A Look Back.....

This New Year's Eve is technically mine and Mr's 4th together. FOURTH! Whoa right? That makes us #1. Feel freaking old. #2. Reflect a lot on how we've changed as people. #3. Feel pretty dang lucky that the two cooooooolest people (for each other) met, married and are just livin' it up. This picture above was last year exactly at midnight as our first New Year's Eve as a married couple. I'm glad I caught it on film. And I will continue to snatch a kissing picture at midnight for the rest of forever! New year's is always an interesting holiday when so many people are so focused on being with someone special to kiss, (although most meet someone the week of on an online dating service and later can't even remember who they were with, how romantic) as well as the resolutions to be better that normally comes to terms that they will not be reached 4 weeks later and that they will have to put it off again for another 11 months. Regardless I like this holiday. I sadly will admit that I always wondered on New Year's Eve who I would be kissing the following year and how funny it was for me to see who exactly was the next one up on the kissing list, anyways, on New Year's Eve 2008-2009 I never would have thought that the boy I was listening to talk on the phone would also be the boy I ended up marrying, let me give you a run-down, My Darling was a bit of a party-er in our early days. That year was our senior year of high school, I had been invited to numerous events (that is the truth believe it or not after I tell you what my night's events were) but I decided to babysit for some of my most favorite people instead. I got about 6 phone calls from D that night, he was at a huge party and was continuously getting more and more slurred and I was getting more and more sure that his hopes of us dating were never going to happen but was entertained nonetheless. After I was done babysitting my best girlfriends were all meeting at my house for a slumber party and we all met there right as D. called one of my best friends who had just left the party he was at, we all sat in my bedroom while he was on speakerphone continually slurring, "I have a school boy crush on her, I just have a school boy crush on her and I don't know what to do! I've had it forever, as long as I have known her. How can I get her to be with me?" We all were trying our hardest not to laugh because he thought that Jess was at her house and in the middle of his conversation with her he got really sober and said "Jessica where are you?" and we all almost died, as she tried to tell him that she was at her house, he then said "you are with Megan right now aren't you?" luckily she convinced him otherwise and the poor guy believed her and was not pleasantly surprised when I told him the next day how charming he was when He wasn't sure what he was saying. Nonetheless I told Jess to let him know that as long as he drank I would never, never, never date him. And I am proud to report that, that is the last time my dear husband was in a drunken stupor. And although I was partially disgusted and annoyed, he was adorably sappy and I couldn't help but like that he was so wrapped up in me. Now don't take that story the wrong way because we all know I above most people do not like drinking in the slightest but I can't help but think about our first official New Year's "together" and laugh at where we are at now. For the record today we took all of our Christmas decorations and trees down and then went to Hobby Lobby for over two hours and both came home with shiz from there and have since starting decorating for Love Day! We already watched the Red Bull New Year's No Limit's and are continuing the night by watching the Big Bang Theory and a big smooch in less than an hour. I'll be honest and say I can't wait for this hell-hole of a year to be over (no offense to you people that liked this year, but ick, no thanks! I prefer the even years) I'm very much looking forward to things like my 18 month anniversary, half birthday, Drew's birthday, my birthday and all of the other holidays and fun things that are in store for all of us. Love you Yay-Hoos and hope you are having a safe and wonderful holiday and enjoying the rest of your life in the year 2011 love love xoxo M

On: Christmas Time

Oh Hey! I've been missing in action for a while so if you ever read my blog I apologize for that. Unlike most people I get sad around Christmas time. It makes me reflect on the past and on the future and I get a little melancholy. I love Christmas as well though, but this Christmas was a little hard for me. Last Christmas it was just a few weeks before Drew was going to be leaving for 6 months, we had only been married for 5 months and I was scared and it was hard to feel excited and to buy presents that I knew wouldn't be able to be used for 6 months. This year I was excited but we found out that Drew would be on a 30 day rotation deployment and didn't think he would be around for Christmas. For that reason Mr. Bongiovi and I wanted to spend as much time together as possible. We were lucky though, he was able to come home late Friday night and be here for Christmas Eve and Christmas day. This year for Christmas we weren't going to get each other anything because of Dutch Button as well as this beauty,

