The O.C.D Pedi...

What happens when you combine a pregnant wife and an O.C.D husband?

Perfectly painted pink toenails. And I mean perfect. 

[He even pulled out a few q-tips to clean up excess polish...something I NEVER do.]

I mean, how could they not be perfect with this level of concentration?

That's true love, I tell you. True love indeed. 

Flashback: it's {all about him} and his girlfriend...

You guys sick of the flashbacks yet? Too bad. My posterity will thank you for your patience. Besides, I am almost done.

I think.

***

Naturally, the fact that Jake left to California for 10 straight days after our first kiss was a case of serious bad timing. Because of this, Jake made it is agenda to make sure he never left my mind. He called me every night to catch me up on his day and randomly sent me pictures of his adventures. This was also the first of many times Jake sent me flowers. [Have I mentioned he likes to do that?].

One night, during our daily chat, the mother of the family he was staying with asked who he was talking to. Jake answered [completely nonchalantly], “Oh, it’s just my girlfriend”.

Uh, I may or may not have stopped breathing for a minute. Or longer.  I mean, c’mon, I spent the last year proclaiming “Kate Doesn’t Date” and now I was being called “Jake’s Girlfriend”. It scared me a bit…to say the least. But at the same time, I couldn’t help but smile. “Kate Doesn’t Date” had a nice ring to it, I’ll admit. But “Jake’s Girlfriend”? It just fit. As terrifying as it was, it fit.

***

Jake was scheduled to arrive back into Pocatello late at night.  I was planning to spend the day after class prepping for his arrival. You know, plucking the eyebrows, doing the hair, shopping for a new outfit, etc. All of the important stuff.

Instead, I woke up early that morning when my phone received a picture message. It showcased Jake...and the door to my apartment. I was too asleep to really understand, I guess. It took me a good five minutes, plus a knock on my window, to realize what it meant.

Turns out Jake decided to leave Cali a day early and drive all night long so he could surprise me when I woke up. And surprise me he did.

He surprised me so much that it took me a full minute after I answered the door to realize I was missing a very important supportive undergarment. This led me to run into my room, leaving a very confused and slightly hurt Jake in my living room. He was sure I was unhappy to see him. I was too embarrassed to admit to him the braless truth.

***

He waited for me to get ready, and then dropped me off on campus. I spend the next two classes with a perma-smile cemented on my face. After class, he picked me up and we spent the entire day lounging around my apartment telling each other our deepest, darkest secrets. You know, new relationship stuff.

I admitted that “girlfriend” slightly freaked me out and Jake was more than understanding. I will never fathom why he was so nice to me through everything. Jacob has to be the most patient guy I have ever met. Seriously. I put him through more things than the average guy would ever put up with. And he handled it with a smile on his face.

I kinda love him. And this day was one of the beginning experiences that lead me to have these feelings. [Cheesy enough for you, Jessica?]

 Why all the flashbacks? Find out here!

all about {him} and his new job...

Guess what I did today?

Slept in. With my husband. On a SATURDAY!

Guess what else I did today?

Went to breakfast at Ihop. With my husband. On a SATURDAY!

Guess what I did last night?

Went to a movie. With my husband. On a FRIDAY!

Okay, let me give you a little background. Since we have been married, Jake has worked every Friday night until midnight. Then he would wake up every Saturday and go to work at 9:30am and wouldn't get off until midnight. Needless to say, I would hardly see my husband on weekends.  

Well, NOT ANYMORE! 

Do we love his new job? YES! 

Jake on his first day. 

Okay, I lied. His first day required him to be ready by 7:30am. And I was not waking up that early on the ONE day I get to sleep in. So I insisted he try on his new work clothes the night before. I know. I am such a mean wife. 

 I had to force him to sit still for a picture documenting his new wardrobe. He was super enthused with the idea, obviously. And apparently, my treadmill assists in making the perfect pose. And his golf clubs really add to the ambiance of the picture. 

Either way, I am loving the fact that he comes home from work looking like this rather than smelling like burnt, old food. Yay for me. 

Adios...

Here's to a new chapter in our lives.

Jake's days as the Assistant Service Manager at Texas Roadhouse are over.

Are we excited? Yes.

Is Texas Roadhouse excited? No.

Who knew his coworkers loved him as much as I do.

Proof?

Here go you.

Names and faces [plus mild language] have been deleted to protect the innocent. Er, something like that.

