Unlikely Gratitude

I'm grateful I didn't get enough sleep last night...

...because I stayed up too late hanging out with my husband.

I'm grateful that my legs are really, really sore...

...because I got a really good workout in last night.

I'm grateful that I'm stressed out of my mind...

...because I get to go to school and get an education.

I'm grateful for finals...

...because the feeling of accomplishment is the best.

 

Then&Now

Yesterday I was writing in my journal and I started thinking about where Chris and I were this time last year. It was amazing to me how far we have come! I just wanted to share two things that have improved in the last year.

-In late November, I hit my heaviest weight. I had no self-esteem and no motivation to fix it. I remember only wanting to wear yoga pants and a big sweatshirt and wearing that as much as I could get away with it. I would never go to the gym on my own...Chris would have to drag me with him. Even if he got me there, I didn't really work out. I'd walk on the treadmill and pretend to do some crunches or something, and then go bug Chris about 30 minutes later to leave. I wanted big changes, but I wasn't willing to do any sort of real work to make it happen.

Now, the number on the scale hasn't gone down as drastically as I would like, but my attitude is 100% different. I prefer to go to the gym on my own, for some reason, that's when I can work the hardest. I have fitness goals that I am actually working towards. I asked for workout clothes for my birthday and for Christmas. I'm not looking for a quick fix, I want a lifestyle change!

-Chris and I were unemployed for our 1st semester married. It was rough. I remember that we decided that we wouldn't really exchange gifts, get a tree, or do anything that would cost extra money for Christmas. I am grateful that we went through that. It helps us to be grateful for our jobs and our complete financial independence.  

We now own both our cars and pay for our own insurance. We pay for my cell phone. We both have jobs we really enjoy. We are able to save money! I am really looking forward to giving the gifts I have planned for Chris!

It is fun to look back and see big changes and improvements. It is good motivation for me to have 2013 be a more drastic difference than 2012 is. 

Don't Sweat the Small Stuff

On Saturday I took a test. It didn't go very well and I know that without having to see my score. After I finished taking it, I called my poor husband in hysteria. He calmed me down, told me that everything was going to be ok...then proceeded to tell me that while I was in my test he witnessed a car accident on his way to work.
It was snowing really hard and the car in front of him swerved off the road and rolled twice. Chris pulled over, ran to the car, and kicked in the windshield and pulled a father and daughter out of the wreckage. 
That shut me up pretty quick & made me feel pretty lame about being so ridiculous over one test. I am so grateful that my husband wasn't in the accident and is safe. I'm also grateful I'm married to such a winner--I am not sure how I would have handled that sort of a situation.

Tender Mercy: I go to the class where the bad test came from and the teacher tells us that he had accidentally shredded half of the tests before he had graded them-he had mixed our tests up with another class. So, to be fair, he is giving the whole class the chance to retake the (same) test if we want. I'm going to rock it this time.

My husband didn't get in a car accident and saved the day and I get to retake a test. Life is good.

And the stars align...

For those of you around town wondering why we've been driving 3 different cars in a week in a half, here's why....

I hate car shopping; its the worst, I would rather go to the dentist or be on my period. Chris loves it.

My sweet husband was driving to his (6:30am) morning class and our Camry broke town. Luckily, he is friends with a car dealer in town and was able to call him and have our car towed (he did it for free, too!) and taken to the dealers mechanic. We got some bad news: the Camry needed over a thousand dollars worth of repairs. We got some good news: our dealer-friend had a client who was dying to get a Camry the exact color/make/model/year that ours was. He offered us a trade on any vehicle on his lot in exchange for our car. We were happy to do this, not wanting to deal with extensive car repairs.

However, there was nothing on the lot that fit what we were wanting/needing in a vehicle. We took the closet thing possible...a 2002 BMW SUV (in car lingo it's called an X5). It was a great car....very nice and luxurious but just too expensive for us to maintain and it had over 110,000 miles on it, so we decided to try our luck on KSL to try and sell it. We weren't expecting to have it sell right away, or have anyone willing to pay what we were asking for it. We were wrong. We had an extremely interested buyer call us two days after the ad was up. Before we knew it we were in a parking lot making the deal; getting our asking price and all!

