March/April....BUSY BUSY BUSY!!!

I know I have been MIA lately.
Life has decided to see how far we can stretch.
But let me fill you in on a few highlights of the past few weeks:

1. Spending free time at the parks

Nick and I are definitely fortunate to live near and work for Disney. We love to go and play in the parks on our days off together. We go to Magic Kingdom to catch the fireworks. We indulge in international cuisine at EPCOT. We  take a ride on Tower of Terror and Rockin' Rollercoaster at Hollywood Studios.

  We always take a safari ride at Animal Kingdom (plus, Expedition Everest is Nick's favorite).

We go mini golfing on at Disney's Fantasia Gardens Mini Golf.

2. Rilo is growing fast. I took her to the vet last week to find out she is 17 pounds heavy and perfectly healthy. 17 POUNDS?!?!?! I swear she doubles in size every week. We have been patiently addressing her puppy-biting problem. She is potty trained, crate trained, she sits and is learning to walk nicely on a leash.

3. My 22nd Birthday!!! Nick and I both had to work on the actual day of my birth, so when both of us were off we went to EPCOT and had dinner at Biergarten in Germany. It was Sooooo great!! I loved it! Then on Thursday, when both of us were off of work, we had some real fun! Breakfast in bed was followed by a little shopping and then a trip to the Bob Carr Theatre to see WICKED! It was a really thoughtful day and I love my husband for taking the time to make my birthday special. You really can't go wrong if you take me to the theatre. And Nick loved the show as well!

I received the sweetest card from my littlest sister-in-law.

Nick and I came home from dinner to find a cake and decorations made for me by our roommates.

Princess!!

 I love my Disney Birthday Pin!

 We are swamped and struggling, but we are making the best of it. School and full-time work, puppy and a house to keep clean, etc. are really challenging our patience. But we are taking everything one day at a time....and finding ways to enjoy life!

Day 13 & 14- A Letter To Someone/ A Picture of You and Your Family

So I'm going to throw these two days together. I want to write a little "thank-you" letter to my immediate family.

Mom, Dad, Bethany, and Alex...
Thank you. Thank  you for loving me unconditionally. Thank you for teaching me just how sacred and important family truly is. Because of you, I know that family is everything. Thank you for constantly supporting and encouraging me in my music. Thank you for emphasizing my strengths and downplaying my weaknesses. I need that from you because I am already so hard on myself. Thank you for sticking it out...no matter how ugly things can get sometimes. Thank you for accepting the love of my life into your hearts and our family. Now:
Mom-Thank you for the sacrifices made to allow me to chase my dreams/passions. Thank you for the most cherished friendship I know.
Dad-Thank you for your example. You taught me to be strong and lead. Thank you for always loving me (and all of your children), and for proving to us that it is never too late to love someone more.
Alex-Thank you for keeping me on my toes. Thank you for behaving like my protective older brother despite your two-year junior. Thank you for always keeping laughter in our home.
Bethany-Thank you for your faith. Thank you for showing me how much I can learn from my youngest sibling. Thank you for your self-respect and for being the little sister I used to pray for.
I am so blessed to have you all as my family.

Our Newest Addition

Everyone, meet Rilo.

She is a 2 month-old Australian Shepard/Hound mix from a local shelter.





















Rilo is a ball of excitement, curiosity, and love. She isn't incredibly vocal, but she is teething....BAD. She must attempt to chew everything in sight. However, thanks to this she has become very familiar with "NO" and what it means.


We are crate training her. This is ultimately the easier way to potty train dogs. For now, we are still dealing with her lack of love for the crate. She would much rather sleep in bed with Mom and Dad. But I have started giving her meals in her crate and she has toys and a bed that go in with her.
























I find myself reluctant to leave her. Truthfully, I haven't. Not yet. Fortunately, I am in-between jobs this week so I have plenty of free time. And we are not the only ones in the house, so she will rarely be alone.

