Days of our Lives: Utah

I blinked, and now Alex and I have been married for two and a half years! Our journey has been marked by many ups and downs, some amazing opportunities, some bitter good-byes and sweet hellos. I realize that it has been like 2 years since I have posted anything about our lives, so I'll give the Reader's Digest version of the last couple of years! I must confess that most of this year is summed up by this picture:

In summary, I graduated from BYU in April 2016 with a Bachelors in Human Development. That was a great day, and I remember feeling for the next year that I should have a paper to write or something. I'm grateful for everything that I have gained from BYU (most especially my husband--thanks Finance 201). My favorite part of graduation day was when my named was called to cross the stage, I hear Alex yell, "THAT'S MY WIFE!" We were in the MARRIOT CENTER, and he could be heard from end to end!! You could hear the rumble of laughter from the whole place in response.

The next day, I hopped on a plane to Hawaii with Alex for our Honeymoon!! Alex's parents were so sweet to give us this trip for our wedding, which was my first trip outside the continental United States, and it was seriously the most amazing experience ever. I went on a submarine for the first time ever, we visited the Polynesian Cultural Center, went on a catamaran ride, ate pineapple yogurt from the Dole Plantation, visited the aquarium, SWAM with DOLPHINS (my favorite), visited the Bishop's museum, toured Pearl Harbor (the memorial, the submarine, and the ship), drove around the entire island, snorkeled in Hanama Bay, attended a couple of luaus, hiked some mountains, and boogie boarded. We ate some bomb tacos on the North Shore (we also visited the temple there). I got the worst sun burn of my life, but it was totally worth it! The best part was the time difference. Alex and I were up and ready to explore at like 5 AM every morning. I think we did everything we could possibly do on Oahu.

The only rain cloud on our trip was being woken up at 4 AM our first morning there by a phone call from my mother stating that my dad's mother had passed away. She had been in poor health for months and finally succumbed. I felt so bad that I wasn't in town for her funeral that took place a few days later. This is the last picture of my Grandma Jean. She didn't remember that she was there, but I will always remember that she was there. She was such a trooper taking pictures in the middle of our blistery, November wedding.

Soon after returning from Hawaii, I left my job at doTERRA to become an HR Generalist with Progress Mfg. I loved my time at doTERRA as the Call Center Culture Advocate, but an opportunity opened itself to me that I just couldn't ignore. I miss my team and my friends there (and especially the product), but the it was definitely the best thing for my professional and personal development.

My Office at doTERRA

Culture Team

I had limited HR experience, and grew and stretched so much in that role. I fell in love with the company and the good people therein. I developed a great love for HR work and especially party planning. I was given the wings to fly in this role. I had the best boss and friends that a girl could ask for. I gained confidence and was mentored in the most beautiful way. I felt like I was working in heaven. Whenever I was recruiting for this company, I would have people begging me for a job at this place because it was THE best place to work. All I had to share was their mission statement, which is: "We will enable ourselves to provide for our families, serve the Lord, and leave a legacy of good." It was amazing how these weren't just words, but absolute actionable items. I gained a family here and was more inspired than I had ever been in the workplace.

My Progress Family

My favorite lunch buddies <3

Announcement of Dallas

The next plot twist came when Alex received two job offers before he graduated. It was a really hard decision, but we decided to go with Deloitte Consulting in Dallas. Our other option was Detroit, but we felt good about Dallas. It was so nice to have the offer before he graduated. However, my heart absolutely broke at the thought of leaving my family, friends, work, and all the perks of Utah. It was definitely a trial of faith to leave my comfort zone, but we were excited to start a new chapter in our lives.

My Finance Guy

Then the big day came for Alex--Graduation Day! Sadly, I couldn't shout as loud as he could for him when he walked across the stage, but it was a great day for him. We went to the Black Bear Cafe afterwards. Alex's family, my family, Manuel, and Alex's friend Shannett were all able to attend!

Black Bear Diner

Before I move on to our trip and subsequent move and Texan experiences, I need to give honorable mentions to our amazing experiences in Utah as well:

First goes to the one time we went on a hot air balloon (fo freeee):

Second goes to the motorcycle we had for a year and for our trips through the Alpine loop. 

