Happiness = holiday decor

Nothing says Merry Christmas like a 25 ft Christmas Tree in the entrance of a hospital.

It also really helps with my latest predicament of never knowing
 what month (or season) it is.
(Living in the desert + no more school schedule = mass confusion.)

I'm in trouble come January.

And not quite as magnificent, but still I'm very proud... Our Christmas tree :-) 

...that these hooligans helped us put up after a long night of Black Friday shopping. 

(our first ever)

(went to Bath and Body Works at 2 am)

(LOVE THE TOTE!)

Thanks (tall) guys!

Happy Holidays! 

Out of CONTROL

I don't like clutter. In fact one of my favorite things to do is throw stuff away. Sometimes I get sentimental and hoard a little bit...

(like with this broken piece of produce pottery Nate and I made in ceramics class at BYU when we were engaged. Nate got an A. I got a B... still a little bitter about that...)

...but mostly I don't keep extra things around.

The same goes for my inbox. I get a little thrill deleting emails, and when my inbox is empty, my life feels complete.

When I started my new job (the same time my family moved home... Roomies!) I fell out of my routine. Things have been getting more and more out of control and I've been getting less and less organized and it had come to this...

Oh, it's hideous.

The emails just keep coming and coming and I've no motivation to fix it.

As you can see, my level of motivation to get things done in my personal life perfectly correlates indirectly with the number of unread messages in my inbox:

Also with my number of blog posts:

oh wait, that's backwards...

much better.

In two weeks my ER residency program is over and I move to the night shift. While all y'all are sleeping, I'll be awake; and when you're up and about, I'll be napping. (Except for Nate's parents in Japan, I'll be on the same schedule as them.)

Hopefully things will settle down then and I can find a new routine- maybe I can blog and delete emails on my nights off, when the rest of the world is sleeping, and all the stores are closed (except the 24 hour sushi restaurant down the street, which I very much anticipate taking advantage of).

Until then, things will probably continue to spiral out of control.

In case you didn't know...

We love BYU!!!


Enough to drive to Provo and back in less than 24 hours for a true blue time!

Go Cougs!!!

Next door puppies beware...

The war is on....


(don't tell the human neighbors)

Why I Don't Have A Food Blog

Confession: I hate to cook. And bake. And prepare food in general. 

I've tried to like it. I've pretended to like it. I've made weekly menus, planned shopping lists in advance, even tried once a month freezer meals cooking (I failed miserably at that).  I enthusiastically pin enticing dishes. I browse cooking blogs. Sometimes I even print off recipes, or take pictures with my phone.

All the while knowing, deep down inside, none of these dishes will ever appear in my kitchen.

Even when I was a stay-at-home wife those months when I was unemployed, and had nothing else to do, I couldn't bring myself to enjoy making meals.

Sadly, though, as far as household chores go, this one's mine.

Not that Nate wouldn't do it. I'm sure he would if I asked.

I'm also sure we would have grilled cheese sandwiches or quesadillas every night if he were to take over.

Maybe Top Ramen, if he was feeling adventurous. 

So I grin and bear it. 

(Ok, maybe I scowl and bear it, but by golly, I bear it!)

I go grocery shopping (something I hate more than cooking!), (sometimes) stock up the fridge, and (try to) always have a plan for meals.

But despite my greatest efforts, more often than not I find myself asking Nate that dreaded 5:00 pm (or 6, or 7, or 8 pm...) question:

"What do you want for dinner?"

Normally he replies, "I don't care".

And then I make spaghetti, or baked potatoes, or something frozen in the freezer that takes little to no effort.

Because by the time we get home, we are HUNGRY, and can't wait around for that roasted red pepper and basil pesto penne pasta, or creamy chicken piccata with grilled asparagus and strawberry mango salad I pinned last week. 

(Especially after a 12-hour shift. Heck NO am I cooking ANYTHING.)

Who MAKES that stuff, anyway!?

Blast you food bloggers!

So tonight, to no one's surprise, the question came up again.

"What do you want for dinner?"

"I don't care."

I made him a plate of pickles and hard boiled egg.

Go ahead. Pin it.