I can be very controlling. It is not a proud trait of mine. But when something is important to me, it is difficult for me to trust others with it. I have been very specific with Nick and our roommates about behavior that is and is not acceptable with Rilo. Everyone is on board and loves her already. How could you not??

Cute as she is, she is still really young and equally as exhausting. Nick has been great about sharing the responsibilities with me and allowing me to get the occasional break. Puppies are very time consuming, but Rilo is our family now. We love the joy she has brought into our home. She is a happy dog who is excellent at keeping us on our toes. 

I am really dedicated to training Rilo and having a well-behaved and social dog. I plan to keep you all posted on my progress with her. 

*UPDATE*

As mentioned before, Nick got his lifeguard job with Disney.

I got my attractions job with Disney.

My father is taking a job back in broadcasting.

And...

...Nick just sold his car!!!! Thanks so much to Nariana and Chris for keeping watch over it in Arizona and helping out. 

Patience really really really does pay off :)

....take that!

Day 10-Songs You Listen To When You Are Happy, Sad, Bored, Hyped, Mad

Music.
As my husband stated earlier in his sweet blog, my music library is extensive and diverse. So I'm going to get a little bit more specific. Here goes:

Content: John Mayer, Jason Mraz, Anberlin, Coldplay, Dave Matthews, Fall Out Boy, The Fray, OneRepublic, Jimmy Eat World, Josh Groban
Bubble Bath: Boyz II Men, John Legend, Adele, Amy Winehouse, Alicia Keys, Sara Bareilles, Mariah Carey, Norah Jones, Usher, Seal
Beach/Sunset: Bob Marley, Dirty Heads, Jack Johnson, John Mayer, Sublime
Energetic: Cold War Kids, The Decemberists, MGMT, The Black Keys, Jet, Phoenix, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Foster The People, Cage The Elephant, Vampire Weekend, Arcade Fire, The White Stripes, Radiohead, Foo Fighters
Getting ready (this is anything I can sing to in the morning while I'm getting ready): WICKED, RENT, Spring Awakening, Last Five Years,  Aida, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Chicago, Ragtime, Christina Aguilera
Sunday: Mormon Tabernacle Choir Pandora station, Jim Brickman, LOTR Soundtrack, EFY, Disney
Nostalgic: Otis Redding, Van Morrison, Cat Stevens, Bruce Springstein, Billy Joel, Hall & Oates, James Taylor, Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, Don Henley, Tony Rich Project, old recording from Oregon Bach Festival, ENCORE!, VocalEase, and side projects

This might cover 1/4 of my library. Maybe. Its so random, but I rarely turn down music. Every style of music contains heart and talent and creativity. I'm never afraid to try something new. However, I do stay away from techno and anything that involves screaming. Ha...that's about it.

Day 8- Short Term Goals For This Month And Why

For the month of March, I plan to...

-become settled and comfortable in my newest job with Disney (as well as Nick in his new lifeguarding position).

-upgrade from part time to full time

-start online classes and find an efficient way to manage my time/job/course load

-celebrate my first birthday with my husband!...and away from family :(

-drink more water and eliminate red meat AMAP. Again.

-receive a calling in my new ward

-get my car tuned up finally after the long drive out here from AZ

-read a few really great books. Any suggestions?? 

I know that none of this is terribly exciting. We are just now entering the tail end of a giant transition period. I don't doubt that things are definitely going to pick up in the next few months. With that said, I'm going to throw in Day 9- "Something You're Proud Of In The Past Few Days"

When Nick and I moved out here to Orlando, we came without certain jobs. I have been battling with the Casting department here at Walt Disney World for months to get them to just pull my file. They wouldn't assign me a job until I was residing here in Florida. So we moved. When we got here, no one would pull my file! I kept calling and calling. Each week, I built up more frustration. Nick applied and got a job immediately. That was definitely a humbling experience, even though I was relieved and excited for my husband. But even though Nick was in with Disney, he really wanted to lifeguard for them. In order to transfer for that, you have to pass the lifeguard test and interview again. And only then are you eligible for a job....IF they have one available. 