Too bad I didn't get a picture of the two "going away" cakes that were bestowed upon him.
And, oh my goodness, so sad I miss the picture perfect moment of all pre-adult girls shedding tears on his behalf. [yep]

What can I say, my husband rocks. 

And in Texas Roadhouse tradition, those who leave get doused with... disgusting mixtures of disgusting food.

Adios TR. Thanks for all the free food. 

The One Where I Profess My Love...

Valentine's Day. 

Even the title makes me cringe a little. Valentine's Day and I have a love/hate relationship. You could say we are not huge fans of one another. It's awkward. It's commercialized. And it's way too "on display" for me. 

Usually, I completely and utterly boycott it. Last year, I don't even think I said the words "Happy Valentine's Day" to my very newlywed husband. 

But this year I tried to have an open mind. I mean, c'mon, I am an old married lady now. And I have one heck of a cute husband. So I tried a different spin on it this year. A spin that included chocolate covered strawberries and homemade cheesecake [like from scratch. I know ... way out of character for me]. 

The husband even followed through with pink roses and all the chocolate a girl could ask for. 

This made for a gosh darn pretty good day. But my viewpoint on the dreaded V-Day didn't change until that night...

...Oh my goodness, get your head out of the dirties. Perverts. 

What I mean is that night when Jake offered our family prayer. And made me cry. Guys, I have a great husband. 

I have been having a hard time lately. School is taking over my life. Work has been stressful. And it seems I can't even get a good night of sleep with silly nightmares plaguing my dreams. 

But Jake has a way of putting everything into perspective. Even through a short "end of day" prayer. A prayer that makes me feel his love more than some sappy day filled with chocolate covered strawberries, homemade cheesecake, pink roses, and all the chocolate a girl could ask for.

So here I go. Professing my love. Ready?

I love my religion. I love my husband. And guys, I love Valentine's Day [well, at least for now].

I hope your Valentine's Day brought with it your own "professing of love". 

Flashback: it's {all about him} and our first kiss...

I remember my very first kiss ever. It was in the second grade. [Hey, I had three older sisters. I had to keep up.]  

During reading hour, my beau and I would coincide the time we went to the bookshelf. That way we had a few minutes together where we could inconspicuously hold hands. I don’t think we even exchanged words. Just held hands. I am sure we thought we were being very discreet. Why our teacher never scolded us, I will never know.

One day at recess, my little lover told his friend to tell my friend to tell me [you know how it works] that he wanted to kiss me. So, I told my friend to tell his friend to tell him that we could schedule the kiss during our next “bookshelf” time.

The time came and I got the “go ahead” signal [if I remember correctly, it was a mini heart cut out of pink construction paper passed across the room from his table to mine. So fitting.] So I met the boy at the bookshelf and waited.

Waited...waited…

And what do you know, the poor little guy chickened out! But I was not going to let my “bookshelf time” be wasted.  So, I took matters into my own hands. I planted one right on his … cheek, of course. A kiss on the lips was just disgusting. Full of cooties.

If I remember right, we “broke up” about a week later. Must have been one heck of a kiss.

This boy now lives "happily ever after" with his boyfriend [yes, you read that right]. Again, it must have been one heck of a kiss. Obviously it had a big impact on his life. [I refuse to believe my perfectly planted kiss had anything to do with his present lifestyle. I refuse.]

***

Now you are probably wondering what this little story had to do with Jake.

Well, nothing really.

There really aren’t any similarities. Our first kissed was not planned out on a schoolyard. It was definitely not by a bookshelf “supposedly” hidden from our teacher. We actually included communication surrounding the big moment. And my kissing abilities did not lead Jake to make any drastic lifestyle changes. Phew.

But one thing is the same in both “first kiss” cases. My first kiss with Jake, like my very first kiss ever, was initiated by me.

Not that Jake was too chicken like Mr. Bookshelf. Oh no. If he had it his way, he would have planted a kiss on me that very first day at Ice Age 3D. Instead, being the sensitive [but masculine. Very, very masculine] guy he is, he waited until he was absolutely, positively, one-hundo percent sure I wouldn’t run screaming in the opposite direction. What a gentleman.

***

Jake had a big trip planned to visit some of his favorite families from his mission so he was leaving for California for 10 days. The night before he left, we sat in my living room laughing, talking, and joking until 5am.

You know how it goes. First, it started with a lull in conversation. Then we made the ever so famous “eye contact”. [Goodness. There is no way to tell about a first kiss without sounding completely and utterly cheesy.]

