tried to like it, but it tasted like carrots and menthol. Like carrot coughdrops, but with a really sick texture. I am not a fan.


We bought our first Christmas tree. It's real cute and it's still up in our apartment, and probably will be for a while. I'm not quite ready for Christmas to be over just yet.


We finished another semester of school! That last semester was a doozie for the both of us. I was taking anatomy, which I absolutely loved - but it's nice to have my life back. Ben's semester was full of a bunch of classes he did not enjoy at all, so he was relieved when it ended as well. We took the last finals hopped on a plane headed to Ohio to spend some time with the fam.

We were there a few days before we got to drive down to Georgia to see my family for Christmas (thank you so much to Ben's parents for making that possible!!) and had a blast playing games, making delicious Christmas food, going to "the across the street", caroling, and just hanging out. I found out on this trip that I am allergic to benzocaine. I had been using some stuff on my lips to treat, what I thought was a fever blister, and it spread all over my face. It was really gross, and scary, and embarrassing, and painful, and it turns out I was just allergic to the numbing agent in the lip medicine stuff. That was also an embarrassing discovery, that I had been causing it myself. Anyway, we had an awesome time in Georgia with my family. It's always so much fun to see them.




After all the Christmas festivities, we made the trip back up to Ohio where we got to spend some time with the Griffioens. It was really the first time I got to spend any time there with them (the three days after the wedding doesn't really count), and I can honestly say that I have got some awesome in-laws. We had a really great time. We watched a TON of football, learned to play Killer Bunnies, watched the ball drop, Ben played basketball with his brothers, we read a little bit, played "the dice game", and just had a very relaxing, fun time.


I wish I were better about taking pictures, but unfortunately, over the entire break, I didn't even take one. The ones that I put on here were stolen from Shauna and Libby - thanks guys.

Now here we are, back in Provo again for the start of a new semester. So far, classes are going well. I have an awesome schedule - no class monday or friday, and only one on wednesday. Of course, that makes for a pretty awful tuesday and thursday, but I think it's worth it. We're still trying to get back on top of things. In fact, we have yet to go grocery shopping since the beginning of December, so we are currently living off of oatmeal, waffles, and Christmas candy. We're getting there though. It's going to be a great year!