When Nick went  in to Casting to get the information for his lifeguard test, I accompanied him. And I sat in the waiting room when he was called back just thinking and brewing with frustration. Until fortunately, my frustration got the best of me and I marched straight back to where he was, let him finish getting squared away for his test, and then informed the woman of my situation. Thirty minutes later I had an invitation for an interview. My goodness! Why did it take two months for someone to do something that takes five minutes?? I keep looking back trying to remember when I prayed for patience, because this experience definitely tested mine! But my testimony has also grown from all of this.

Yesterday, Nick and I both had our interviews at Casting. And the best part? We both walked away with exactly what we went in for!! It was such a blessing and we were smiling the rest of the day. My interview was short and sweet thanks to my being in good standing from my last job here. I am back in Disney's Hollywood Studios and looking forward to succeeding at my job and working my way up! I took the very last attractions position currently available on property. Nick took the last Lifeguarding position available. It certainly seemed like an answer to months and months of prayers. Oh, and...

My dad took a job!!! I am telling you, it had really been an exciting week and its only Tuesday! March brings high hopes and more change for all of us. I'm so excited. 

Kelsey!

So...this isn't the regular author/editor/CEO of the blog.  Allow me to introduce myself.  My name is Nicholas Donald Igneous Martell III.  I know the creator of this blog rather well.  We even have the same last name!  I am taking the liberty of logging on to my wife's blog and giving the reader a more in-depth look at the author...from the perspective of someone who shares the same body wash.  Here we go!!            

-Kelsey is a very passionate individual.  One of the things I love about her is her constant drive to maintain her relationships with family and friends.  Kelsey would do absurd things to ensure her loved ones were happy and taken care of.

-She may be the most forgiving person I have ever had the opportunity to meet.  She is willing to put aside nearly anything to give someone a second chance.

-This Girl is a tremendous baker!  I win.

-Give Kelsey some brownies or pizza and you have a new best friend.

-She has the most diverse collection of music on her i tunes.  If you just new Kelsey from her music selection you would think she was a 45 year old teenager stuck in the 80's with a tendency to rock and roll all the time with the occasional cruise through the hood in an El Camino...but on weekends she did nothing but lay on the beach with a peace sign around her neck while praying for part II of Woodstock.  And in her spare time she lay in her bed crying and sleeping only to get up in an hour and dance her life away.  Okay, it's a little outlandish, but I hope that paints a picture of how many different kinds of music Kelsey loves.

-If Kelsey had it her way she would perform for the rest of her life.  She loves the stage, in all of its forms.  It is totally her element.  

-She is her own worst critic.

-She is a PER FE C TION IST.  I got in trouble today because I had two towels in the bathroom...

-Disney Disney Disney.  You should see her collection of Disney DVD's. 

-My wife is different from anyone else in the world.  She loves so many things.  She is good in tough situations.  I have complete trust in her to thrive in any situation she is put in.  At school, work, church or any situation.  She loves to meet new people and is great in new and different social situations (I mean, this girl survived meeting about 43,000 of my family members and they all love her.  A+ methinks.)  

-If there was a career called "sleeping" this girl would be one the leaders in its field.  

-Kelsey is very nurturing.  She takes great care of me.  She always looks for nice things to do for me. 

-She has an extremely silly side.  Her new thing is spontaneously shouting "terror!" and attacking me.  This could go on for an hour, a minute or until she falls asleep...which is usually closer to a minute.

-Kelsey has a wonderful relationship with her Mom.  They are best friends and they are so cute together.  When her and her mom get together to talk I just go watch football with her Dad. There's no ending that conversation. 

-She will sing ANY song.  Whether she loves it or hates it.  

