It's Gonna be May

Okay, I know that May is almost over, but I had to get this gem in here somehow didn't I?

Also, when I started writing this it wasn't that far into may, but I wrote the whole thing and then accidentally deleted EVERYTHING so I got discouraged and gave up for a few weeks. So this one is going to be extra long!

We Have Grass!

We finally have grass and the kids love it. Dallin did it and it's growing in really well and it's really long and green. (Thanks to all the rain we've been getting and the sprinkler works really well.)

Date Night

So this was a while ago now, but we went to Kim & Rodney's and made lots of amazing food and played Jenga and talked. Spinach tortellini, home made creamed corn, and a shrimp and pasta dish. Everything was getting done at different times so it seemed like we were eating for like 2 hours straight! It was so fun.

Dallin's Back At It!

He went back to school this semester at UVU and he's taking 3 classes online right now. I think that some of the work is absolutely ridiculous but I think because he's doing it online they make it harder. Anyway I'm proud of him for all the work he's doing and that he's decided to get his degree.

I stopped writing for my other company and I've been writing for Kim a little bit. I know her really well on a friendship level, but I'm just now getting to know how amazing she is in her field because we don't usually talk about it. People, I'm not kidding you, if you want ballroom lessons go to her! She's a real pro, and a 1st place winner of sooooo many comps. And if you're getting married soon, I'd recommend at least having one lesson from her on how to dance to your song without looking like an idiot while everyone's staring. (We did- worth it.)

Here's her website: www.kimberlycampa.com

Happy Mother's Day!

Yes, I think that dog moms count on mother's day. My philosophy is if you have to take care of another living thing, clean poop, and love it more than anything, it counts. So I took a pic with the kids :)

Below is a pic of my mother's day present. I got this amazing pad for a chair. It's made of gel and it makes your butt feel like you're in heaven. I know I'm old now that I actually wanted to buy a chair pad lol but I love it so much I want to take it with me every where I go.

Our Mothers

We wouldn't be the people we are today without these 3 women and we love them all. I'm so grateful for each of them for all different reasons. They've all done so much for me and I feel so lucky to have 3 moms in my corner. They're pretty cool & I like em. ;)

Aaron is 5!!

We celebrated Aaron's birthday and he's actually 5 now! I remember when Dallin and I first started dating he was an infant and Aubrey and Jon were living in Provo! crazy how time flies.

Snow Cones with the Fam

We went with the Graff's to get snow cones a while back and it was so nice to get a random invite like that and be able to go since we were finally so close. We're all close for like 2 weeks and now every one's moving away :( lol perfect timing.  Anyway I don't really like shaved ice but Dallin loves it & it was fun.

Just me being creepy....

I know this is so weird, but I wanted to see what it would've looked like if Dallin and I were friends as little kids. hahaha so I hope Twenen isn't mad that I photoshopped over his face....

Magic Mike! (Or Tim. Or Chad. Or whatever his name was....)

We got to go to a free magic show because of a mortgage company, and it was mind-blowing! He turned a 1 dollar bill into a 100 and then it somehow ended up inside a lemon that he cut open. (there was more in between there but it's hard to explain.) Anyway it was amazing, and Kevin came with, and we won an outback steakhouse gift card in a drawing!

Graduation Grub with Graffs

Whew! Look at me go with that alliteration! Anyway, the Graffs took us to dinner for my graduation, and I thought that both the food and the company was superb. Thank you Dave, Sara, & Ben!!

Date The Next Week

The week after Kevin took us out! We went to see Mad Max in D Box seats. I am not a fan of being jostled to the point of hurling, but Dallin loved it. As for the movie, the only word that comes to mind is... weird. Since it never really explained anything, all I got was, war, crazy guy with a huge head, lots of amputees, desert, abnormal cars, random guy playing an electric guitar, and a group of old female bikers. Wouldn't recommend it. Unless you're a dude. This is a typical dude movie.

Got my Graduation Photos Back

After getting over my indignation on the exorbitant pricing and the fact that this company completely monopolized graduations, I gave in and bought some pictures so I could have a memory of the event. 

Let Me Tell You A Story.

Once a upon a time we cleaned out the rest of our stuff from my mom's house. I threw out a box,(the environmentally friendly gasp!) along with all the old food that was left in the fridge. Later, I panicked, thinking that I had left something in the box that I threw out. So, I manned-up and did what I had to do. Yes, I had to dumpster dive. After preparing myself fully (as you can see by the tongs, gloves and mask in the picture) I was able to free the box from its vile surroundings only to find that.......... NOTHING was in the box. Apparently this was how I needed to learn my lesson on the importance of recycling. 

(My mom said I looked like I was delivering a baby.... and with the horrific image of barbecue tongs....I'm never having kids. Thanks mom.)

The Graff's Last Big Shebang!

I'm so sad that Aubrey and Jon are moving to Hawaii, and Dave, Sara and Selena are moving to the east coast. But the good thing is we've still got Matthew and Shanna and Brian and Michelle close. With everyone moving away, and selling their house, they did one last family party there. We all talked about our memories in that house, and I'm glad that we were able to all be close for as long as we were. Who knows, we might even be moving too this year. 

