Things We Love About Christmas

Weather alert: I saw snow in Houston today! Granted, it was not sticking, but it was snow! With the colder weather, it is FiNaLLy starting to feel like Christmas. And, since Christmas is only 15 days away, Mark and I decided to make a list of things we love about Christmas:

Christmas TV Specials

Christmas Trees

Snow

Nativities

Christmas Lights

Christmas Stockings

Christmas Songs

Santa Clause

Reading the Christmas Story from Luke 2

What are your favorite things about Christmas? Leave a comment!

Tis the Season to be Jolly!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Welcome Home, McCade!

This Thanksgiving was extra special. McCade came home from serving his mission in Korea! Here are some photos of the big day.

Waiting at the airport

We barely let him get off the escalator before we tackled him with hugs.

He was a tired, but happy boy.

This was the sign waiting outside when we pulled up to the house.

Cade got home Saturday night and spoke in church Sunday morning. We were knee-deep in Sunday lunch preparations when he got home, so he decided to help out by giving the fruit salad a stir or two.

Here is our little family all together again.

Being Creative

I was inspired by Elder Uchtdorf's talk in the General Relief Society meeting about creation. He said:

"The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul. No matter our talents, education, backgrounds, or abilities, we each have an inherent wish to create something that did not exist before.
Everyone can create. You don't need money, position, or influence in order to create something of substance and beauty.
Creation brings deep satisfaction and fulfillment. We develop ourselves and others when we take unorganized matter into our hands and mold it into something of beauty..."

I took Elder Uchtdorf's challenge to create something. I pulled out my sewing machine, dusted it off, and began my first sewing project since I was 13 years old. I found the cutest pattern for an advent calendar, and decided to make one for Christmas. It was a lot of work. Sometimes I didn't know what in the heck I was doing. And I'm sure there are more beautiful advent calendars out there, but there is something so satisfying in creating something that didn't exist before. It may not be the most beautiful thing in the world, but that is not important. It was made with my own two hands, and that's all that counts. Elder Uchtdorf was right... Creating is fulfilling!

My Edward Moment

So I've been dying for the Twilight movie to come out, and I'm so excited that it's almost here! Well, as I was working at in Ann Taylor today, I kept hearing these teenage girl screams coming from across the hall upstairs. I looked out the door and saw probably the longest line ever, and wondered what in the world was going on in the Hot Topic store.

I only had to wonder for 5 seconds. The lady I was helping at the register explained that Robert Pattinson, who plays Edward, was signing autographs at Hot Topic tonight. I totally freiked. As soon as my shift ended, I zoomed upstairs to Hot Topic. Sadly, Edward was gone. I turned to leave, and then I heard the store manager say that he had gone over to Saks! Call me obsessed (I'm really not), but I HAD to have this chance to see "Edward." I ran over to Saks, and was able to get a picture and a quick video of Robert Pattinson. Granted, he was far away, and I only had my camera phone, but the point is...

I SAW EDWARD!!!!

I also got some video of him talking about the Twilight series, and how he didn't even know about the series when he auditioned for the part of Edward. Unfortunately all you can really hear are about 1,000 screaming teenage girls...

Some Thoughts on Marriage

Today I read an article that just sickened me inside concerning the protests happening in LA as a result of Proposition 8 passing into law. If we thought that the days when members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were persecuted and targeted simply because of their religion, we were sadly mistaken.

Proposition 8 was a bill that came near and dear to many hearts, as moral issues always do. The Church came out with a statement in "The Family" A Proclamation to the World" several years ago that says, "The family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ... By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners."

My belief in this statement runs very deep. Men and women, by divine design, have different roles to play in the rearing of children and in helping each other attain the highest glory in the after life. Men and women need each other to help them grow and progress on the spiritual path to heaven. God designed it that way.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is not alone in this belief. Catholics, evangelicals, Jews, and Protestant religions have all voiced their belief in the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman. Yet, where are protests held? Near the LDS temple in LA. Who do newspaper editorials and anti-Proposition 8 commercials make a target of hate because the proposition passed? The Mormons, of course. However, I would like to take this moment to say "thank you" to the many many people who are not of the LDS faith that stood for the sanctity of marriage and voted for proposition 8. It makes me feel good to know that our church is not alone. There are many, many people who believe in the sanctity of marriage, and they are not all Mormons!

To wrap this up, I also thank the Sherwood Baptist Church for making the movie "Fireproof." I have never seen a movie that was so uplifting. I left feeling that I was so happy to be married and working for something so precious and worth while. If you have the opportunity to see it, be sure you do!

