Easter & Steamboat Springs Colorado - A Humbling Experience

This past weekend was a long one for Blaine and I. We left for Colorado mid-day Thursday. The drive was a scary one! Unfortunately, we encountered some snowy storm conditions the whole drive. To make matters worse, our tires weren't in the greatest condition. Anyway, we made it in good time! Thursday night we just planned out our eventful weekend. 

Friday morning came and we proceeded to set up several tours: horseback riding, snowmobiling, a trip to the natural hot springs, etc. As we called several companies, we realized that we came during, what locals call, "mud season." Sounds icky, right? Mud season = ghost town. How were we supposed to know?

At first, I was a little frustrated (Blaine would say seriously frustrated). All my plans, my precious plans, were ruined! What was even more frustrating was that the ski lift was closed. Why was this frustrating? Well, during our visit there was a record-breaking amount of snow at Steamboat Springs. Yeah. Record-breaking. 

Where we were supposed to have a picnic during our hike

Anyway, it might seem like I had a horrible time. But it is quite the contrary. We were able to relax...for real. This is something that I rarely achieve. It is custom that while on vacation, we have to do all the cool things, have a ton of activities planned, wake up at the break of dawn and not stop till midnight. This was my idea of vacation, until Steamboat Springs. 

We did whatever we wanted. We ate out. A lot. We watched movies. We watched 4 in one day. That was record-breaking for me! We watched shows that we have never sat down to watch together; i.e. Chopped, Iron Chef, Storage Wars. We stayed up as long as we wanted and slept in as long as we wanted...in our California king size bed with fluffy pillows. We stayed up talking for hours in front of the fire place. We went hot tubing. This was my first winter hot tubing experience. As a Floridian, water and winter don't mix. To my surprise, I enjoyed it a lot. We hiked the super un-hikeable and snowy Fish Creek Falls. One of my favorite moments was when Blaine and I went to the movie theater to watch Rio in 3D. We rushed to the theater cause we were running late. We were worried about getting horrible seats. We purchased our tickets, entered our theater, and realized that we were the ONLY ones in the whole theater. It was awesome. 

Huge cinnamon roll at Winona's

We chose our own meat and grilled it at 8th Street Steakhouse

Delicious BBQ sandwich at Double Z BBQ

Easter Sunday was also fun. I made a little egg hunt for Blaine. The eggs had his favorite candy and romantic coupons inside. I had fun watching him and he had fun finding the eggs. We watched Horton Hears a Who (one of my favorite movies and an Easter basket filler). We also dyed eggs. Now this (you'd think that I couldn't be any more humbled) was an epic fail. That was not a hyperbole. I had envisioned my eggs being glamorous, the cutest of them all. I didn't follow the instructions cause I thought it'd be easy. The dye tablets didn't fully dissolve and we could only get our eggs to turn pink. Again, I was frustrated. But Blaine surprised me. He started to get really creative. He made hollow eggs (something that he was reminded of watching The Food Network during our stay). He was having a ton of fun finding ways to decorate our un-dyeable eggs. So it rubbed off and I made a dalmatian egg out of a white egg and cheap eyeliner. 

Blaine hollowing his egg

Ready for his egg hunt! 

This whole trip reminded me 1) of what really matters in life, 2) to find joy in the journey, and 3) who is always in charge and in control - Heavenly Father. I was reminded to not sweat the small things and to make the best of what comes your way. I know I married the right guy. We can have fun wherever, whenever. I'm so grateful for this wonderful, true vacation that was made possible by Stace & Chris. Thank you guys! This trip is definitely unforgettable. 

Home Improvement

So here a couple of things that have brought life to our bare, white walls. 

This is our tiny bathroom. The towels were a wedding gift from Blaine's parents. They are Amy Butler. I LOVE them! The only downside is that the bath curtain that we were registered for really didn't match. I still haven't found one that matches perfectly. Our interesting picture of a Boston Terrier on a toilet hides the ugly, gray, and cold-looking electric panel. This was the only bath wall art I found that matched and was big enough to cover the spot. I think it's quite funny. I love it. Finally, I applied our first vinyl ever. It was a lot harder than I expected. After buying this online, I received the wonderful news that Stacey (sister-in-law) is giving me her old Cricut! Now, I'll be able to make my own vinyls! The kitchen is in need of some. 

Next, I had this huge, white space between the living room and kitchen area that was driving me insane. 

After much thought, I decided to put three, black frames up. One with "The Living Christ", another with a picture of us on our wedding day, and then one of "The Family: A Proclamation to the World.