Well, we were down to one car...which wasn't ideal with our crazy schedules. We decided to start looking again to see what we could find in our price range. Long story short....we found my dream car: a Toyota Rav 4- still under warranty! I was in love and wanted the car so badly. We went in to make an offer and found out that the car was a lot newer than we thought and out of our price range. (Enter Chris the Magical Buyer and Seller:) After some wheeling and dealing and lots of number talk we were signing papers and were owners of the Rav 4 with money in our budget to spare!

In short, we (especially me) couldn't be happier. It was crazy to see how everything worked out in such a timely manner; our school and work schedules remained virtually uninterrupted. We were able to get out of a car we couldn't afford and into a car we wanted and would be reliable for us. There is no way all of this happened by chance: we're calling it divine intervention. We are so blessed and couldn't be happier!

Life is Good

I am deliriously happy; to the point that I'm not sure I'd be able to form complete sentences that would make sense. Here are some thoughts running through my head at 1,000,000/mph.

I am married to my best friend and he makes me the happiest I can be.

We own an incredible new car that we got for a steal, and we paid for it with cash. Cheers to no payments!

I am having a great hair day! Naturally curly hair can be the biggest blessing with the right product to hair ratio. 

It rained today, the good kind. 

My belly is happy and I weighed in at l.8 pounds less today!

I have the day off work tomorrow. 

Chris and I both have jobs that we love.

Talk about blessed! I am truly grateful. 

Ramblings of the Exhausted

I realized something last night, as I crawled into bed after a very full day...it is so much more satisfying to go to bed after you've been busy and productive. You appreciate the sweet relief of being off your feet and sleep comes effortlessly.

I remember back when I was unemployed and would get home after 1-3 hours of school and spend the rest of the afternoon/evening on the couch. When I went to bed I didn't feel grateful for the time to rest; I didn't feel proud of the day's accomplishment...I was actually more stressed thinking about all the things I should have done that were going to carry over tomorrow.

Long story short: collapsing in bed, knowing you did everything that you could do that day is a very rewarding feeling.

Employment

Oh the irony!

Most of you know that I have been job hunting for quite sometime...even when I had a job as a janitor, I was putting out apps like crazy. I wanted a job that I wanted, not just something I had to take because nothing else was out there. About 2 weeks ago I was blessed to get hired at the ticket office. I quit my custodial job and was very happy in my little corner window of the cashiers office. Well, then the rumors started flying. Then they were confirmed; the position wasn't going to be around much longer and there were no guarantees that I would have a job after March. Boo.

Then, the heavens opened and jobs started falling out of the sky. An old family friend (who just happens to be in Rexburg now) contacted me and I start work with her on Tuesday- organizing costume rentals and doing some minimal repairs. The next day I get a call from Victoria's Secret (I had put in an application 2 weeks ago and had totally forgotten about it) wanting to interview me the next day. I show up for the interview and get hired on the spot. 

So, for the next 3 weeks I will be working 3 jobs (20-40 hours a week, depending). I'm not complaining! Yeah, I'm a little stressed. Yeah, I'm a little overwhelmed. Yeah, I'm a little nervous about finals. However, about 7 months of prayers have been answered and I know things happen for a reason. It is such a relief to know I will have the work I need for the summer, and (most likely) the next few years while we're here. I'm excited to finally be able to save a little money for the future (babies? house? etc). 

I am feeling blessed. I am so excited for my jobs!

Blessed am I

Remember yesterday how I was looking at the bright side and trying to stay positive regarding my 4am custodial job? Well, I have been blessed.

I have a new job!

I made a split second decision to apply for an on campus job yesterday- an interview and one sleep later I am newly employed by the campus ticket office, and I couldn't be happier. 

3:20am....I only plan to see you twice more this week and then hopefully will never again on a regular basis (motherhood being an exception, of course). Farewell!

Making Lemonade

Sometimes I like my job....

I have a lot of time to think.

(As much as I hate to admit it...) It gives me an early start at the day.

It teaches me discipline and how to handle the nitty-gritty.

It motivates me to get a degree and to eventually be my own boss.

Its not the most glorious job, but its not the worst job. In a town like Rexburg, I'm truly so blessed to have the job I have--- and that my job pays what it pays. Its a whole lot easier to do things you don't necessarily want to do when you are trying your best to see the positive. 

That is what I have learned in the last week or so.

SideNote: I love/miss President Hinkley. I am honored to clean a building named after him. 

