"Things you don't have to worry about..."

So this past week has been super crazy between starting my new job and finals, but I have the best husband! We met at In N Out when I got off work before he had to go to work and had a yummy shake. I had a cheeseburger too, since I hadn't ate lunch yet. Mmmm so good! When I got home the house was clean! It usually is, but like I said... this past week has been super crazy. So... I have not cleaned as much as I usually do. I admit I can be a little obsessive about it and sometimes I am not the nicest wife and probably drive Taylor crazy. He always helps a lot, but we just have different definitions of clean sometimes. However, when I got home today was it clean!!! And there was a sweet note on the table that said, "Things you don't have to worry about.... and a list of all the things he did around the house. They were little things like Dishes----> Done, Vacuuming-----> Done, Garbage----> Done, laundry-----. Done...., but it is the little things that make a big difference! And there was also a sweet note from him too. He is the best husband and my best friend and I get to spend eternity with him!!!

Scatter Sunshine- from sea to shining sea!

Today is the Sunday Taylor has to work. I really miss him on these days. Especially since I feel like we do not have a lot of time during the week. He was able to go in at 9 am instead of 7 am though. He left about 8:30 and I slept in a little longer. After getting up I went to LDS.org with the intention of listening to some conference talks, but the "Mormon Message- LDS Charities:The Boy's Home" caught my eye. It is about how the church partners with another organization to provide for the poor in the Dominican Republic. It was really odd because I had a dream of Russi, a woman from my mission, who is from the Dominican Republic. My first lesson in the mission was with her. I love Russi! She is one of my favorite people in the whole world. She had such great faith and wanted to be baptized. Long story short- Russi was baptized a week after I left the mission! That's right- the mission, not the area. Almost 18 months later Russi was baptized a member of the church! I still stay in contact with her. Who knows, we may even name our daughter Russi (Roo-see)!

Anyways, the message caught my attention 1. because it was about service and I really do LOVE service 2. I LOVE the people of the Dominican Republic and 3. there was a cute little child on the front and I LOVE children.

After watching the 3 minutes video I began searching for service opportunities in the Dominican Republic, which led to searching service opportunities abroad, which led to filling out an application to apply to the Peace Corps!! (Which is something I had always wanted to do)But then I remembered "Wait- I'm married now! I can't just leave the country!" So I did my research and found out that Taylor and I could go together! We both would need to apply and be accepted. They even have opportunities do get your masters abroad or even just get credits towards your masters while serving abroad. It would be perfect! We would have to volunteer for at least 27 months, but that's no big deal! I began filling out my application, but then thought, "
Maybe I should discuss this with Taylor first..." So my application I started is saved and unfortunately will probably never be completed. If accepted we would not be able to serve and have any dependents, which means no children for a few years. So there goes that idea!

So then I went back to searching for short term service opportunities abroad. There are so many! Unfortunately, volunteering abroad costs a lot more than your time... I wish we didn't have to work for money, but could work for free! That we could help others without getting paid with money, but get paid with the experience alone.

I want to live a life of service like Mother Teresa! But I have to remember she also was a Catholic Nun. I could have been a Catholic Nun! But I am grateful for the truth and testimony I have and continue to gain. I am grateful for my membership in Christ's church. I am grateful for the mission I served and for the people I know and love from other countries, such as Russi. I know that we are children of God and that he knows and loves us. I am grateful for Taylor and our wonderful families.

I started this post before church. The opening hymn for Sacrament meeting was Scatter Sunshine which says, In a world where sorrow ever will be known, where we found the needy and the sad and lone. How much joy and comfort you can all bestow, if you scatter sunshine everywhere you go. Scatter sunshine all along your way. Cheer and bless and brighten every passing day. I know and must remember that there are so many people to serve right around me everyday. One of my favorite scriptures is Alma 26:27, Now my brethren we see that the Lors is mindful of every people, whatsoever land they may be in; yea, he numbereth his people, and his bowles of mercy are over all the earth. Now this is my joy and great thanksgiving and I will give thanks unto my God forever.

