November

Both Taylor and I were going to school full time and I was interning at Providence Elementary School during the month of November. It was pretty calm and there wasn't too much going on but here are a few of the highlights...

My cousins planned a girls night out. I am on the younger side of the Christensen side and most of them grew up in Utah together so I have never known any of them super well. Now that I'm older, married, and almost done with school, I feel like I have more in common with them and it was so fun to just chat and get to know them better. We were also celebrating that Aunt Callie finished up her cancer treatments and that she is doing well. It was a wonderful night!   

One night while in Logan, I got a call from Keri. I guess she was up in Logan picking up Chandler (Mckay's younger brother) so they could drive out to California for Thanksgiving. Unfortunately their car broke down as soon as they arrived in Cache Valley. They had some family friends help them out and we got to see them for breakfast the next morning. I know it wasn't ideal circumstances for the Perry's but it was so great for us! We absolutely loved having them and it was a confirmation to me that we need to live close. 

We also attended the USU vs. BYU game. I have to admit that I was totally torn! I loved my time at both schools but the Aggies are such rude fans. I don't know how to describe what they do but I was a little bit embarrassed to call myself an Aggie though. BYU won so it was still a win for me. 

This was our last meal in our studio apartment before the big move down south. It was all of the leftovers we had in our fridge. As we sat down to pray we noticed that everything was white-ish. Probably not very healthy for us but we got ride of all our food! 

October

October started off with a bang. We went down to visit Taylor's grandparents in Saratoga Springs for General Conference. Between sessions we went on a walk out to Utah Lake and someone invited us to use their row boat. It was so beautiful and I couldn't believe that it was October. Conference was fabulous and I am so grateful for the knowledge of a modern day prophet and being able to receive revelation for our day. 

For winter break we decided to drive out to the Reno area and visit the Christensen's. I had never really been out to that area but it was absolutely beautiful. Carter showed us around his two dental offices and was kind enough to make Taylor a retainer. Lake Tahoe was beautiful and I hope we can go back during the summer to explore more! 

Taylor was a favorite that weekend. We were going to bed one night and he said "It's so neat to hear Uncle Taylor. I'm Uncle Taylor!" They absolutely adored him. 

We went to our first girls soccer game and Reese killed it! We'll have to work on Taylor's comments to the referees. And imagine it wasn't even our own kids!   

While Taylor and Carter went on a Scout camp out, Steph and I got to work on the kid's Halloween costumes. Stephanie was so creative and coming up with something out of random objects. It made me so excited to have kids and be creative for them. 

Carter had a work party where they watched the Broncos game and he outfitted us all in the proper attire. 

For Halloween we decided to be chickens. Probably one of the most random costumes ever but it was fun. We got together with some friends and had a little party which was nice. Halloween isn't one of my favorite holidays but this one was fun. 

September

 September was a great month for the Lind household. It was pretty quiet but we found some find times and got to see a lot of good friends. 

Chris and Anne invited us to go to the Ogden Temple open house. What an incredible experience! Learning about the whole process and all the detail involved was a testimony builder to me that it truly is the house of the Lord. It has to be perfect in order for him to reside there. It's true that I love to see the temple. 

This month I was able to get together with the ladies from the Nottingham House. They are absolutely fabulous and I was reminded of how blessed I was to be able to live with them. I remember being so anxious about moving into a house with 8 girls and only two bathrooms. But they were incredible and such great examples to me of kindness, patience, and service.  

We missed Sarah (who is at PA school in Arizona) and Sam! 

September was filled with a lot of school. I had multiple Saturday classes and Taylor studied so hard. Sometimes too hard... 

College wouldn't be complete without one or two football games. We had absolutely beautiful weather all month so even though I'm not the biggest fan of football it was nice to be outside and enjoy the atmosphere. 

Our favorite thing this month was the Cache Valley Parade of Homes. It was a little different for me because we had to drive around the valley and find the homes. What I really liked is that a lot of the homes were more typical or average, instead of these huge mansions that no one could ever really afford. But it wouldn't be the Parade of Homes without a few super huge and cool homes. Taylor really liked this one. It had an awesome garage and tool shed, along with a huge projector that you could watch from the pool and hot tub. 

Anther fun adventure this month was volunteering for the Top of Utah Marathon. We were in charge of the first relay exchange station about 6 or 7 miles into the race. we had to leave the house at about 4:30 in the morning so that we could make it up the canyon before the runners started. There was a lot of waiting around and Taylor again was "studying" hard. 

One of our favorite things to do is to pack a picnic and just eat dinner somewhere around Logan. This was on a Sunday afternoon when we wanted to enjoy the warm weather. Marriage had been a blast and it's so great always having someone to go on a spontaneous adventure for you. 

August

August was a really busy month for the Lind family. We were still in DC and living it up. 

The missionaries were some of our good friends and we helped celebrate one their birthdays. 

We bought a pair of clippers and I learned how to cut Taylor's hair. It was quite the adventure and Taylor was more than patient with me. We sat in front of a mirror and he coached me through the whole thing. 

I got to get together one last time with Morgan and Bryan in order to celebrate her birthday. They are so fun and it was great to have friends out there with us. They are going to do great things in life. 

The Lind's got us tickets to the Citi Open Tennis Tournament. It was so neat! I have never been to a tennis tournament. I did not know that they required us to be quite. The announcer would ask the spectators to quiet down before the player would serve. We watched a match between a 17 year old boy and Samuel Groth, a 30-something year old man. Groth is the world record holder for the fastest serve ever - 164 miles per hour! It was incredible. 

Cesar invited us to celebrate his birthday with him and friends. It was a blast and we are really going to miss him. 

This was out last night in DC. It was perfect weather and we went on a final walk around the mall. We talked about all the things that we have learned while living there and it was astounding. Lessons ranged from career choices, to marriage transitions, to political issues. We could not have asked for a better situation or experience. I'm so grateful for everything that we were able to learn and do. 

Anne welcomed us back to Utah and we went to a Salt Lake Bees game with her and some friends. It was nice to be back. I could already feel the different in humidity and the amount of mosquitoes.

Our last month in DC we were scrambling to find housing in Logan. It seemed like everything was already taken and our hope was running thin. We called one last place and they said they had one apartment left so we took it. We didn't look at any pictures or anything but just signed the contract. As soon as we got back to Utah we drove up to Logan expecting the worst but were pleasantly surprised with how great the apartment was. 

It's a small 400 square foot studio but it's perfect! It was renovated this summer and it all looks news. I timed my walk to class and it only took 10 minutes! Plus it's super cheap! We love it and feel so blessed. Heavenly Father was truly looking out for us. 

One challenge was trying to fit all of our stuff in the apartment. The first week, we had stuff everywhere! Taylor was a good balance for me because I wanted to throw everything away but he talked sense into me and helped me realize that it's okay. I was impressed at how quickly we got it all fixed up. We love it! 

 Before... 

After... 

 

And we cannot talk about August without mentioning the start of a new semester. Both Taylor and I are back in school. Taylor is taking a ton of credits and works SO hard! 

Here's Taylor's first day back to school as a married man! 

I have been talking about cutting my hair for months and I finally did it! The stylist said that she cut off almost nine inches. Part of me wishes I would have gone a little bit shorter and donated it but I love having short hair. Now I just have to figure out how to style it!