-She is a very productive person...but she is not opposed to having a day where she doesn't get out of bed.  

-I can talk to her about anything.  And it has been that way from day 1.  

-Even though she is a girly-girl, she is in her element when it's just her and the boys.

-Kelsey has always fascinated me.  From the day I met her to Friday, February 25th.  I love her.  I am so excited to see where life takes us.  I couldn't ask for a better sidekick. 

Day 7- A Picture of Someone/Something That Has The Biggest Impact On You

Justin Kelly and I in front of the San Diego Temple

Becoming a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I knew I needed to set goals. And many of these goals needed to be things that would ultimately help me to be able to enter the temple. You see, in this church we believe that the temple is a place where Heavenly Father resides. Temples are the holiest places on earth, and I find them to be incredibly marvelous. 

I was able to enter the temple for the first time this past December. I can't think of many greater blessings than that experience. Except for the following week....when I was able to be sealed to my husband for time and all eternity. I realized on Sunday that I never knew I could have such a cherished memory. And the greatest thing about it was that somewhere on the grounds of the Mesa temple that day, was everyone I loved (mostly). 

Having an eternal perspective can really change things. Going about my daily activities with the temple in mind keeps a smile on my face. Nick and I are so blessed to have a temple here in Orlando. We can't wait to be able to go!

Day 6- Favorite Super Hero and Why

to be posted later....

Day 5- A Picture of Somewhere You've Been To

Hiking is one of Tucson's greatest attractions! At the first sign of Spring, it becomes a favored past time. Unfortunately, there is a pretty small window of time to enjoy a hike in perfect Arizona weather.

Seven Falls, Sabino Canyon, Tucson, Arizona

January-February= too cold/snow on the mountains, March-May= PERFECT!!!, June-August= way too hot, September-November= monsoon season/flash flood warnings, December= pretty great weather, but who has time in December?!

Romero Pools, Catalina State Park, Tucson, Arizona

Hiking used to be a cinch for me. After having mononucleosis (twice), my lung capacity will most likely never be the same. My first hike after being sick was a rude awakening, and I have never been able to get back to the way I used to be. But why let that stop me?? I just make sure to hike with people patient enough to wait if I need to stop.

Sunset in Sabino Canyon

I have some really awesome memories saved up from some really great hikes. For me, there is nothing more exhilarating than spending time on a mountain trail with friends and family. I always come back down the mountain feeling like things have been put back in perspective for me. Nature will do that!! :)

Day 4- A Habit You Wish You Didn't Have

I have quite a few of these! I crack my knuckles. I play with my hair. However, I have one habit that all of my loved ones have lectured me about...and its not an easy fix.

To be fair, I haven't really tried.


When I was a freshman in college, this little habit helped to put me in such pain that I ended up going to a specialist to find out what was wrong.

Thanks to this and the gum chewing, I have a "dislocation disorder" in my jaw. Blah blah. So basically, my jaw will constantly pop and lock up when I eat. My temples hurt when I chew gum, and the muscles along my jaw are always a little swollen. Its really not as bad as it sounds and it is DEFINITELY not "$1400+ -to-fix-it bad." So here I am!

Haha!

Figured it out yet?


Because I absolutely refuse to break this habit of chewing ice, I try to find soft or already crushed ice.
But it will always be my shameless bad habit!

Day 3- A Picture of You and Your Friends

Okay, okay....there was NO WAY one picture was enough.

These are my beautiful bridesmaids. They are my best friends in this world. They are honest and loving. They keep me grounded. I promise that you will be hearing plenty about them later on. 

I love this picture. We were dancing the night away at the lovely Aragon wedding. Every person in this picture is a Show Choir Veteran. We are all singers and dancers who would NEVER turn down a good time.

This is Elder Corey Salamon. He is currently finishing up an honorable mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Tallahassee, Florida. He is also a convert to the church who was able to serve this mission because of a scholarship. He is an incredible example to me, and I love and miss him.

