Thanksgiving

Arrian went camping with his dad Thursday night, and we all met up with them Friday to make Apple Pan-Doudy and homemade ice cream.

Victoria's first taste of ice cream (I think)! She so fun to be with the whole weekend!
We went down to St. George for Thanksgiving to spend time with Arrian's extended family. It was fun!

Arrian's Work

Arrian got a job! He works in Network Operations at the BYU Data Center. He wasn't looking for a job, but this came up and it was too good to turn down. It is good, because they are willing to work with his school schedule, and there are a lot of opportunities for him to move forward with this job. The downside is that once or twice a week he has to wake up really early (be at work at 4 or 5am). This is a picture I snapped of him trying to sleep after a morning of work.

Frustrated

I have had a cold for the last day or two, and my nose gets really congested and makes it so I can't breathe, so last night I slept for about 3 hours because I would fall asleep, and then I couldn't breathe, so I would jerk awake (Arrian told me all of this in the morning), and then repeat...many times! Not the greatest night!

Then, yesterday my boss tells me that we have a mandatory meeting at 8am the following morning. We have a lot of meeting on Friday mornings at 8, but I always miss them because I have class (and my teacher takes attendance) and one of my coworkers can usually catch me up on what I missed. Anyway, my boss said that there were important things that I needed to hear, so I had to miss class to come. I go to the meeting this morning...and NOTHING was different! Everything we were told I had already been told before! I was so frustrated he told me that I HAD to miss class, and then didn't cover anything relevant. So I missed my 8am class, and didn't get home in time from the meeting to go to my 9am class either.

So...I am going in an hour late today to work...whether he likes it or not. School is my priority...not work! Ugh! So frustrating!

Girl time!!!

I met Kamie and Kaddie from work and we got our nails done and then went out to Saigon Cafe in Provo. The food was soooo good! It was so nice to spend time with them!

Recent outings

For Arrian's actual birthday we went out to dinner with Braden and Heather, and Arrian's friend Cole. We went to Chili's...it was yummy! Thanks for coming everyone!

I love spending time with my Hunny!

On Saturday, we went shooting, just us. It was so fun! We haven't ever gone shooting by ourselves before, it was nice to have one-on-one time with him. He could teach me something that he is passionate about.

Surprise Arrian!

I love you Hunny!
Awesome candles that I found!
Having fun with decorations.
It is Arrian's birthday on the 15th, so on Saturday I threw him a surprise birthday party
Happy Birthday Arrian!
Thanks for coming Braden and Heather!...and everyone else!

Yay, Arrian got the Piñata opened!


Victoria is so cute!

Cooking Yummy Food!

Yummy homemade Alfredo and chicken and beans. So delicious!!! Who needs Olive Garden?
Yummy Tomato Bread, steak, and our gourmet potatoes. Arrian taught me how to make mashed potatoes when we first got married...and now I have perfected them! (Not bragging at all!)

We love to make really yummy meals! It is our adventure!

Man in Airport

I was just reminded of an experience when I was talking to my mom today, and I wanted to share it:

When Arrian and I flew into Las Vegas from our trip to Washington, a few weeks ago, I saw a man in the airport who made an impression on me. We had just left our gate and were on our way to get our luggage when I saw the people walking in front of us pass a man on the left who was walking slowly. He was carrying a lot of dirty, old luggage, and his clothes were old and tattered, and yet there he was, just walking to get his luggage...alone. You know how you can look at people, and you can just tell from the way they carry themselves that they aren't doing very well? That is what he looked like.
There wasn't a lot of room to walk around him, so he had to notice all of these people walking past him. When we came up to him, I had seen so many people walk past him, and I couldn't bring myself to do it. He looked so lonely, and sad, and I didn't want to add to his unhappiness in any way. I wanted to talk to him, and to somehow make him happier. He went unnoticed by most of the people there, but I noticed him, and I think Arrian was wondering why I didn't want to pass him, but i couldn't do it.
When we went to bed that night, I was feeling sad, so Arrian asked me what was wrong, and I started crying...bawling, actually...he of course asked me what was wrong again, andI told him that I was so sad about that man at the airport. He held me and gave me his shoulder to cry on, like any caring husband (maybe while secretly thinking that I was crazy...who knows?). It is kind of silly now to look bad and remember how I felt when I observed him, but I seriously cried for 10 minutes about an old man in an airport!
I love this picture of Christ by Greg Olsen. It is titled "Lost and Found" and when I feel like I felt when I saw that man, I am reminded of how our Savior must feel when he sees us suffer. I was not in a position to help that man, or to make him happier (although I did smile at him), but what I could do, I did. I said a little prayer, asking Heavenly Father to comfort him and to let him know that He loves him.
I hope this doesn't sound silly to anyone, but I love being able to feel a tiny amount of love that our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ must feel for EVERYONE. How overwhelming that love must be. I am thankful for it though, and I am thankful for the experiences that I have when I am able to feel empathy for people around me.

Labor Day Weekend

For part of Labor Day weekend we went to Beaver to camp with Arrian's Dad, brother Erick and sister Karena. Braden and Heather joined us for a day too. It was fun! Thanks for the invite Cory!

Party!!!

I love you Janna! You are the best!
The guys playing Axis and Allies (sorry you couldn't finish the game!)

Last Saturday we had a get-together at our house for Arrian's cousins...it turned into practically a family reunion! It was so fun...Thank you everyone for coming!