Quilting Frenzy

This weekend Houston hosted the International Quilting Expo. It is apparantly one of the biggest quilting expos in the world. My friend Diane and I took advantage of our close proximity to the expo center and went to take a look at the quilts. We were amazed at the creative designs that we saw. Here are just a few of our favorites. We got caught up in the quilting spirit and bought a few simple patterns to take home and do ourselves. I'll keep you posted on how the project comes out!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Milestones

Milestones to become a true Texan:

1 - Move to Texas
2 - Get a Texas license and registration
3 - Learn to be an over-aggressive driver (this includes remembering to never use your blinkers. You can't let the enemy know what your going to do)
4 - Get pulled over by the Texas police
5 - Use "y'all" and "fixin' to" in the same sentence


Milestone #1, check. Milestone #2, check. Milestone #3, check. Milestone #4..... check.

Yes, I have had my first pull-over experience in the state of Texas. Another milestone for me!

As I am cruising on my way to work, feeling good about my newly acquired Texas driving skills (see milestone number 3), I look in my rearview mirror to see flashing party lights right behind me. As I passed the street-posted speedometer, I knew I was busted. No use pretending... I pulled over.

The policeman approached my window (already rolled down for his convenience), and in his southern drawl said, "Officer _________ with the West University police, ma'am. How are you today?"

"I'm good." How do you think I am? I just got pulled over!

"The reason I pulled you over today is because I clocked you going 44 in a 30-mile-per-hour zone (oops!). Do you have an emergency you were going to today?"

Shoot - I knew I should have scheduled an emergency. Unfortunately, "No, I don't. Just wasn't paying as much attention as I should."

I handed him my license and registration, and he walked back to his cruiser to run them. As he got out of the car, I looked in the mirror for any indication that I would be getting a ticket. Today was my lucky day! I got off with a warning to watch out for those slower speed limits in the West University area, and I was on my way.

Ever since we moved to Houston I have heard horror stories about getting pulled over, but I think I got one of the nicest policemen in the state of Texas!

Time for Some Campaignin'

I saw this on Abby and Able's blog, and it cracked me up! I had to pass it on...

http://www.peteyandpetunia.com/VoteHere/VoteHere.htm

Trip to Utah

My best friend Lisa got married this past weekend, and I went to Utah for the wedding. Here are some pictures from the trip:

Wednesday, Oct. 8: Mom and Grandma picked me up at the airport, and we went for a day of shopping.
We took a break for lunch at Jason's Deli.

Grandma ordered a potato, and it was the biggest thing we'd ever seen! I could have fed our whole family!!

Thursday, Oct. 9: I met my cousin Cody and her kids at Gardner Village for a look at the witches. Cody printed off a scavenger hunt from the Gardner Village website, and we spent the day looking for all the witches.

Cason and Madyson loved the witches that moved. This one had a mouse that ran in circles under her skirt.

We tried on some witch hats along the way.

When we finished the scavenger hunt, we went to the bakery for a cookie. Reygan chowed hers down!

Friday, Oct. 10: The day of the wedding! The bride and groom looked fantastic.

The bride and her maid of honor.

Halloween Fun

Ahhh... October... The month when the nip of the air reminds me of hayrides, caramel apples, warm cider, and of course - Halloween. So, in celebration of the up-coming holiday, I have posted a quiz on my side bar to test your knowledge of Halloween's past, traditions, and myths. See if you're a Halloween Whiz!

Tagged #3

You May Not Know

What were you doing 10 years ago?
I pulled out my journal for a little help on this one... I was 16 years old, happy to have my drivers license, and ecstatic when my parents let me drive to Tooele by myself (funny what thrills a 16-year-old, eh?). I was hanging out with my friends, heavily involved in Mock Trial and Debate, working my guts out in cross country to help my team win the State Championship. I had just moved across town, and I was working early mornings learning to cut hair. Wow - I was a busy girl!

5 Things on my to do list today:
1 - Go to the bank
2 - Print of pictures for my Grandma
3 - Get rid of my old junk
4 - Take care of my stupid car insurance once and for all
5 - Spend time helping my mom at school

My favorite treats:
Kettle corn, chips and salsa, fruit, and Swirll ice cream

3 bad habits (or things I would change about myself)
1 - Dinking around late at night and refusing to go to bed.
2 - Automatically thinking of a bajillion reasons why I can't or shouldn't do something instead of just doing it - this applies to everything from craft projects to life goals.
3 - Worrying so much about how other people like me.

