Thanksgiving!!!

The past 3 months have perhaps been the busiest Phil and I have ever been (an update blog to come...eventually).  But after a pretty long blogging hiatus, I've returned to share 10 things I've been thankful for over the past year.

These are in no particular order...

1.  Relaxation Time with my Hubby

Because Phil and I have been so busy, my favorite time of day is when we get to sit down together and just relax.  We are no longer thinking about student teaching, drill, soccer, or school.  It is OUR time where we can relax and read a conference article or watch an episode of our latest Netflix TV show.  I've learned that although there is probably something better we could be doing like grading papers, studying for a test, or falling asleep a little earlier, we need this time for our marriage and our sanity!

2.  My Nursery Kids

My calling has been in nursery for almost a year and a half.  Even though it is often tiring go to church, I love it and I love the kids.  I have come to find the saying, "Out of the mouth of babes"to be pretty true.  Some of these kids say the funniest things.  I loved the day when a visitor joined us... he brought his own backpack with toys, yet he decided he liked the nursery toys better so he "stole" them by putting them in his backpack.  I was onto his little trick so I kept my eye on him (and he knew I was watching him).  In his little mind, as soon as he put them into his backpack, they were his.  He kept is backpack on the rest of nursery so I couldn't take them.  At the end he gave them back to me in a "tada" manner.  Like, "Oh look, I found the lost toys!"

However, my absolute favorite part of nursery are when the little girls come and sit on my lap and cuddle.  They often start playing with my hair and my necklaces and touch my nail polish and tell me how pretty I am.  Then they stand up and twirl around and say "Do you like my dress?  I'm a princess, just like you!"  If I'm every feeling down about myself, I know just where to go to feel better!

3.  Our Living Arrangements

I'm so thankful that my in laws have been so generous to let us live in their home for the past year.  It has been a huge blessing to be able to spend money while Phil started his Masters program and I was student teaching.  Plus we have had a lot of fun being here with them.  Some of my favorite memories are with my sister-in-law Corrie.  I absolutely LOVE Corrie.  We have had several fun, crazy and random moments together.  I'm definitely going to miss that when we move out in a month.

4.  Our Educations

Phil and I have been very blessed in our educations.  I'm so thankful that Phil was accepted into his Masters program on his first try.  He was one of 34 selected.  He was also chosen by his classmates to represent their class for the next three years as the Occupational Therapy program President.  Yes, he is my husband.  He is almost done with his first semester and he has done so well!  He loves his program and has already made some great friends.  I'm so proud of him!

I had the opportunity to walk in the August graduation ceremonies at BYU.  I didn't officially graduate at that time, but if felt like I did because this semester I haven't been taking classes on campus.  I'm a student teacher at Lone Peak High School and I will officially graduate with my bachelors in December.  I'm Thankful for the journey that my education has brought me.  In a way I'm sad to be done.  But I'm also really thankful and excited to finally be done!!

5.  Friends

In particular, I'm really thankful for my best friend, Natalie Willmore.  We were next door neighbors for 2 years right after Phil and I got married.  After 2 years we both moved in with our parents (us in Highland and them in Springville).  It was sad to not spend as much time together but we still stayed in touch.  This past summer Drew and Natalie moved down to Cedar City for school.  But even still, we see each other when they come up, we text regularly, and have long phone and Skype sessions.  Natalie has really been there for me the past 6 month through the ups and the downs.  I'm so lucky to have a friend like her.

6.  My Team

I'm so thankful for the chance I have to coach these incredible girls.  They are beautiful girls inside and out.  I'm so blessed to have the opportunity to interact with them on a daily basis and be apart of their lives.  Although drill keeps me super busy and is often times the cause of much stress in my life, I love coaching and I'm thankful for the blessings it has brought.

I'm also thankful that my husband is such an incredible soccer coach.  I love watching the influence he has on the little boys he coaches.  The really do love him.  He is such a talented coach.

7.  Tender Mercies

Life is hard.  Phil and I have experienced our own sets of trials over the past while and I times it is really easy to feel all alone.  I'm so thankful for tender mercies given to me by the Lord.  They remind me that He knows me, He loves me, and He hasn't forgotten about me.

The other day was a difficult day at school.  In some ways I was really frustrated with my students, and in other ways, I felt like I wasn't being a good teacher.  A student came by after school to turn in an assignment.  We started talking about random things like Thanksgiving break, marching band, the school musical... He was turning to leave the classroom and I was wishing him a Happy Thanksgiving when he paused, turned around and said, "Mrs. Lamoreaux, I'm grateful that you are teaching us.  You are a really great teacher!"  Tender Mercy!  That was exactly what I needed to hear.

The next day another student was in making up a quiz.  Her friend was also sitting in the classroom waiting for her.  As they were leaving, my student's friend said, "I'm going to have you for health next semester."  I told him that I'm just the student teacher so I'll be gone in December.  I told him that he would have Ms. Ross, the real teacher ha.  My student jumped in and said, "That's too bad for you.  You want Mrs. Lamoreaux as your teacher.  She's awesome!"  Those are the moments that make teaching worth it!

