1) I chopped my hair for kicks and giggles. It was so short! Ryan said he loved it, but I don't know if I'd go that short again. I like a bit more length, but I've always wanted to do something a little drastic so it fulfilled that for me. [:
2) We continued to live for the weekends. I love my job, but I'm starting to realize I'm kind of a lazy person who doesn't like doing stuff that other people want me to do for too long (I know I'm not the only one but maybe I just don't have the willpower to soldier on without a break like others do), so the weekends are bliss. Just Ry and I getting things checked off our to-do list and deciding where to go out to eat that night. I know it won't be like this forever so we savor every one we have. I hope I never forget these days.
3) I flew up to Seattle for the funeral of Patricia Ann Alldredge, one of my second moms and one of the best women I've ever known. My best friend Molly's mother. She was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer before Christmas and was gone within a matter of weeks. She leaves a huge hole in my life and the lives of everyone who knew her. I was so grateful to Ryan's parents for letting me use standby passes to get to the funeral at such short notice. Being there meant everything to me, and to Molly. I wish I had gotten a picture of anything to do with it all, but I'll always have the memory of playing King Elephant in the Alldredge's family room that weekend, just like we had done so many times during high school. Date nights, prom and homecoming nights, game nights, movie nights, swimming in the lake nights - so many memories at that house with great friends. I love that family with my whole, whole heart. I'm so thankful for them, and Molls.
This weekend was also the first time I got to meet this ball of puff - Sarah's new puppy! Say hello to Koda, the mini Australian shepherd.
That face. Those paws. That fluff. I'm dead.
I soon found out what my family had meant when they told us he was a "velcro dog." He seriously just wanted to be by people every second! This was my mom and I making breakfast one morning, and he came and slept against my feet while we stood at the stove. Ha!
I also had some quality time with my old gray lady. Panda is 16 years old! She went through a scary time where she experienced some kind of swelling on her eye, but thanks to my wonderful family she got the best of care and now seems comfortable, but she's definitely showing her age. We had some good cuddles. I love my kitty.
Went to Staples to look at pens and the entire store fell in love with Koda, naturally. Plus I was taking like a million pictures and sending them to Ryan so he could meet Koda electronically.
My sisters are obviously babes. ^^^
Koda was restricted to the kitchen tile where he could be looked after while he was potty training and stuff, and it was so funny to always see Panda skulking around and glaring at him from behind the fire screen. She was there all the time. Just watching... waiting... for any opportunity where he got close enough (cause he just wanted to be friends, of course!) for her to give him a good claw and a hiss. It was hilarious.
Selfie together before I said goodbye. I didn't know when or if I was going to see her again.
4) We celebrated Ryan's birthday. The actual day of was super lame, as I got the flu! But we enjoyed a relaxed evening and donuts at home for Ryan's birthday cake.
5) My family visited us in Utah - twice! Once for Presidents' Day weekend, and the other for a wedding of a family friend in Provo.
Trying out Dad's newest camera.
Temple Square day! We also explored the new Church History Museum which is FABULOUS. Loved it. So well done, so beautiful. Highly recommended.
But let's be honest; these trips were really about one thing - KODA.
Sitting so good for his dinner!
Seeing the fabulous Norman Rockwell exhibit at the BYU MOA. And admiring this string rainbow! It was so great being back on campus.
Koda being mobbed by admirers at Scheel's. And loving it.
We drove up Provo Canyon to snowshoe to Stewart Falls. It ended up being super warm, and the snow was pretty gross, but the falls looked very cool frozen solid.
Missing Ryan, who stayed home not feeling well.
Sorry your face got stretched, Dad.
Koda was happy when we all got back to the car.
A SERIOUS highlight of this year will always be the open house and dedication of the Provo City Center temple (here's a video that I LOVE, explaining all about it). Oh my goodness. Thinking about this building makes me cry, without fail. I remember driving out of Provo with a friend back in 2010, on our way to the airport for Christmas break after finishing my first semester at BYU, and seeing the columns of smoke rise from downtown as the tabernacle burned. Then I remember the morning during General Conference when President Monson announced that it would become a TEMPLE. The audible gasp that filled the conference center will always give me chills!
And now it's finished! One of the most stunning temples I've ever seen, inside and out. The curling staircases inside, the dark wood, the stained glass windows everywhere, the sealing room that just floored me with its attention to detail. I love it, I love it, I love it. The symbolism of this building rising from the ashes to become an exalting building, a house of God, is such a beautiful allegory to our purpose as children of God who can become like our Heavenly Father. Thinking about it and passing it by when we drive through Provo fills me with happiness!
It was so wonderful to walk through it with my family!
And then we stopped by our temple, too, to show my family where we get to go. I just love the Mount Timpanogos temple. I love going here each month with Ryan.