If I were suddenly a billionaire, I would:
Buy a house. Pay off my parents' house. Fly my family to Armenia and Korea. Take a tour of Europe. Donate to charities. Invest.

Places I have lived:
Grantsville, Utah; Cedar City, Utah; Provo, Utah; Armenia; St. Thomas; Salt Lake City, Utah; Houston, Texas

Jobs I've had:
Grocery Bagger, Waitress, House Keeper, Sales Clerk, Marketing Specialist, Account Manager

5 things most people don't know about me...
1 - I absolutely HATE touching raw chicken. I always make Mark cook it when we have it for dinner. There's just something about the way it looks and feels that completely grosses me out before it's cooked.
2 - I read "Gone With the Wind" every year. And every year I get completely frustrated at the characters and vow that I'll never read it again.
3 - I eat all of one item on my plate before moving on to the next one. For example: First all the peas, then all the roast beef, finally the mashed potatoes. There is no mixing!
4 - I collect quotes.
5 - I like being by myself for long periods of time.

5 people I would like to tag are... Stacy, Jenna, Becky, Leslie, Abby

Are You Hungry?

Caution: The following post may cause over-activation of your salivation glands.

In our effort to become food connoseirs, Mark and I love trying new restaurants every chance we get. Houston is the perfect place, since it is the foremost restaurant city in the U.S., leading the nation in number of restaurants and number of meals served per capita. You can select from more than 5,000 restaurants with culinary choices from more than 35 countries. That makes for a LOT of new restaurants to try!

Last night we went to Hungry's Cafe. To start off, the menu has over 100 items, ranging from gyros to southwest chicken wraps. We didn't know quite what to do with so many choices! They all looked so good that we wanted some of everything! We started off with an appetizer of hummus and pita bread.

The hummus steered us in the direction of a medditeranian-style meal, so I decided to try the ginger honey grilled salmon with Basmati Lentil Rice & Pita Bread, along with French green beans. It sounded healthy and tasty, so how could I not? When the waitress brought out my plate, I got so excited. The Lentil rice had raisins in it, and was a very familiar dish to me - I had it several times in Armenia, but I know it as "Chamichov Pilaf" (literally translated: raisin rice). I started telling Mark how I had this type of rice all the time at Easter in Armenia and how much I loved it and how excited I was to have it here in the states. The waitress probably thought I was a little weird to be so excited about food, but I couldn't help it!

Mark ordered a gyro with fries, and the food was so tasty. In fact, I don't think I have ever had food so yummy. The Salmon was perfectly basted and grilled, the raisins in the rice gave it an unexpected sweet flavor that wasn't overpowering, and the lamb in Mark's gyro was so tender. The fries were excellent too!

If your ever in the Houston area, and your hungry, go to Hungry's Cafe. Mark and I give it 5 stars!

Tagged #2

1. If every job paid $50,000 a year, and you had no physical or mental limitations, what would you do?
I would be a college professor or a fashion designer.

2. What is your current church calling? What do you like about it? What have some of your other callings been?
I teach primary. I love the funny things they say and that sometimes they see things with amazing clarity. I love it when they perk right up at a Bible story. I've also taught Marriage and Family, been on the activities committee, and been a pianist a number of times.

3. Name a person you regularly encounter (outside your family) who brightens your day.
Amber (though I have to keep in touch with her through phone and internet these days) to get me laughing at this zany adventure called life. Ren, cause she just makes me feel so durn good. Helen, cause I have a feeling that she's as quirky as I am!

4. In twenty years, what do you think you will miss most about your life now?
How chill it is. How clean I am able to keep my house. That Mark and I can just take off and go somewhere pretty much whenever we want, without much prep time. I think kids will pretty much alter those things drastically...

5. What’s something you appreciate about your spouse?
I appreciate that he is always ready and willing to help with whatever anybody needs him to do. I appreciate that he is silly with me sometimes, and that he gets as much pleasure out of the simple things as I do.

6. What is your favorite routine, household chore?
I think doing the dishes. There's something relaxing about putting the dishes away and then loading up the dishwasher again.

7. What’s a book you return to occasionally (besides the scriptures)?
Harry Potter, Gone With the Wind, Tuesdays with Morrie, Anne of Green Gables

8. Favorite Small Pleasure?
Sitting by the pool with a good book or on the patio with Mark.

9. Favorite time of the day?
Evenings, when I can take a time out with Mark and talk about the day.

10. Name a person who performed what they thought was a small act of service, but ended up being a big deal to you:
Anytime someone calls me up to see how I'm doing or to invite me to do something, I really appreciate it. It makes me feel like they like me and want me to be their friend.

