November Weekend

It's been a really good weekend. 

We started early with Ed's birthday on Thursday : he opened presents throughout the day, we went to our beloved Rice King for lunch with sister Cindy and talked about everything under the sun, suffered together through the worst class on earth (philosophy), ate some good mexican with friends and ordered "The Rock", I blindfolded Ed and kind of surprised him (I am not that skilled at surprises apparently), bowled the night away with our best friends wearing party hats, and came home late to eat the cheesecake I made together in bed while watching Modern Family. Wow. Happy 23rd Birthday, Ed! 

Then it was Friday. I had a super easy day at work which consisted of going to the driving range, hanging out at the park, eating an amazing thanksgiving style lunch, and clocking out after a "hard day's work". Then we test drove two cars, argued about it, and decided to just wait it out and chill on the new car thing. We are sick of these car dealers trying to screw us left and right. Then we ate at The Smoking Apple....oh thank goodness for that place. We stopped by the intramural game that Ed is a new member of and watched our friend Marc break his ankle and get rushed to the hospital. Came home and layed in bed watching Nomeo and Juliet on Netflix.

Saturday was next. The morning consisted of sleeping in, t.v., eating the Hickory Farms summer sausage I got Ed for his birthday, and trying to decide what to do with our lives that day. We ended up going to see Tower Heist and laughed out loud in the theater almost the entire movie. Then we walked around window shopping making sure to stop by Williams Sonoma to oodle and pretend like we're rich. Got some apple cider and carrot cake samples and stopped by in the toy store that was playing Christmas music to get in the spirit of the holidays. Then we headed home and Ed helped me make a cake for our friend Kelli's birthday. We celebrated her birthday at Outback and headed to her house to play games. We went to bed late knowing that we had an extra hour for daylight savings and slept in this morning.

I'm sorry if this was boring to read, but one day I will look back on this weekend and remember that all I need is my husband, my friends, some good food, and my kitty to be happy. Today we have been playing hand and foot together and laughing at Kona, watching football and cuddling in blankets. It's been nice. Now we have to start a new week and I know I will regret not doing any homework or graduate school applications but what the heck, I've enjoyed my life.

November does amazing things to me. It is one of my favorite months because to me, it's all about family. It's about being thankful and vamping up for the best holidays. It's about getting close to ending a semester and this year, ending my undergrad! It starts to get chilly and every day I hope to wake up and have no snow, but it's coming, I can feel it. I start to drink hot chocolate every night without fail and plan all the presents I will buy my favorite people. I will definitely miss my parents this year at Thanksgiving, but I'm excited to have another Christenson feast. Now I'm off to help finish off the cheesecake and eat as many yummy things as I can because tomorrow I'm back on the diet. 

Signing off, a very content Amanda.

Frame Worthy

I need to frame this picture.

It is a perfect depiction of my life right now : my husband, my cat, my tiny house, and gorgeous fall.

I'm happy to be here.

I really will be sad to leave Provo one day, and especially this little house of ours.

At least I will take the husband and the cat with me.

Happy Halloween everyone!  I am off to Petsmart to get Kona a costume.

Random thoughts from Amanda's brain

I've lost 6 pounds!

I miss my parents

I want long hair again

I really miss ballet

This semester is horrible

I'm working way too much 

Want cheesecake 

Can't wait for halloween, Ed and I's costume idea is amazing

I love my friends

I am in need of my mom's pumpkin pie

Religion teachers at BYU need to get over themselves

Need to get into grad school, need to apply for grad school 

Need a new car, Chevy Equinox is a stretch, but should we do it? 

Amanda, you have to find a new job

Why do nice things cost money? 

Been having some really crazy dreams lately

Red Lobster all you can eat shrimp soon, look forward to it every year

What should I get Ed for his birthday?

Sleepover with Tess this weekend

Can't wait to see Brad home from a mission and Britta and new baby

I desperately want a puppy

I desperately want to know where I will live in 10 months 

Football is really growing on me

Obsessed with counting calories

And that's pretty much all that's on my mind lately. 

I love Ed, my family, my cat, my friends. My schedule sucks, but it's life. I've got to keep motivated, can't wait to be 20 lbs less, it will happen. Goodnight all.

September 11, 2011

Ten years ago, America was rattled. Fathers, sisters, brothers, mothers, sons, daughters, and friends were killed. Let us be thankful for what we have in our lives. And for who we have. Whether we realize it or not, our lives are based on relationships. Savor those relationships. Cherish the people you love. Forgive those who have hurt us. Pray for people all around the world who experience heartache daily.

