One Year Ago Today...

One year ago today: I woke up with a dozen butterflies in my stomach. Accompanied by nausea of epic proportions. Don’t worry. The nausea went away.

One year ago today: My sisters zipped up my white dress and placed my veil to perfection.

One year ago today: I met my best friend at the temple doors where my stomach leaped into my throat.

One year ago today: I froze my toes off while we posed for the camera. I didn’t even have to fake my smile. But I did have to hold back my tears of excitement while Jake whispered sweet comforts in my ear.

One year ago today: I entered the temple where the cold December air was immediately replaced with warmth I cannot even begin to describe.

One year ago today: I sat holding hands with my future companion in a quiet room alone. And had a panic attack. If I even had an ounce of doubt about marrying Jake, it was quickly squashed as he talked me through my nerves like a pro.

One year ago today: I walked hand in hand with Jake into our future. I gazed on the smiles of our loved ones and imagined the eternities.

One year ago today: I hugged. I laughed. I cried. And I secretly wished the day would never end.

One year ago today: I married my best friend.

I love you Jacob Eugene. Thanks for making the last year the best I have ever had. Can't wait for 100 more.

❤kate

Holiday ABC's

DISCLAIMER:

I take full responsibility for stealing this blog idea from my sister. What can I say, she is much more creative than I will ever be.

A is for {Apple}: Not in the literal sense. I mean in the technological sense. Thanks to Santa, I now have an Apple Macbook equipped with a cute purple cover and all the necessary attachments. Uh, spoiled much?

B is for {Big Bang}: Jake included The Big Bang Theory on his list of desired Christmas presents this year. 4 episodes in and we are sold. That Sheldon…he cracks me right up. I already have the theme song memorized.

C is for {Curling}: Jake bought me a new curling iron for Christmas. The first time I used it I burnt my finger. Bad. I now have a blister the size of Texas on my finger. {slight exaggeration}. Ouch.

D is for {Diet}: A diet of Christmas treats, that is. Nothing says Christmas like skipping breakfast and lunch to enjoy all the goodies Christmas offers.

E is for {Eve}: Christmas Eve was spent this year with the Myers family. We watched the Grinch {for the 5^th time}, ate a delicious dinner, modeled our Christmas pajamas, and anticipated Santa’s arrival.

F is for {Family}: We spent Thanksgiving with the Schwartz Family so Christmas was spent with the Branch Family this year. We got together Christmas day for the festivities. Family get-togethers are the best.

G is for {Giving}: Jake and I went a little crazy this Christmas. We saved our money all year long. Then we splurged. And we splurged bad. But hey, it was all in the spirit of giving, right?

H is for {Happiness}: This was our first Christmas together as a married couple. Waking up on Christmas morning to my husband was almost as great as opening all of our presents {gosh, that sounded bad}. Happiness. Pure happiness.

I is for {Imagination}: Last year for Thanksgiving the little kiddos put on their own rendition of “The Three Little Turkeys” {uh, cute much?}. This year I walked in on the rehearsal for their Christmas production of the Nativity. But it turns out they were too wrapped up in their Santa presents to actually go through with the play. But man, they sure are creative little kids!

J is for {Jacob}: Jake only got Christmas Day off of work because of his time off with surgery. But we were grateful to at least spend the day together.

K is for {Kitchenaid}: In the spirt of trying to become a better cook, I begged Jake for a Kitchenaid this year. You know, because my baking skills are directly tied to the appliances I have in the kitchen. Or something like that. Either way, I am super excited to experiment with it.  

L is for {Lack of Sleep}: Jake’s nose + Santa preparation + family gossip + movies = little to zero sleep. Don’t worry, I caught up with a 6 hour nap. Ah, it is glorious to be on a break from school.

M is for {Marie}: Little Marie made me the cutest necklace and bracelet for Christmas. She crocheted them all by herself. Adorable.

N is for {Nose}: For future reference, if the doctor has an open slot to fix your husbands nose a week before Christmas, TURN IT DOWN. The doctor will claim your husband will be right back to normal within 3 days. LIES, I tell you, LIES! Christmas is not as enjoyable when your husband can’t breathe.