11. Name someone who somehow changed your life:
Wow, now that I really think about it, all of my friends and family have changed my life in some small way. But each small change has led to a big one. Thanks for making my life wonderful, guys!

12. Consider what you do each day. Think of one attribute or trait that you bring to your daily work that is a strength—what is something you do really well?
Hmm... well, I am a really efficient person. My mom tells me that all the time!

I tag: Amber, Cody, Sharon, Lacey, and Charlotte

The Breakthrough

I am a primary teacher. Each Sunday, I get to oversee the spiritual teaching of 3 - 6 seven-year-olds for one hour. I love teaching, and I've had a fun time with my little class. My experience has not been without challenges, however.

Coming from Utah, where almost every ward is comprised of families who have been members for generations and where children are not only spiritually taught at church but at home as well, moving into our Houston ward was a bit of an adjustment. These children are not necessarily taught about Jesus at home. Sometimes the only time they hear anything about Jesus or the bible is at church. Some of the children do not come from stable home environments.

One such child is Kayla, who in her short 7 years has had more to deal with than any child should. She has now been adopted by her grandparents, which was probably the best thing to happen to her, as it now gave her a stable environment. However, Kayla's previous experiences have taught her that most adults are not to be trusted, and that if she wants any justice in this world, she will need to fend for herself. You can imagine the behaviors that arise from such an attitude.

Thanks to previous primary teachers who were patient and loving, Kayla had come a long way before I took over the class. She was no longer hitting the teacher (thank goodness!), and would sit still through the lessons. However, each change of teachers brought a fresh wave of Kayla's desperate attempts to save herself. Each new teacher was an adult that could not be trusted, and she tested them thoroughly. Such it was with me. Each Sunday, Kayla would lean over in sharing time and talk to whomever was sitting next to her. If I moved to sit next to her in an attempt to keep her quiet, she would loudly say, "Don't sit next to me! I don't want you to sit next to me!" She would settle down until there was at least one chair between me and her at all times. If a handout was passed to the children during sharing time, she would play with it until I told her that if she didn't put it away and pay attention, I would have to take it from her. Then, when I carried out with my promise, she would shriek and cry, "It's mine! Give it to me!" And so this has been the situation for three months. Kayla didn't like me and I tried my best to show her that I could be trusted to love and care for her.

Recently, another teacher has been called to teach my primary class with me. We agreed to switch off lessons, and Sister Bassi taught once before the hurricane hit. Yesterday was her turn again with the class, and so I went to Sunday School with Mark, enjoying my time with adults in class. When the lesson was almost over, the Primary President came into class and beckoned to me. I went to her, and she quietly explained that Kayla was beside herself and kept asking where I was. She asked if I would go to Primary to see if I could settle her down. I agreed, and walked to the primary room.

As soon as Kayla saw me, she threw her arms around me, and asked me to sit by her. She sat relatively quietly all through sharing time, but was very wary of Sister Bassi. I asked Kayla if she remembered Sister Bassi, and she said, "No. Will you introduce her to us?" So, when we were in class, I introduced Sister Bassi to the kids once more. Kayla was so good during the lesson! Sister Bassi was very good with her.

Ever since I have been Kayla'a primary teacher, I have wondered if I have been getting through to her at all, if I was doing any good. I have come home many a Sunday discouraged that she was so unresponsive to my efforts. But yesterday made me feel so good! Kayla has finally learned to trust me, and she seemed to trust Sister Bassi more readily than I have ever seen her trust before. I know it's not all my doing, so I don't want to seem like I'm bragging at all. I am just so thankful that the Lord has helped all of the primary teachers in Kayla's life show her that she can be loved and that she can trust us. I'm so glad that Sister Bassi was called to be my teaching partner, because she has such a kind heart, and I know that Kayla could feel that yesterday. I think we've reached a break-through, and it can only go up from here!

The Change of Seasons

Take a step out of your front door. Now breath deeply through your nose. Do you smell it? The distinct aroma of cooler air, falling leaves, and warm grass. Yes, autumn is here, my friends! I love fall. I love the little nip of the weather that just appears one day, making an end to the hot summer days. I love the vivid reds, golds, and oranges of the leaves as they change color. I love walking along the sidewalk as a gust of wind swirls fallen leaves in a circle about my ankles.

I stepped out onto my patio today into just such a fall day, and suddenly I was craving caramel apples, corn mazes, hay rides, and argyle. I wanted to walk through a garden and run my hands through the dirt as I dug up vegetables ripe for the harvest. I wanted to have signs of fall all around me! So, I got out my fall wreath, my scarecrows, my pumpkin spice candles, and I decorated for fall.

