Special Christmas Gift, Part 2

We got a very special dresser for Christmas.

In this dresser, I have a very special, secret drawer. And that pretty black and white box on the dresser: it also holds some secrets.

You see, I bought some very special clothes over Christmas break, because I needed them to go with our very special Christmas gift.

Which wasn't, by the way, the dresser.

Our special gift is something we won't be able to enjoy until August.

August 30th, to be exact. And we are so excited!

Special Christmas Gift, Part 1

On Christmas Eve my family does a little Nativity where we dress up and sing Christmas songs while Dad reads the Nativity story from Luke 2. It's a special tradition to remind us of what Christmas really means so that we aren't just thinking about the awesome stuff we're going to get the next morning.

This year, Kent and I played Mary and Joseph, which was fitting, because we are the only married children. It is always a little funny to see Nathan as Joseph and Sarah as Mary, and while Josh and I could probably look like we go together, that would just be weird. :D So we dressed up and acted out the scenes and had a very nice Christmas Eve.

Oh, and I guess there is one other little reason why it was fitting that we played the parts of Mary and Joseph.

Can you guess?

Yep, you got it. It's because we got a very special gift for Christmas this year. Kent bought us this beautiful dresser that I just love!

Don't you think Mary and Joseph had a dresser this nice?

Does that make sense to you?

give love

Kent asked me what he could get me for Valentine's Day. I said "nothing." And not just because I was being sweet. I really couldn't think of anything, and truthfully, it makes me happier to just have him do nice things for me than for him to actually give me something.

So of course, he did both. All week long he's been making a particular effort to ask me every night what the "one thing I would have him do for me" is. And so, he's done the dishes. He's organized his school stuff. He's made the bed (at 11:00 pm).

And then, to top it all off, he left this for me to come home to. He remembered how much I LOVE red velvet cupcakes. And flowers that are "happy" colors and not just the traditional red/pink. And that I don't really like roses anyway. Sigh!

A woman was in line behind him at the floral shop, and she was making comments about how pretty the flowers are and how impressed she was that Kent would pick something like that. When he got home, Kent told me he has learned that "Making my wife happy usually means making someone else's husband unhappy."


I made another cake. I can now say that I have had enough with buttercream (not that I'm any better at it than when I started-I'm just tired of using it). Bring on the fondant!
I decorated with edible paper. Did you even know there was such a thing? I didn't. But one cool thing--it's Kosher. Says so on the package.

25 Things

I've been tagged by the lovely Katie. Twenty-five random things about me. I'm trying to make sure these things aren't already on my list of 100 things about me, so here goes.

1. I will graduate with a BS in English on April 10th.
   
2. My emphasis is Creative Writing, and I flip flop between loving it and hating it. I love to write, but I'm afraid of becoming a frumpy word person like so many students in my major are.


3. Kent tells me that I'm like a solar panel--whenever we get even the smallest peek of sunshine I stand outside and soak it in.


4. I do not like pets (anything larger than a rabbit). Sure, they can be fun and cute, but I just can't stand the thought of ever having one. Kent feels the same way, thankfully.


5. I'm in search of a hobby. I've been a student for so long, I can't really think of what I'm going to do with myself once April 11th comes around. I'm up for suggestions.


6. I'm moving to Texas at the beginning of May. (Kent accepted the job at USAA--I mentioned that before, right? Sorry if I've forgotten.)


7. I've lived in Utah, Idaho, California, and Texas. I can't really say which is my favorite.


8. I have a favorite commercial--the new one about John and Kate plus 8. (Think California Raisins, Mom.)


9. I am a level 3/Master certified tutor with the National College Reading and Learning Association.


10. I'm eating a little bowl of peach slices right now. I love it because I love peaches, and I love little bowls. (and anything else little.)


11. I know how to play the piano, flute, and piccolo. I can also play the organ, but only sort of.


12. I always open the blinds during the day.
13. I am the choir director for the ward choir, and my choir membership varies between one person (Kent-he's so supportive!) and 30.


