Hannah Comes to Town

Hannah got back from her mission in February. We had such a blast visiting her in Denver but were even more excited for her to come visit us in Utah. She was in the state for over a week before she came and spent the night with us. We wanted to show her all the good parts of Ogden. I have to admit that there were more than I thought there would be, although most of them were restaurants. 

So it was restaurant week in Ogden and they were doing a great lunch special. Instead of just choosing one type of food, we decided it would be that much more fun if we ordered small portions and hit multiple restaurants. It was a great decision but one that also lead to way too much food. 

After eating at two different places,we gave up and were going to give Hannah a driving tour of the city. Neither Hannah or I remember much because we fell into a food comatose within just a few minutes. Taylor held strong and drove us home just in time for an afternoon nap. 

 

Before Hannah drove much more she needed to get a current driver's license. (She had been using her Canadian license up to this point.) Because she would be headed up to Rexburg and registering her car, she needed to get an Idaho license. So we drove up to the great city of Malad, Idaho. The driver's license department was in the basement of city hall and we were the only ones to come in for over three hours. Which was a blessing because Hannah had to take a written exam and needed the time to study. By the faith for a miracle she passed the test and became legal to drive again! 

Taylor's company was holding an "end of tax season" party at the local bowling alley and was kind enough to invite the family members. We were so blessed that Taylor worked for such an amazing company with such great coworkers. He was able to learn so much while being in a great environment.  

Hannah eventually had to head up to Rexburg. We offered to ride up with her and get her settled into her apartment but she refused. As soon as she left, Taylor and I turned to each other and immediately decided to follow her up and surprise her. We stopped at Walmart and got the essentials for a new college apartment. We made pretty good time and met her just as she was finishing putting her suitcases in her room. I could't imagine a sister of mine going up to college without any family to help with the strange transition. She gave us a tour of campus and we were able to meet her roommates. She is going to do so great. I'm so excited for her and all the adventures she has coming up in her life. 

Smoothie King

Ever since the day we registered for our wedding, Taylor has been asking for a blender. Maybe because I had been without a blender all throughout college, but I had forgotten about all the perks of having one and it wasn't on the top of the list for my new kitchen. Well in December we received one for Christmas and I was reminded of all the fun things you can do with a blender. 

We decided to make smoothie packets for breakfast. We found some really good recipes and Taylor was extremely creative in making fruit/vegetable combinations. Our favorite add-in was spinach; it doesn't have any flavor and you feel that much healthier by drinking spinach for breakfast.  

Needless to say, I feel in love with having a blender and it had a permanent spot on our kitchen counter because it was used to frequently. 

February

During the month of February we found ourselves working a lot, exploring more of Ogden, and going on some fun spontaneous adventures. 

We were bored one night and headed out to the Ogden City Fairgrounds. A team roping competition was going on and Taylor got his country on. I almost convinced him that we need to have a few horses in the future! 

Valentine's Day was spent in Salt Lake with Anne. We went to a small Italian restaurant in down town Salt Lake. This was actually the place where we had our first meal as a married couple on our honeymoon - so kind of perfect for a Valentine's celebration.  

Taylor and I were called to serve in the Primary. We made sugar cookies in order to take around to the kids in our class. Normally I am not tempted by sugar cookies at all but for whatever reason, these were so good! 

It was long past due for a roommate reunion so in honor of Keri's birthday, we all got together at Abby's for a potluck dinner. Every time I get together with these incredible people, I am reminded of how truly lucky I am to have such great friends. They are constantly trying inspiring me to improve and better myself. Such great people!

The BEST part of this month was that Hannah came home from her mission!!! All of the siblings surprised her by flying to Denver and being there when she got off the plane. How fun is that?! Carter was actually in Salt Lake for a dental conference so he flew with Taylor and I into Denver late Friday night. Saturday morning we all welcomed Hannah back. Denver got hit by a huge snowstorm so it was a good thing that we really wanted to spend time together as we were stuck in the apartment most of the weekend. Church was actually cancelled due to the snow so we held a private sacrament meeting and had Hannah give her talk. She was an incredible missionary and has learned so much.  

All of the original five Christensen's back together for the first time in years. And in her honor we all did the Hannah face! 

To finish off the month, we went up to Logan with Grandpa Boyd to attend the Utah State Distinguished Alumni Awards Ceremony. Grandpa was in his element and introduced us to so many people including the president of the university. We sat at the same table that currently holds the position that Grandpa had while he was at the university, so that was really fun for them to talk. I was astounded to hear all of the success stories from Utah State. It was one of many moments that I was proud to be an Aggie.