Mark's Birthday = Fondue

So Mark had his 26th birthday this past Saturday, and we really had some fun with it. Mark has a meeting every Saturday morning, but when he came home I was making biscuits and sausage gravy for his birthday breakfast. It turned out that my visiting teachers came over while I was still preparing it, so they ate with us too, which was really a lot of fun.

Then, through most of the rest of the day, Mark and I just hung out around the house. Mark opened his gifts from his parents and from me. (He was totally excited about the raquetball stuff, Mom and Dad. Thanks!) We did a few chores and got the house ready for the party that night... but we didn't really try to fill our day with too much stuff. Mark was doing all he could to enjoy his birthday... and avoid doing homework!

That evening we had our friends John and Delys Tyler and Angela Monteiro over for dinner. I made a pot roast and gravy (as well as the last bits of cleaning up the apartment) while Mark did the mashed potatoes and salad. I think dinner went quite well, despite the bottom of the salt shaker falling out and all the salt piling onto the table. :)

After dinner we had several more friends come over for a fondue party. We had one fondue pot with melted chocolate, and another pot had melted caramel. We asked people to bring different things to dip, so we had bananas, strawberries, apples, gummy bears, pretzels, and pineapple. I made a box of Angel Food Cake for Mark to blow out the candles, and then cut it up to also dip in the chocolate. We had a really good turn out, and everyone seemed to have a really good time.

I guess it's time to start planning for my birthday party... since Mark is only 12 days older than me, that means my birthday is coming up. However, I don't really know what I feel like doing for my B-day...it's not on a weekend like Mark's was. Hmmm... I guess we'll have to think about that one! :0)

Totally Awesome Souvenirs

I mentioned before that Mark bought some cool souvenirs from New Orleans, but I didn't have pictures of them yet. So... here they are.

Can you guess which one he brought back for me and which one he got for himself?

Spring Break is Over... ;-(

I had already scheduled a couple vacation days to go on a short trip with Mark while he was out of school for Spring Break, but a few weeks before that week came, an opportunity came up for him to go to New Orleans for a pro-bono trip. So, since I already had 2 days off from work, and Mark wasn't going to be around anyways, I made plans to visit my friend Theresa Bailey in Maryland. Theresa was a really good friend back in high school, but we didn't really get many chances to see each other since high school. The last time I saw her she was pregnant, and I was just beginning to think that something might "happen" with this Mark guy...and now her daughter is 4 years old and I've celebrated my 4th wedding anniversary. It's amazing how times flies! It was great to see Theresa again and to catch up on the past few years. We both took out our scrapbooks and picture albums and just went through all the memories we could think of to share...I could see how her little girl was growing through the years and just how much fun they've had.

The few days we had together were mainly spent hanging around the house. I did help her unload her truck some to help organize what stuff needed to go to the attic and what needed to go to Goodwill. Theresa had a job interview on Monday, so I took Enidina (Nina) to Chuck E. Cheese for a couple hours.

We just went from game to game, earning tickets galore, and just having the time of our lives. I'd say it was good practice for me in knowing a little bit of what to expect as a parent- potty breaks, potty accidents, and hungry tummies all included.

To tell you the truth, Theresa doesn't feel like she has much support from her parents in a lot of the things that she does with her little girl...I mean, what parent does NOT think that their way is the best way to raise a child, right? But I just want to make one thing clear: I saw the way she interacted with Nina, and the way Nina talks to her and other people...Nina's behavior in general...and I think Theresa is doing a SUPERB job in raising her daughter!! Sure, they have rough spots along the journey of life, but that's bound to happen to everyone at some point. With all that's happened and everything included, I don't think that it's possible for anyone to be doing better with Nina than Theresa is doing right now. So, will all of you who are out there in web-land give a little applause to this fabulous mommy! She's really doing a great job, and trust me, I've seen a lot of mommies in my day! ;)

I had a great time in Maryland, and I'm glad Theresa and Nina let me come and stay with them for a few days. Theresa was so excited for me for the little girly things that Mark just doesn't really get excited over...and to just bond again...*sighs*...it was good to see her, and I'm sorry to say that it will be a while before I can see her again. (Too bad I have these strange smiles in these pictures...)