Third, goes to our Wild West ride on the Heber Creeper

Fourth, goes to the Jazz game against Alex's favorite team the Spurs (we were really popular in SLC with our Spurs gear that day...not)

 Fifth, goes to my first time buying a car and saying good-bye to my darling Charlie car that I had had for 10 years. 

Sixth, seeing the Nativiy as Christmas time with real life camels that are bigger than life.

 Seventh, was seeing Stadium of Fire on the 4th of July and seeing Tim McGraw in real life!

Next, seeing the horsey show Cavalia! We got such a good deal on seats and we had amazing seats!

Our adventure at Lagoon can't be forgotten...I didn't get that sick....

Next, for Traci's birthday, my aunties and my cousin zip-lined down Fremont street in Las Vegas!

 My BFF, Jessie, came on a road trip with Alex and me to Vegas and we went and saw "Pawn Stars"

My 3 favorite men in Pine Valley :) 

Sledding with the Family

This was Alex's last hoorah of being a Cougar....hiking Y Mountain. His parents and our friend Manuel joined as well! We went to the very top!

Going Away Lunch with my Dearest Progress Friends

Right after Alex graduated with his Bachelors in Finance, we decided to look for apartments in Dallas and hopped on a cruise out of Galveston to Mexico.

This was my first cruise ever! I was nervous that I would get super motion sick, but the truth is I never felt better. We got a SUPER good deal on our cruise...when we got on the cruise, we understood why. We were on the first floor and the very last door right above the engine. There were no windows or anything...and it ended up being perfect! We slept so good with the rocking of the boat, the white noise of the engine, and the darkness of the room. It was super relaxing. Frankie, our cruise director was so fun and so cool. There were some really great comedy, musical, and reality shows on board the ship, so we were never without entertainment. I also had my very first virgin Strawberry Dacquiery, so that was special. I also ate snails for the first time on the ship, and it wasn't...awful. The garlic sauce surely helped.



 Our first stop was in Cozumel, Mexico. It was so beautiful and fun. We went on a catamaran ride and went snorkeling. We saw a real life barracuda! I pointed it out to Alex under water, and started backing up while he started swimming towards it!! This is pretty on parr for our personalities. We also went to a beautiful private beach with all sorts of water toys. This day, I got soooo burned. Like I almost cried and bathed myself in Aloe Vera. It kinda helped. We also had amazing tacos and quacamole in Cozumel as well.

Our next stop was Yukatan! We did an excursion to Chitzinitza and a senote. The sun was so dang hot, but luckily our tour gave us umbrellas to protect my white girl gone red skin from the sun. This was probably my very favorite part of the trip. I have always been fascinated by Mayan history, so it was magical seeing their buildings, game fields, and cemeteries. I wish we could have touched the stones or walked on them, but everything was roped off. The most refreshing moment of the trip came when I was able to jump into a fresh water senote. The water was so cold and it felt SO good on my crispy skin. Pictures cannot even scratch the surface as to how beautiful this scene was. There were cute fish in there as well that were fun to chase around. Alex did some cliff jumping into the senote. I could not be convinced to get out of the water, it felt so good.

A couple of months later, we packed up our truck and moved to Dallas. It was bitter-sweet to start our new adventure. I left my beloved job at Progress and moved with Alex on my birthday. Dallas proved to be quite warm. I found that when I walked outside for a couple of minutes, I would want to take a shower again. Thankfully the drive itself wasn't too awful and nothing eventful happened. I will blog again soon about our adventures in Texas!

"Mawwiage is What Bwings us Togetha Today"

"I couldn't be happier...he couldn't be lovelier...because happy is what happens when your dreams come true!"

 ~Wicked~

One of my New Year's resolutions is to be better at journaling. I can't say if I'll ever make it to the scrapbooking stage, but this is the first step. 2015 was the best year of my 25 years on this earth--mostly because I met and married the man of my dreams..."my heart's duet" [Enchanted]. We had a relatively short courtship. Our first date was June 2, 2015 and then we were married on November 21, 2015. We have been married barely over a month, and I am convinced that it was the best decision I could have ever made in all eternity.

"Thee lift me and I'll lift thee, and we'll ascend together."