O is for {Opening Presents}: Growing up, we never really had presents to open. Santa always left his gifts unwrapped. This year, Jake and I wrapped up every single present. How fun is it to have your house covered in ripped wrapping paper?! Loved it. 

P is for {Pictures}: Turns out I forgot to take pictures of Christmas. Oops.

R is for {Rolos}: I tried out a new recipe from Pinterest for a little Christmas goodness. Pretzels + Rolos + M&M’s = Yum.

S is for {Santa}: Santa. Goodness me, what a jolly spoiler! He brought me everything I asked for plus some!

T is for {Tradition}: I was all about traditions this year. I researched, interviewed, and planned out the perfect traditions for Jake and I to establish in our little family. Uh, they didn’t work out as well as I had planned. Don’t get me wrong, I had some great traditions planned for us. Let’s just say the actual “follow-through” did not happen. Hey, there is always next year.

U is for {Utah}: Logan, Utah was our home for the night of Christmas. Jessica and Brad were great hosts.

W is for {Who}: My little niece Brynlee is obsessed with Cindy Lou Who from The Grinch. You should have seen her giddy face when I did her hair. Pure Bliss.

X is for {Xmas Cheer}: My favorite part of Christmas is hearing all of the excitement of Santa’s gifts from my little nieces and nephews. Christmas is so much fun with little kiddos.

Y is for {Yoda}: Santa brought Jake the complete saga of Star Wars in a neat little Bluray package. What was he thinking? Jake now insists we watch them…together. Oh, something for me to look forward to. I literally cannot wait. {sarcasm}.

Z is for {Zoe, which rhymes with Chloe}: {Geesh, you try you try to think of a holiday themed Z word.}  Little Miss Chloe is still tiny. And adorable. And the best snuggler ever. I just love her.

Uh, you may or may not have noticed I forgot a few letters. Gosh, you try to figure out something for all 26 letters of the alphabet. I am tired. And I want to take a nap. Q, V, and the rest of the gang will have to forgive me.

❤kate

The Good, The Bad, and The Just Plain Weird...

The Good:

• Can I get three cheers for a successful surgery? Booyah!

• Jake woke up from his deep sedation after surgery and first thing he did? He asked if I was okay. Even before I could ask him. I think I may have a winner in the husband department. Or maybe he was just trying to stop the whining before it started. Either way, what a guy...

• Jake's breathing is still a little labored, what with his nose being packed with splints in both nostrils and all. {Uh. Can anyone say ouch? And gross?} BUT...he just informed me he is able to breath without his mouth open. HIGH FIVE!

• Jake looked so cute {I mean manly. Yes, very manly} in his little hospital gown.

• Jake and I just finished our own very "in tune" rendition of Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock inspired by Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds {The Proposal. What a great post-nose surgery movie}. So that in itself is a good sign Jake is feeling better! Or his pain pills are kicking in. Whatever.

The Bad:

• Watching the nurse extract blood from my husband's hand to be placed in his nose to induce clotting is gross. And a little nauseating. I sincirely apologize for sharing this bit of information with you.

• Turns out I am not the best bedside caretaker. I am a much better "sit in the waiting room" wife than a "hold your hand and watch you be in pain" wife.

• If the hospital tells you your surgery will be at 7am, they really mean they wont start until 9:30am. So no need to arrive 30 minutes early. Just in case you were wondering.

• 6:30am in the morning is not a fun time to be at a hospital. Or anywhere besides your bed for that matter.

• Sneezing after nose surgery {especially with splints up your nostrils} is not fun. Take it from my husband.

• Husbands don't really enjoy Instagram at 7am documenting their surgery. Just a warning.

The Just Plain Weird:

• Did you know the hospital gives you this little gadget to inform you when your loved one is done with surgery? {please turn your eyes to the picture below} It's like you are waiting for your seat at the Olive Garden. You know, "Wait for the lights to go off and your the next to be seated! Lucky you!" Only in this case, it's like "Wait for the lights to go off and your the next to pick up your surgically enhanced loved one. Lucky you!" That is just plain weird. Handy, but weird.

• In the Pre-Op room there is a little bench by the sink. You know, for little kids to kneel on so they can wash their hands. Or so I thought. Turns out, the little bench is actually a toilet. You pull up the cushion and ta-da! Your own tiny toilet. Uh, weird.

