11.28.2010

Decorating

This afternoon has been aweseome. Nick and I went and bought our first Christmas tree together. A few things I've learned about buying real trees: 

1. Wear clothes that will make you SWEAT because it's so cold outside and choosing a Christmas tree is a big deal and takes time!
2. Don't do it on the day after a blizzard which happens to be windy. It makes the cold feel even colder.
3. Have a vaccum handy because pine needles are already showing up in places a tree has never come close to.
4. Trees scratch the roof of cars.
I think those are the only lessons I've learned about tree hunting so far


Before lugging the tree in we had to get rid of some of this:

Snow. Everywhere. This guy took care of that :)

Once that was taken care of it was on to the decorating. I was so excited to put our tree up together. I think it's so fun to do things like this on your own as a couple. Makes me realize again how much of a family we are toether and what we have to look forward to.


Nick finishing off the tree with a star


Hanging the stockings from the window was Nicks idea. I love it :)


Next step in the Christmas prep? Wraping presents to put under that tree!

Turkey Day

For Thanksgiving this year Nicky Wayne and I went to my parents house. Nick worked until 2:30 so I was there in the morning just hanging out and spending time with the fam.

Peeling some eggs with mom

Me being ... well ... me!
Me and Daddio. I sure do love this guy
It was fun to cook with Mom again which I don't get to do very often anymore. She seriously is the best cook ever. I'm learning her tricks and I'm getting there. I'm even straying away from using recipes and using my own ideas that are turning out pretty delish! Anyways back on subject. Thanksgiving!
 
The Stika girlies
Daddio and Momma Stika

Thanksgiving table
Mom and Savannah always have our tables decorated so cute and nice for every dinner we're over there and Thanksgiving was no differect. I am kicking myself though for not getting pictures of all the food. Seriously, nom nom. We had turkey (duh), mashed potatoes, homemade rolls, yams with marsmallows, stuffing (which I LOVE Momma Stika's recipe), jello salad, gravy, and cranberries.
 
Once all that settled it was time for some pie. Mom made one for everyones tastes. Pumpkin, pecan, and my personal favorite, banana cream. After the dessert it was time for some good ol' family competition. Games!
 
Nick (lets label him as squints for this picture) and Daddio

Savy and I
We played some Apples to Apples and some Yahtzee. Might I add that I dominated at both. I won 2/3 of Apples and got FOUR yahtzees in two games. Me? Competitive? Naaaah. :P
 
All in all it was a pretty aweseome way to spend ourThanksgiving :) So grateful for two families that we love so much and love to spend time with.
 
Make those deviled eggs especially for Nicky Wayne
 

11.25.2010

The List

I've gotta do it. My thankful list. Mom used to have us write one when we were little or have us list them off at the table. Ever since then I think it has been a little tradition of mine to grab a pen an paper, or in this case my laptop, and write down things that I am vry grateful for this Thanksgiving. If I could list everything I would be here for days, but here are the few that are, for the moment, my greatest blessings in no particular order.

* Nicky Wayne for being my better half (most of the time haha)
* My parents and siblings each for calling me when I need a smile
* The Allman family for their friendship, acceptance, and the examples they are to me
* My religion for being the rock I have that I know will never go away
* Music and the talents I've had the opportunity to share
* The Chadwick family for making me feel like family and for being examples
* Our DVR and the hours of joy it brings :)
* My job and the smiles that it gives me
* School and the opportunity I have to learn
* My new contacts that will fix my astigmatism
* Friends that can make me laugh so hard I alsmot pee
* Blogging and the therapy it provides me to write everything down (even if no one reads this anyways)
* Cell phones and the internet. I have no clue how people got anything done or found an address without e-mail and mapquest!
* Yummy restaurants that provide me a full stomach when I don't feel like cooking
* Greys Anatomy brand scrubs that are so soft and make me look skinny
* Mint ice cream, banana cream pie, grashopper cookies, and scones
* Our apartment as well as two cars that run
* Facebook, blogging, texting, and e-mails that has helped me stay close with family members I love so much
* My new-ish boots from Macys that make me feel totally sexy
* The opportunity I've had in the past 2 years to really find myself and to figure out what defines me and who I want to be
* Followers and commenters on my blog. Makes my day.