Jake hesitated [out of pure fear for my reaction]. And I took advantage of his hesitation.

And you pretty much can guess the rest. Really, I have given you enough details already. Besides, my future kiddos will probably be making disgusted faces and gagging sounds as they read this. No point in egging them on further. [Or is there?… Kids, it was perfect. Take that.]

And that was that. He left the next day. [Or at 8am, a mere 3 hours since he left my house. Poor guy was probably exhausted.]

                          

Why all the flashbacks? Find out here!

Flashback: it's {all about him} and the hypothetical situation...

After the “standoff’, I think I finally got the picture. It took me long enough, that’s for sure. But the fact that Jake liked me . . . well, freaked me out. Not because I didn’t like him. It was quite the opposite. It freaked me out because I did like him. And that really rained on my “Kate Doesn’t Date” parade. So I hid my feelings. I refused to let him know that I may have had a huge crush on him.

Well, little did I know, I was doing a fabulous job at hiding my feelings. So good, in fact, that Jake assumed I was less than interested in him. So he decided to once again move on.

Brandy let it slip that this was Jake’s plan. I think that is exactly what I needed to wake up from my “Kate Doesn’t Date” stupor.

But, I was still shy about the whole thing. So I did what anyone would do in the situation. I text him. [it’s the answer to any conversation you need to have but are to shy to go about it]

But, I couldn’t text him as myself. Oh no, that would be way too forward. So, the text went something like this.

So, I need some advice. Let’s say I have this friend. Speaking hypothetically, of course. [yep, I went there] And she has a crush on this boy. But she has been in a relationship for a long time. And she doesn’t know what to do.

Uh, creative right?  [Jake and I both agree we may have reached a new level of cheesiness with this]

And he replied,

Well, I bet the guy would understand. You should tell your hypothetical friend to go for it.

And go for it, I did.

***

After this, we spend almost every night together. But Jake was timid. He says he felt like he had to walk on eggshells so I wouldn’t become skittish and change my mind about the whole thing.

So he took it slow. One night, he gave me a hug. Huge monument for us!

A few nights later, he held my hand.

A few more nights and he got up the nerve. He finally kissed me … on the forehead. I had the poor guy so sure I would freak out if he went too fast [which is completely true].

But, his plan really worked in his favor. His acceptance of my need to take things slow was just the thing to show me what a good guy he was. 

So I finally took matters into my own hands...

Why all the flashbacks? Find out here!

Flashback: it's {all about him} and the text...

Jake and Shawn, Brandy's fiancé, played intramural football together so they became good friends. One day, Shawn sent Jake a text…

…Wait. Maybe I should recount a few more…awkward details.

Now I am not proud of this. But it’s all part of the story. So it needs to be said. I have said it once and I will say it again… Don’t judge!

Like I mentioned, during the time Jake and I didn’t really see each other, I had this neighbor. No more details need to be supplied about him other than we were friends. And sometimes we kissed. Friends that kissed. That’s all.

Anyways, this neighbor was a good friend of all the girls in our apartment which meant he was at our house a lot. A lot, a lot.

Naturally, Shawn was at our apartment just as much. And these two didn’t quite see eye to eye [that is putting it lightly].

Now I didn’t know this at the time, but sometimes Jake would tell Brandy that he couldn’t quite get me out of his head even with us not seeing each other. So Brandy told Shawn.

Okay. So back to the text. After probably a long day of Shawn putting up with our neighbor, he sent Jake a text [of course, I only found out about this after we had been dating for a while].  

I don’t know the exactness of it, but it went something like this, “Dude, if you still like Kate, you need to start coming back here as fast as you can. She is hanging out with a [insert not the nicest term].

So that is exactly what he did. After their football games, Shawn would bring Jake over to our apartment [trying to use Jake as bait for me to kick the neighbor boy out, I’m sure].

***

One night, after one of their game, Jake came over. It got to be late and everyone went to bed. Except Jake and I. And the neighbor boy.

Doh.

The word ‘awkward’ doesn’t even begin to describe it. There we were. The three of us. Hanging out in my living room.

But keep in mind, at this point I was unaware that Jake liked me. So the awkwardness wasn’t even to the scale it could have been.

After we were dating, I found out Jake was texting my roommate who was listening in her bedroom to the entire awkward experience. Turns out, he almost gave up on the whole idea of me and left right then. But, thanks to my roommate and her “stay with it” and “don’t let him win” encouragements, Jake stayed until the neighbor boy finally decided to leave.