As for Mark's trip to New Orleans, he left Sunday and came back on Saturday. It was a long trip, but oh, how he enjoyed the nice weather of the South! He was in shorts and t-shirts all week long, and was not looking forward to coming back to the 30 degree weather of Boston...even though it was very nice for New England standards, thank you very much. Mark spent the week conducting a survey regarding the housing projects for those affected by Hurricane Katrina. You'll probably need to hear from him the details of what he did and what he learned, but he said that it was a very eye-opening week for him. He learned quite a bit about the culture of the communities down there, and he was surprised at how readily the people declare their faith in Christ to everyone about everything in life. He seemed to be very grateful for the experience and really enjoyed his time there. Too much time was spent away from his homework...knowing how much he has to do, but all in all it was a good trip. He learned that he really is different from so many people when he chooses to not participate in clubbing and going to bars. It seemed to take a while, but he eventually was able to become comfortable with the crowd he was with and didn't feel so much like an outsider. Yet, he was glad to come home...and be with me! yay :)

People asked me if I missed him during the week that he was gone, but with my own trip to MD, and the feeling of what it was like when Mark was gone for 8 weeks over the summer...this one week felt like nothing to me. Sure, I'd rather be with him than away from him, but an entire week doesn't seem to phase me anymore...is that a bad thing? I guess it will depend on the week, won't it? That will probably change when I have a child to worry about and not have his help with the housework. Yeah...that seems a bit scarier.

He brought home some pretty cool souvenirs too!! Pictures of those to come later...maybe in my next post! Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

Just to Catch-Up

So, since my last post, Uncle Roger did pass away on Feb. 20, 2009. My parents flew out to Utah this week to be there for the funeral services and to be with family. I'm just glad that he's not suffering anymore because the cancer was really making him miserable. I'm still keeping his family in my prayers because I don't get to talk to them much as we never get to see each other, but everyone can use a prayer every now and then.

But on a lighter note, Mark has found an internship for the summer that will be significantly closer to home than the one he found earlier. He will be working at the DA's office for Middlesex County instead of for the Cape and Islands District that he was going to work for. This means that he will be spending at most 1 hour commuting, not at least 1.5 hours each way. He says it's practically the same job, so I'm happy for him. It is another unpaid internship, but it's still exciting that he will be able to get some good experience this summer, and he won't have to GO AWAY to find it. Believe it or not, I did NOT want another summer with him gone. YAY!!

Also, another little exciting bit for him is that Mark is going to New Orleans with a group from school for a pro-bono trip during Spring Break. He's going to be gone the whole week. I don't get to go with him, but I'm still going to have some fun. I'm planning a visit with a high school friend who now lives in Maryland. I figured that we've been so far apart for so long (me in Utah, her in places like Delaware, or Philadelphia) that now that we're within a day's drive, we ought to make an effort to be able to see one another...at least ONCE while I'm here in New England. So, this is it, and to tell you the truth, I'm getting pretty excited to see Theresa and get to know her little girl. I'm expecting it to be a blast! I'll be sure to post more fun pictures and details about that after the fact.

This bit may actually be just for the sake of adding pictures. :)

I'm thinking about dying my hair again just before Cory's wedding in early May, so which red do you think I should go for? Leave a comment and place your vote! (Hopefully you'll be able to enlarge the pictures to be able to get a closer view of #3.)

#1 #2

This first picture is only a day or two before this second picture, but I like the way that it faded.

#3

This seemed to be a more subtle way to go, and I can still try to have some blonde highlights in it...or I can go like #4.

#4

This is a week or so after the original dye job, but it was pretty fire-engine red, with blonde highlights. I thought it was really fun, but when I look at pictures of it, I think, "Whoa! Is that what I looked like?" I think this might still be fun if I add it as highlights only, and not have most of it dyed.

A Night IN with My Valentine!

Valentine's Day weekend was not necessarily spent reveling in romance, but it was pretty fun. The J. Reuben Clark Law Student Society was having its annual conference, this year hosted by Harvard Law School. So there were several people flying in from all over country to attend. We hosted two girls, one coming from Seattle and the other from Salt Lake, so they wouldn't have to pay for a hotel. We offered to provide housing for up to two because we have a bed in our spare room and an extra air mattress to place in the living room. Mark was attending the conference anyway, so he was able to drive them to and from the conference, which turned out to be quite convenient for them. The conference actually went through lunch of Valentines' Day.

Since Mark and I weren't planning on actually getting gifts for V-Day, I decided that I can still do something sweet for him to show that I love him without spending money. I had considered doing this for his birthday, but I knew that it was really bothering him...so I did it for V-Day. I dropped Mark and the girls off at the conference so that they wouldn't have to worry about parking. On the way, Mark was trying to guess what I was planning on doing that day, but I was trying to keep it a surprise. (Gifts are more fun when they don't know what they're getting!) After I got back home is when I cleaned out the car! It took me about 3 hours, but I cleaned out the little crevices, spot treated the upholstery, vacuumed, and cleaned all the inside surfaces and glass. It would've been more fun if it weren't so cold, but I can't change the season of V-Day. Oh well, at least it was warmer than it could have been. My hands were so cold by the end of it though. When I picked them up from the conference, Mark asked me what I had done the whole time they were gone, and I just said, "You haven't noticed yet?" The girls in the back were trying to figure it out too because they noticed that I didn't change my hair or anything. After about 2 seconds Mark declared, "Oh, you cleaned the car!" He told me a few times throughout the rest of the day that he really appreciated what I had done. He's a sucker for service as a sign of love. I think he was happy with it.