I love Thanksgiving and the feeling it brings. Don't let Thanksgiving be a cop-out though. Don't let it be the one day where you realize how much you have to be grateful for and then move on with life. One of the best pieces of advice I've ever been given was to be grateful daily. Look at what you have around you every single day no matter how hard that day might be. There is always something to be thankful for and something to look forward to. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and enjoy a little break! I know I will! (Until about 8:00 which is when cramming for 2 tests next week begins! Wish me luck!)

11.24.2010

The What's Ups

Got a few things I wanna talk about today :)

1. Seriously, I love my job. Pretty much everything about it. The people I work with are all so nice. They are so flexible with my schedule. The trainig has been aweseome and I am learning so much. Intermountain is such an aweseome company to work for and I feel SO blessed to have the job that I do.

2. I worked yesterday and this morning so instead of driving home in what was SUPPOSED to be the storm of the year (which wasn't even close to huge). It was a bummer to be away from Nicky Wayne but hanging out with the Chadwick side of the family was a lot of fun. We grabbed us some Dairy Keen for dinner and then Maddy and I went to see the new Harry Potter which was SO jumpy! But fun at the same time of course.

3. School is winding up which is so aweseome. I got my first 100% on an anatomy test. Mission accomplished :) I've got 2 more anatomy tests next week and after that all I'm left with is 2 finals! I am totally going to survive this semsester and after that guess what? Only 5 semesters until I'm a nurse! Woo!

4. I taught my sunbeams for the first time on Sunday. Um ... it was fun but I seriously need to learn how to make a 5 minute lesson last longer than 10. They have even smaller attention spans than me! Love them though. They say the funniest and cutest things.

5. Nick is doing aweseome of course (because he is always aweseome). I've got a new found respect for him because I've been waking up as early has he has for the past year and I'm exhausted. My body is definietly still adjusting but it's fun to actually be concious for his hugs and kisses goodbye :) He's such a sweetheart and I am more and more grateful for the support and encouragement that he gives me.

Life is great and I feel like I am starting to accomplish things that mean so much to me. I feel very fulfilled and happy which is something that I think everyone is working for. I'm so grateful for the opportunities I have in front of me right now as well as all the support standing behind me. Hopefully I'll still be able to update here on a somewhat regular basis. If not anything else, I'll let you know I'm alive :)

11.18.2010

Tis The Season

For Jazz games! Jazz games remind me of Nick and I when we were first dating. After about a month and a half of dating we decided to drive to Colorado, visit his mission, and watch the Jazz play against the Nuggets. Our Jazz, unfortunately, lost to those Nuggies, but we had a blast anyways. Some sports I don't like to watch with Nick and get bored easily but the Jazz is another story. I'm always up for watching them play :)

Last night Nick and Scott had one of their UVU classes at Energy Solutions so we thought we'd all buy tickets and go up to the game. We ate at crown burger and by ate I mean I inhaled my burger. I was starving! Anyways, we ate and Nick and Scott went to meet up with their class while the other 4 of us went to the Gateway.

Have you ever been to Urban Outfitters andskimmed through the books they have there. Hil-a-ri-ous. Seriously, we were there forever just laughing and sharing what we'd just found with eachother. after that we walked to Anthropologie which I have never been to before. They had the cutest stuff, but for not the cutest prices. It was fun to look around anyways.

The game started at 7 so we all met at our seats around then. Our Jazz beat the Nets but it was kinda a slow game. It was still fun to talk with friends and be able to do something different.

Nicky Wayne and I


I really love these two, Sarah and Scottt

Everyone that went. Lexi, Derek, Nick, me, Sarah, and Scott.
Check out our seats! Yes that is the back wall at the top of the statium :) Yay for $6 seats!

11.17.2010

I've Got Some Good News

I got the job! Isn't that so great!? I will be trained for med/surg, mother baby, and their ER units. I can't even tell you how happy I am. A blogger buddy once said that she felt like she was in the top .00000000001% of the luckiest people alive. I feel the exact same way. In the past 3 months I've married the best man I could have imagined, I got accepted to school to work towards the career I've always wanted, I've got a job with a company I've wanted to work with for a few years, I've gotten a closer relationship with my family, the list goes on. Amazing how things work out when you're working hard to do what you should be doing.

On another note, sorry that I have been slacking on the blogging business. I had a math and anatomy test this week, job interviews and meetings, time with the family, etc. I am going to try and be better :)

On another side note have you ever been to Peachtree Cooking blog? Well, they had the easiest recipe for a roast and ohmagosh. It was amazing, cut with your fork recipe. So ... because I love you all, here it is! Try it!

