February Flavorites!

February has been a marathon month for me. School has been so crazy and I feel like I never have a minute to stop and breathe. I don't even have time to be stressed :) but really, I really hope things lighten up soon. 

Usually February is a depressing month. I can't stand the lingering cold, the nasty dirty snow on the sides of the road that has crusted over because it's so old, and the pollution that just hangs over the valleys as thick as smoke... gross. BUT, this February has been different for some reason. Yes, I am so ready for Spring to come. But there have been a few little things this month that have kept my spirits up and my sanity intact. 

So I now introduce my February Flavorites! Yes I know I spelled favorite wrong. A lot of the things that kept me happy are food related :) so they are my flavorites. 

10.The fact that Seth hasn't been called into work to do snow removal at three in the morning very much this month. That only happened once. Of course it was the night we went to bed at two thirty...

9. Shopping at the DI. But what else is new. I'll have to do a tribute to thrift shopping post one of these days. Seriously, I made a killing the last few trips.

8. Cooking. Sometimes it's hard to plan and have time to cook real meals with such a crazy schedule. Sometimes it's just easier to make spaghetti or something. But I really do enjoy making good dinners when I can. Especially Sunday dinners. Tonight we had teriyaki salmon and pears and cottage cheese with sparkling limeade. Not the greatest meal ever, but it was yummy and fun to make.

7. Choreographing dances. This year, I am choreographing my sister's solo again, as well as a group lyrical dance. Practices are usually early Saturday morning, but I miss dance so much that rehearsals are great  because I can immerse myself in that world again. Plus I need as many creative outlets as I can get.

6. Finding out that I qualify for a clinical research study to get my wisdom teeth out. I'm going in Wednesday to get them out and, although I'm nervous because I've never had a medical procedure or surgery of any kind, I'm getting three hundred dollars for it. I figure that's better than paying fifteen hundred dollars to get them out. And I'm getting all four out which is more than some of the other patients can say.

5. Lemon and Ginger Herbal Tea with honey. I spent most of the month sick and this stuff got me through most of my miserably cold and stuffy mornings. It's pretty strong but once I got used to the flavor, I couldn't stop drinking it. And it smells really good. REALLY good. I'm tempted to put the tea bags around my house as potpourri. 

4. Cutting hair. I learned how to cut Seth's hair so now I can do it for free! Then, Friday I decided I was sick of my bangs. So I cut them. Now you might say, "Amber, you only get like one real haircut a year. Don't you cut your bangs all the time?" Yes, you would be right about that. I am way too cheap to pay for a trim for my bangs. However, I got home from school and said, "I think I want to try straight bangs." So I went into the bathroom and cut them. Yes, it was impulsive and yes, Seth thought I was crazy. But I actually kind of like them. I'll have to go to a professional and get them done for real one of these days but for now, I'm enjoying it.

3. My job. I work for BYU Broadcasting and I like it way better than my last job. Everyone there is great and even though work should probably stress me out more because I'm already so busy from school, it actually helps me relax and take it easy for a few hours every day. I mean, we do do work, but it's not just tedious work and the atmosphere is so much fun.

2. The cupcakes I made for Valentines Day. These made the number 2 spot because they were definitely one of the very best things this month. No joke. They were so delicious, I might end up making them for every holiday or something. We went to a cupcake cafe for fhe last week and although the gourmet cupcakes were good, I honestly would have rather had one of the ones I made. I'm addicted.

1. The excuse to spend more time with my dear husband. Aside from all the craziness of school, February gave us a few oportunities to have fun together. Valentines Day, recreating our first date, and our six month anniversary were the three things that made February the very best. 

 We also had some good game nights. I like to make things out of the Settlers pieces...

So February, it seems you've redeemed yourself. Hopefully you'll rise up to the occasion again next year. 

* * *

Now March, you've got a lot to live up to.

Things I'm looking forward to in March:

• Getting these random teeth taken out of my face.

• Going to Idaho this weekend to see my sister-in-law's new baby, Hailey Darlene Leavitt. 

awww...

• Competition season starting for my dancers.

• Going to St. George for a weekend of competitions and relaxation in the sun (or at least a warmer climate than here).

• Being almost done with this crazy semester.

• Saint Patrick's Day! Best day ever when everyone wears green... ah. Such a good color.

* * *

After further evaluation, it looks like March will be even more hectic than February. Bring it on March... I'm ready for you.


(I hope...)

*amber*

Grandpa Update

So my Grandpa is having problems with his brain again. This is very scary because we thought he was on the mend and doing better. Please keep him in your prayers.

*amber*

Happy Valentines Week!