Brian's a good uncle. He pushed Josie after her rotund self couldn't walk any further lol

Yeah Girl!

Kim and Rachael came over and we made dinner, watched the dancing with the stars finally, the bachelorette, and painted chairs. It was great. My mom walked by the table and noticed that I was painting it a couple weeks ago and said, "Oh you need to get a stripper." So I followed my mom's sound advice and got a stripper for the finish lol and of course we had to take a picture with our stripper for the evening. 

Last weekend

On Saturday we went out like classy folks to dinner and the symphony! It was simply sublime. If you haven't been to Carver's right off the 104th exit in Sandy, you need to go! We were both shocked by how tender the meat was and the fact that we both actually like mushrooms! Dallin had steak with crab on top and it was amazing. And I ate my weight in home made bread. Yum.

This is the grandeur of the Utah Symphony at Abravanel Hall! This was our second time going, and we both liked the composer this time better than last. What those musicians are able to do is straight-up cray! lol
The music was beautiful, and the venue itself is just as awe-inspiring. (hahaha can you tell I tried to whiten my teeth in that pic on the left? It looks ridiculous, but oh well. )

Sara gave us some baby clothes that she got in a garage sale and they all look so cute on Josie! I'm going to need to do a little altering, but for the most part they fit her!

We said our "goodbye"s Yesterday

Happy Memorial Day! We had a barbecue at Matthew & Shanna's. (and I'm so surprised Shanna hasn't had her baby yet! He'll be here any day, and because of a weird dream I had where they named him Monday, he is forever labeled "Monday" in my head.) We had to say goodbye to Aubrey, Jon, Aaron, Declan, and Lincoln and that was really sad. Lincoln and Declan probably won't even know who we are when/if they come back!

(I look gigantic in this picture for some reason.... we'll blame it on the hill. lol)

 Ladies and Gentlemen, hold on to your hats...

Make sure you're sitting when you read the following statement.

I AM ACTUALLY COOKING NOW! I know. Crazy. This was our menu from last week. 

I finally started to feel really bad about having 500% of the healthy daily value of sodium in my diet so I'm taking baby steps. The problem is that I don't typically enjoy it. When the girls were over it wasn't bad; I think I like cooking for bigger groups of people but not when it's just us. But I made steak for the first time ever this week! Not going to lie, it was awful. But I did it!! 

That's it for me. Hang in there Tuesday. Friday will be here soon.

Graduation Glee :)

Okay, I know last time I was a little bit of a downer. Don't worry, this time I'm in a better mood. 

And here's part of the reason why!

Emma is so thoughtful. And when I was having a hard time last week she surprised me with this. So cute and I was so thankful for the gesture!

 This is what happens when you put Jakey's face in the face changer thing on the photo booth on my computer... hahaha!

 I figured out why Dallin didn't talk about his trip to see Cirque du Soleil with work! (He told me it was weird and changed the subject because he wanted to surprise me and take me!!!) 

They came and performed at the Maverick center, and I can honestly say it was the most captivating thing I've ever seen. There was always so much going on, such cool costumes, lighting, fog, props, tricks! Holy cow. Blew my mind. My favorite parts were these guys swinging around on silks and this one trapeze chick. AND WE WERE ON THE 3RD ROW!!!! and he got me a huge ice cream cone... He knows just how to make me happy.  It was just one of those things I never thought I'd do, so it was so cool to see it up close in real life.

 With the help of Mr. David Graff, we conquered the concrete!

You can see here the mountain of concrete we removed. Dallin lost is indoor hands :/

It was so good to have his help because we couldn't have done it without him. Afterward we went to costa vida and napped because it was such hard work!

 I love having our desks next to each other. When I had articles to do and Dallin was playing his game, it was so cute that the kids were cuddling by us.

My coworker Ashlee is getting Married! 

She's getting married in June and I can't believe how soon it already is. She had a cute shower and it was so fun! Her family is so funny. We made lingerie out of toilet paper, and of course my team won! She also put on her mom's wedding dress, and I thought it was pretty in a vintage-ey way. It was like my mom's in a lot of ways (haha those hats!)

Can you believe I graduated?

I've had my diploma for a while, but being able to walk in the graduation ceremony really sealed the deal and made it feel so much more rewarding. I'm so glad I pushed through the thousands of times I wanted to quit. It was so good to see my Dad and Shelly who came in from NE to come to my graduation. As part of my graduation present they took us to costco! I feel so lucky to have the family I have. They're so supportive to come, and they did so much to help me get through school too.

The official announcement!

Beware...graduation photo overload ahead. (And this isn't even all of them!)

