All Grown Up Now

I feel grown up today. I'm a big kid with responsibility now. It's not the full time job, graduate school, marriage or the fact that I am in my mid-early twenties that make me feel grown up.

I just planted my very first garden.

 

That's right, I'm a real adult now. Justin and I are now the caretakers of a beautiful 8 X 9 foot garden. We're as proud as peacocks; take a look at our hard work.

What did we plant?
1 pink rose bush
1 yellow/white rose bush
1 azalea
1 dwarf burning bush
3 Asiatic lilies
Lots and lots of petunias
Lots and lots of marigolds
Also a ground cover that is failing. We shoved it in the back. It's basically the red-headed step child of the garden.

My favorite is the white/yellow rose bush. The buds are just beautiful.

Sometimes I stalk my flowers by staring at them for minutes at a time. If plants had feelings, they would probably feel very awkward in the mornings when I stare at them while I eat my cereal. Call me flower creeper, it's alright, it doesn't offend me.

Have a great day... and admire our garden a little more.

Henry really only got in the way while gardening but we still allowed him into our triumphant photo.

Being a Graduate Student

I've learned a few things from my experience in graduate school. I've chosen the long and arduous road of going to school part time and working full time. This means that while everyone else has a blast during the summer, I'm still at work and still sitting through hours of class on weeknights.  Bleh.

Now don't get me wrong, as you can see from other posts on this blog, I have a great life and I don't have much to complain about. I am quite enjoying my time here at OSU but every now and then I do get a wee frustrated with school.

1. Graduate School ≠ Undergraduate:

Undergraduate:

Graduate:

2. Graduate school costs too much.. SCAM

3. Motivation is quickly lost

4. Homework meltdowns are common occurrences. 

(You can just ask Justin, he'll confirm that these happen too often for me)

5. Meltdowns end as soon as I realize it's Friday.

6. Graduate school has taught me a new level of procrastination that I never knew was possible.

7. Nobody knows what MPA stands for.

8. My most common reaction to seeing the new syllabus:

Well kids, stay in school. There sure is a lot to look forward to.

Just Five Hours Away

A common phrase that I have been using this month has been "It's just 5 hours away!" People are always surprised and it always makes me happy to tell someone about mine and Justin's latest adventures.

Why have I used that phrase so often? Well I've been to some pretty fantastic places in March that are only a 5 hour car ride away. Columbus is conveniently located within a day's drive of so many fun places. Justin and I decided to explore a couple of these this month.






















First, Justin is the best. He surprised me with a trip to Niagara Falls for my birthday. A lot of people have asked how he managed to keep it a surprise. Justin is a clever one. He had me convinced that he was going to take me on some factory tour. Once, he even told me he was afraid his surprise would be boring. So when he picked me up from work I was expecting to put on a show about how excited I was to go on a tour of the Wendy's corporate offices. Instead, I found my large adventure coat in the back seat and my bags packed ready for a weekend at Niagara Falls! SO AWESOME!

We had a blast seeing the falls and walking the streets of Niagara Falls (on the Canadian side). Niagara Falls is pretty spectacular in the winter. The trees are all crusted with ice from the freezing mist and there are amazing ice formations along the river.

Best birthday surprise ever

SO COLD!

Niagara Falls - American Side

Niagara Falls - Canadian Side

Canadian homes are upside-down.

Justin and I decided that we needed a little break so we went to Chicago for our second trip in March. We are political nerds and often listen to NPR. My favorite radio show is Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! It is a comedic political news quiz that will keep you laughing for the entire 40 minute show. The main goal of the trip was to see WWDTM and it was TOTALLY worth the 5 hour drive. It was absolutely hilarious and our favorite panelist, Paula Poundstone, was there. She was so funny. The show is even better live. You can try to hear our laughs and "woots" here: http://www.npr.org/templates/rundowns/rundown.php?prgId=35&prgDate=03-16-2013

While in Chicago we also went to Navy Pier and the Willis Tower. Both were a lot of fun. Standing on the little glass box that hangs out of the Willis Tower was much scarier than I thought. It was really dizzying to see how high up we really were, 103 stories I believe. 

We were also lucky enough to be there on St. Patricks Day weekend so we got to see them dye the Chicago River green! That was so fun. They even had a water-jet-packing leprechaun as part of our entertainment. 

Peter Sagal, host of WWDTM. SO FUNNY!

Paula Poundstone, isn't she a fabulous dresser?

It was foggy so the picture makes it hard to see how high up we really were.

View of the Chicago River

Dying the river green!

I hope that I can keep this tradition of traveling in March up. For the past 3 years, I've gone somewhere exciting around the world and I hope I can keep it up. In 2011 I was in the UK, and UAE, in 2012 I was in Mexcio, and this year I went to Canada and Chicago. Hooray for March!

The Best Worst Dog in the World

This is Henry. He's my 3 year old Pomeranian mix and he is the best, worst dog in the world. You might ask what the best worst dog could mean. Well he is the best of all of the worst dogs in the world. Did that lend you any clarity? 

Please, let me explain. My darling fox-faced pup is a terror. I'm afraid that you may have read that wrong, he is not a terrier, he is a TERROR.

• When we first adopted him he didn't quite understand the whole potty training thing. He'd just do his thing wherever he pleased which always resulted in us gasping loudly after stepping in it and then scrubbing for about 10 minutes.

