Weekending

The weekend may not be over yet, but I can already tell you Sunday will not be blog-worthy. We came home from church, turned the heat on for a "few minutes" then fell asleep for 3 hours and woke up baking in our bed. Now I am eating Nutella and watching Casablanca. Just living the life.

Friday night was like this:

We finally hooked up the cable and it was like Christmas morning to be able to flip through channels and watch whatever we wanted. There were hours of Scrubs, Friends, Psych, and The Office Watching.

Also, Nathan stalked me.

Saturday I woke up to a clean apartment and Nathan finishing up in the kitchen. Seriously guys, I scored myself a keeper. 

We visited the library then enjoyed the sun up on the roof. I love the gardens up there. I love the view. I love Salt Lake! 5 years ago Nathan took me up there on our first "real" date. It's fun to look back and see how far we've come.

Red Iguana at City Creek for lunch. Let me toot Red Iguana's horn for a bit. I am seriously obsessed. Growing up in Southern California and visiting Mexico every summer I have had some bomb Mexican food. Red Iguana is basically #1 in my books. And I LLOOOVVEEE Mexican. Oh yum. I want some now.

Please observe how freaking hot my husband is. Hot daaang.

Another great weekend. Life is simple and easy and wonderful. I know it can't always stay quite like this, but we are enjoying it while it can.

the ramblings of an empty stomach

I am sitting here on the couch of my cute little apartment waiting for my awesome husband to bring me home Del Taco and my heart is full of all kinds of emotions but I will only say a few things.

I love this picture. For so many reasons. I love how handsome my husband is. I love that he finally got to meet Mr. Wiggly. I love that Mr. Wiggly was kinda my stand in boyfriend while he was gone. I love that Mr. Wiggly loved Nathan immediately. I love that my best friend took this picture and that she loves Nathan too. (Just in a different way) I love the summer nights I spent on that couch with Kaite and Wiggles thinking about Nathan and what would happen with us. I love that I have been married to him for 3 weeks as of today. I love the twists and turns that life takes you on. I love Nathan. I love where I am. Right here. Right now.

I also love Del Taco.

life according to the iPhone

I've decided I am going to become a professional photographer. I will just bring my iPhone, the pictures, edit them in instagram and just post them on facebook. Super legit and progessional right? I'd change the world of photography as we know it.

Anyways.

Here's some pictures. BAM.

Used my crock pot for the first time. And it was the freaking bomb.

 Nathan agreed.

 Sunday drive. This weekend was gorgeous!

I was going to do a whole post about this letter but decided I was too lazy. But this was from one of my hardest and most frustrating (yet still so lovable) boys. No idea why he wrote it. But it meant the world. I may have cried. He wrote me another one today telling me how funny I am especially when I talk in funny voices. Hahaha

 FHE in the park. It was a tiny bit bright.

 Have I mentioned how much I love the weather lately? BECAUSE I LOVE IT!!!!!

 We like to party.

 Sometimes Nathan crawls around with the comforter around him telling me he's an evil crab. Being married to Nathan is like a free show every night.

 Suuuummmmeeeerrrrrr!

 S'Mores! 

 Classroom full of artists, let me tell ya. I am GORGEOUS!

 Must have been an intense game of doodle sprint.

 POTS AND PANS CAME IN THE MAIL! Wedding presents are seriously the freaking best. Thanks random man from my Dad's work that I have never met!

 What a strong husband I have.

 Best text ever to wake up to. I miss my Lauren. All the freaking way in Australia. 

Perfection

I have been thinking about blogging about this topic for a while but never did. But I thought a lot about it this weekend after some experiences with some friends and I decided it's time.

So fairytales. They're nice right? Sure. But they don't exist. Maybe I am old and cynical, but it's what I have come to believe.

I think we get so wrapped up in how things "should" be that we don't realzie how amazing they already are. I am victim of this all the time. Except I think the biggest problem is not books and movies and fairytales, but comparrison to other people's lives.

We have the internet to thank for a lot of it. On Facebook, no one (except for middle school girls and attention seekers) is posting statuses on how hard their relationship is or the challenges they are facing or how bad life sucks sometimes. What do you show on your facebook and blogs? The good things. The happy bits of your life. No one wants others to think that their life sucks. Same thing when talking to other people. Unless you are a very close friend or family member, I am not going to unload my problems on you. So I can see how it makes sense that others may think I lead a "fairytale" life because the good is what I share. I don't share the bad. Who wants to sit and listen to me complain for hours? It's just not fun guys. Ask Nathan or Katie or my mom.

Now this isn't some post where I reveal how terrible my life is. In fact, my life right now is the best it has ever been. But is it "perfect"? No. But over the years I have learned that perfection doesn't mean happiness. I love the bumps that come along with teaching 8th grade and being married and growing up and life in general. If you're expecting perfection, you are going to be sadly let down.