Something about fall just makes me excited for things to happen. Maybe it's the anticipation of the holidays. Maybe it's leftover from the hustle and bustle of my school days. But whatever it is, I want to be out and doing - even more so than usual. Maybe I was destined for it. "Herbst", after all, means "autumn" in German.

This is sort of a random collection of thoughts on fall, but I wanted to share my joy in having fall here again. Isn't God good to give us different seasons? And isn't he good to give us a season so focused on abundance and Thanksgiving? Fall is a time to reap the fruits of our labors, and we have been blessed in so many ways.

Wordle

I thought this was kinda fun...  You can make your own at
www.wordle.net.

Eek @ Ike!!

After months of waiting for a "real" hurricane experience, Mark and I got our wish. Not that we exactly wanted to have a hurricane hit our house, we just wanted to experience one to see what it was really like. September 11 was marked by clear sunny skies, and a warning of a hurricane approaching Galveston island, about 45 minutes from where we live. We were headed up to Dallas for the weekend to visit Mark's sister, and we got caught in the evacuation traffic. That was our first clue that maybe we didn't want to experience a hurricane after all.

On Friday night, Mark and I watched the news as Hurricane Ike swooped into Houston in all its fury. Pieces of asphalt from the road floated past the news reporter on the screen, and I thought, "I don't think our apartment stands a chance..." When the storm was over Saturday morning, most of Houston was out of power, and some were without water. We extended our stay in Dallas until Tuesday morning. Then, deciding we couldn't delay our return any longer, we struck out to see what the damage was.

Half-way to Houston, we stopped to fill up. The line was long, and the closer we got to Houston, the more gianormous the lines got, sometimes stretching for 2 miles at any open gas station. Everywhere we looked, there was debris: ripped up billboards, split trees, tree limbs, shingles, power lines...

We pulled up to our apartment complex, and thankfully saw that there was no damage to our apartment. However, we had no power (obviously) and no running water. We had plenty of drinking water stored up, but not much to flush our toilets with. I reverted back to my mission days in Armenia and hauled buckets of water up from our pool to flush the toilet with. Thank goodness for missions! It was an adventure at first, but then the outlook started to look grim as we heard that we probably would not get power or water for another week. Yikes!

I have a testimony, however that the Lord answers prayers and that he enhances our efforts. Mark and I had taken measures in the past few months to be prepared, stocking up on food storage, batteries, 72 hour kits, etc. However, there were some things that we were not prepared for, and that could not be helped (like the running water). The Lord is merciful and helped us find ways to deal with our spotty preparation. Our food was ample, we had a pool full of water, and the utility men were able to repair our power lines and restore our water ahead of schedule. Hooray!

So, we have survived our hurricane. Let's hope that another one doesn't come for a loooong time. We are healthy and happy, the Lord is in control, He hears and answers prayers, and life is good!

You can click the title of this post to see pictures of Ike's aftermath.

The Broken Toe

We had somebody tell us that the average person will break about 20 toes in their lifetime, the reason being that even stubbed toes most likely have hairline fractures. Well, last night, Mark and I were watching a movie with his sister, Rachelle. We were just starting the movie, and Mark went into the kitchen for a drink of water. All of a sudden, Rachelle and I heard a huge crash, and looked up just in time to see Mark hit the ground, writhing in agony. He had missed a little footstool that was sitting by one of the kitchen counters and nailed it with his toe. This morning, we took a look at it, and the whole thing was black and blue. I think it is safe to say the Mark's poor little toe is broken. Do they have splints for that?

Jessica Has Guts!

Ross and I worked together at Del Sol. His wife, Jessica, was on "Deal or No Deal", and became the first million dollar winner of the show. She passed up a half million to open the million dollar case, which could have held $200,000 instead. I would have taken the half million and ran, but Jessica stuck to her guns, and won the million buckaroos. And to think that I know these guys!

The Yearbook

I saw this on my friend Stacy's blog, and I had to try it. There is a great site: http://www.yearbookyourself.com/
that you can download pictures to and see what you would look like in old yearbook photos. I tried it with both Mark and me, and it was a hoot! Here are some highlights.

Memories

My favorite game to play with people is "Remember When?" It can get me going until I'm laughing and tears are coming out of my eyes. (Ok - it doesn't take that much to get me to that point.) I've been seeing this on a few blogs, and I've really enjoyed reading the responses. Are you ready? Get your memories out!