As for me, I got to NOT make dinner that night. Mark could have cooked dinner, but he figured that I'd rather have something good to eat...ha ha! So we ordered in pizza from Uno's because we never tried their pizza yet. I was shocked to see how small it was, but then I was baffled to find that we had left-overs when we were done. Their deep-dish pizza was really filling for its size. We were pleasantly surprised! We ate and watched a few episodes of King Of Queens because our neighbors lent us the 1st season. We just had a quiet night at home. I would say just the two of us, but one of the girls we hosted wasn't feeling well, so she was home and in the second bedroom the whole time. It was a nice calm V-Day, and I think we were both satisfied with the time we got to spend together. No big hassles (except for the whole cleaning the car bit, but who's counting that?), just a relaxing time together.

It was also a long weekend for me because my work was closed for Presidents' Day; so it was great to just be able to spend 3 days in a row with my hubby. Honestly, it doesn't really get much better than that!

More Than Just the Lunch Bully

Something I found to be rather amusing happened to me today. I hope it at least brings a smile to your face!

At my work the guys like to all eat lunch together. One in particular usually brings his lunch from home, but eats when the rest of the guys bring back whatever they bought. Today, as they were all gathering for lunch, I realized that I was hungry too, so I went to the kitchen to heat up my lunch. Lo and behold, my lunch was not there in the fridge drawer where I had placed it that morning. I went to where the guys were eating, and I spotted the culprit. One of my co-workers was eating my lunch! I heard of bullies stealing lunch money in elementary school, but this???

(For the sake of not embarrassing the poor man any further, I will not name names, but know that it was obvious to me who it was!) In his defense, he thought that it was the lunch that his wife had prepared for him because it was a casserole, much like what she always prepares for him. However, on that particular morning, the poor guy forgot that his lunch was not in the bag that he brought to work. So, in the morning when he went to the fridge to get a beverage, he spotted a plastic container in the fridge. He mistakenly assumed that it was the lunch that his wife had him pack. However, when lunchtime came, he got a load of embarrassment. He apologized profusely and offered to buy me lunch. He wanted to give it back to me, but I figured he should just finish it if he liked it enough. Since he was already going to be buying my lunch, I didn't see the need for him to buy his lunch too. I wasn't upset with him at all, but I was laughing inside for quite a long time.

Now to give you a few updates on whatever random things I can come up with:

-Not that it affects any of you, but Mark and I got new phones a couple weeks ago. Since AT&T lets you get a new phone for free when you upgrade after a certain amount of time, I was excited to get a phone that I like and is not falling apart. We've been having fun playing with the music capabilities of these new gadgets...even though I don't like that I need to buy accessories like headphones in order to listen to them. If you ever need to buy stuff like that, I suggest looking at Amazon.com first. I found good deals on exactly what I needed, and I wished I had gone there before going to the AT&T store.

-Mark and I (ok, maybe it's just me) are getting excited for our trip to Utah for Cory's wedding. I'm sad to know that the day I meet his bride will be the day of the wedding, and then they're leaving for a honeymoon the very next day. I guess I just won't get the chance to really get to know her for quite a long time. Oh well! At least there are so many of the family who approve of her and are happy that she's joining the family.

-On a more sad note, there has been a lot of bad health going on in my family. My sister's mother-in-law just passed away this past week. She had a long hard battle with cancer, and now they are making arrangements for the funeral. My dad's brother, Uncle Roger, has been battling a cancer for a few years now. He was given 2 months left to live, but that was about 2 years ago. However, last week they've made another prediction of less than a week. So far he is still here, but he is really not doing well at all. He doesn't talk much, but he did recognize his brother when John went to visit him. My dad's sister, Aunt Loretta, has also been having a hard time lately. As a Downs Syndrome adult in her 40's, she's showing signs of old age. (The life expectancy of Downs is about 20-30 years, so according to that, she is really old!) I'm not particularly upset about any of these, but I do pray that those who are more closely involved with these individuals will have the peace of the Hold Spirit with them through these trials.

-Mark seems to be doing alright with school. He does have one unpaid internship lined up for the summer, but I think he still wants another internship to give him a little bit more experience, especially if he can find one that will be closer. As it is, he will be commuting 1 1/2 hours each way, so if he can find something closer, that will be really good for him.