• Post-Op. What a fun place. You learn so much. Take, for example, the conversation between husband and wife one "curtain" {what privacy the hospital offers} over from Jake. I learned, in fantastic details, about the gentleman's colonoscopy that just took place. Interesting surgery, I tell yah. Interesting indeed.

♥kate

it's {just me} whining....

{This picture has absolutely nothing to do with this post. But my mother told me she thinks blogs are boring without pictures. So here you go, Ma.}

Sometimes I am a big, fat whiner. Really. If I get a cold, I whine. If I have a headache, I whine. If I stub my toe, I whine. Getting the picture?

Turns out I am a very sick prone person. So that means I whine. A lot.

Poor Jake, right?

Right.

Want to know what makes me whine even more? When Jake gets sick. Oh man, then the whining gates break open.

Jake knows exactly what to do when I am sick. Me, on the other hand? Goodness, I am just plain helpless when he is the one under the weather.

Well, Jake has to have surgery bright and early on Monday morning. His basketball nose injury turned out to be a little more serious than we originally thought. Come Monday, he will be put out for quite some time while the doctors try some tricks to make it so Jake can breathe again.

Saying that I am nervous is a little bit of an understatement.

So naturally, I have been whining about it. A lot.

Sure, I have a hint of excitement over the fact that maybe, just maybe, after the surgery I will be able to sleep without a pillow over my head to have a little bit of quiet. And maybe I wont have to wake Jake up in the middle of the night to beg him to quit breathing SO loud {gosh, he sure is lucky to have me}.

But, man, having him out of commission for a week is really starting to freak me out. Like bad.

So, at 7am on Monday, December 19th, please have a little prayer in your hearts for Jacob. And his nose. And his wife.

And a special prayer to stop the whining. Thanks.

♥Kate

it's {just me} being free...

Hi guys. I have to gloat.
I just turned in my last final.
So, as of 9:54pm, I can officially say...

I'M FREE!

No more papers.
No more tests.
No more awkward {vegan} professors.
No more annoying classmates.
No more late night panic attacks.
No more cramming.
No more pretending I did my homework.
No more anxiety caused by professors asking me questions when I pretended to do my homework.

Instead, I will be free to enjoy:

More sleeping.
More playing.
More procrastinating. {ha, I think I already do enough of this}
More napping.
More family time.
More husband time.
MORE TIME!

I'M FREE!

Well, at least for the next 3 weeks.
Ah, if only I could say I'M FREE forever.
Bummer.

***

I don't know about you, but I just did a little dance to celebrate my freedom.
Be glad you weren't around to see it.
♥kate

Dear Blog...

Dear Blog:

I am sorry you have been abandoned lately. It's not you, it's me. No hard feelings?

Only one more final and then you will be the first check on my To-Do list.

Well, right after "Get rid of cold sore caused by the enormous build-up of stress relating to the awful week that comes twice a year."

I hate you Finals Week. I hate you bad.

Please forgive me little blog,

♥Kate

Wordless Wednesday: 276 pages plus a 3,000 word paper....by tomorrow. Awesome.

Really Random List of Ramblings {Take Two}...

It's the week before finals.

I'm tired. 

And grouchy.

And dreading the next 10 days.

Believe me. 

I'm sick of reading.

And I'm really sick of writing. 

So ... I am about to ramble.

Just a warning.

....

 Meet the newest member of the Branch Family.

Miss Chloe Jane Branch.

Little girl loved by Alan and Jaelynn. 

Born on December 2nd.

I love all 6 lbs 14 oz of her. 

She probably has the cutest little chubby cheeks I have ever seen.

And, oh my goodness, her tiny tiny button nose.

It gets me every time. 

And her smile! 

Melts her Auntie Kate's heart.

Care to see her?

{Feel free to zoom in on her adorable little nose. You know you want to...} 

....

Marie and Brookie danced at the Festival of Trees this year.

I stopped by for a little dancin' before I had me some Chloe time.

They were oh so cute in their little outfits.

And oh my word, not only did they dance, but they sang their little hearts out too!

Marie had a solo.

Made me a little teary eye'd. 

You know, because I have a special tear duct. 

It's called the Marie tear duct.

Because, I will be the first to admit, 

She makes me cry often. 