Also gave my family a tour of my work! I loved showing them around and telling them about what I get to do every day. It made me pretty proud. [:
6) I got word that my Panda bear passed away peacefully in her sleep. This was a tough week for me. I was so happy to know that she went painlessly, but man I'm going to miss her. I'm a cat person 100% and she was the best of the best. She was there for every up and down of my life since I got her for my eighth birthday, all the way through grade school and college and moving away from home. I love and miss that little furry squish. We had a fabulous sixteen-year run!
7) We plugged along through the dark, cold Utah winter. One of the little silver linings, though, was that for about two weeks the sunrise lined up perfectly with my morning commute, and sunset with the end of my work day. I got to see some incredible colors. It lifted my spirits every day!
Each of these were a different morning. Not pictured, the incredible view on the other side of the valley, with the west mountains lit up in gorgeous shades of pink.
Thanks, Utah. [:
8) Work got really chill. And not just in temperature. Treating less water meant fewer tests to run, but the schedule I had for the quarter was luckily pretty busy. Highlight of February was being job shadowed by my supervisor's 12-year-old son. We chatted about life at 12 years old while he helped me run alkalinity and log in some samples. I may or may not have blushed from head to toe when he told me I would be the best science teacher ever [: (best compliment I could imagine!)
Another perk of winter in Utah - these mountains are just flawless. I love my view from work!
Also I may or may not take pictures of my ring when I find good lighting and am waiting for sample lines to flush while on the sample run. Ryan laughed super hard when I divulged this secret habit to him the other day. Hey, whatever helps kill those five minutes of waiting! ;)
Sidenote event: Not a super flattering picture of any of us but we spent a night playing with Riley. We hit up REI (duh) and Roxberry and had an epic dance party. Riley's moves kicked our moves' butts.
9) Ryan surprised my SOCKS off with a weekend-after-Valentine's getaway (since my family was here for Valentine's Day). He told me he had a surprise planned for the weekend, gave me NO HINTS except that I would need an overnight bag, and let me just die of anticipation as the day got closer. Finally Friday came and I got home from work, packed a bag with outfits directed by Ryan, and we started driving. I couldn't look until (45 minutes later) we were pulling in to our destination - none other than the Stein Eriksen Lodge in Deer Valley.
Cue much squealing and screaming by me in the passenger seat! I love this boy!
Stein Eriksen is our go-to for splurging on ourselves (and when I say "go-to," I mean, "the two times that we've worked up the guts/special occasion/rationale to spend that much in one night" but it's always worth it. Plus we figure who knows how long it will be in our lives before we have this much disposable income again. #thankyoutravelbudget #yolo)
Ryan's plans for the evening were dressing up and going to dinner and dessert at Ruth's Chris (oh my word. Safely saying right here and now - that's the best steak I've ever had. Bless that place. The first and probably only time either of us will experience it (; ) and hot tubbing on our private balcony, talking and enjoying the perfect winter night while watching the snowcats groom the ski hill in front of us.
A relaxed breakfast with the paper the next morning, and enjoying the cutest little boxed chocolates the staff sent to our room when Ryan told them this was our belated Valentine's Day.
Beautiful Timp and Deer Creek Reservoir on the drive back. Perfect weekend! I could not have snagged a better husband. [: So spoiled by my Valentine.
10) Back to the Provo City Center temple for a second tour of the open house, this time with some friends. Come on. Looking at this building, can you really tell us we were that crazy for going twice?
Wonderful temple, wonderful friends.
I love being back in Provo. We finished the evening with dinner at Station 22, and a game of Catan.
11) Finishing our guest bath! It was a joint effort by Ryan and I. During that afore-mentioned Seattle trip for the funeral, Ryan went to Target and picked out THE PERFECT shower curtain and rug, all by himself. All he knew was that I wanted indigo accents and he nailed it. I'll get other pictures sometime soon. But here's a sneak peak of our weekend project of adding the finishing touches. The Amsterdam print that Ryan gave me for Christmas fit perfectly with the Dutch theme I planned for. Heart eyes.
12) Face swap ruled our lives for like two days. We just needed to get it out of our system.
Worth it.
Okay no more numbers. I'm over that. Finishing in true photo dump fashion:
Ryan (the butt!) got to go to a Kasich rally while I was at work.
We enjoy the show we get through our kitchen window every so often. Thanks sunset!
April hit and things started to warm up! Work got busier, serious construction started on our new reservoirs, and the ultimate sign of spring - cryptosporidium/giardia sampling started up! Which meant me tiptoeing around the creepy passages underneath the plant with my loud cart. Not my favorite...
AND I hit my year anniversary at Metro! Mind-blowing. I can't believe it's been a year. It's fun to see how things that used to scare the pants off me are completely routine now. I have to admit, it makes me proud. And thankful.
I like spring a lot more than winter here. [:
We enjoyed a RSL game together, thanks to Ryan's brother. This was a good night. And warm, too! Despite what our clothing denotes, it was really balmy compared to just weeks before!
This beauty got married! So fun celebrating with her and her new man and reminiscing about the days of the B206 Babes. I was seriously blessed with such great roommates. I love keeping in touch with them and seeing where life takes us all!
Dis is my hot date.
The end.