Now nothing happened between Jake and I that night, but I think the “standoff” really sent the picture to the neighbor boy.  Don’t get me wrong, he still came over all of the time. But he didn’t try any kissing business after this night.

Jake really knows how to stand his ground. Obviously.

Why all the flashbacks? Find out here!

Flashback: it's {all about him} and "Kate Doesn't Date"...

The second time Jake and I had a chance to hang out, the dreaded question was asked. I always hated this "inquiry" back then. My answer was instantly followed with a plethora of opinions. Opinions I didn’t want to deal with.

“So Kate, are you dating anyone?”

My answer, “Kate Doesn’t Date”.

You see, that was my motto. I coined it for myself my second year of college after I sent a certain friend out on a mission. One year in and I had yet to break my motto.

Jake, like most people, laughed at my explanation. He swore I wouldn’t make it. I swore I would prove him wrong. [Glad we didn’t bet on it. Even more glad he was right!]

But we still had fun. That night we played a lively game of Cranium. I am sure I made a fool of myself somehow in my usual Cranium fashion. [One time, I had to spell Mississippi. Let’s just say it didn’t end well. Somehow, I added a few extra s’s. No big deal. Also, Jake still teases me about the time I had to act out Elmore Fudd. That didn’t end well either].

And that was that. I was adamant about not dating. Anyone. Besides, Jake was just a friend.

***

The next time I saw Jake was at my doorstep equipped with a Tupperware of soup and a Mountain Dew [how well he knew me]. Jake and his roommate heard through the grapevine [or the mouth of Brandy] that I was sick. So, they automatically assumed a bowl of soup would fix my problems.

A year later I finally got up the nerve to admit to him that the soup was the last thing that would fix my problems. You see, at this time I was dealing with the woes of Thyroid Disease. One of the lovely side effects I dealt with daily was … uhum … an issue that would not want me to eat anything, let alone a bowl of soup.

But it’s the thought that counts, right? Right.

***

Following this, we had one night full of laughter at Jake’s house. I returned their Tupperware filled to the brim with candy and the four of us spent the night laughing, joking, and eating chocolates in their hot tub. Miss Brandy supplied us all with some comic relief when she ran face first into the screen door she thought was open. Hilarious.

***

And that was that.

Jake says he sort of stopped trying because I insisted, “Kate Doesn’t Date”. And I got caught up with work and school among other things.

For about the next month or so, we didn’t see each other. Jake started to crush on a new girl and I picked up my own little...friend of sorts. [Not boyfriend. But friend. Uh, kissing friend maybe. Don’t judge.]

And it probably would have ended there if it weren’t for Brandy’s strongly opinionated [in a good way] fiancé.

Goodness, we owe those two our lives.

Why all the flashbacks? Find out here!

Flashback: it's {all about him} and the first time we met...

Sometimes I lived vicariously through the life of my best friend Brandy. My job was fun, but I only worked with one or two people a night. Brandy, she worked with over 20. I was always jealous of the social factor involved with her job. So, every night after work, we’d climb into one of our beds and gossip. Gossip about our work, our coworkers, and anything else worth gossiping about.

After a while, I got to know her co-workers. Some personally, and some through the stories Brandy would tell. Jacob was a name I would hear often, although I had never met him.  

You see, apparently he was our home teacher. But he never came. Evidently he thought talking to Brandy at work would count. [Okay, so maybe he tried to come over but we were never available at the same time. He will be quite upset at me if I leave that little detail out. Future kids, your daddy was a great home teacher. Very persistent.]

But each night Jacob would ask Brandy how her roommate Kate was doing. The guy had never met me but still cared to ask about me. Maybe he felt it was his church “obligation” or maybe he was genuinely concerned for our welfare. Either way, what a guy.

Over time, Brandy and Jake got to be close friends. After several “we will catch you laters” she and I finally had a night where we could “hang out” with Jake and his roommate.  Ice Age 3D was our agenda. 

We had a great time. We laughed. We joked. We even stole. [Okay. So I stole. We needed an extra pair of 3D glasses for Jake’s friend who we may or may not have snuck into the theatre. Hey, it was their fault they left the box of recycled glasses unattended. Anyone could have reached in and taken a pair. I just happened to be that “anyone”. Don’t judge. Future kids, your dad made me do it. End of story.]