14. I just finished cleaning the apartment, and I feel pretty proud of myself. Domesticity makes me happy.


15. My shower curtain, bath rug, comforter cover, pillowcases, and living room rug are all the exact same color of green. And they were all wedding gifts from different people.


16. I just entered a short piece of literary fiction I wrote into a National Undergraduate Literature Conference to see if I'll get the chance to attend.


17. I have a $15 lamp next to my computer desk that flickers every time I move my chair.


18. I only have 3/4 cup of flour left in my flour bucket.


19. I believe that the best remedy for a bad day is Graham crackers With Frosting And Milk.


20. Last night, after I picked Kent up from his class at 10:30 pm, I bought him tacos from Jack-in-the-box and paid for them in quarters.


21. The most frightening moment of my life was when I was in second grade and I got chased down the street by a St. Bernard while I was walking home from school. That might explain the dislike of pets.


22. My newest favorite song is "Lemonade" by Chris Rice. I just discovered it yesterday, and I listened to it until I ran out of free listens on the website.
23. The next place we hope to travel to is either Cancun or Portugal.
24. I want to live in a house with a window over the kitchen sink.
25. I make a point of watching a sunrise every couple of months.

I tag: Jesika, Jess, and Jamie

New phones and other excitement

We got new phones yesterday. Kent's phone (The Blackberry Storm) came with three instruction manuals, four installation CD's, a charger plus international outlet adapters, headphones, a GPS unit, and the kitchen sink. My phone (LG something-or-other) came with a power cord. Just goes to show how our technology needs and know-how are vastly different. Kent was so excited when he opened it, and he played with that phone all the rest of the day. In fact, he's still playing with it. He just brought it over to me to show me how he can watch full episodes of Crusoe from NBC.com on his phone. Oh, and now he downloaded a new "app" called Mobile Banking. And I just barely figured out how to turn my phone on silent. I made another cake for my decorating class. This one looks a little better, and I'm sure it will taste a lot better than the last one when I finally get to bring it home next week. (sorry the picture is blurry!)

Also, we're going to celebrate the Superbowl. We are not football people, and in fact, we aren't even going to turn on the television. But Kent said that we need treats because he's "like a Jewish boy on Christmas," and he feels left out. So we're going to have nachos with cheese sauce and guacamole, wings, soda, and these crackers from the Pioneer Woman. Maybe we'll play a round of Monopoly while we eat. And cheer really loudly when we purchase a property. "YEAHOO! I got Baltic Avenue!!!"

Frigid

This morning it is -18 degrees outside. Oh my. Do I really have to go to school today?

"Honey, will you...?"

As part of my goal to give more this year, I've started paying attention to all the things that I ask (or even just expect) Kent to do for me. He is so sweet, and so patient. He'll do whatever I ask, and usually without even complaining. (usually.)


Kent will do the dishes for me, fold the laundry, make lunch or even dinner, humor me by making the bed at night just before we get in it (even though he thinks it's ridiculous), get me a glass of water whenever I even look thirsty, doesn't complain when all of my bathroom stuff takes over the tiny bathroom counter, opens the car door for me every time we get in it, and on and on! It would take me forever to list everything my sweet husband does for me.


And so I was thinking, how often do I try to do little acts of service for him in return? But more than that, how often do I just expect him to give to me, because I'm thinking more about myself than about him?


So I've been trying this week to stop myself anytime I start to ask him for something, and instead ask if I can do something for him. Instead of asking him if he'll get me a drink, I try to remember and ask if I can get him one.


Of course, I haven't been perfect at this, but it has opened my eyes just a little bit more and started to teach me to give more, and expect less.

A culinary experiment

I'm taking a class this semester. Entirely for fun. It's my way of taking advantage of being in college for the last semester and attending a class simply out of curiosity.

And it doesn't hurt that my homework assignments for this class include "make one batch of buttercream frosting" and "bake a cake and give it to someone." What fun! SO, when I sit down to do my homework each night, I get to choose between writing a report and cake decorating. Yeah, cake decorating wins.

So, here is my first attempt! I've got some things to work on, but it sure was exciting!