11.11.2010

Glory

Wanna know what can make a few bad days a whole lot better?

A phone call from this girl and hearing her tell me how much she loves me.


Drinking one of these making my headache go away.


Being asked to talk here abuot adoption and feel like I really made a difference.


Having this little lady call me and make me laugh so hard my stomach hurt.

Having little miss call me just because she wanted to chat with Sadey :)


Being called in for THREE more interviews with these guys. I think this might actually work out :)


Side note: MY SHOES GOT HERE TODAY!
Another side note: I curled my hair and it looks stinkin cute. Well, I'd like to think it does anyways.
Yet another side note: I only had to work 9 hours today instead of 13. Glory.

Uneventful With Lots of Questions

So things haven't been very eventful lately which is why it's been a few days. My shoes still aren't here yet which is a total bummer. Is it weird that I maybe think of them sometimes? And by maybe I mean definitely and sometimes meaning every dang day. Sigh. Dang UPS.

Right now I'm at work and it's 9:48 in the morning. I am scheduled till 10:00 tonight. If it wasn't for the piles of homework and tests to study for I think that I might go a little bit crazy. With all the time I have today I decided to fill this out. I utually don't do these but i thought this one was a little different than most.

Tell me about the shirt you're wearing?
I wish I could tell you that I am wearing something fab but I'm not. I'm in my blue scrubs. And all I did was pull my hair up today. And my makeup is leftover from last night. And I'm totally okay with it!

What's currently bothering you?
Teachers. Teachers who say that they are going to post grades or study guides bny a certain date and decided that they are going to post it days, even weeks later. Seriously, bugging me.

What do you currently hear?
The humming of my computer and the clicking of my nails hitting the keyboard.

When was the last time you had your hair cut?
A week ago and I seriously love love it. Shorter by alot, but I feel much sexier, if it is possible to achieve that from a hair cut.

When were you last outside?
Last time I hung out outside? I cant remember. How sad is that?

Are you wearing shorts?
Nope, that's for the reminder again about my frumpy scrubbies. And for the reminder that I won't be wearing shorts for months. I scraped ice off my window this morning.
Does the thought of marriage scare you?
I think before I got married it absolutely did. I have seen so much unhappiness in marriages in some of my family and friends relationships and I wondered for a while if it was possible at all to make a marriage work or if it was all a little bit of luck. Being married now and sealed in the temple I realize that it is abolutely possible. You get out of your marriage what you are willing to put into it. Its not all completely rainbows and flowers, but it is so wonderful and makes everything seem a whole lot brighter.

What are you doing today?
Remember? I'm working for 13 hours.

Look to your left, what is there?
My list of things I need to get done today, and I am blogging instead. So much more fun and productive if you ask me.

What time did you go to sleep last night?
10:45 ish. I just had to finish my DVR shows before I could go to bed.

When is your birthday?
It's in August. I'll be turning the ripe old age of 21 the next time Auguswt rolls around.

The way to win your heart?
It's been one. I think the things that most stant out to me about Nick is how supportive of a person he is no matter what it is. He really believes in me and wants to help me achieve my goals I've always had for myself. He is also hilarious. At lest once a day he has me laughing so hard I do something imbarrassing like snort or fall over.

What are you going​ to do this weeke​nd?
Tihs weekend will probably consist of warm hot chocolate, a snuggly blanket, and anatomy study guides.

Were you happy when you woke up today?
Heavens yes. This whole daylight savings time change has worked wonders on my body. I feel so much more rested when I wake up in the mornings and have actually been getting stuff done before I go to work. Lovely.

Have you ever crawled through a window?
I can only remember going through windows on 2 occasions: Once was because we'd locked ourselves out of the house and I was the little one who got launched through the second story open window. The second time was while camping with my family and playing on the bed with little sister. It was just my head that went through the window that time though.

Would you ever donate blood?
I've donated blood and plasma. Blood I will do again. Plasma will never happen again. My cousin Jess can attest to how bad of an experience that was.
Has anyone ever mistaken you for a family member?
I am always mistaken for my mom on the phone.

Do you have reason to smile right now?
Absolutely. No matter what goes wrong I really am so blessed to be where I am at in my life right now.