After the movie, we invited the guys over to our new apartment for games. Jake charmed me with a deck of cards. I was amazed. I think I made him show me the tricks about 20 times, begging him to reveal his secrets. [Ask him to show you his magic tricks sometime. They will charm you too.]

And then we ended the night. As friends.

If you would have asked me then, I would have said it would all end like that. Just friends.

Who would have thought that just shy of two years after this night we would be married? 

Turns out, Jake.

He claims this is the night he decided I was "the one".

When did I decide, you ask? Uhm, later. Much much later.

Why all the flashbacks? Find out here!

it's {all about him} time...

Guys, I have been in a “blogger rut” lately. My creativity [and my spare time] has been spent on homework assignments, quizzes, and papers. But to tell you the truth, I have missed my poor little blog.

And to honor the fact that I have nothing worth mentioning going on in my life right now between school and work, I have decided to cater my time to sketch out a few “flashbacks”.

I have the cutest journals from when I was little. [My favorite entry? I hate Kim. She is mean. Followed the next day by Kim is so cool!  Remember that, Kimmy?] And the cheesiest journals from Junior High. And college, oh how fun they are to read.

But then I started to date Jake. And I just stopped my journaling. Don’t know why. [Maybe I was too busy loving on Jake to write down memories.]

But what a bummer, right?

My future kids will know everything about my “weekly boyfriends” in Jr. High but they will know nothing of their own daddy? Again, what a bummer!

So, today I debut the [all about him] flashbacks. I know you are screaming with excitement. And suspense. Admit it. So to begin,

Jacob Eugene, son of Terry and Cindy Schwartz, was born on September 27, 1987…

… just kidding. The flashbacks wont flash quite that far back. Promise.

But they are going to be long. And hopefully detailed. Mainly because I don’t want to forget. 

So here is the disclaimer. Ready?

I am writing this series for me. And my future kiddos [very future, mind you]. If you think I am being cheesy, quit reading. It's my blog. If you think I am putting my husband up on a pedestal, quit reading. It's my blog. If you get bored over the dating techniques of Jacob Eugene, quit reading. It wont hurt my feelings. Besides, it's my blog. Okay? Okay.

Stay tuned for the fun…

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

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

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 my favorite...

Guys, it’s been a rough week. Really, really rough.  There’s been two 14 hour work days in a row, an unexpected and devastating death of a family member, two terribly difficult midterms, the big dilemma from yesterday, and many other rough situations. How do I get through it? Jake. He’s my favorite.  Look what he brought home to me.

Flowers make me happy. Flowers remind me of when Jake and I were dating. Did I ever tell you that Jake bought me flowers every month that we were dating? Really! It never failed. November 2009 to December 2010. 13 months of dating. 13 dozen flowers. Now Jake randomly comes home with flowers because he knows they make me smile. Like I said, he’s my favorite.

Want to know what else makes me happy? This…

No, no.  I wasn’t talking about McSteamy in the background {okay, he makes me a little happy}. I am talking about the fact that Jake has the night off for once. And we are snuggling on the couch watching our new addiction, Grey’s Anatomy. Grey’s makes me happy. Snuggling makes me happy. Jake makes me happy.

He makes my rough week a little more bearable. 

♥kate

Happy Tooth Decay Day!

My husband. He cracks me right up.  

Today I put Jake in charge of picking up some treats for our trick-or-treater's. This was mainly because we waited until the last minute {as usual} and I was in class. Guys, he did great. 

Five bags! Five bags of Halloween goodness! And guess what? NOT ONE TRICK-OR-TREATER!  Okay, okay. I guess we did have one if you count the Jimmy John's delivery person we begged to take some candy so we could feel the slightest bit festive. But still. Didn't the fairies, football players, princesses, and superheroes know we have spent the entire month of October planning what treats we would serve? {Okay, you caught me. Slight exaggeration}. How inconsiderate of them.

I also asked Jake to pick up a little something special for our niece and nephew. You know, just a little extra treat to make sure they knew they were our favorite trick-or-treater's {who knew they would be the sole candy collectors we would see all night}. I came home to this. 

One pile for each. Oh boy. Don't worry, I rationed them before their mom could yell. Our poor kids don't have a chance. 

So here we are. Eating our Jimmy John's. Patiently waiting for our doorbell to ring. Please send your kids our way or we will be eating 5 bags of candy for the next year. {Okay, it is Jake and I. It will be gone in less than a week.} 

Until next time, 

♥kate