mister and missus.

it has been nine months since we officially became a mister and missus. if a baby can be made in that amount of time, then i guess i can make a family blog.

(if you want to see any posts about what we have been doing up to this point, you can see my old, personal blog here. )

 i have become quite the little instagramer- so the majority of my pictures are repeats. but seeing as how most of our family members (everyone but tifani and christy) are not instagram users , most of you won't have too much to complain about. besides- aren't we just an adorable little family??

away we go.

on monday we decided that we would go camping in the living room for fhe.  actually, jared had to practice setting up his new tent because he had a scout camp out coming up- but we figure. why not use it too?  we had a grand time chopping up fresh veggies, eating our tin foil dinners (made in the oven- just not the same) and watching shows from the comfort of our tent. sometimes we get really excited about our little plans. it is pretty fun being married. you can act like you're a kid but you get to make out and eat as many treats as you want. even before dinner. which i do. a lot.

that strainer/cutting board is one of the best things in my life. and my knife set.

last week we celebrated our first  married valentine's day.  jared is not a fan of valentine's day and i never really cared much about the holiday.  but now that we are married, i know that my presents and excitement won't be wasted- they will be going to the same guy f-o-r-e-v-e-r. hooray for jared- he gets homemade cards for eternity! 

i had a wonderful time grossing out my 7 year old primary class with this card i made during drawing time. ew gross.

we had two valentine's dinners.  the first one was made by me.  i have to admit, it was the best meal that i have ever made in my life. it also took a ton of work and becoming best friends with the butcher at gelsons (but seriously. i even sent him a thank you card and when we are rich and can afford to go to a butcher on a regular basis, i hope it's him). jared was able to get home at a decent hour and surprise me with my favorite flowers.

hydrangeas are one of my absolute favorites.

the hours of preparation and cooking were totally worth it.  we both love italian food so that was my theme. i am still very pleased with how well it turned out but even happier about jared's reaction.  he was in food heaven.

and the final result:

we were stuffed.  i have always had an interesting relationship with cooking. i enjoy it but i do not like being constrained by recipes.  so i pretty much never use them.  for that reason i am a horrid baker.  but i sure can cook up some flavorful meals.  only problem with my method is that it turns out different every time. it is like a little experiment every time; sometimes you get a winner and sometimes you just grin and bear it. thankfully, jared will eat almost anything i make and he usually really likes it. and lucky for him - i like making food for him. it works.

our second dinner had similar results

jared was very sweet (and able to pull off a surprise!).  he made reservations for us at the melting pot.  he also asked that they make the table extra pretty, so i was seated with my mister at a giant booth covered in rose petals and candles. just for us. it was very romantic (the epic proportions of food i stuffed in my mouth- not so romantic...).

he is always trying to surprise me but i hate it. i hate surprises. i don't give or take them well.  for example, i had bought jared's present a couple weeks ago, but i only made it about 4 days before i made him open it anyway.

we have been managing to stay very busy.  thankfully the weather here is finally getting nice (and by nice i mean the high 70's-80's but people freak out if it falls below 60 degrees.) and the days are staying light a bit longer, which means more time for activities!

we also went to the LA museum of art last weekend. that was a fun and educational experience.  jared has a better understanding of art and its origins than i do.  i just know if i like looking at it or not.  but i do have a deep appreciation for the history.  it amazes me how well preserved the artwork is. the contemporary art is interesting to me and can be very cool but i guess that i am just more of a classics kind of art viewer. it is nice going to museums with jared because even though i may not be moved to tears or receive any epiphanies induced by the artwork, it is always fun to learn about...everything.

we have been keeping busy with our church callings- which is also an interesting learning experience.  jared gets to spend a lot of time with the young men and other scout leaders. i love the scout program and i think that it is so great that the church supports it.  i like knowing that jared has a hand in helping and influencing these boys to become good men. i on the other hand, am teaching 7 year old children in primary. it has been quite a while since i have really had interaction with children that are not family.  i am not patient and i don't like having to say things more than once. this calling is teaching and testing me emotionally and physically.  but gosh darn it, they sure can be cute and sweet.  i am amazed at how well these kids understand the gospel and their pure love of Christ and their families. this age group is particularly fun because they will all be getting baptized this year, making the lessons all the more important to them. i love seeing how excited they get when we talk about their upcoming baptisms.

and last thing...it's technology fantastic?  sure it is making the world completely socially retarded but sometimes it also brings us closer together.  for example...my best friend katie and her husband just had their first baby, lucy pearl!

 of course this is an event i would have loved to be in UT for but we had the next best thing: facetime.  i was able to see and talk to my best friends and their new babe within hours of it all happening. sure, jared had to ask me to leave the room because he couldn't stand do hear the labor details. but it it was so special being connected like that and being able to congratulate and support them in their new adventure, even though we are hundreds of miles apart. it was also fun to go to tjmaxx and raid the baby section for the most adorable girly clothes i could find... and yes, i sent her cardigans. being an aunt is the best.

that is all for now. it is a lovely sabbath day and the mister and i are going outside to enjoy it and our lazy time together. bye.

PS: have you seen these before?

type in your license plate and it finds the stall you are parked in and directs you how to get there!  you have NO idea how much time i have spent wandering around parking garages looking for my car. it is ridiculous how easily and quickly i totally forget where i parked and it leaves jared in complete bewilderment.  so unless someone is stalking you and knows your license plate- this little invention goes on the top 10 things i have found in la (i need to explore more...).