- Oh, and yes I'm still baby-hungry! Very, very baby-hungry! It's not easy to watch people ALL around you- in the ward, my friends I see through Facebook and on blogs, and even in my own family- get pregnant and have new children...especially those who have been married shorter than we have been. However, NO! I don't have any pregnancy announcements to make!

Trying to be the Optomist

For those of you who read yesterday's post, I apologize if I came off as a big fat complainer. I don't mean to be a downer, I really don't! So I will attempt to redeem myself with this post. (I am also deleting the previous post from the blog. Only those who have already read it will be able to see that Kat has to work really hard at being optomistic and happy-go-lucky. It doesn't come naturally!)


I still have a hard time just laughing with life instead of letting it laugh at me. All too often, I take like too seriously. Ever since I made the decision to go back to school, I've felt busier than I have been in a long time. I've been working all day, studying at night as well as cooking, and watching Mark work like a dog all the way until it's time for bed. Just thinking about what it would be like to have children on top of all that...going to school with kids...working with kids...I've come to realize that I will forever have really long days with no time to myself. If I can keep this up for the whole year, either I will be so sleep-deprived and worn out that I will just have to give up, OR I will be so good at it by the time kids come around because of all the practice I've had. Personally, I'd like to concentrate on the latter. I'm hoping that this is all just a blessing in disguise and that I will truly love being a supermom. (This is still years down the road, people! No, there's no announcement being made. This is purely speculation!)


So, what am I going to do in order to allow this uber-busy period become a blessing in disguise? I have to figure out how to take off the disguise and count the blessings as I see them. (This is more for me than it is for you, so feel free to stop reading at any point and just go on with your daily lives. If you want to read on,so be it!)

Let's see if I can count the things in my life along with which I need to laugh.


1) Mark's little brother Cory is getting married in May. This is a very exciting thing, but with trying to figure out how long we can stay, using vacation days, noting that Mark will need to start his internship, it has been a harder trip to plan than usual. I'd like to be able to stay for the whole week because I never had the chance to meet the girl (Sarah) yet. We've been living in Boston the whole time they were dating. Mark would love to be able to be there for a while longer in case he can set up a few interviews for a clerkship in the area. Once life settles down (hopefully within a week or so), Mark and I will really need to decide exactly how much time we will be able to spend and just do it!! I'm excited for the chance to go to Utah, even if it ends up being only for a weekend.


2) Ever since Mark and I instigated a new budget plan, I've been able to not spend most of my alotment. Then we decided to try to save even more by adding other things into that budget without increasing the amount- such as household items, clothing, and toiletries into that "discretionary" fund alotment. Well, it just so happens that January was not a good month for me to add those other things into my discretionary budget. I needed winter boots- $40. I needed some clothing items from Target- $20. I lost one of my leather gloves (which I've had since before we got married), so I needed to buy another pair- $13. I ran out of my discretionary funds so fast, and I even had to dip into February's budget to buy the curtains. Now, I've somehow lost one of those new gloves I just bought!! I've been putting off buying some items that we'd like until next week when it becomes February. At least we can still afford to put bread on the table and a roof over our heads.

3) Oh, speaking of our apartment- On Monday morning at 3:30 AM, there was a loud CRACK at our bedroom window that startled both of us out of our sleep. Our window just cracked from the cold. It sounded like someone threw an icy snowball at it, but I could tell that it just broke all on its own accord. I called management later that morning and someone came by to cover it and tape it up. So far we don't have a replacement window, but it's been measured and should be replaced next week sometime. At least I don't have to pay for that repair! That would be pretty costly, and I don't like the idea. We lived here last winter too and nothing like that ever happened. I thought it was pretty strange, but maybe it's just because it's such an old building and the window was just too tired from all the expanding and contracting it's been performing over the years. I think I'd crack too!

Ok, I really don't want to make this post much longer, but I just wanted to state that I do recognize that I have been blessed tremendously in my life. When I look at other people's lives, I can only imagine what they must be going through. My trials seem so insignificant. My life is really great! I know that the Lord doesn't give us trials beyond what we can handle. Maybe I'm still just like a little child who can't really handle very much. Either that or I've become so mature that these things don't even seem like trials at all. *yeah right!* Either way, I can see that I have much to be grateful for in my life- my family, my in-law family, my loving husband, my education, my desire to pursue more education, the fact that Mark and I have always been able to live comfortably with our finances, the gospel, the scriptures and modern revelation, my calling as a Sunday School teacher where I get to know the youth in our area, my amazing friends near and far, the fact that I am good friends with both my mother and my mother-in-law, and the fact that I am never at a loss when it comes to a need for a service project. Yes, life is grand...now if only I can see it as such everyday from here on out!