What do you do when you're stressed out?
I usually get a little on the cranky side. I write a list out of what needs to get done though and go from there which seems to help me out a ton.

Would you honestly say you'd risk your life for someone else?
For certain people or certain circumstances I hope that I would.

Do you open up to people easily?
I'd have to say yes to that. I love making new friends and talking to random ladies at the grocery line.

What is the last pill you swallowed?
A Tylenol yesterday from my dear friend Heather yesterday. All that information in school gave me a headache.

What was the first thing you thought this morning?
 I whined in my head "I don't wanna go to woooork!"

Where is the person you like right now?
He's workin too.

What was the first thing you did this morning?
Rolled out of bed and made a potty run.

Do you care of what people think of you?
It depends on the person. I want people I care about to think good of me. Other than that I really don't mind. I like who I am and that's not going to change.

Who was the last person you took a picture with?
Probably Nicky wayne and our punpkins
What are you looking forward to right now?
I'm looking forward to Saturday afternoon and Sunday to realx.

Do you miss someo​ne?
I think that today being vetrans day might be why I am missing Grandpa Joe. I have this image of him at the kitchen table eating tomatoes with salt and pepper like they are apples and just smiling. I really miss him sometimes.
Where was your default pic taken?
Blogger- our bridals shoot in Pleasant Grove
Facebook- at momma Chadwick's

If you could go back in time and change something would you?
I always think that questions like this are hard to answer. Could I have made better choices? Absolutely. Would I trade the life I have now to be able to take those choices back? No way.

Ever had a near death experience?
I don't think so. I've been very scared and been in so much pain I thought I'd die, but I didn't. Obvi.

Something you do a lot?
Text, sing in my car, cook, study, visit family, laugh

Last person you cried in front of?
Probably Nicky Wayne. It's been a while.

Where will you be 18 hours from now?
Cozy in my bed.

Have you ever been to a tanning bed?
Absolutely. It's been 7 months though. I much prefer boating or swimming in a swimming pool.

Is it easy for others to make you feel awkward?
Nah, I just crack jokes and make it not akward for mr

What's your favourite season?
Fall. I think mostly beauase of the cool layers and light jackets. Summer is too hot, winter is too stinkin cold.

What was your favourite class?
 It's probably been all of my nursing and healthcare classes. I love it.

Do you know anyone who would just drop everything to come see you?
Nick, my family, and his family

Are any of your friends pregnant?
Yes and part of me is jealous. Not a big part of me, just the "I want to be a momma" part.

Do you have someone of the opposite sex you can tell everything to?
Nicky Wayne

Favourite number?
3

What do you like most sunrise/sunset?
Sunset, cause if I'm looking at a sunrise, I'm up too early.

When you watch movies at home, do you like the lights on or the lights off?
Scary- lights on. Anything else- lights off.

Are you wearing make-up?
Yes, yesterdays leftover eyeliner and mascara.

What were you doing at 11:30 last night?
Sleeping soundly

What's the last thing you said and to who?
I answered the phone.

Can you whistle?
 Yes but not loudly

Do you sleep on your stomach?
When I can't get to sleep I roll over on my stomach and fall right to sleep.

Are you ticklish?
Oh heavens yes. All over. It's a curse.

11.06.2010

I'll Show You

Oh, you want to know what has made me happy lately? Okay fine. I'll show you :)
If you have never had the opportunity to partake of this little slice of heaven, I suggest next time you visit your local Chili's you order their Molten Chocolate Cake.

The world series took over my most favorite show's time block for two weeks. I FINALLY got to watch these two again on Thursday night.
Okay that is the coolese ball of denim jeans that I've ever seen! So what if it's the only one. Although I have no realtion to the people in this picture, Nick and I did go buy him a few new pairs of jeans at Anchor Blue.
Oh HEAVEN! Egg Nog, I love you.
Provo Canyon is B-E-A-U-tifuL! I saw this pretty sight on my way to ...
IHC! Might not sound exciting to you but I finally got an interview :) I won't find out till the 15th if I got the job but I'm just grateful for the chance that something might open up for me.


Love letters! I just love writing notes and letters for Nicky Wayne. I have one from him that he wrote while we were dating that I keep in my wallet. It's fun to look back on and read every once in awhile.