Alex and I met in Finance class in February. It was my least favorite class and possibly his favorite. I always sat in the back, while he always sat in the front. About halfway through the semester, I noticed that my cousin Jake was in the class, sitting in the front. Being that this was a 600 student class, it was difficult to notice anyone in the large auditorium. From then on, I sat in the front next to him. 

 

FLASHBACK: After I returned home from my mission, my father counseled me to get a Business minor because all the men would be in the business classes...not the Human Development classes I was taking. 

MOVING ON: One day, near the end of February, I noticed this Clark Kent lookin' gentleman who was sitting next to me, and I made it my personal mission to snag a date with him. Finance was a bore to me, so I thought I would make the class more interesting by finding interest in those around me. We had been previously instructed by our professor to network and form study groups, and he did not fail this counsel. He asked me for my number by the end of class--I was sure that he was going to ask me on a date, but instead, he asked me to study with him at the library in a study group. 

The Study Group

When I arrived to the "study group," I discovered that HE was the study group. There was no one else there. So I went into date mode instantly. I sat down and started asking him questions about himself as one should do on the first date, but was rather taken aback when he jumped straight into reviewing Finance. I was indeed confused because usually when boys asked me for my phone number, it meant they wanted to go on a date with me and get to know me. So, I put on my Finance [dunce] cap and tried really hard to show him how smart I was. I hadn't reviewed any of the material in quite awhile, and was quite unnerved as this was my least confident subject. He proved to be a good teacher and soon had me working problems by myself. I don't think my brain had ever worked harder in it's life trying to make a good impression in that hour study group.

He then got even more confusing as the semester wore on. He would invite me to every study group prior to the exams, and I went to the next one thinking that I might have an opportunity to get to better know this mysterious stranger better. Alas, this one was a real study group with lots of people saying smart things that I couldn't even comprehend. But THEN, he would text me after every exam, asking how I did and wishing me luck.

Finally, the last exam rolled around, and he texted again asking me to study with him for the final. I had given up the ghost on this class a month or so prior and knew the study group would most likely be pointless with my bleak future in that class, and I never texted him back. To be fair, I was in the middle of moving out of my apartment and I was super sick and might have abandoned my aims of a date with him. 

A couple of weeks after the semester, I randomly thought of him and realized I had never returned his text. So I texted him back apologizing for the late reply and missing the study group, but hoping he did well in the class, and just like the popular yearbook signage, "HAGS" (Have a good summer). I wasn't really expecting a reply, but was most pleased when he texted me back from New York City, while I was at Time Out for Women with my mom. We texted back and forth for the better part of the day and I experienced this indescribable giddiness that we were talking. Sadly though...he never texted me back after that fateful day, and I moved on.

Social Media: Making Things Happen

However, he did begin to add me on social media sites over the following weeks, starting with Facebook, then Instagram, and lastly, Snapchat. I was highly confused that he was adding me on all these sites without talking to me a lot, but I added him anyway. When I Facebook stalked him initially (standard protocol), I found two pictures with him and this girl with their arms around each other in New York City and the Payson temple. I automatically assumed that he was dating this girl, and felt a moment of sadness, but then remembered that I had a plethora of options as I was dating a ton during the summer. 

Everything changed when one day at the end of May, he sent me a snapchat out of the blue. We began snapping back and forth 24/7, and I found that he was really quite hilarious, charming, good natured, and dang attractive. He asked me out on a date on June 2nd to eat dinner at Cafe Rio with him. I almost did a victory dance at that point. After all the waiting, it FINALLY happened! 

From First Date to Eternal Mate

When I saw him at the Cafe Rio, he was a lot taller than I remembered, a whopping 6'6" hunk of a burning love. He was dressed in a black dress shirt with tan dress pants and was looking mighty fine. He paid for my meal and we talked for a good couple of hours. I knew my life would never be the same after that first date. We became inseparable from that point on. All of the sudden, I lost all desire to date others and found myself totally ok with being committed to a man that I had only gone on one date with. I have dated other men for up to a year at a time without feeling that same level of commitment that he had inspired in just one date and a few snaps. I was intrigued, but I think he was mighty intrigued himself. I felt that I could inherently trust him, and I have never had a reason to doubt that feeling since.

To be Continued...