Meet the boy who baptized me into the LDS church. He was, is, and always will be a best friend. He recently returned home from his mission in San Jose, Costa Rica. He knows me well...very well, and I can always count on him to be there. We have been through a lot together.

Thea Hallowell is an absolute angel. We have been friends since middle school, and will forever be sisters. Yes, we have had our ups and downs...but this is one of those indestructible  friendship. I love her dearly. And, our husbands get along quite well! It was such a blessing to have her by my side in the temple for my endowment and my sealing. 

I can't even begin to tell you how grateful I am to be close to my mom. I love talking to her. She is very real, and I love that about her. 

Tyler is my person. That person you are comfortable sharing the most personal information with. He is trustworthy and dependable. I love his love for Jesus Christ and his caring nature. We can go months and months without speaking or seeing one another, and pick up right where we left off. 

These people are some of my most cherished blessings. I have always considered my best friends to be family. I treat them like family. They just love to make my life awesome! :)

Thanksgiving In January!!

        Nick and I have three other roommates living in our new house. So, there are five of us total...and we are all pretty spontaneous/crazy. Yesterday we woke up to find one of them, Melanie, had just come home from W*lmart with enough food to feed more than a few households. She explained that it was her day off and since everyone was going to be off of work and home by four, she was making a Thanksgiving dinner. And she did! 12-pound turkey, mashed potatoes, two kinds of stuffing (plain and with cranberries and walnuts), green bean casserole, gravy, sweet potatoes with pineapple and marshmallows, biscuits, and cornbread. Oh my goodness, YUM! We all sat down to the dining room table and enjoyed dinner with some friends. It was really nice to feel like a little family. Melanie turned to me at one point and said, "You guys are my family. I hope you enjoy the food." So sweet. Needless to say, we love her.

After dinner, we cleaned up and sat down to watch a little TV. Since everyone knows I prefer to bake, I was in charge of dessert. When you think Thanksgiving, you think pies. Yes? But I needed something simpler since Mel had commandeered the kitchen for the day. So I decided to make individual apple pies instead. It is SUCH an easy recipe, and pretty popular! Here you go!

Fried Apple Pies

Ingredients

-2 tablespoons butter

-4 apples peeled, cored, and sliced or 1 can apple pie filling

-1/2 cup sugar

-1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

-1 teaspoon lemon juice

-1 (8-piece) container refrigerated flaky biscuit dough

-2 tablespoons water

-powdered sugar

Directions

Filling: add butter to large saucepan and melt. Add the apples, sugar, cinnamon, and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat until apples are soft (about 15 minutes). Remove and cool.

Once apples are cool, roll biscuits out to 7-8inch circular rounds on a lightly floured surface. Place 2-3 tablespoons of filling onto each round. Brush edges with water. Fold circle over filling to make a half-moon. Seal by pressing edges with tines of a fork.

Pre-heat deep fryer with oil to 350 degrees F. 

Add pies to oil one at a time. Fry until golden brown. Turn as necessary (approx. 5-8mins)

Drain with paper towels and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve with vanilla ice cream. 

*I don't own a deep fryer. We are NOT huge fans of fried food. So I simply heated oil in a pot. 

*Be careful with the sugar. These pies are sweet. I recommend Granny Smith apples to ease the sweetness. 

*If you like your pies bulging with apples (I definitely do), I would use 5-6 apples.

Roommates and friends after dinner (minus Erik)

Day 2- The Meaning Behind Your Blog Name

Deciding on a name for this blog took me over a week. Yeah. Nick would ask every day if I had settled on something, then tease me and laugh when I frowned and shook my head. In my defense, whenever I asked for his help, I got suggestions like these:

Stupid Dresses

Lighthouses Rule

Sitting There in a Silent Movie Beside the Only Girl Who Ever Knew Me

I Love My Wife

You might be scratching your head trying to make sense of these. Don't. This is my husband's sense of humor. It rarely makes sense. That's why its funny...most of the time :). Nick would sit and suggest these "clever" titles with a rather satisfied smirk on his face. Oy.