8.  Family Time

Phil and I both really love our families.  We are thankful for their influence in our lives and the fun we have with them.  We love all of the time we get to spend with them like at Sunday dinners.

9.  Gracie

Gracie has been my little dog for almost a year.  I know this sounds stupid, but she really is my best little friend.  She has been the best dog we could ask for.  She potty trained so quickly and she doesn't chew on things she's not supposed to.  She seriously is loyal and she loves us so much.  She has been so fun to have around.  I'm really grateful for her!  (Stay tuned...I've been meaning to devote an entire blog to Gracie.  You better believe we've taken a lot of fun pictures over the year that need to make it on the blog).

10.  My Husband

I'm thankful that Phil loves and supports me in everything I do.  He is constantly so sweet to me.  Whether he is rubbing my feet, massaging my back, or doing the dishes, I always know that the thing that makes him the most happy is when he gets to make me happy.  I love that we can laugh and have fun together.

I love you so much Phil and I'm so thankful for you!

These are just 10 of the things I am grateful for.  There is so much in my life to be thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Happy 25th Birthday Phil

Alright so I'm realizing that the summer is almost over and I have failed to stay on top of my blog.  I'm going to start catching up with Phil's birthday back on June 12.

It was a simple birthday but we had a lot of fun!  Phil's morning started by coaching soccer for about 4 hours.  [I don't think I've mentioned this on the blog, but Phil has gotten really into coaching soccer over the past several months.  He coached the Lone Peak boys freshman/sophomore team and is now coaching 9 & 10 year old boys with an Alpine soccer club.]  Phil got home from soccer around noon and we drove to Draper to meet Phil's mom and sisters for lunch and Noodles & Co.  After lunch, we went to the Hogle Zoo with Phil's sister, Jamie, and her fiance, Michael.  We had a lot of fun walking around and looking at the animals.  The highlight was definitely the Dippin' Dots that are probably more expensive than they are worth......No, they are worth it!  We ended the day with dinner at Chili's (you can't beat the 2 for $20 deal!)

For some reason we are extremely pink.  No, not sunburned

Phil's family celebrated his birthday the following Sunday.  Leading up to his birthday, I had been thinking about what I wanted to give him.  It has always been a dream of mine to make a tiered fondant cake.  So I decided I would try.  I knew my friend Amber was a cake decorating expert, so I solicited her help!  I came up with the design and Amber walked me through the rest.  We baked a chocolate cake with raspberry filling, buttercream frosting, and covered with homemade fondant.  The fondant recipe was simply melted marshmallows with powdered sugar.  Store bought fondant is never the best, but this stuff actually tasted good!

After 10+ hours (not including time in the oven) of mixing batter, rolling out fondant, and decorating....my masterpiece was complete!  I couldn't wait to surprise Philip with it.  Phil knew I was making him something for his birthday, but he had no idea what it was.  Me, Amber, and Amber's family were the only ones to see the cake complete before Phil.

Needless to say, Phil was very surprised & impressed!

I'll be honest... I am very proud of how this cake turned out.  It was a lot of work but it was a lot of fun!  I can't wait for another opportunity to create another cake.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PHILIP!!!!!

Lunch with Heather!

Phil and I met Kade and Heather Fowers while living in our Provo apartment.  We always had so much fun hanging out with them so we were sad to see them move to Virginia last summer.  We were lucky enough to see them this past November when they came home to Ogden for their baby Jameson’s blessing.

In the middle of March, I was pleased to open my email and find a message waiting for me from Heather.  She told me that Kade had a two-week business trip so she was coming home to visit her family during that time.  I was honored when she thought of me and asked if I would be available to meet her for lunch.
We ate at the California Pizza Kitchen at the Gateway.  It was so good to see Heather and her darling Jameson again!  He is adorable.  It was fun to just catch up with one of my best friends.

The Best Weekend

Two weekends ago, Drew and Natalie invited us to go to St. George with them for the weekend.  When Natalie first called and invited us, I got so excited.  Even though Phil was scheduled to work over the weekend, he worked some magic and made it possible for us to go!  We ditched Gracie with my parents on Friday morning and met Drew and Natalie in St. George that afternoon.  Drew's cousin was nice enough to let us stay in their condo!  It was beautiful.

One of the first things I had to do after arriving was brag about my new water bottle that my mom gave me.  The thing is a freakin igloo that keeps water cold for hours (the box says 20 hours to be exact).  Plus it has a fun button that pops up the spout.  Natalie decided she had to have one and Phil has been begging for once since I got mine.  This was perfect because Costco sells them in packs of two...one for Phil and one for Natalie!  That day we found a Costco and bought some water bottles.

These water bottles are so sweet, that it was necessary to go back to Costco the next day and get Drew one too.  Phil was especially vocal about his love for his new Contigo water bottle.  At least every hour he would say something to the effect of, "Man... I LOVE this water bottle!"  Needless to say, we drank so much water on that trip!