And Brookie, what a little dancer!

Er, I think she is anyways.

Remember this?

Yep. It's true.

Turns out I may or may not have been watching a little Brookie,

Who might not have been Brookie.

The entire performance.

All four dances.

Whoopsies.

....

Good news though!

I got home and look what was in the mail for me. 

It's like the mailman sensed my anger at the girl who was impersonating Brookie.

I didn't take a picture of me wearing them though.

Because, well, I really look like a doofus. 

Sorry.

....

Jake and I decided to be creative this Christmas.

We bought "Kate" and "Jake" wrapping paper.

You know, pink and green for me. 

Blue for him.

Convenient, right? 

Or maybe we were just too lazy to write out our names on the presents.

Whatever. 

Anyways, this is the current standing of presents.

Uh, blue is slightly taking over pink and green.

Jake, you better get going!

Really.

Right now. 

GO!

....

Lookie what Jake brought home to me the other night.

This totally redeems him from the lack of pink and green under the tree.

I love me some Panda Express.

And I could not be more excited about one opening in Poky!

....

I think sometimes my mother misses me. 

Or something like that. 

Mom, once again, if I don't answer the first time,

you really don't need to call me in 5 minute intervals until I pick up.

 I will call you back.

Promise. 

....

Okay.

That's all the ramblings I have time for.

Until next time,

♥kate

Wordless Wednesday: Hot Cocoa, Christmas Tunes, and a Newly Decorated Tree...

it's {just me} and the vegans...

Hi guys. It’s {just me} again. So my break from school was great, right? I think it was so great so I could be prepared for the AWFULNESS that followed it. Ugh, I don’t know if I can make it through the next three weeks of the semester. Really. It’s that bad.

…

Yesterday in my Gender in Lit class we discussed animals. Oh, excuse me, I mean “non-humans”. Apparently I am way beyond being politically correct when I call a dog an “animal”. So wrong, in fact, that my professor will correct me. Right in the middle of her lecture. My bad.

So we are reading J.M. Coetzee’s The Lives of Animals right now {do not even ask me why we are reading this in a gender class}.

Anyways, Professor Narcissism began the lecture with a very touching story on how she believes animals “non-humans” are on the same consciousness as humans are; meaning she believes a fly has as much cognitive development as the human species.  And if she was faced with a decision of swerving her vehicle to avoid hitting a deer or a human, she would have a tough decision to make. {Please remind me to stay very clear of her while she is driving.}

This was followed by several of my classmates agreeing with her. One student enlightened us with her current choices to make herself more spiritually "in tune" with nature. This involves humanely catching spiders or flies that enter into her home and releasing them back into nature.

Really, I am not trying to make light of their beliefs. Promise. {Okay, it is a little hysterical. But that’s not my point.}  And I thought some of their claims were actually quite reasonable. But I am just trying to give you a little background information for the following situation. {wait for it…}

So these types of discussions go on for quite some time. And after a really thrilling conversation on my Professor’s choice to become a strict Vegan, she turned to me and said, “Katie, you have been awfully quiet today. What is your take on the spiritual relationship between humans and non-humans?”

Doh. Talk about a deer stuck in the headlights of her oncoming vehicle.

I answered, “Uh, I really don’t want to offend anyone. So I have been keeping my mouth shut.”

She looked at me quizzically so I continued.

“I grew up on a dairy farm,” I said. “So basically, I have a great relationship with animals “non-humans”. You know, a relationship made through our dinner every night.”

Ha. Wrong move.

She should just be thankful I didn’t tell her about the turkey we had for Thanksgiving last year. 32 pounds of homegrown goodness from the in-laws, lovingly butchered for our own taste buds. Or about all the pigs my daddy would buy at the auction every year for bacon. Or the chickens my mother-in-law raises for their eggs, the venison my best friend’s husband collects every year, the cows we would show at the fair and then sell for our profit, and the list goes on and on.

…

Later, after regaining her composure following the shock of my blatant disregard for the “non-human” race, she informed me I should really consider becoming a Vegan. She says {and I don’t know why} that it is a great way to get over a coffee addiction. So yep, I am becoming a Vegan. Just so I can kick my dang coffee habit. Never mind the fact that I will have to give up meat. It doesn’t even begin to matter because, c’mon, I will be able to give up coffee!