We went through our entire music library combined. We went through our favorite movies, etc. I came up with a few good ideas, but nothing really stuck. To be honest, I'm still not 100% sold on this current title. But the thought process behind it is just this:

Nick and I were engaged for seven months. My mother and I, with the help of many others, planned our wedding for seven months. We decided on a beautiful outdoor garden for our reception site. We were all SO excited about this. There was a sunset ceremony and an outdoor reception in the garden to follow. Everything was wrapped in white lights. It was perfect. My wonderful and creative mom worked so hard making sure everything looked perfect. And then came the news. It was going to rain on our wedding day. In Tucson, Arizona. Did it rain the day before our wedding? Nope. It was lovely weather. Did it rain after our wedding? For one day, and then no more. 

Reception centerpieces made by Supermom!

Now, when I say "rain" I mean RAIN. Cold, unrelenting rain. But you know what? It was absolutely the best day. Seriously. I woke up the morning of the wedding, looked out the window, and stopped worrying. I was marrying my eternal companion that day. I was blessed enough to be able to share that with the people I love most in this world. And when the rain came down on our outdoor garden reception, we moved everyone inside, set tents and heaters up outside, and danced in the rain. It was so much fun and we loved it. The bottom foot or so of my wedding dress was soaking wet and brown by the time we left that night. 

Nick and his groomsmen dancing the night away in the rain

In spite of the unfortunate weather that day, all I saw were smiles. Smiles when I looked in the mirror, when I looked at my new husband, when I looked at my family throughout the day. So it rained on our wedding. It rained on our parade. And it was the perfect wedding....the perfect parade. I loved every minute of it, and have never felt more blessed. Lately, a day hasn't gone by where I don't remind myself of this. As mentioned before, I am a control freak. Normally, something like rain would halt everything and bring it crashing down. But if we carry such an attitude with us everyday, we are missing life's simple joys. The most important blessings we have in life cannot be washed away by a little rain. It is my new goal to embrace the rain and enjoy life for what it is. And what it is, is what we make it. 

Soaking wet...and couldn't be having more fun

The Haircut

Nick is a man about his hair. Really. He doesn't primp and he doesn't use product. However, his hair is long and he likes it that way. It has been like this almost always, minus his 2-year mission. I have had to make his haircut appointments for the past year or so because he won't go. He hates the week or so after a haircut, until it grows out a little bit. On top of that, his hair grows like weeds. I would be so blessed to have hair that grows that fast!!

Now that Nick has a job with Disney, he has to abide by "Disney Look." This means that his hair needs to be above his ears and off of his collar. He has to be clean shaven every day. Disney is very intent on every single employee being clean-cut. There is no option. Tomorrow, Nick has to attend "Traditions." This is basically an all-day orientation where he will learn about the company, how it started, and what it stands for. If you show up to Traditions outside of Disney Look standards, they turn you away at the door. You CANNOT begin work until you have passed Traditions.

So this morning, I made some calls around town to find a salon that would fit Nick in for a major haircut. Luckily for us, there is a salon right across the street that is very reasonably priced. Nick's appointment was at 3pm, and he spent most of the morning dreading his upcoming haircut. When we walked into the salon, the first thing his stylist said was, "I can tell you don't want to be here." I felt so bad for her. She definitely had her work cut out for her, and Nick had the most regretful expression on his face the entire time. He bit his lip for most of the experience, and forced a smile when he saw the final result in the mirror. We left and went to Target to pick up some product so I could show Nick how to improve his new "do."

He still hates it and has been moping for the past three hours. Here are the before and after photos:

Nick and many of the men in his family...notice any popular trend in hairstyle??

new cut-back

new cut-front

new cut-side 

It is definitely significantly shorter than when Nick has had for the past four years. He will get used to it. I happen to like it!

