This time last year...

.... we were cleaning up our apartment and starting a long drive in a large moving truck down to Texas. We were so excited for the adventure we were starting together. Being in a new place, Chase starting at a new school, moving into a new ward, me getting close to graduating, but most of all doing it together without family super close by.

One year later, I've loved what we have been able to do together. I've loved getting closer to Chase. We've made really great new friends. We've moved again already. We've taken fun trips. We've settled into new roles together. We've learned more about ourselves and more about each other.

And now, we are SO excited for the new adventure coming up by starting a family together! Sometimes I still can't believe it. Then I feel her move, or get to see Chase's face while he feels her move and it gets so much more real. Most of the time I'm feeling capable of figuring out things that I'm sure will come up. Every once in a while I get overwhelmed with the idea of being responsible for a tiny little person, but then I remember how many people have done it before us, and how many people we have cheering us on and it gets really exciting all over again.

Until then we're trying to make the most of the time we still have just as the two of us, when we get to set our own schedule and can pack pretty light if we decide to do a day trip somewhere :)

I'm sure in a year or so I'll look back at this time again and be overwhelmed by how many amazing things have happened that I couldn't have predicted, just like I am now. I can't wait!

Christmas Break!

So, I'm a little late, but we had an amazing Christmas break. We spent it with Chase's family, starting in Texas and then headed to Arizona to see Chase's grandpa and for Romney and Cami's wedding!

We went to Gilbert for a cousin's wedding, and that temple is beautiful! We were glad we could make it and that we got to see so much family. We went to St. David and stayed with Grandpa Trejo through Christmas. We went and cut down our own tree, which was so much fun!

When we got back we decorated the tree with home-made decorations and the Christmas lights that Grandpa Trejo had. Spending Christmas with Grandpa was so much fun. It was great to get to know him better and to hear all of his stories and insights, and play games with him (he killed all of us in Rummy 500).

We also went shooting Christmas day. It was windy and cold, but we had a blast. I married into a family of sharp shooters. 

                                

                          

Next up was the wedding!! Cami and Romney looked SO good and we are so happy for them! I'm sad that we didn't take more pictures, but I'm super excited to see the professional pictures they get back. We're really glad that we got to be a part of their special day!

The last day we were there we got pecans from Grandpa Trejo's pecan tree and said bye to Grandpa. I'm glad that we got to spend time in Arizona (even without a white Christmas) and so grateful for the best in-laws that made my first Christmas away from my family such a fun trip. I married into a really great family and am super grateful for the guy who made that possible :)

Thanksgiving 2014

Chase got a full week off of school for Thanksgiving and we decided to go spend in with my family. We flew into Charlottesville and spent a day there before heading up to New York City for a few days. We had so much fun and were so glad we got to spend that time with them! We also got to see my cousin Lauren and her husband Brian which was super fun (we didn't take a picture though... oops).

We were OK about taking pictures, but missed a lot of chances partially because it was freezing outside and we didn't want our fingers to freeze haha. 

We went and saw the Statue of Liberty, the 9/11 memorial museum, the tree in Rockefeller Plaza, and did some fun shopping around on Black Friday. We got to see the big piano at FAO Schwarz and tried to stay away from too many crowds. We also got to go see A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder and Wicked. Loved loved loved both of them.

Statue of Liberty

Thanksgiving dinner 

Rockefeller Plaza

I am so, so grateful for so many things // My family (immediate and extended) // The time I get to spend with them // A wonderful husband // The chance that both of us have to be in school right now // Getting to live in Texas // New friends and old friends // Close by and far away // Getting to travel // A healthy body // Warm house // Food to eat // Netflix to watch (haha) // And so, so much more // I'm especially grateful for my Savior, Jesus Christ // And the chance to celebrate Him this Christmas season // Also for selfies like this left on my phone (love her tons) //

She's gonna kill me...