Here are the directions:1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember! I guess good or bad, but be nice!!!!!!!2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you.

The Park

Mark and I discovered Hermann Park last week. It's only a couple of miles from our house, and it's HUGE - how did we not go there before now? Anyway, it's beautiful, with fountains, playgrounds, a golf course, and an outdoor theater. We had made a little picnic basket to take with us, and we enjoyed our plums, crackers, and cheese while we watched a free production of Julius Caesar. It was awesome! Come to find out, they have free productions every week.

After further investigation into the park, we found lots of stuff to occupy our time. We can visit the zoo, take a paddle boat on the lake, look for statues, walk around the gardens, and take a peek inside the butterfly conservatory. I think we will take to spending our nice cool evenings at Hermann Park. What a cool place!

The Hurricane

Our first Sunday at church, the Bishop pulled us into his office so he could get to know us a little bit better. We filled out our transfer of records request form, and then he asked us what our evacuation plan were. What? We were a bit confused. Our biggest concern was getting moved in, not getting moved out.

That was our first encounter with our ward's emphasis on emergency preparedness. In the first month we were here, we heard 3 talks and had 1 fair devoted to emergency preparedness. Seeing as how we live in an area affected by hurricanes, and we had moved right at the beginning of hurricane season, we decided we had better get prepared. I started an emergency binder, full of all our important information. We got started on our water and food storage, and made a list of 72-hour kit supplies.

When Dolly came thorough Corpus Christie, we were far enough away not to be affected. But it was a wake-up call to really get cracking on our emergency plans. Then we got word that Edouard was heading our way - a category 1 hurricane. It was supposed to be mild, as hurricanes go, but I'd been through tropical storms before, and I knew enough to be nervous for the storm that was coming.

We woke up Tuesday morning, the day the hurricane was supposed to hit, to the sound of rain. Mark decided it wasn't bad enough to stay home, so he went to work, leaving me to brave the hurricane all by myself in our apartment. At 12:00 noon, the appointed time for the hurricane to hit Galveston (45 minutes south), I started gathering up the flashlights, candles, and matches, ready for a power outage. But it never came. In fact, the rain stopped at 1:00. The wind hardly rustled the leaves of the tree outside our window. By the time it hit Houston, Edouard turned out to be a dud. We were a little disappointed that we didn't get to experience our first real live hurricane, but are grateful that we didn't have to put our emergency supplies to use. We'll save them for the next hurricane to come along.

The One Year Anniversary

July is shaping up to be a month of celebrations for this Herbst family! Mark and I celebrated our one year anniversary on July 26. It's hard to believe that a whole year has flown by so quickly. Our wedding song was "Everything" by Michael Buble, and I don't think we could have picked a more appropriate theme song for our lives and our relationship. Mark really is my everything. He lets me fly my own kite, and he's there flying his right along with me. The year has been good to us, and I am excited for the years to come. Happy Anniversary, hon!

Reflections On My Birthday

Another year, another birthday, and I am now closer to 30 than I am to 20. The official birthday count is 26. And I must say, being 26 feels pretty good! Since I turned 25, I found the man of my dreams, changed jobs, moved twice, and became a stay-at-home wife (just until I find a job I want).

Mark stayed home from work and, in honor of my birthday, and we slept in. We went to lunch and then to see Mama Mia, which we thoroughly enjoyed. Exxon had a night at the baseball game for all of their new employees that night, so we went. We watched the Astros beat the Cubs (Mark was pretty upset about that) and stuck around to watch the fireworks that are set off every Friday night after the game.

When we got home, I checked my facebook account, and there were so many Happy Birthday messages from all of my great friends. Thanks, guys! I have the best friends and family a girl could ask for. It's funny how people pass in and out of your life, and sometimes I wonder if I'm the kind of friend people want to keep in touch with through the years. All my messages sure made me feel remembered and loved. Thanks for the phone calls, texts, emails, and messages. Keep them coming, and I'll try to keep in better touch too.

Fourth of July

Mark and I decided to use this time while we are free-wheeling and not tied down by much to have a 4th of July to be remembered. So, with our friends Matt and Charlotte, we struck out for San Antonio to enjoy our nation's birthday.

When we arrived in San Antonio, we stopped at the famous River Walk and took a stroll. We found a Mexican restaurant with yummy-looking food and decided to stop for a bite. Our eyes didn't deceive us. The food was good. I ordered some chicken flautas, and was doing them justice until I took a big bite of pico de gallo. Only one other time in my life have I taken a bite of something so spicy - when my roommate Joannah made navajo tacos for our apartment. My mouth was on fire! I couldn't get enough to drink. I tried to choke down some more ofthe flautas and refried beans, hoping to sooth my scorched tongue, but to no avail. I had received a taste of some good, old-fashioned Mexican spices. My mouth finally cooled off about the time I went to bed 2 hours later.