Day 1-Recent Photo and 15 Interesting Fact About Yourself

 Recent Photo:

Waiting for the bus to take us from Animal Kingdom to Magic Kingdom.

15 Interesting Facts:

1. I have been married to my best friend for 26 days and counting...

2. My new last name (Martell) is just three letters off from my maiden name (Ortelli).

3. I am the eldest of three and the only child who's middle name (Lynne) doesn't come from one of my parents' names.

4. Nick and I spend the morning at Animal Kingdom a few weeks ago. I can still remember going to the opening press event for that park with my family. 

5. I am currently on the my third major: from Choral Music Education to English to Business Administration. Better now than later, right?

6. I am a control freak. Its bad. Really bad. It drives my husband crazy. I'm a work in progress. I really struggle with trusting others to get a job done the way I want it done. Trust me, I'm not proud of it. My family has dealt with it my entire life. I am so grateful for their patience (especially my mother's).

7. I am a total choir nerd. I fell in love as soon as I started at age eight. I attended an arts academy for 6th and 7th grade and majored in choir. I was in choir all four years of high school, finishing my senior year as Choir President. I continued at the University of Arizona in two choirs a semester. I have been competing since I was 11. I sang with the Youth Choral Academy at the Oregon Bach Festival under the direction of Dr. Armstrong (conductor of the St. Olaf Choir). I sink my teeth into every opportunity I get. Choral singing comes so naturally to me and I absolutely love it. Classical choir, chorale, show choir, jazz chamber choir, a cappella ensembles, etc.. I can't seem to get enough. 

show choir cruise tour- senior year

8. I have a near-pathetic love for animals. I can't stand animal cruelty in movies or TV shows. One of the worst experiences I can think of is going to an animal shelter. However, I would feel terribly selfish if I got my dogs anywhere other than a shelter. 

This is my man, Bear. He's a maltipoo who resides with Mom and Dad and family back in Tucson. He is quite the character, but we love him.

9. I love the south. I grew up here. My father was in the broadcasting business my entire childhood, and we moved a lot. I have lived quite a few places: Phoenix, Pennsylvania, St. Petersburg, Tampa, Raleigh, Toledo, Lafayette, Tucson, and now Orlando. My husband isn't quite as big a fan of the south. In fact, he really dislikes it. But he did grow up with a father in the military. We both get stir crazy quickly and love to move and travel. 

10. I'm a convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I joined the church January 5th, 2008. Its been an incredible adventure, and I couldn't be more happy with the direction my life has taken since. I love this church, I love my Savior, and I'm so incredibly blessed. 

11. My favorite movies? Beauty and the Beast, Wizard of Oz, My Best Friend's Wedding, Enchanted, How to Train Your Dragon. 

12. My favorite music? John Mayer, Jack Johnson, Jason Mraz, Adele, Bob Marley, Fray, OneRepublic, chill....

13. I sleep. A ton. Much of that may be attributed to the fact that I have had mononucleosis at least twice (yes, its possible). I don't do well on less than 6.5 hours. My usual bedtime is 10-10:30pm and I'm up around 8-9am. Having children is going to bring one rude awakening for me. Bring it on.

14. I could spend every day with my husband. I know, I know, I'm a newlywed. But I hope it always stays that way. We're not lazy people. Spending every day with Nick usually means lunch or dinner out, movies, the zoo, bowling, running errands. 

15. My husband is a great cook. Score! We live in a house with three other people who honestly hadn't had a home-cooked meal the 3+ years before we moved in. We try and cook most nights. Well, Nick cooks. I love to help. This is not to say I can't cook. My mom made sure to have dinner on the table every night of the week. She still does. I would rather bake. And I HATE dishes. I mean, I hate hate hate them. I would rather clean a toilet than do the dishes. Soggy food is my downfall. Paper plates are my best friend.