Other events throughout the trip included delicious food, sun, pool, manicures, movies, and games!  Chef Drew provided us with French toast and bacon for our breakfasts and his famous quesadillas for one of our dinners.

Phil deserves some credit too.  He cooked the tortillas while watching the Real game.  Yes, he is quite the multitasker ;)  We also enjoyed food at the Olive Garden, a Brazilian restaurant, and cupcakes from the Sweet Tooth Fairy.

This was my first manicure since my wedding (almost three years ago)!!!

I'm glad I got to do it with Natalie.

And of course, one of the best parts of the trip was being able to relax by the pool.  It was essentially empty both times we went, which was perfect!!  Phil worked on his farmers tan while I tried to get sun for the first time this year.  I got the perfect amount of burn.  You know, the kind that is tan the next day. Unfortunately, not everyone was quite as lucky.  Poor Natalie got uncomfortably burned, and Phil fried his chest.  All part of the experience I guess.

Drew and Natalie are moving to Cedar City next weekend for school.  I'm so glad we got to enjoy this trip together before they move.  They have been our best friends for almost three years now and I know that our friendship will always continue. 

BYU!!!

Today I left this building for the last time...Ever!!!!

The dreaded BYU testing center

I can't believe how fast four years at BYU has gone. Although I can't get too excited...I still have to student teach in the fall so I'm not completely done. But still, it's a good feeling. As I left campus today, I thought about how blessed I have been to attend BYU. It is a beautiful campus with great professors and a great overall atmosphere. It's going to be weird to not come back for classes in the fall.

As I was leaving to take my last test, I instinctively reached for this ring.

It was my high school graduation present from my parents. Since Freshman year, I have thought of it as my "BYU Sapphire Good Luck Ring." I have worn this ring to EVERY test I have taken throughout my BYU career. I'm not superstitious...but I'm a little-stitious!!! (Please tell me someone caught that hilarious Office reference!) Although the ring hasn't brought me good luck on every test (I blame the human effect...aka lack of studying/effort), it has been a rock star for the majority!

I'm so excited/nervous to start student teaching. It feels like a big step towards a real job in the real world!

When Hard Work Pays Off!!!

I know this post is almost two weeks overdue...But I'm still as excited as ever to announce that Phil was accepted to his Masters program at U of U!!!!!

On the morning of Friday, March 23, Phil was at work and I was in the shower getting ready for school. I heard my custom "Phil" ringtone and my first thought was that work needed to send someone home because they were overstaffed, so Phil was calling to ask my permission to leave (sweet man!) But I was in the shower so I couldn't answer. Right after the first missed call, Phil called again...still in the shower. He must really want to come home! As soon as I was out of the shower, I called back. The first thing he said was, "I got into my program!" Right then I started screaming and jumping, which was then followed by tears, laughter, and a ridiculous amount of smiling! I was so proud of my man and happy that he got accepted on his first try. He has seriously worked so hard in his prerequisite classes over the past year and he has gone above and beyond to learn everything he can about OT and to develop relationships with significant people inside the program! The hard work has finally paid off!!!

(Yes, I am aware of creepy internet people, so I blurred out our address with my sweet computer skills)

It was such a relief to finally know that we have a plan for the rest of Phil's education. He starts this fall and will graduate with a Masters degree and be an Occupational Therapist in three years! It's essentially school for the next three years straight, with very few and small breaks. It will be hard but it will be worth it!

We celebrated with a yummy dinner at Chili's followed by bowling!

Valentines Day--2012

Quick update before our Valentines day....

Phil had his interview for the occupational therapy masters program at the U of U on February 10. The interview went incredibly well and he basically nailed it with his charming personality! We should hear if he got accepted by the mid to end of March.

Doesn't he look so cute all dressed up and holding the good luck poster I made him?!

So usually Phil and I go out to dinner for valentines day, but this year we decided we would make a nice dinner together at home. I got home from school and found this little display on the kitchen table...

Alright so the chocolate covered strawberries and eclairs are from Phil's mom...but still ;)

The menu for the evening consisted of our new favorite recipe of stuffed chicken, with asparagus and oven roasted potatoes. And for dessert, hot lava cakes with raspberry sauce and ice-cream! Yummy I know!!!

Phil had this cute idea of getting dressed up for our dinner. It was so great! Before dinner we had a little appetizer.

Yes, we are feeding the strawberries to each other (well he is feeding mine to the camera, but still...cute right?)

The meal turned out incredibly. It was 100 times better than anything we could have had at a restaurant.

This picture makes the chicken look pink, but I swear it was fully cooked!!!

The chicken also has a delicious sauce, but I didn't put it on for the picture.

Ah, it was so yummy!!!

Sorry the picture is kind of blurry.

But inside you can see the ooey gooey deliciousness of chocolate!

2012 was definitely one of the best V-Days so far!

It ended with Phil giving me the best back tickle/massage.