Awefactor

My husband is truly the best. I am so lucky. Forgive me if I bore, but I have to share.
This morning I received a husband's blessing for the start of the new semester. It was such a beautiful, meaningful blessing. It was such a good reminder of how lucky I am to be married to a worthy priesthood holder.
So, then we were off to school. We went to class and then to lunch. When we came home, I was exhausted (still adjusting to the whole waking-up-at-3:30-am thing). I fell asleep on the couch while Chris was giving me a foot rub- how did he know that my feet were killing me from work this morning?
The next thing I knew, I was carefully lifted off the couch, carried, and tucked into bed. I mumbled something about not letting me sleep too long and was dead asleep.
About an hour and a half later, I awoke to a kiss on the cheek and a back rub. What a way to wake up!
Needless to say, I am so very blessed. I hope that all my friends experience what I have someday. My hopes in sharing this are that ya'all will not settle for less than the best. Every woman deserves to have the priesthood in her home- and a loving and supporting husband. I didn't have to wait long for my perfect man...but I would have waited as long as it took.
Ok, that's all. :) Happy Wednesday!

Break

Christmas break is treating me really well. Chris and I have had time to rest and recover from the semester and have also been able to work and generate some income-- two crucial things! It is so nice to have a break from school. I can't wait to leave for Utah on Thursday. I am excited to see my family and to celebrate Christmas with them. We have a lot of fun plans; it will be a great few days. I am so grateful for all of the blessings I'm enjoying. I know that I am not responsible for all of these good things happening. Heavenly Father has been watching over me and is mindful of my wants and needs- I cannot even begin to list all of the prayers I have seen answered in the last little while, nor the amount of strength I have received. Life is good.

I hope that everyone else is enjoying the season and is as happy as I am!

Insanity

Good news, kids! Chris and I are FINALLY employed! After searching for jobs all semester long we have both finally landed something---We will be custodians on campus working Monday-Friday 4-7....(wait for it)....AM! Yep, that's right. Starting December 19 we will be rising around 3:30am and going to bed at 7:30pm.

All jokes aside, this job really is a blessing for us for the following reasons...
1. Although we start work during the Christmas break we will still have about 4 days in Utah to spend with family, including Christmas Eve & Christmas day.
2. We will be making 8.20/hour....which is about a dollar more than people who work "normal" hours.
3. We will be done with work AND school every day by 1:00pm...giving us time for homework, going to the gym, and getting to bed early.
4. We will both be able to work 15-20 hours a week each- most on-campus jobs range from 5-7 hours a week.

This opportunity came at just the right time and is such a blessing. We are so grateful- just had to share the good news!

I hope everyone is doing great and that those who are finishing up fall semester do great on their exams and have a great Christmas Break.

Love you guys!

Logan

We watched this video in my Book of Mormon class today. It touched me, so thought I would share. It has such a sweet message, very appropriate for the first day of December. Enjoy!

(Logan is a 13 year-old boy who lives on a ranch in a very small town in Nebraska. Logan listens to Christian Radio station 89.3FM KSBJ which broadcasts from Houston, TX. His words have wisdom beyond his years)

Reminiscing

Melissa Chris Reception from Dustin Allen on Vimeo.
I just read my friend Ashlee's post with her wedding video. It made me realize that I had never posted mine. I loved every second of my wedding day. It was perfect in every single way. It was the happiest, most emotional, most spiritual, and all around best day of my life. I am so grateful for my eternal companion and our temple marriage!

Attitude of Gratitude

I know I'm a little late, jumping on the Thanksgiving/gratitude train...but the truth is, I've been too busy enjoying myself to blog about what has been going so great in my life.

"If you only had the things today that you thanked Heavenly Father for yesterday...What would you have?" 

That came from Sacrament meeting on Sunday. I always enjoy going to church in Utah with my family ward; nothing beats the Grove Creek 1st ward!
Over the summer, I tried to write 3 things every day that I am grateful for. I did really well then, but it has been really sporadic lately. I really want to relight the fire I used to had. I was more positive and optimistic when I was constantly looking for something to be grateful for....even in less-than-desirable situations. I found this gem on pinterest:

Isn't that completely darling? Now, I don't think I want a completely separate book for my "gratitudes" but I like the idea of counting up to 365 and organizing by month. So I'm working on adapting something similar into my journal. I hope everyone had a great holiday. Lets hang in there until Christmas fellow college students!