The morning of the 4th was gorgeous and sunny. We put on our swimming suits and headed for Schlitterbahn, Texas' famous water park. The park is about the size of Disneyland, with wave pools and water slides galore. We played all day in the water. That evening, we found a little park and watched the fireworks.


The next day we hit up Six Flags. The Six Flags in San Antonio boasts to have more roller coasters than any other amusement park. We rode them all until we were sick. Then we headed downtown to see the Alamo. Since the Del Sol San Antonio is across the street from the Alamo, we went inside and met John, the owner. I was the account manager for the San Antonio store while I worked for Del Sol, so it was nice to be able to put a face with the voice I had talked to for so many months.


We came home tired and happy. This 4th of July differed from so many of years past when we have been with our families, but we had a good celebration. Happy 4th of July!!

Traders Village... Hot or Not?

Our friends, Fernando and Diane, came to Houston for their housing trip (Fernando is also going to work for Exxon). While they were here, we wanted to do something fun. Well, Mark and I had been reading in a Houston tourist magazine that we took from a hotel about a place called Trader's Village, which is a little north of the city. The description read:

"Open every Saturday and Sunday year-round, this 60-acre market hosts and average of 800 merchants and one-million bargain seekers each year. No wonder the Houston Business Journal ranked it as the No. 1 free attraction in the city. Other special attractions include kiddie rides, restaurants, special events, and even a concert series."

Pretty cool, we thought. In my head I was picturing a large Gardner Village. I was all ready to see the cute little shops and eat at a fun little restaurant. We got in the car and headed out. As we walked into the "village", we felt like were were stepping into little Mexico. The "shops" were actually booths in tin sheds. The "restaurants" were hot dog stands, and the "concert series" was a series of mariachi bands (which could actually have been cool). There were kiddie rides, looking about 50 years old and in bad need of a paint job. Needless to say, it was a big disappointment. But we had driven a 1/2 hour to get there, so we decided to look around. We did actually find a fun plant for our apartment and some fun eclectic shops, so the trip was not a total waste. However, I will now be very careful about taking suggestions from the HoustonVisitors Guide!

Tagged!

Thanks to Nina for helping me waste my time and putting off cleaning my bathrooms today...

The Five Tag

5 years ago: (2003) I was getting ready to leave on my mission.


5 Months Ago: (January) I was freezing with Karson and Nina in Utah, and it took 4 hours to get from Provo to Sandy to work. Bah!

5 Things on my to do list:

1. Clean my house
2. Find a part time job that is low-stress and lets me have my Saturdays
3. Find a bookcase
4. Buy a piano
5. Find a library so I can find the book for my bookclub

5 Snacks I enjoy:
1. Fruit. ANY fruit
2. kettle corn that's not burned by our hypersensitive microwave
3. Cheetos
4. Chips and salsa or guacamole
5. bagles with cheese

5 Things I would do if I were suddenly a billionaire:
1. Travel the world with my family
2. Buy a house
3. Buy my parents a house
4. Donate to a medical charity for third world countries
5. Donate to the perpetual education fund

5 of my BAD habits:
1. sleeping in way too long
2. wasting time
3. eating too much
4. chewing my finger nails when I'm nervous
5. not making my bed (but I am doing better at this one...)

5 Places I have lived:
1. Cedar City, Utah
2. All over Armenia
3. St. Thomas, USVI
4. Provo, Utah
5. Houston, Texas

5 Jobs I have had:
1. Bagger at Macy's
2. Sales clerk at Abercrombie and Fitch
3. Sales clerk at Mervyn's
4. Del Sol Intern
5. Account Manager at Del Sol

5 things people don't know about me:
1. I'm not as confident as I seem
2. I would rather have popsicles than ice cream
3. I never had stitches until I was 22
4. I would rather be invited that do the inviting (going back to the confidence thing...)
5. I love history


TAGGED!
1. Amber Sagers
2. Becky Patrick
3. Sharon Anderson
4. Kandis Esplin
5. Cody Herbst

Onward Ho! To Armenia We Go!!

After 18 hours in the air and 9 hours in various airports, we finally landed in Armenia at 4:00 a.m. After a few hours of sleep, Mark was ready to see the sights and I was ready to show him the country that I had served and loved. Here are some highlights of our trip.