// Also pretty sunrises like this that make getting up for early flights a little bit easier //

All in all a pretty great week! Let the countdown to Christmas begin

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P.S. I cut my hair and got to donate it! It was a surprise for everyone but Julia, so I had to be pretty secretive about it. But it's been a really fun change so far! 

Halloween plus an Update

Life has been pretty busy around here. 

Chase has stayed busy with school - classes and test seem never ending and I'm not even the one taking them! We look forward to weekends as a break from all the classes, especially our Sundays when Chase doesn't study and we get to spend all day together.

I'm staying busy with my class, applying for student teaching, substituting here and there, trying out new recipes, and recently working on our Halloween costumes. 

We're both loving teaching the Sunday School class for the youth in our church and getting to do that together. Still loving board games when we find time, and dinner dates with other couples from our ward or from Chase's dental class. 

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When we were talking about Halloween and what we wanted to be. We wanted something fairly simple, but also something we both were interested in. We ended up deciding on our costumes of Calvin and Hobbes and had so much fun shopping for the parts of our outfits we didn't already have in our closets and putting it together. It required a little bit of sewing and lots of sharpie-ing but I'm extremely proud of how they turned out! 

Our ward Trunk-or-Treat was two days before Halloween and our costumes weren't quite ready. We threw some things together out of our closets to end up as a 50s couple. Funny enough, some of our friends dressed up as Doc and Marty McFly from Back to the Future and we ended up looking just like Marty's parents. It was great. 

The Book of Mormon

Chase and I just finished reading the Book of Mormon together for the first time this last week. I am so grateful for his patience with all of my questions and his willingness to discuss the things we learn. I loved this experience with him and am so excited to start it again!

I thought I would take this chance to share my testimony of the Book of Mormon. I know that my Savior lives. I know that He came to the Americas after He was resurrected and saw, taught, healed, and loved the people there. I know that He restored truths of the gospel to them so that they could progress on their eternal journey. I know that Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon. I know that he was a prophet of God and that through his translating he was able to learn of the truths that have helped establish this true church today. I am so grateful for him and his sacrifice. I am overwhelmed by the sacrifices of the people and the prophets in the Book of Mormon, that they made so that we could know of the truths and miracles that they knew and experienced. I love feeling the Spirit while I read the stories of the Book of Mormon and learning something new every day and every time I read it. I know that the many languages the Book of Mormon has been translated into and the way that its truth is being spread is nothing short of a miracle, and also nothing less than what has been prophesied. I am grateful to be a part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and to know so many people that are willing to leave their lives behind to help others come to find the truth. I gain a greater peace and a greater sense of gratitude for the Book of Mormon every time I read it and can't wait to see what I will learn this next time. It really does contain the things we need to know to find happiness and direction for how to live our lives righteously. What more could we ask for?

If anyone wants to learn more you can go here, or if you would like a free copy of the Book of Mormon then go here. 

And if you have any questions please feel free to ask me! I'd be happy to answer them or find someone who can!

We Made It!

I'm about a month late... but we made it to San Antonio!

The move was a little crazy - leaving later than we anticipated, then driving all the way through the night, waking up the first morning to flash flood warnings, moving furniture, having to call road-side assistance to get the truck in on time, followed by going to the wrong church building the first Sunday, and needing a couple runs to the store to figure out what exactly we needed. I also was so sleep-deprived and in a hurry to have things start feeling like home I completely neglected to take pictures of any of it.

Now that it's all done though, we're feeling much more comfortable! We were able to find a couch to replace the ones we sold in Provo, Romney and Easton helped us move our furniture in and set it all up (thank you, thank you!), and despite having to condense and squish some things we found a place for everything!

We love San Antonio so far. We have a few other couples from the ward in our complex which is great and we have so much to do relatively close by. We've already been to see the Alamo, and are finding new things that sound fun regularly - including a giant gummy bear in a candy store and the 100th anniversary of the zoo, complete with a carousel :)

Chase is busy, busy, busy with school and is working extremely hard. His course load is quite a bit heavier than we were used to in Provo, and requires quite a bit more studying at home. He's great and makes time for me despite all of this - which I am super grateful for. He even got a fancy pair of scrubs from the school that make him look very official.