Drew has always had a truck, until this time last year when we decided to sell it because he was leaving and then we bought a Jetta. Well living in Utah with icy roads and a Jetta surprisingly didn't work out, (even though all of our friends here TOLD us it wouldn't) In the end we both got we wanted, I always wanted a Jetta and for a good 6 months I was able to have one, then we almost died in a succession of 3 days and I said it was time for a either an SUV or a truck. Who am I kidding though? Drew and I are truck people we are from Idaho and we feel right at home in that lovely. I wanted to get a Titan because that was always our deal, but then Drew saw this truck and really liked it, (he's not a Ford guy) but we drove it around and decided it was ours. Merry Christmas to us!! By the time Christmas rolled around however we had more presents under our tree to each other than we knew what to do with other than open and we spent our now 3rd Christmas together. This year was different though because since it was my family's year for Christmas and my sister and her cute family came from Texas we had no where to stay in Preston and we figured we might as well stay in Logan. So Christmas Eve we all were together for our tradition of Oyster stew (as well as something else that is edible) and cinnamon rolls. This year my cute boys dressed up as the three wise-men and it lasted a good 2 minutes, they were adorable. Christmas day each family were at their own houses (except Cass and Wes who were with my parents) and we all did our own Christmas and then got together and went to church and then opened up the family presents. It was probably one of my favorite Christmas's ever even though I was a little down. I wanted to do something this year that would help remind me what the true meaning of Christmas really was, and so I decided to write a letter to everyone in my family to tell them personally why they were special to me. Although that probably sounds super cheesy, I don't really do things like that, and so for me it made a big difference to reflect on this past year and think of how all of my siblings and parents and Drew and my grandparents have been here for me and us and have made my life what it is. I hope that you all had a very merry Christmas and that it was filled with love wherever you are. Because this is such a condensed version of the past few weeks I am sure I will write more on the goings on, but until then Happy Holidays! xoxo M

On Christmas Traditions

A few weeks ago we went and helped decorate my parents tree. My parents are in the process of moving to Logan but have yet to find a house so they are staying with my Grandma Buttars in Preston. This is actually a win/win situation for all of them because my parents are being picky about the housing situation (not that, that is a bad thing) and my Grandma is a widow and has enjoyed them being there. I honestly can't remember ever seeing an actual Christmas tree at my Grandma's house because they always go to their house in St. George or would come and stay with my family often during the holidays so it was fun to see a tree glowing in my Grandma's house. At my house growing up we always have had two trees. One downstairs that was real and was the "Family Tree" and then one upstairs that was fake that was my mom's "pretty tree." This year they only did one obviously and it is their fake one. My mom is a master lightswomen and yes, every, single, branch, is covered in lights that she applied over the lights of the tree already so that it was very well lit and lovely. Then Drew and I had the honors of applying the decorations all the while Forrest Gump was on, (Which honestly was suuuuper awkward for me because I always thought that Forrest Gump was rated R and so even when it was on TV that means it is kinda ok versus the for sure rated R I never watched it, then to be in the room with my parents and Grandma and to have them all loving it and talking about what was next was more than disconcerting to me, it made me itchy to be exact) anyway, onward to the tree

Look at that Beauty! Woo, it really could almost pass as a real tree which is good because personally I hate fake trees unless they are obviously obviously fake like white or purple or made of feathers or glitter or something weird. I just like real trees and I think all of the hassel is worth it. I thought Dutch would try to destroy our tree but instead he has been a little darling and hasn't bothered it at all, just to drink from the stand, which in my book isn't bothersome. Speaking of that tree, you should see all of the presents underneath it!! Every time I go there I am in present envy! Seriously, I used to count every present every day up to Christmas and keep track of how many presents were for everybody, but with this I just couldn't, My nephews have replaced all of the present excitement for me they have overtaken all of that, but I know when they open their presents on Christmas I will be excited to watch them open all of the presents........ Anyways I also took a few pictures of some of our ornaments on that tree because it is one of my favorite family traditions! Because my Dad worked for the Idaho Supreme Court my whole life he would travel quite a bit and so my parents started a tradition where my dad would get Christmas tree ornaments from where he visited and when we went on trips our family would choose an ornament. The top one is my personal favorite because that is when myself, my parents, and my Grandma went on a Mexican cruise and so I got to pick out the ornament all by my lonesome, hence the favorable amount of glitter. The seal is from the Oregon Coast, the pandas are from Washington D.C. the blowfish is from California and the precious moments one is from when we went to a Jazz basketball game when I was 8 and I put my name in a drawing along with a couple thousand other people and they picked my ticket and I won it. I was stoked. Still proud of that thank you very much!