11.05.2010

In My BLACK High Heels

Okay I am in LOVE. I had to share. After trying these babies on and falling in love for them, I did it. I bought them. I had a little gift card already to Macys and with encouragement from the hubs I finally tipped my decision to a yes. I feel so sexy in these and for 4 inch heels, they are suprisingly comfortable. They didn't have the size I needed so I'll be recieving them in the mail next week. Don't worry, pictures to come i'm sure! I hope you'll be as impressed as I am. I think I've found a new (and pricey) obsession. Yikes.

Food For Thought

Ohkay, it's time for a little rambling session. I hope that you will all bear with me. I've had a lots o' thoughts lately and I feel like sharing.

The biggest one is women and their self confidence. It so hurts my heart that so many of us feel bad about ourselves. I have read quite a few blogs, read a lot of Facebook statuses, and talked to a lot of friends who just don't feel good about themselves. I, like everyone, feel like I am far from perfect. I wish I could be skinnier, sexier, and more disciplined in taking care of me. I have found though, that as I have found myself emotionally and spiritually, that all of those physical insecurities are fading into the background more or less. I've been through lots to put it plain and simple, but through all of that I have really been able to find out who I am and what I am made of. For that I am SO grateful.

I have been betrayed by my closest friends. It hurt, but made me realize that I can survive without them!

I have been hurt by boys who treated me a whole lot worse than any girl deserves to be treated. It hurt, but I learned to never lower my standards and that I deserve the best!

I have felt like I was completely alone and had no one there for me. It hurt, but I learned about the power off prayer and that I really am never ever alone!

I have looked at my body and absolutely hated what I saw. It hurt, but I learned that someone who judges me is not worth my time. How I look doesn't dictate who I am!

I have lost the most precious thing that had come into my life. It hurt, a whole lot, but through that I have gained a whole new extension of a family and better friends and support than I ever could have asked for, and a little girl who makes my world a whole lot brighter.

I have been rejected and tossed aside. It hurt (and I still think dating sucks), but I have a better husband than I ever could have imagined.

There are so many things that at the time, I never thought I could survive. I didn't think that my heart could heal from all the times it was broken. I didn't think I could ever crawl out of the hole that I'd dug for myself. I didn't think people I'd hurt could ever forgive me. But guess what, they did. And I survived. and my heart isn't broken anymore. and I'm out of the hole. I feel like I've conquered a huge mountain after climbing out of that hole actually. I know that there are going to be times where I feel like I've hit a new low or faced a new challenge that seems impossible, but I know that I can get through anything! I'm not alone, and there will always people who believe in me.

If there is anything that I can tell someone who is having a hard time it's this: You will probably always have a hard time. There is always something going on that is hard or stressful. That is life. Learn how you can deal with things and still stay sane. Remember that the only way you can have your self confidence damaged is if you let someone else define who you are. You are you, and that is aweseome! Say to yourself, I can do hard things (because I'm aweseome).

So, there was more that I wanted to talk about but I think I shall save it for another time because this is long and i'm tired just writing it. I can't imagine being you, reading it! :) If you got this far, you're aweseome.

11.02.2010

Singing Out Loud

So here is a fun post idea inspired by one of my fellow bloggers: Favorite songs!I'm sure that years down the road I (or my kids) will look back and thing really?? You liked what?? But I don't care! Here are some of my current favorites in no particular order. The ones that wherever no matter I am I have to sing them out loud, or even hum them if the place is so quiet that everyone would notice me singing. Click on them if you are so inclined.

1. If I Die Young- The Band Perry
2. A Drop In The Ocean- Ron Pope
3. On Love- Brad Paisley ft. Carrie Underwood
4. Let It Be- The Beatles
5. I Never Told You- Colbie Caillat
6. September- Daughtry
7. Who Are You When I'm Not Looking- Blake Shelton
8. Only Prettier- Miranda Lambert
9. I Wish You Love- Rachel Yamagata
10. Imagine, True ColorsDon't Stop Believin'Like A Prayer - Glee
     *Sidenote: Isn't Glee so much more scandalous and random than when it started? Disappointing.

You really should listen to them. Highly suggest. Some make me smile, most make me cry. I am I total music crier, especially while stressed/ alone/ thinking/ worried/ inspired/ overwhelmed ... the list goes on. Do you go through phases of music in life? I totally do. Rock, Rap, Country, Acoustic. You'll find me at one of those phases at any point in time. Can you tell where I'm at right now? Yeah, me either :)