Seth officially dubbed this week (the week after Valentines Day) Valentines Week. I'm not sure why that is because I called the week before Valentines week... but I guess he wanted to keep the celebration going for two weeks. I didn't complain. It was a great week. 

For our surprise valentines date last Saturday, Seth took me to Color Me Mine! It was so much fun! It was my first time and we had a blast. If you haven't heard of it, Color Me Mine is a cute little place where they have tons of ceramic stuff. Pots, cups, bowls, plates, piggy banks, figurines, coasters, you name it! You choose whatever you want, then paint it, and then they fire it for you! So you have dishes (or whatever you decide to make) that are custom painted! So cool.

Seth and I basically went crazy with it. We decided to be as artsy as possible. No stamps or stencils for us! Hand painted was the way to go.

I made a teapot because I collect tea sets.

In case you couldn't tell, it's a cherry tree with blossoms all over it and some falling to the ground. The branches wrap their way around and over to the other side of the teapot. It looks kind of cool... also kind of like an octopus.

Painting ended up taking us four hours.  Yes, for some reason we felt the need to be that detailed. By the time we finished, all the restaurants were closed so we couldn't go to dinner like Seth had planned. So we went to Denny's and had breakfast dinner. It was delicious.

Valentines morning, I surprised Seth with a heart attack (where you put little hearts all over) on our bedroom door with all (well all that would fit) the reasons I love him and a homemade Valentine. Then for dinner, we feasted on yummy chicken pasta stuff, martinellis, cheesecake, and chocolate covered strawberries. I think I'm still full.

* * *

Ok, so that was the actual Valentines Day, now on to Seth's so called "Valentines Week". This week was just as busy- if not busier- than last week. When we got home from school one day, we decided it was the perfect time to have some ice cream and chill out for a bit.

Seth went into the kitchen to get the ice cream. When I went in to get some, this is what I found.

Hahaha! How cute is he?? I love him. The red stuff is raspberry pie filling (leftover from the cheesecake). I heart you too sweetheart <3

* * *

Then on Friday, I took Seth on a date. This may be the first date I've ever actually taken him on ( that means officially asking him and "picking him up" and everything.) I surprised him (even though he figured it out) with a reenactment of our first date. It was about exactly a year ago and it was so fun to remember all the nervousness and awkwardness.

First, we dressed up and went to Zupas for dinner. We recalled talking about our favorites (books, music, movies, food, etc.) and me telling Seth that I don't really have favorites because they change so frequently. He told me he was having a really hard time figuring me out.

Then we went to the ballet. I remember last year when we went to the ballet for our first date, I was so horrified that he was going to reach over and grab my hand. I realize now I shouldn't have worried about it. It was a first date after all... but I was so nervous! I wasn't ready to move that fast! That was the most nervous I have ever been on a date.

This time at the ballet, we decided to snap some pictures on Seth's phone. They're a little hard to see because of the weird lighting in the theater.

It's funny to look back and see how much has changed.

After the ballet we went to the creamery for ice cream. This is where Seth first told me he really liked me and found me "extremely attractive". I in turn gave him totally noncommittal answers because I was so nervous and didn't want to tell him I liked him yet. Even though he'd just told me :)

Oh good times. Such amazing memories. And funny moments together. Ahhh...


So, in conclusion, even though the week before and the week after Valentines Day (aka Valentines Weeks) were the craziest weeks this semester as far as school, they were so sweet and I had a wonderful time reminiscing and creating new memories with my dear husband. We had such a lovely romantic Valentines Weeks.

* * *

And... today is our six month wedding anniversary!!! I can hardly believe it. It seems only weeks ago, but we've grown so much together. I would not trade this time for anything.

I love you Seth. You are everything to me.

*amber*

Rasperry Cream Filled Valentines Cupcakes!

As I mentioned last time, I was super busy but took a break from studying to make some Valentines goodies. I probably spent more time making these than I should have, but I really like how they turned out.

They were filled with whipped cream and raspberries.

I cut the top off the cupcake, used a fork to make a hole in the middle, then filled it with cream.

Then I made hearts on the top!

I cut tons of hearts out of wax paper and put them on the cupcakes while I dusted them with sifted confectioners sugar. Then, very carefully, peeled off the papers and... Voala!

(I was thinking, wouldn't these be so good for a baby shower or bridal shower or something? You could cut different shapes out of the wax paper depending on the occasion. You could even dye white cake any color you wanted! Hm... might have to do that someday.)

I made vanilla, red velvet, and chocolate. I made a test batch last week and made lemon cupcakes. The lemon and raspberries together were SO good.