I hope I haven’t offended anyone {besides my professor, that is}. Because really, if you have chosen a life of "veganism" I will stand and applaud you. I think it is great that you have such self control. But, I love me some chicken. So, get over it.

{Jake and I at Date Night tonight. Eating some chicken. My bad. Btw, completely off topic, you can see Jake's broken nose quite distinctively in this picture. Hopefully it will be fixed soon! ☺}

♥kate

of turkey day and such...

Oh my goodness, what a great 10-day holiday from books, papers, and tests I have had! How about you? Was your holiday everything you wished it to be? Oh, mine was. Let me give you the “deets” {that is, “details” in cool girl talk. Or something like that. I am not absolutely sure.}

Holidays are my favorite. Well, actually, holidays are all of the sudden my favorite. For the last 5 years holidays have been just another workday for me. You know, just one of those days when the person checking out of the hotel says “Happy Holidays” instead of “Give me a refund”. {Really, it’s the little things you have to be thankful for.}

I can’t even tell you the last time I had a Christmas or Thanksgiving {or even an Easter for goodness sake} off of work. But thanks to Jake and I both being promoted to “kind of big deals” {ha} at our workplaces, this Thanksgiving we got 4 days off. IN. A. ROW. {I know, it’s like a miracle happened or something.}

So what did we do? We celebrated! And what a fun celebration it was!

This marks the first Thanksgiving I have spent away from my family. But, man, I didn’t even miss them. {just kidding… please don’t ban us from Christmas} But really. It is super fun to have in-laws that are so much like my own family.

And it doesn’t hurt that Jake and I have the most adorable niece, Jane, who all of the sudden has the cutest little personality ever. Jake even admitted to a little hunger. You know, baby hunger. Don’t worry. I quickly changed his mind. {phew} Or it might have been the other way around. Whatever.

After Thanksgiving we made a quick trip to Boise for the night with some good friends {Jake’s best friend from high school and his wife}. Working for a hotel really does have its perks {uhhum, like free rooms and such}. We spent the night giggling over the silly stories of our husbands’ adventures in high school and secretly letting out a sigh of relief that we weren’t around for their so called “glory days” {Man, some of their stories…}

We woke up bright and early {you know, around 9 … so super early} and headed to the Bronco Stadium for a little football. Jake and his friends from high school have started a tradition of going to a Boise State game every year. This time around they allowed the old, married ones to bring their wives…which equated to two tag along wives and eight high school buddies {I am really hoping more of them get married. Soon.}

Our Boise State get-up.

The main members of the Butte County Gang.

Uhh. This is the picture I took of Jake and I waiting for the game to start. Real good. 

The only other picture I took of us at the game. Really, I need to work on my photography skills. 

Don’t ask me how the game went. I really don’t know the details. I was too busy asking Jake really important questions like “Did you just see that bird?” or “What am I suppose to be looking at? ”. Of course, these questions were supplemented with very important comments like “Look at his hair!” and “Ooh, I really like his shoes!”.  So, you know, it was a really good game for both of us. {Just kidding. I am pretty sure I am uninvited next year.}

On our way back from Boise we decided we just could not drive for one. more. MINUTE. So, we took a detour to Twin Falls, ate at Quiznos {if you know us, you know we can’t take a trip without stopping here at least twice} went Christmas window shopping {which is the best kind of Christmas shopping} and grabbed ourselves another hotel room for the night.

So there you have it. That is what I would call a complete, successful week away from school. And now we are counting down the minutes until our Christmas break. Because really, once you have a break, you cannot convince yourself to go back.

Hope your holiday was everything you wanted it to be,

♥kate

The one where we make faces...

So I love a good date night as much as the next person. I especially love a date night that involves Cafe Rio and snuggling in the back of a dark movie theater with my honey. Don't worry...we kept it "G" rated. Unlike the movie. It was about as far from "G" rated as it was from being a quality film.