Here's a close up of the family proclamation. I saw this at our cousin, Katie's house. She said that she got it as a wedding present. Since the day I saw it, I've been dying to do one of my own! I did it for my sister, Damaris, when she got married. Now it was my turn! It's super easy. I'm sure most of you have already figured out how to do it. Just in case you haven't, it is just vellum paper over your favorite picture in a cheap frame. Ta-da!

Decorating our apartment is a ton of fun. It's all I ever want to do now. It has come a long ways from when we first moved in...

Scary, huh? 

To the Rescue

One of my goals for 2011 was to get back into reading...like really back into reading. Years ago, I read for leisure everyday - no matter what. I really feel that it helped me intellectually and emotionally. So far, I've read about 2 books this year and now I'm reading President Monson's biography by Heidi S. Swinton. I confess, I've never read a full biography before. I always found them to be boring. When I was sick a couple of weeks ago, I decided to do something productive with my time in bed and started reading "To the Rescue." It has been everything but boring! Maybe it's because I'm reading about a true, prophet of God. I don't know. This biography has made me realize that Thomas S. Monson, who is called "Tom" or "Tommy" by some, is an ordinary man. His life has had ups and downs. He's had to work hard for what he wanted. He had doubts. He was scared. He felt inadequate.  What I find extraordinary about him is that he took those negative feelings and decided to react optimistically. He put his trust in the Lord and knew that everything would work out, as long as he did his best. From his life and example, I am learning great truths. I also feel like I know him just a little bit more, even though I might never meet him. I know that President Thomas S. Monson is God's chosen and anointed vessel to guide us in these latter days. I know that as we strive to keep our lives in line with the counsel of the Prophet, we will be blessed with happiness, peace, and purposeful lives.

I highly recommend this book to anybody - young, old, married, single, parent, Church member, non-member. It will make your day a little brighter to know that people of good character and morals, like Thomas S. Monson, still exist today in a world that is dwindling in values. 

Update on Life

Today was my official last day of classes! Yay! This semester has been a tough one, due to all the wedding planning and adjustments that come with married life. I'm ready for a fresh start in Spring semester. I'm sure Blaine is too.

Recently Blaine and I were able to attend the two Saturday sessions of the General Conference for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Our good friends, Matt and Nina Stevenson, also came along. It was so nice to be in the presence and hear the inspired messages of the leaders and prophet of this day. One of my favorite talks was given by Jean A. Stevens, the first counselor in the Primary Presidency. Her talk was about learning from little children and becoming like them. I felt that this was for us specifically. We just got called to be primary teachers in our ward. Although it is a small primary consisting of about 7 children (and 1,000 babies in nursery), I know that we will be able to learn great lessons from these kids. This past Sunday we were sustained and set apart. I cannot wait to start serving those who "are greatest in the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 18:3-4).

Work is going. Sometimes it can be boring, but I'm grateful that I work in an environment with little stress that actually allows me to do homework on the job! After finals are over, I will begin working full-time. It will be quite an adjustment, since I'm registered for 2 classes in the spring. One class shouldn't be too hard. I'm going to be taking beginning golf! Accepting that this is one of my hubby's greatest passions in life, I decided to start learning and loving the game. Growing up, I always thought that golf was a ridiculous sport. Now I realize that it requires much patience, dedication, focus, and hard work! Also, I kinda like how it's still an extremely competitive sport, even if it doesn't require physical contact between the players.

On to another sport - basketball. Although I didn't watch the game between the Celtics vs. Heat because it was playing while we were at church, I am so happy that we finally beat the Celtics! I wish I was in Miami to celebrate with my fellow Heat fans and family. The part that I will miss the most about the Playoffs is being in Hialeah, on 49th street, when the Heat win. I'm glad that I was in Miami when LeBron James announced that he was "taking his talents to South Beach." The streets were instantly packed. People were on the sidewalks with Heat paraphernalia, banging pots and pans, and throwing baby powder in the air. You see everybody that you haven't seen in years. Sounds crazy, but it's a lot of fun and a one-of-a-kind experience. It's one of those you-have-to-be-there type of things. Anyway, go Heat!

Well, we are 9 days away from our trip to Steamboat Springs, Colorado! We are so excited! I've never been to Colorado. I've heard that it's absolutely beautiful. Thanks to my awesome in-laws (Stacey & Christopher Culver), we'll be able to take a little break before spring semester starts. Also, Blaine and I just booked an Eastern Caribbean cruise on the Carnival Valor. We will be going with my family in August after Damaris' graduation (I'm so proud of her). I haven't been on a cruise since 2008; it has been long overdue. We are so excited for spring and summer and all of the adventures that we'll have. We will also be visiting Delaware for a week! Can't wait for it all!