Seth loved them. He at a ton... literally. One ton of delicious cupcakes. But they were baked with love. I think that cancels out calories or something if I remember right...

A broken heart.

Seth told me he had a broken heart.

This may have been when he found out I was taking some to work the next morning. Look at that sad face!!! Makes me want to cry.

And now, Happy Valentines Day to you all. I hope you have a great one. Whether you have a sweetheart to share it with or not (trust me, I completely understand that situation) take this extra opportunity to express your love to everyone you love. Parents, siblings, friends, roommates, children, grandparents, pet hamsters; whoever it may be that holds that special place in your heart.


Now, I'm going to get ready for our date tonight. Seth is surprising me. The anticipation is killing me!!! I better get out of here.

Loves!

*amber*

Ok Ok Ok...

So... no. I haven't fulfilled the promises I made for the days leading up to Valentines Day.

But, this is for good reason; trust me. This week has turned into a hurricane. Monday and Tuesday, I thought I was doing pretty well. Then Wednesday hit. I still haven't recovered. I'm feeling so incredibly behind in school. Not good.

So for now, I'm just going to try to get myself caught up. Although, tonight I will take a little break to make some Valentines treats :) You'll see them on here soon I'm sure. Then, it will be straight back to the books.

I apologize for the not fulfilling my virtual commitment to my... 3 follower? Ya, I don't think anyone will be too heartbroken by this news. Praising myself publicly was getting a little unnerving. I still believe what I said before and know I still need to work on seeing the good in myself but... I probably won't blog about it. At least not in list form. Despite my reassurances that it wasn't boastful, that's kind of how it ended up feeling.As to all the other wonderful things I had planned to share for Valentines Day... we'll see. I'm sure Seth will enjoy his list of 100 (not 70 - that would be somewhat random) reasons I love him given to him personally rather than posted on the world wide web.


Now, because I feel obligated to put something on here, a little blast from the past!


These were taken during the summer, just before we got engaged I think :) I really like them.

I was in the play "Singin' in the Rain" last summer. To raise money for the production, we had a gala/auction night type thing. The cast members were asked to dress in the period style. (ps: I gained an obsession for 1920s fashion) After the gala, Seth and my roommate Briana and I went to Muse Music in downtown Provo. Muse is a fun little cafe/music venue/recording studio/local artist record store. I love it. They have an old fashioned photo booth there so we took these.

Here are other pictures from the event.


... Apparently we like to do awkward poses... haha. It was a fun day.

That was fun... taking a trip down memory lane. I may have to do it again sometime. And now, I'm off to conquer the kitchen. (Wow, I should write a cookbook with that title.)

Caio!

*amber*

Io Amo...

("I Love..." in Italian)

Mi Amo (I love me continuation)
Ok, I missed a day, so here are my six things:

• I love the color of my hair. I've had times when I've wanted to dye it slightly lighter or darker but then I realize it is the color God chose for me. And it suits me.
• I love being short! I've accepted the fact that I'm never going to be long and lean and elegant. I'm little and spunky and I wouldn't have it any other way.
• I love that I love to read (rather than, say, play video games). When I moved down to BYU, I started 3 books and never finished them because I was too busy with school. However, this year I have slowly but surely been making my way through books that interest me. Reading is so valuable. It has taught me so much about life and myself.
• I love my ability to dance. Although I have lost a lot of flexibility and I'm sure technique too in the last two years since I was officially "a dancer," I love that I have the ability to express so much through this body. It brings me so much joy and has been able to bring others joy as well.
  
• I love my passion for beauty. I think Seth has gotten a little irritated with my obsession with decorating our house (quite a challenge on such a small, scratch that, no budget.) Whenever I finish a project, it makes this little place feel more like home. I believe focusing on the beauty in life makes life so much more enjoyable and, well, beautiful! (And when it's all done, Seth appreciates it too.)
  
• (This kind of counts for things I love about Seth but...) I love how well I compliment Seth and he compliments me. Every day I realize more and more how perfect we are for each other. Although I still don't understand why he chose me, I think I am good for him.
  

Ti Amo (I love you)

I am so excited for Valentines Day to come. It's only one week away! This will be the first time I've every had a Valentine! I can't wait to have the chance to celebrate the love we have for each other. Ti amo, Seth.

Coming soon to an "Inside Happily Ever After" Blog near you: 70 things I love about Seth (because there are 7 days til the day of love!)


Amo... (another thing I love)

Friday, Seth and I were grocery shopping when we found this.If you can't read the package, it says "The new color of Love." If you didn't know, green is my favorite color. It is also Seth's. I am not a huge red person. I like it, and especially around holidays where red is the color, but I will always prefer green. Bravo M&Ms. You're absolutely right. Regardless of the tradition of red and pink as the colors of love, the makers of this brilliantly delicious candy have come to the realization of the True color of love. That's right. It is green.