Guys, have you seen the new Twilight? Goodness me, it's a little risque. And when I say a little, I really mean a lot. Half of the movie is spent watching Eddy and Bell play tonsil hockey. {Tonsil hockey? That is just about the weirdest phrase to describe kissing I have ever heard. I am a little ashamed that I just used it. Don't judge.} The other half is spent watching bad acting, bad effects, and bad blood. I had to throw in the blood. My gosh, I about threw up all over the giggling "oh my gosh, Jacob {the werewolf, not my husband ... just to clarify} just took off his shirt" girls behind us.

We really enjoyed the movie. Obviously.

And in honor of my new blog, I asked Jake to give me the best "I can't believe I just spent $19.00 for 2 hours of this crap" face for a little Instagram.

We obviously need to work on it.

Then I decided I just had to have a normal, smiling, "we are a happy family" picture of us for once. The following is our attempt at such.

Fail. Big, fat fail. Just be grateful I only shared the first six with you.

I made Jake promise we will try again tomorrow.

Moral of the story? Don't watch Twilight. And don't try to get my husband to smile like a normal person. Both are epic failures.

♥kate

it's {just me} and to whom it may concern...

To the “To Whom it May Concern” of Winco Foods,

I would like to file a complaint against the newest employee of your establishment. Not only did they refuse to move out of the way so I could get the produce I needed, but they also scared the living wits out of me. 

I would like to submit the idea of reestablishing criteria for the employees you hire.  Please take my advice into consideration. Thank you for your time.

A “close to a heart attack” customer,

Kate

Let me zoom in for dramatic effects.

♥kate

Wordless Wednesday: Apparently I am blind...

really random list of ramblings...

Do you ever have one of those days where you just cant make yourself finish a full thought? Me too. And so, today I debut my really random list of ramblings. Stay tuned, I am sure it will make an appearance again soon. 

• Yesterday I had to get my blood tested. Don't worry...this happens like once every two months, I swear. {Downside of being a sick-prone person.} Now I have this lovely little friend. I hate needles. I especially hate needles that find joy in bruising me. 

• Pinterest wins again. Tonight we had yet another success with a Pinterest recipe. All that is left to show the evidence of this success is 3 little Ikea Tupperwares and a sink FULL of dishes {I made dinner, Jake gets the dishes!} Oh by the way. I made mashed potatoes tonight...for the first time ever. Don't make fun, but I seriously had to Google how to make them. Yep, that is bad. But like I said, I am growing up. Google and Pinterest are just assisting in the "growing up" process. 

• Sometimes I wonder how Jake and I ended up together. Or more like, sometimes I wonder how Jake puts up with me. This question ALWAYS pops into my head when I pass by the bathroom {yep, the bathroom}. Before your mind goes to far, let me show you what I mean. 

       This is Jake's bathroom {he did a great job decorating, wouldn't you say?}. 

All clean. Pretty, even.                

      No water spots on the mirror. No toothpaste in the sink. He is SUCH a clean freak. 

      This is my bathroom.  Need I say more?

• A few weeks ago the bishopric came for a little visit. They informed me that we were the sole family in the ward without children. Really. The ONLY ones! Then they proceeded to tell me they were going to make it their duty to change this statistic as soon as possible. This week they gave us a calling. Care to guess? I think they are a little confused though. Putting us in the nursery is probably going to have the opposite effect on us. Don't get me wrong. I LOVE kids. But taking care of someone else's kids {other than those related to me of course. Really, Kim. Keep those kids coming over!!} has always made me realize just how much I am not ready to be a Momma. 

• I think Jacob is getting a little sick of my new blogging habit. Or maybe just the fact that I insist on Instagraming everything now.

• Jake and I just gained new hobbies. I blog. Jake plays basketball at the church. Last week after Jake's new hobby, he came home with a cute little Kleenex stuck up his nose. After much deliberation, we have come to the conclusion that it's broken...for the 7th time. {He has the Schwartz Family Nose. It is an easy target after all☺} He now makes a very cute {ha} little noise when he breathes. Not too loud or anything though {um, slight exaggeration}. Imagine a train. Or a jet. Or a jackhammer. Only louder. It makes for a fun time trying to fall asleep at night. The bad thing is that he is not even snoring. JUST BREATHING! Needless to say, he will be visiting the doctor very soon to correct the problem. I am going to go ahead and say my new hobby is safer. And quieter. 

And that, my friends, is what I like to call a really random list of ramblings. 

♥kate