We also love being so close to Chase's family! We got to spend the 4th of July weekend with them and had a blast.

All in all I think we're going to have a great time here while Chase is in school and I'm excited to see what happens!

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PS I just started this blog with two of my very best friends - feel free to check it out!

What BYU Lacrosse Means to Me

My junior year of high school was spent going on college visits what felt like every weekend. I had a list of schools that I was interested in and I was hoping and praying that they were interested in me too. At each school I weighed a list of pros and cons about the school and it's details, as well as the lacrosse team there, trying to somehow sort out a list of my preferences - much easier said than done. I spent the summer after junior year at camp after camp after camp. I had 18 days at home that summer, not exactly a dream vacation, but to me it was amazing getting to play that much and to grow so much. At the end of the summer I didn't have any offers and was heartbroken. I started thinking of new ways to become what I had dreamed of for so long - a college lacrosse player.

By the time senior year rolled around I put in my applications to a few schools, hoping that they wouldn't matter, that I would be recruited anyway and not need an application, but knowing it might be a long shot. I figured that worst case scenario I would get in and go try to be a walk-on at one of the schools I applied to. I applied to BYU even though that was the last thing I wanted at the time.

Clearly the Lord wanted me here. I'm still not entirely sure why but am so grateful for the experiences that I have had here at BYU. I didn't get in to any of the other schools that I had applied to. I got waitlisted, but at this point was sick of the rollercoaster of whether or not I was going to make it into a school or not and I wanted to be able to start making plans. So BYU it was.

My mom and I drove 32 hours straight across the country, slept for about 11, then got started moving me in and ready to start school. I went to the lacrosse meeting and got extremely nervous. All through tryouts I was nervous and wasn't sure I would make it. I was so, so, so happy to find out I made the team and started a journey that has helped me in so many ways.

Jump forward 4 and a half years and here's just part of what I got out of all of it:

This team, throughout multiple years and changes in rosters has provided me with some of my very best friends that I'm more than certain rescued me out of situations that would have been much more problematic without them. They have stood beside me through ups and downs both on and off the field. I learned how to be a better leader. I went on some of the longest and best road trips of my life. I experienced some of the biggest joys and surprises and disappointments and frustrations and happiness of my life. I learned more than I thought possible how to juggle different responsibilities. I learned how to get creative with where we could practice. I learned how to dress for both freezing and burning temperatures (sometimes in the same week). I learned how to communicate and sacrifice and dedicate myself to something bigger than just me. I learned how to bite my tongue and to channel my passion and energy into something constructive. I learned fun and weird things about teammates 8 hours into a 12 hour drive. I sang songs in funny accents and with mixed up words more times than I'd like to admit. I met wonderful families that opened their homes to us. I learned how tiring 6am workouts are. I cheered until I lost my voice multiple times. I learned that we have fans all over the country, and other fans willing to come all over the country to visit us. I got out of my comfort zone to fundraise so we would have the money to go to all of our tournaments. I overshared information about myself and laughed about it the whole time with some of my favorite girls. I learned how to effectively stalk other teams on multiple websites. I had multiple girl crushes. I celebrated little things and big things. I cried during practice. I laughed so hard I almost peed my pants at practice. I practiced in rain boots while it was snowing, with a kickball and a football. I followed traditions and started new ones. I learned from older girls and hope that I was able to teach younger girls. I had more swollen ankles and bruises than I want to count. I put more miles on my car than I want to know. I got to represent the school that I attended, and my beliefs to people all over the country. I became a better person because of the people that surrounded me. My testimony grew because of the great examples of the same girls.

I got more out of being a part of this team than I can ever give back. I am so sad to be done with this part of my lacrosse experience, but am so much more grateful to everyone who made it so great, and so grateful to be lucky enough to have gotten to enjoy it so much.