One of Mark's favorite stories from my mission is that I fell in a manhole and had to get stitches in my knee. He gets a lot of amusement from the fact that I could actually fall in a manhole. I've told him with each telling of the story that Armenian construction crews have never heard of cones or warning tape. Our first day in Armenia, I was able to show him what I was talking about when we came across an open manhole right in the middle of the sidewalk. This one was at least marked with a stick and a yellow plastic bag. Not that it would do much to stop a fall. Watch out Mark!

We went to a barbecue at the mission home. All of the Armenians who have served missions were there. It was so cool to see so many people that I had taught as a missionary as returned missionaries themselves.


We visited a village south of Yerevan called Artashat. I spent 4 months here as a missionary. We spent some time with a family who have a daughter serving a mission on Temple Square. Vardan, the dad, insisted on barbecuing some fish for us. It was delicious!


Hot dogs are a new craze in Armenia. You can now find hot dog stands by most metro stations and along the side of the street. Mark was a little confused at one billboard we saw advertising hot dogs. He asked, "How is that appetizing???" I replied, "Typical Armenia..."


One day we took a trip to a couple of monasteries. Our first stop was Khor Virap - the cradle of Christianity in Armenia. According to legend, a Christian missionary, Gregory the Illuminator, came to a pagan Armenia to preach of Christ. The King of Armenia was not pleased with Gregory's preaching. He had him captured and thrown into a deep hole (Khor Virap means "deep dungeon"), where Gregory remained for many years. He was kept alive by a woman who would lower bread and water down to him each day. One day the King of Armenia grew very ill. Gregory was called upon to heal the King, which he did. From that day on, the King and his subjects became Christian. Armenians today pride themselves on being the first Christian nation. We were able to go into the dungeon where Gregory was imprisoned. Down you go, Markus!


I found out where babies come from! En route to our second monastery, we came upon a village of stork nests. All the people of this particular village place a tall pole next to their house, where storks build their nests. There were hundreds of them!

Our second monastery visit was called Noravank. I had never been that far south in Armenia. Mark and I were both impressed with the beauty of the monastery as well as the surrounding mountains and nature.


We spent some time in a village called Charentsavan. I spent the longest time of my mission in this area. I was able to introduce Mark to all of the people that I taught. It was so great to see them all again!

Armen was injured in a car accident several years before he met the missionaries. He was able to have a badly-needed operation to set him on the road to a better recovery. He was baptized after the surgery enabled him to sit in a wheelchair. The Sunday we were there, Armen was put in as the branch president in Charentsavan. This is a picture of us with Armen and his mom, Lianna.


I taught Maga (in the picture), her mother, and two brothers. All are baptized now, and it was so great to see how happy Maga and her mother especially are since they have been baptized. They have found good friends and a new purpose in the church.

Marine is a girl I taught who has since gone inactive. I was able to go with the sisters to meet with her. Mark asked her why she got baptized and she said that she couldn't remember. We then had a really good chat about how going to church, reading our scriptures, and keeping the commandments helps us to remember why we were baptized. Hopefully the sisters will be able to keep working with her. She is a such a sweetheart. Her sister Arevik was there also, so I hope a seed was planted for her as well.


While we were walking another day in Artashat, Mark noticed an excavator hard a work. Being a civil engineer and interested in that kind of stuff,he was amazed at how old the excavator was, and had to have a picture. The excavator was digging to enable new water pipes to be put into the ground.


We had a barbecue with a family that I taught on my mission. It was Tamara's birthday as well as the anniversary of her baptism. After the barbecue, the family taught us how to dance - Armenian style!

Ararat is a shy mountain, and it's hard to get a good picture of her. I finally got one on our way home from the party.

One day we hiked up Cascade, a set of stairs that takes you up a mountain in the city where you can look over all of Yerevan. It was hot, but the view at the top was worth the hike!


From Cascade, we walked to the statue of Mother Armenia. The statue was erected after the Soviet Union dissolved, and stands as a symbol of protection over the city. This site is also where Armenia was dedicated for missionary work.


We also came upon a carnival in the park. We decided to have a ferris wheel ride. I was a little nervous, as the ferris wheel had to be really old, but it held together, and we had another great view of the city.


Mark fell in love with the architecture of the buildings near Hraparak (the city square). With the growing economy, there are several new buildings going up around the city. They really are beautiful.


On our last night, we went to Hraparak and watched the fountain show in front of the museum. It was so cool! Definitely a rival of the Bellagio in Vegas.