My husband should know that he makes me laugh constantly. That his goofiness and his optimism keep me going every day. And that marrying him is the single most perfect decision I have ever made.

My sister should know that she has been my best friend since the day she was born. That although she is younger than me, I have always looked up to her. And that she is going to be an amazing wife and mother. 

My dad should know that the example he set for me growing up is what has shaped my testimony of the gospel. That his efforts to spend quality time with me are what really made the difference in creating our relationship. And that his complete acceptance of Ed into the Huntington family means the world to me. 

My mom should know that I could not have survived being a teenager without her. That the support she has for her kids is unparalleled. And that she has created a relationship with me that is the epitome of what a mother-daughter relationship was meant to be. 

My brother should know that I absolutely love spending time with him. That he and Amy's friendship to Ed and I our first year marriage helped me through the hard times of life. And that I will smother his daughter Ellie with love for as long as I live. 

My in-laws, Karen and Norvel should know that I will be forever grateful to them for how they raised their son to be such an amazing man. That they have touched the lives of all those who have come in contact with. And that Ed and I strive to be as gracious and generous and they are one day.

My friends, new and old should know that my sanity relies on you. That I owe so much to you all for putting up with my flakiness and drama. And that my friendships mean more to me than almost anything else. 

Ed is talking to his dad on the phone and I just heard him say that tragedy is not what should make us turn to God. He said we should be aware of His presence in our lives every day. That He is with us through the thick and the thin, the easy and the hard, but we forget this fact too often. 

I am so thankful for my relationships and for a Heavenly Father who is concerned with my life and my happiness. I hope that the families of the victims of 911 can be happy and that they are able to cherish their last moments with their loved ones. And I hope my loved ones know how much they mean to me.

toads and surprises

Are these toad ties not awesome? the answer is yes. Had to spice this babble post up with something.

Well I have a feeling I am going to love this semester. My classes seem pretty awesome and fairly challenging, but not too hard. I have some great teachers from what I can tell so far and I have two classes with Tess and one with Ed! It should be pretty fun.

The other day, Ed kept looking over at me in our philosophy class with this disgusted look saying, "you existentialist" as if I was some devil or crazy person. I was so confused why he was acting so disapprovingly of me and sneering and shaking his head in dismay. After class he told me that in one of his previous classes that day he learned what existentialists are and he did not approve of me being one. His description was as follows: raging sex addicts who live in communes, do drugs, shun their families, friends, or anyone who is going to hold them back from their entirely selfish desires and pleasures. They steal, plunder, orgasm, get high...anything that will keep them satisfied for a bit.

HA! No, Ed. I am pleased to inform you that I am a very mild version of an existentialist. Not to mention Christian. With morals. I mostly just believe in making your life meaningful. If the sex addicts want to have sex addictively, they can. But as for me, I will find meaning in my own moral, religious, pleasant and helpful way.

Phew, glad my husband no longer thinks I belong in the 60's and 70's with Charles Manson.

He's a funny one, that Ed. He keeps surprising me lately. Last night we are laying in bed. I am positive he is asleep and I'm just laying there like normal pleading with Heavenly Father in my mind to help me fall asleep. All of a sudden he rolls over and says, "Thank you for letting me do this tomorrow." I was sure he was talking in his sleep so I tried to get more talking out of him so I could get a good laugh. He goes on to thank me for letting him get up early to go volunteer at a triathlon. I was really confused why he would be thanking me for that and he says, "because I might wake you up early on your one day to sleep in". Haha, interesting logic there Ed, but thank you for taking the time to thank me even though I don't deserve a thank you.

But here's the big surprise: This week he asked me, "Have you noticed me lately?" 

Wait, What? Wow, I must have really been neglectful this week. It caught me totally off guard because usually I'm the one acting like I'm starving for attention. I'm always the needy one annoyingly asking for massages, backscratches, venting about my job for 30 minutes straight until I realize he stopped listening at the 5 minute marker (and I don't blame him). Stuff like that. So when he asked me if I had noticed him, I knew it was a big deal. Dang it. Terrible wife right here. But hey, sometimes you go through waves of being good and sometime you suck and it's just the way life works. I've definitely got to be better though. Any suggestions? 