These thoughts stem from comments I have gotten from several friends about not knowing if a decision was right or a person was "the one" because things weren't perfect. I've heard things like "but we fight sometimes" or "but it's really hard." Then there is my favorite: "But it's a lot harder for us than it is for you and Nathan." I have gotten this from a lot of people from the begining of our relationship over 4 years ago. Nathan and I are an easy going couple for the most part. We mesh together well, have a lot of fun, and have few arguments. That's just the way we work. Other couples work different ways. But we still have plenty of hard times and challenges. (Remember that whole mission thing). It hasn't always been easy and it won't always be, but that's not what we should expect anyways.

I am not trying to stand on a soapbox because I do this same kind of thing all the time. The comparing and the scrutinizing of my own life. Wondering why some seem to have it so easy when in reality, they have a whole life full of challenges I will never understand. It just makes me sad when I see people throw something away just because it needed some work.

I guess what I am trying to say is that my life isn't perfect, but it is perfect for me. I think that's what we all need to do; find our own definition of perfection and stop using the world's or what other's seem to think perfection is.

My definition of perfect is a classroom full of hyper active 14-year-old boys who work quietly for 15 minutes straight before turning the room up-side-down. It's diet coke from McDonald's after work. It's when a parent calls me back the day I leave them the message. It's when all I have to do is lean forward and Nathan knows I need a back scratch. It's a clean apartment and empty trash cans. It's a husband who always puts me first and makes me laugh. It's a loud family with no boundaries and filter who loves each other to death even though we fight. It's sunshine and music and the beach. It's reading Hunger Games to Nathan while he falls asleep. It's simple, but perfect for me.

Annnnddd... rant done.

sometimes it's warm outside and Saturday's are awesome

Today was a beautiful Saturday. Lucky for you, Instagram will let me show you how beautiful it was with visual representation. I will provide the words.

It started like this. Nathan did his hair. In 1989.

I went to baby shower for my lovely friend Kristin, and got to reunite with some of my favorite ladies. And.. we ate Bundt Cake.

The shower was in Provo so afterwards Nathan joined me and I showed him around my favorite parts of Provo. YES. I am admitting it. I miss Provo. But only sometimes. I took him to campus and we walked around the by the river walkway. Nathan had to stop and talk to every duck we saw. I don't know what is up with him and fowls lately.

Oh yeah and Nathan had his first J-dog. And we saw Cosmo. Go team!

After the trip down memory lane, we went to a park and just laid in the sun trying to replenish our vitamin D deprived skin. Vitamin D is like a free anti-depressant. We also read Mockingjay which is like the opposite of an anti-depressant. But shhh! Nathan doesn't know the ending yet!

Then we got diet coke and came home and laid in our awesome bed reading more Mockingjay (Nathan finally understands my obsession) and watching funny youtube videos like this one. Even my slight cold can't make me sad. I loaded up too much on my free anti-depressant this afternoon.

it's friday and I am just gonna type

Guys. The construction company doing work next to our school building keeps "accidentally" leaking gas out and it gets sucked into our vents. I think they want to kill us. Just let the children learn!

Oh wait, they're not learning. They are all distracted by one of my precious boys who has decided instead of working today, he is going to ruin my life. Not really, just kinda.

Today I played the song "Pumped up Kicks" and had my kids do a quick write on how the song made them feel. They all said it made them happy. Then I read them the lyrics. MINDS. BLOWN.

I love cardigans. I don't know how to not wear cardigans.

I get to see a lot of people I love this weekend. Katie and Whitney and her handsome new husband and my CPSE loves. Also Nathan. But he doesn't count. Shh.

I had bananas and nutella for dinner last night. As you can see, I have really taken to the domesticity of marriage.

My husband loves a nest of pigeon eggs more than he loves me. I'm sure of it.

Today I have been married for two weeks. Happy two weeks!!! I am now the master of marriage. Go ahead and ask me some questions, I know it all.

Am I the only one who hates the words "hubby" and "hubster"? I feel like some girls get married specifically for the purpose of being able to use those words in their facebook statuses.

Statuses? Or stati?

This morning I think a co-worker was very subtly putting me down in front of our boss but I can't be sure...

Today I told a student he treats me like he hates me some days and he told me, "Are you kidding? You are like.. my favorite adult."

Another student told me only old ladies drink diet coke. If diet coke is only for old people, call me grandma!

I think I need to stop being so lazy. Or maybe I just need a cat. Yeah, just a cat.

Remember when 4 of my students were suspended because of a big "special" brownies incident at the school? I was one disappointed mother hen when I heard the news.

I am going to post this picture next to my desk. I peed my pants when I saw it. And I definitely need some of this motivation.

I am also going to post this picture next to my desk, but for entirely different purposes.

How does a lint trap in a dryer trap lint? It's like a special lint magnet and I don't understand it's sorcery.

Last night Nathan forced himself to sit through an entire movie that he used to watch when he was little. At the end he said "I hated that." But he pushed through! So proud of him.

I have had several dreams about Michael Jackson this week and I am not sure what to make of it. What are you trying to tell me Michael?