I Love Me

Valentines Day is coming up! And let me tell you, I LOVE my sweet husband so so much. I could go on and on about it for days. And probably will in several posts to come leading up to the big day (beware- it's my first V-day not single ok?)

Anyhow, this post is not about my love for my husband. Although he did inspire me. So really, it all goes back to him. I love him. But I'm getting sidetracked again. Later! I'll write about him later. This Valentines Day, I'm going to love my husband, but me too!

Today in my Women's Studies class, we talked about body image. Although it ended up being a sort of cliche discussion about women's body image, I spent most of the class evaluating my own self esteem.

And you know what? When it all comes down to it, I don't really like myself as much as I probably should! This is where it goes back to Seth. He tells me every day that he wishes I knew how good I am. Although I think he is really just blinded by love, it's true, I don't usually see very much good in myself.

And let's face it, I deserve a little more credit than that. I have been working my butt off this semester, I've done a lot of really cool things in my life, and I'm trying to make myself a better person. No, I'm not anywhere near perfect yet, but really who is? There are too many aspects in life to excel at all of them. We can only do so much.

I think that's what my problem is. I expect too much of myself. Sometimes I need to remind myself that there are only 24 hours in a day.

Now on to the image I have of myself (physically) because, let's face it, as women that has a HUGE affect on our self esteem. I grew up a dancer so I've always been very critical of my body. For New Years, I made a resolution to work out twice a week. Well... I haven't had time to get around to it. Now, although I still really want to and know it would make me feel healthier, I've been beating myself up about it too much. Almost every day I look in the mirror and feel fat. But I'm not really! Yes I've gained some weight, but Seth still continues to tell me I'm beautiful. From now on, I'm going to try and believe him. Yes, I do want to make it to the gym, but until weight becomes a health issue, I'm doing enough for now. I deserve to be satisfied.

There is far too much pressure to be perfect all the time. Down to the smallest pimple on our faces or split ends on our hair... This must stop now!!!

I saw this video on the Eliza Magazine blog. Eliza is a modest fashion magazine and they embrace real women more than any other fashion magazine I've seen. Anyway, I loved the video. Enjoy!


It just made me want to celebrate myself!!! A lot of those people said things about themselves that I have too and would usually be considered (flaws). However, those are the things that make us different and beautiful.

So, starting today, I will write at least three things I love about myself every day until Valentines Day. I'll start mostly with physical because that is what affects me a lot of the time. Here goes:

• I love my kaleidoscope eyes that change colors all the time and have almost every color imaginable in them (really)
• I love my freckles. I know they said it in the movie but I do. And freckles is Seth's new nickname for me. I think it's cute :)
• I love my fair skin. No I don't tan in the summer, and that's ok. It suits me.
• I love my curly hair. It's hard to manage sometimes but it's me. Quirky and unruly and crazy.
• I love my feet. They are not small or delicate or thin... my mom used to call them flinstone feet. But I like 'em nonetheless. I think they're cute and unique. Who needs to fit into crazy uncomfortable stilettos anyway?
• I love me!
  

One girl in my WS class is a counselor for high school aged girls in Salt Lake. For one of their sessions, she brought in mothers of some of the girls. Then she asked them to tell the group what was good about them. They all became uncomfortable and didn't know what to say. How sad for their daughters to see them that way! Likely, that's how the daughters have learned to view themselves as well.

I couldn't help but think of my mother. She has always been physically fit and beautiful. She works hard in everything she does and makes sure to maintain her physical health. However, I've never once heard her complain about looking fat or ugly. Never. Not even over the holidays when we eat and eat and honestly, she probably has gained weight, yet she stays positive and just returns to her workout routines after the holidays. I am grateful for my mom's wonderful example of self worth. As well as my dad's ways of always letting us know he thinks she's beautiful.

You're probably sick of reading by now, but this has really stuck out to me today. So, from henceforth, I will be looking in the mirror every day and letting you know what I discover. Here goes...


PS: I love you all. And you really are beautiful. Really.

*amber*

Right now I am sick in bed...

Riding bicycles in the sun... in the 60s... *sigh*

First I might need a bike... I'm still on the lookout for a vintage cruiser (similar to the ones in the video). Preferably in light blue. Ah yes...

Dear spring,
please hurry, I miss you.

Dear cold (temperature and sickness),
if you left, I wouldn't mind. In fact, you've overstayed your welcome.

*amber*