I have a few favorite Christmas traditions, but one of my very very favorite is choosing a family and buying their family presents for Christmas, growing up we always did that and would drop the presents off and run and hide and watch them come to the door. I think that is part of the reason I love presents so much, there is nothing like the feeling of getting little kids presents when they didn't think "Santa" or Christmas presents were happening that year. And nothing like seeing the look of pure gratitude on the face of parents who didn't either. Since Drew and I got married we get Angel tree tickets and always choose two children to get things for. Last year we got sisters that were 6 months and 3 and we went to town. We seriously had so much fun getting them toys, and hair accessories and shoes and coats and little socks. So fun. This year we chose two children from different families, a little boy who was 3 and a little girl who was 5. They each needed coats so we got them some dang cute little coats and some other fun things, but we bought the little boy some baby etnies that were seriously adorable. I don't know why but I really love little people shoes. There is nothing like having traditions that help you remember what Christmas is truly about and for that I am thankful. Here's warm hearts and hands/feets/bodies where you're at. xoxo M

On Truth Tuesday

Well this truth tuesday started out as a rough one.


As in one of those days you feel like "i hate being married and i'm angry and i am going to punch you and freak out" but then you accidentally say a few of those silly things and yell and holler and slam the bedroom door. Hard. Like so hard that part of your wrist hurt and then you instantly start crying because you didn't mean it and you are just stressed and need to drop out of school pronto but you know that isn't actually going to happen so you have small(large) freak outs instead?? I hadn't slammed the bedroom door like that before in our marriage or in my life. There was a part of it that was exhilarating for like a millionth of a second because it was dramatic and loud and shocking, and then you say in your head "you are going cray cray and being dramatic ended with the civil war. Idiot" needless to say it was an eventful morning at our house and I tell you these thins for two reasons, number one. so that you can judge me saying things like "oh no no no I am a way better wife!" or things like "someday when I am married I will neverrrrrr do thattttttt" (with long sounding words and shakes of the head) and that's ok! do those things just do it! and number two. I tell you because I am real. And although I love being married and I love life and I like all of the good things, bad things happen too, they just do. and to hide and pretend like it doesn't it just silly. Sillier than even slamming that damn door I dare say. My real question is "But what do the neighbors think??" I don't know any of them but oh would I like to know that.

I smell sort of like a grandma, not in a bad way. Both of my Grandmas smell lovely at all times, but since the only black shopping I did was online at Sephora.com I have been smelling all of the lovely samples. Ahhhhhhhhh I love samples. And smelling like a darling Grandma. One of my favorite activities even to this day is going through both of my Grandma's cupboards in their bathrooms and smelling every lotion, oil, perfume, cologne, spray, salt, scrub and any other concoction that I can get my hands on. I remember one day vividly in my head sitting on the floor with all of my Grandma Keller's perfumes out around me and really not smelling anything anymore thinking, "someday I will be a lady when I have a lot of lotions and perfumes" I think that is why I have such a plethora of those things even though I don't often wear lotion (though that's changing because this UT winter shizzz is literally making my skin fall off!) or perfume it is the nostalgia that comes with it that I like. That goes for makeup as well. My love of lipstick came directly from those two beauties.

Dutch is still alive. I think that is important to note. We still love him too. We even went on a mini va-cay and took him to visit Tippy and her Mr. since D had to go to SLC and Mr. Dutch. Button. Oh! He went to the door and whined each time he needed to go out! WHAT A GOOD BOY!! Then as soon as we came home he peed right in front of our door. Fab.

I am thankful today for the joy that reading brings me. I have been immersed in a book this past day and I have been thoroughly enjoying it. I haven't been able to read even close to the amount that I would like this past semester and there are few things that are as relaxing to me as getting caught up in a good story.


School is almost done for this semester. Then in January I will technically be a senior in college. That is a good feeling. Even though I probably won't finish early as I had planned I still am happy that I am this far because I can't not finish now I am just too close not to.

One last thing. You know my one professor that I do not entirely like? Well I am pleased to inform you that my class chose my paper to submit to a publishing company out of all of the other papers in my class. The reason that gives me so much joy is because I know it annoyed him that they chose me and it also annoyed him that I wasn't in class when they chose and that when I was in class the next time I didn't believe them and we all thought it was funny since i'm never even in the class. (but everyone should go to their classes regularly). It was a sweet victory in a small way I will say that.

That really is all I have today, other than has anyone else noticed that the Utopian land of Pinterest is all of a sudden becoming a little ugly? I keep seeing a lot of negative posts and mean comments and I sure don't like that at all. Love and Peace guys. And kisses.


M