Nathan and I are in bed before 11 every night. I can't tell if that makes us really grown up, or just super lame.

I should probably try to be productive. Wish me luck!

Happy things happening here

Jessi and Marshall came to play last Friday AND Thursday night. We ate pizza and watched Hot Rod and made a Wendy's run and then the boys fell asleep. I am sure going to miss these two when they leave us for the summer!

I slept in on Saturday. I. LOVE. SLEEPING.

Saturday we spent the entire day running endless errands. But we came home with absolutely everything we need to finish setting up and decorating our cute little home and didn't spend a dime. Thank you gift cards!

Saturday night we set all of said stuff up. Everything is pretty much done except for a few minor details. I will do an apartment post soon!

I ate a box of milk duds.

We watched the Blind Side. I was a ball baby. Gets me every. freaking. time.

Sunday we went to our new family ward! So weird to be in a family ward, but we really liked it. There are a lot of young families and couples and everyone was really nice. Plus 9am church makes for time to actually do fun things after church.

I took a 2 hour nap on Sunday! Pretty sure that was my first nap in 7 trillion years. Nathan took one too.

We watched Toy Story 3. That movie makes me cry too. I think I'm a crier..

We drove out to Salem for Sunday dinner with my grandparents, several cousins, my awesome aunt, and Jessi and Marshall. It was so fun to see everyone! And to eat my Nana's cooking. She makes these homemade tortilla strip things that.. I just.. I can't even. I died.

Two pigeons made a little nest on our balcony and laid two little eggs and it's pretty cute they way they take turns sitting on them. Nathan is obsessed and has now learned all there is to learn about pigeons and their eggs. He's my little bird whisperer.

I had my students write in their class journals on Wednesday. One boy wrote this:
"Today I want to write about Mrs. Merkley. She always makes me do my school work even when I don't want to because it is really hard or boring. She says she wants me to do good in school but I think she HATES me!! Just kidding lol. No she doesn't hate me. It is good to have someone support you in school and make you want to do better. I feel like she is looking out for me and I like that."
My heart may have burst and I may have gotten a tiny bit emotional. If you knew this kid, you would too.

We made donuts for FHE! They were delicious. I ate 6. Then I drank diet coke. I don't know why that detail is important, but I feel like you should know.

I ate a lot of Nutella and rationalized that because I felt a little bit sick, it was okay. Marriage is the time to get fat right?

I'm not always fat. Sometimes I eat just asparagus for dinner cos it's freaking delicious. How come all vegetables don't taste like asparagus? And I am not sure I believe the whole pee smelling thing. Although Nathan would beg to differ. 

Most of these happy things are about food. We are big food lovers over here. Life is great and happy and delicious!

sentimental ramblings

I'm all weird and sentimental today. I probably shouldn't blog in such a state, but here I am anyways.

It was all started when one of my very best friends, B.Stew, blogged about her graduation this coming week and her little journey here in Utah. And then I thought about all the moments we got to share in Utah and how she will be leaving soon. Then I thought about my own Utah journey and my own graduation last April and it's making me feel all warm and fuzzy and weepy. Weird right?

Basically these kind of thoughts have been on my mind for a while now. I can't believe how much time has passed since I was a young 18 year old moving out to an unknown state to go to school. You know how you look back on memories when you were a little kid and it's hard to believe it was you? It seems like someone else's memories or that they happened to someone else? Well that's what's happening with the memories from my first few years in Utah. I have an entirely new life now. I am not a student. I am not single. I have said goodbye to many friends. I have lived in 11 different apartments. I have dated some weirdys and found my husband. I waited for a missionary. I moved from Salt Lake to Provo to Salt Lake to Holladay to Salt Lake once more. I started teaching middle school. My plans have been flipped up-side-down and twisted every which way. I am not the same girl who came out to Utah in 2006. I am not even the same girl who said goodbye to Nathan for 2 years in 2010 nor the one who saw him again for the first time at a park in Logandale 4 days before Christmas.

Maybe it's just me adjusting to this new life with a career and a husband and being able to fully close that door on my past life which has been so wonderful. But I am so glad to be here. All my dreams have come true. Sometimes it's hard to believe I am actually here. Everything I worked for my entire life is right in front of me. It feels even more amazing than I thought it would. Now if we could only get out of Utah!!! Just kidding. Kinda.

Sunday night, Nathan and I were driving home from my grandparents and a song came on that I had sent to Nathan on his mission. He said he felt like he was back out there and I realized it has only been barely 4 months since he came home. FOUR MONTHS! I feel like it's been years. In fact I feel like he never left. So much has happened, the time has flown. Makes me wonder just how fast these coming years will go.

This post isn't really making any sense. I am just typing anything that comes to my mind. Basically life is so incredible right now, I can't really believe it. Today I am happy and peaceful and sentimental. I love my life, and I love the years that brought me to this point.

This is what Saturdays at our house look like..

Happy weekending Sportsfans