Just a little journaling/thoughts about this experience

No matter what happens in my career, or my life, I will always be proud of my degree. I switched my major a million times, griped about the tuition, had horrible teachers, amazing teachers, made friends, and consistently surprised myself with what I was capable of. This was where I earned my very first ever A in a math class, my first 4.0, met the love of my life, and wrote papers as long as dissertations. At the times when it sucked or when I had a hard time finding a job, I thought college degrees were over-rated. But looking back, there's no way I'd be the person I am today without the college experience. My first year I learned hard work. Not the "pretend you're working and skate by" kind of work, but real work. Math and science were really hard for me, and I really pushed myself. I wrote a 20 page paper for English, had my first experiences with literally studying all night long, and moved away from home. My second year I learned to follow my heart, make friends, and decide who I am as a person. I competed in my first pageant, started dating Dallin, went to the U for a quick semester, and came right back. The next year was my year as a dance major. I learned that I can do anything I set my mind to, my creative voice is worth listening to, and having confidence in yourself is what makes you happy, not comparing yourself to others. Next was my year doing solely health and education classes, and this taught me the true wonders of the human body and the real difference you can make as a teacher. I learned better social skills, more confidence and creativity, and again, I worked my butt off. In student-teaching, I discovered my passion for teaching and learned to see the good in each and every student. It taught me patience and the true joy of absolutely loving what you do. 

Sometimes I've compared myself to doctors, lawyers, astronauts, or inventors and down-played what I've accomplished. In the grand scheme of things, does competing in Miss Utah really even matter if I didn't even place? Or that measly little A in an entry level math course? If the goal is to contribute to the world, that certainly won't cut it. What I've realized though, is that regardless of what other people have done, I know more than anybody what was hard for me. Every one has their own battles, so if someone else was able to do what I did easily, that doesn't make it any less of an accomplishment for me to do it if it was hard. I've decided that the little things DO and SHOULD matter and be celebrated, because my soul simply wouldn't be in tact at all if I never allowed myself to be proud of what I've accomplished. No matter how small it may seem in comparison to what others have done, I know what it took for me to get up the courage to dance in front of hundreds, the hard work it took to get an A in anatomy, and the determination to keep going when I was told I'd fail. People like me all over the world accomplish "mediocre" things every day that are actually amazing things that just aren't given enough credit. Doing pageants taught me that setting goals for myself regardless of the outcome is the most rewarding thing you can do, and I think that's what happened when I look back on my degree. They might seem like huge things to some, or small things to others, but I knew what would push me to become better, and I'm proud to say I did exactly that. I became more emotionally capable, proved my own insecurities wrong, and learned I can do things that seem impossible at the beginning. My family, friends, and dallin helped me do it all, and I know I couldn't have gotten through the hard times without them. Mitt Romney was my favorite speaker. He inspired me to do what I love, work harder, dream bigger and love deeper. 

After that weekend, we were pooped. 

This me and the kids watching the office.

 How 'bout that infamous fight of the decade, huh?

I don't understand boxing, and that restaurant had terrible service, but it was fun that we got to go experience something new, be with friends, eat free food, and watch people punch each other. haha the farthest my experience goes with boxing was the marathon of Rocky movies I watched as a teenager.

 This beautiful rainbow was out while we were at my Mom's celebrating the graduation by eating Breakfast! (the best food there is)

 And the winner for Best Husband of the Year award goes to......

Dallin Graff! He sent me this beautiful bouquet at work for no reason, out of the blue! It's so much cooler getting them at work than at home for some reason, and it really surprised me! They are so beautiful. He's so thoughtful and loving, and random stuff like this might actually mean more than special occasions, even if we do more on special occasions. 

 Summer is coming!

The weather has been so good lately and the kids haven't been going to my mom's as much so we've been going on walks a lot. (And bike rides) It's been good to familiarize with the area and they love it. They can walk without the leash too! (Top right exhausted, bottom left Kevin and dallin with the kids in the beautiful scenery on a walk)

 Best Pedicure of my life. With the best company!

Aubrey and I got together, and I'm so glad we did because she's such a fun-loving, positive person to be around and she's such a great sister in law and friend. Anyway, we just picked a random place, but it turned out to be the most relaxing pedicure I've ever had! They dipped our feet in wax and massaged and gave us designs, all included in the regular price! Whaaaaat? They turned out really cute too. I wish Aubrey wasn't moving to Hawaii soon :( 

 Emma got her surgery!

Emma had to have surgery on her feet, and I went over to watch a movie and catch up. We watched the Time Traveler's Wife and I tried to avoid openly weeping in front of her....

Hopefully she has a speedy recovery :( She needs those feet for so many upcoming things like prom and graduation! and the wretched stairs at school! lol

Okay, this is going to sound like I'm being sarcastic, but I promise, this is not sarcasm!

Dallin reached the Diamond level in his video game! Good Job Dallin! For those of you who don't know, Diamond is the highest level, and out of the billions of people who play the game, he is in the top 300 or something like that. So, I take back all my statements about him being a dork lol however, I still refuse to accept that this game is considered an "E-sport." If you don't have to exercise, it's not a sport. Anyway, now he's going to start streaming and making money with playing! Who'da thunk he'd be up there with the professionals! Very impressive. This is him with Kevin playing. 

We got dirt and sod for the yard and it's finally going in! Woo hoo! Either that sod is heavier than it looks or I'm out of shape...

I had a considerably better couple of weeks, and I'm pretty grateful for everything that's goin' for us right now. It's pretty rare for me to feel content, but I am for the time being so we'll see how long that lasts until I'm onto my next project. lol
-Syd :)