• His nickname is Poopy.

• A good friend of ours was nice enough to take care of Henry while we were away for Christmas. When I was back I found out that he had wizzled all over their house. He even lifted his leg on my friend while she was wearing her new Christmas PJs. Devil dog.

• Once, he vomited all over Justin. That was fun.

• Henry freaks out over oranges. It's quite funny.

• Sometimes he will growl at you when you smile at him.

• Henry hates paper and somehow manages to find every little piece lying around that house. Just watch the video.

• Henry has temper problems. One minute he will be perfectly happy and content and then next he is violently shaking his head and growling.

• No plush toy can survive Henry's wrath. Here is a picture of the toy raccoon that I bought him for Christmas. He ruined it in a day. 

• That said, Henry will never abandon a beloved toy. One day I found Henry stuck behind the couch with his toy just out of reach. At least he looked happy to be there.

• Whenever I eat somewhere other than the kitchen table, I have to be aware of where Henry is at all times. Otherwise he drinks my milk. This cat cartoon about sums it up:

• Henry barks at everything. You might think I am kidding but you can just ask the poor missionaries and they will confirm.

• Oh and Henry hates the missionaries so he'll probably hate you too. Sorry.

Now you are probably asking yourself, "how could anyone love such a terrible dog?" Good question. But seriously, who could not love this face? Life is always better when you have a dog to welcome you home.

I love my little Henry!

Relevant Christmas Songs

Living in Columbus has been nothing short of a blessing but I will admit, I can't wait to be back in Utah for Christmas. Living so far from my family and from what Christmas is supposed to look like makes me think of a few Christmas songs that have more meaning to them this year than they did before.

#1 White Christmas

Who says it better than Bing Crosby? There is no snow in Columbus. It comes and goes within an hour. That is NOT Christmas! Snow during December, balmy happiness the rest of the year.

#2 I'll Be Home for Chirstmas

I get to go home for Christmas! Going home for Christmas makes the season even more exciting in my opinion.

#3 All I Want for Christmas

Um.. this might be weird but Henry our pooch can't come with us for Christmas. I want him to come with us but it would be too crazy of a schedule to bring him and this is the only song that sort of portrays my feelings. OK, really I just like this song. Can't survive the season without a little Mariah Carey.

#4 I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas

No, I don't. It's just a funny song.

A job, a dog

A job, a dog, a noodle, a doodle... (name that movie!)


Anyway, I got a job!!! I have been searching for a job since June and finally got the perfect one.  I've been hoping and praying that I would get a job that I would enjoy and one that would help me apply what I am learning in class to my "real life."  This job does just that! I am thrilled and so blessed to have gotten such a great opportunity. I feel that the Lord has been really looking out for me.

Introducing Henry!

In other news, Justin and I got a dog! We have been thinking about getting a dog and decided to go look around at what kinds of dogs were out there. We didn't really expect to actually get a dog, just check out the scene.  But then we met Henry.  Henry is a six pound Pomeranian mix. He looks like a little fox but cuter and he won over our hearts (especially Justin's) right away.  He's sweet, playful, cuddly, and apartment sized all at the same time. Great dog, right?

A few little facts about Henry: First he is a jumper. It's a good thing his mad jumping skills are limited by his tiny six inch legs or he'd be dangerously close to soaring into space.

Henry is trying really hard to get the whole house training thing down. He's almost got it and we are remaining perfectly calm during this disturbance in our usually clean home. Except for that one time when I gasped so loudly when I discovered a mess that Henry hid in the corner.  That was sad.

Henry loves food and jumps for joy when he sees it. He's a gazelle in a tiny dog body.

Henry gets what Henry wants. When he want's his belly rubbed, he will nudge and paw at you until you finally cave and pet him.

Needless to say, he's a keeper. We are enjoying having a puppy to welcome us home.


Justin and I have been so blessed since moving to Ohio.  It gives me a lot of confidence that we are right where we need to be.

This picture is a good demonstration of his personality.

An update

The last time I wrote on this blog was when I got married. That was a pretty big deal. Now Justin and I will be celebrating 6 months of wedded bliss on Saturday.  As you can imagine, a whole lot has happened in such a short amount of time.  I'll give a brief overview of the last six months starting with the day after mine and Justin's big day.

We went to Mexico!! We loved it and have every intention of going back as soon as we can.  We did everything from snorkeling to buying off 2 cops. It was awesome

First time snorkeling for me. Justin's a pro.

Tulum

Chichen Itza

This is us being awesome in Mexico

We dressed up like disco people... obviously.

I hope you are impressed by Justin's suit. I know I sure am.

We went to 2 zoos... the latter being the more impressive.

Hogle Zoo Salt Lake City, UT

Manatees, the reason the Columbus Zoo is better

Zoo 2 Columbus Zoo

We became an aunt and uncle!

Baby Cohen

We went to Cedar Point, just the coolest amusement park in the world.

We moved to Columbus, Ohio and we have loved it!

And we had a grand adventure with the Nelson's on our way to Ohio

We found our way into some Indian Caverns.

We became The Ohio State University Buckeyes!  We're nuts!  

Script Ohio. The most amazing marching band!

Well that gives a pretty satisfactory summary of our first six months of marriage. It has been a blast! I've loved being married and having so many fun adventures!