I guess it's good to be surprised by your husband. Being married, you get to know each other so well, too well sometimes. I know exactly what will make him mad, happy, or annoyed. I know when he will probably tune me out when I'm complaining, but I keep going anyway to make myself feel listened to. I know when he wants sexy time and he knows when I don't want it. Don't cringe, it's just real life. He even knows now that the only reason I shave my legs is because I've finally broken down to him feeling them at church and giving a long drawn out sigh of disappointment. To know all of that is awesome and fun, but to be surprised is pretty refreshing. I guess it would suck to be surprised in a bad way, like you're just now figuring out that your husband is a cereal killer, but in my case, I'm pretty thrilled to be surprised by Ed in such simple but sweet ways. Thanks Ed. I love you and I notice you. You don't need to thank me for "letting you get up early" but I appreciate it. Now I need to surprise you.

Yesterday

Work was uneventful (rare and wonderful).

I helped move Tess into her very first apartment. I felt so bad leaving her alone there. It was like a momma bear leaving my little one alone in this big, scary world. Not that she was scared at all, but it was a big deal to me. Not to mention she has absolutely no food or transportation ....somehow she'll survive.

Then I did a performance with some dancers and a live band in a beautiful outdoor amphitheater. A bunch of the boys from work came to watch and it was really fun to finally feel like a dancer again!

After the performance, Ed and I went to get some treats, ate some Sonic, and went to "Crazy, Stupid, Love". It was such a great movie! It made me feel almost every emotion. When I went to sleep I dreamed that 5 diamonds from my wedding ring had fallen out and the owner of the jewelry store wouldn't replace them. I guess that was more of a nightmare, but overall the past 24 hours was packed with awesomeness.

Ed and I plan to go somewhere in the mountains Friday with the truck and sleep under the stars because someone's schedule changed! Woo hoo! Yes, I no longer have the Sat, Sun, Mon shift at work so I can finally have normal weekends. I do have to work a 16 hour shift this Sunday, but that will only be once a month. I'm so happy Tess is here and that school is starting on Monday. For once, I am actually really excited for my classes this semester. I feel like I can conquer the world lately!

2008...

Yesterday while we were driving home from the Cassia Country Fair (which was as delightful as a fair and rodeo in southern Idaho can be), Ed and I were talking about the night we met for the first time. It was exactly three years ago last night, but oh wow, it feels like just yesterday. He was painting the walls of his new house that would be filled with 10 crazy boys from Burley. He had white paint speckles all over him and the first thing I noticed when I saw him were his blonde eyebrows. He only said about one sentence to me that night which included "Hi, I'm Ed" and when I asked him what scenario to act out in the game outside he suggested a proposal. I've always thought it was cute that the first thing he ever said to me was about a proposal. After that night, he didn't even cross my mind again until he called me later that week and had to remind me that "this is Ed, the tall one, let's go to a luau, and let's just make it official". I remember thinking, "official? does that mean it's a date? and who the heck is this Ed guy?" It is really odd to think back to when you and your husband were complete strangers to each other.

Imagine that: just three years ago he was just some tall guy with a great smile who was pretty goofy, but a really good kisser (that's how I described him to my friends) and now he is my best friend and my husband for eternity. What if I had known that night in 2008 that I would marry him? HA! It was definitely not love at first sight for the two of us and I'll leave it at that, but he won me over quick and I somehow seduced him into liking me back after our terrible first date. That time in both of our lives was hard for different reasons, but we found each other and something sparked.

Love is underrated. Marriage is flying out the window in this world, but how lucky am I to have found my mate so easily and so perfectly?

And then I ask myself why? Oh, the why questions will never stop for me. Why me? Why was it so easy for Ed and I? We hit some small bumps in the road and we're still hitting bump after bump, but it really is easy with us. We argue and stomp off to separate rooms, but an hour later we emerge from our stewing and I'm like, "Soooo, should we watch a show or something?" and he says, "Wanna play hand and foot?" We keep things simple. Two happy people and a cat.
I really love to reminisce. I am probably one of the most sentimental and sensitive people on the planet which makes it easy for me to get hurt, easy to cry (happy tears included), but best of all, easy to get lost in memory after memory of the good times in my life. The fall of 2008 was by far one of the best times in my life and I will remember it forever. It is crazy to think that it was my first semester of college and I will be starting my last semester in just a week.

Anyway, life is great right now. I am being blessed left and right with opportunities at work, wonderful people in my life, and I really feel like I'm on the right track to greatness. There is so much to stress about, but you just take a deep breath and realize that there is so much MORE to be thankful for.

Ed and I on our first date at the luau :)