So, for now I will pray for and be grateful for the opportunies to scatter shunshine right here in Utah. And before I go making any more plans to leave the country I will discuss them with Taylor and we will discuss them with the Lord!

Goodbye 24, Hello new addiction!

Now that we have officially finished watching seasons 1-7 of 24, we will have a lot more time on our hands! I shouldn't say goodbye, but "see you later". We love 24. We can't wait for season 8 to come out on DVD! Our pictures are horrible, but we had to document it anyways! We went to the library last night and got library cards! We are both very excited about it. We checked out some history and animal DVDs, I got 4 books that seem interesting and Taylor got a few audio books to listen to on his way to and from work. Reading will become our new addiction!

All of our books, CDs and DVDs.

Taylor wouldn't let me get my library card for our picture!

Yay!! So happy!

FUN!

Me: "How would you describe our weekend?"

Taylor: "Fun!"

That sums it up. Our weekend was fun. Saturday morning we slept in a little, went shopping, I gave blood, and we went to a BBQ at South Fork Park up the Provo Canyon with a bunch of people from our ward. It was fun. It was nice to get to know some familiar faces and get to know some new faces. We roasted hot dogs, had a yummy cesar salad, fruit salad, chips, and ice-cream sandwiches... lots of yummy food and great company. Then on Saturday evening we went over to Tony and Lexi's and played some games. We played Mario Kart on the Wii, Lexi and I played Set and then we all played a few rounds of Boggle. It's a good thing I enjoy playing games just for the fun of it because I lose every time!

This morning (Sunday) we drove up to Salt Lake and visited with Grandma Fenton and Mary. Our 45 minute visit lasted 2 hours. Time flies when you're having fun. It was good to see her. We also stopped by Grandma Sargent's and visited with her for a short bit. Taylor's aunt Anne is visiting from Sacramento so she was over and so we got to visit with her also. Another nice visit.

Taylor taught the lesson today for Elder's Quorum. They are usually divided into two groups- an east and a west side Elder's Quorum, but he got to teach both groups. His lesson was on President Uchtdorf's talk, "Two Principles for any Economy". He got a lot of class participation, which he was really happy about. I wish I could go to Elder's Quorum on the Sunday's he teaches!

After church we had Elder Butcher- (Payden) and his girlfriend Becky over for dinner. We all helped make tortilla de patatas. We had arroz con leche for dessert. I made the arroz. It tasted really good besides the fact that the rice was not cooked all the way! Next time... We played a game of Boggle with them. Taylor won! He is really good at that game.

We are both exhausted. Taylor is in bed next to be sound asleep.

This coming week will be a little crazy... I start my new job and also have finals and Taylor should be starting his internship... Life is fun!

Tortilla de Patata! I forgot to take a picture of our arroz con leche... We need to take more pictures...

Family History

I should be studying for finals, but after working all morning I think I deserve a little break before the torture begins! Taylor survived his finals (he finished on Tuesday) and is at work, which means a long afternoon/evening of studying for me...

So, I found this questionnaire on Hermana Farnsworth's blog and think it is fun and a great way to record some family history, so here we go!

What are your middle names? Taylor Douglas and Michelle Jacquelyn. My middle name is after my grandma Jacqueline, but she goes by Jackie. I know it is spelled different. I think my mom did not know how grandma spelled it. Douglas? Hmmm... I'll have to ask him and then update this...

How long have you been together? Taylor and I actually met in July of 2009. I was going to school at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona and came out to Utah for President and Hermana Farnsworth's homecoming. I had served with his cousin Michael Karren in Spain and Michael had told me about his cousin, Taylor, who has just got home from his mission from Mongolia in August 2008. I got home November 2008 and Michael also told Taylor about me. Taylor found me on facebook and we were "facebook friends" and chatted every now and again. We began chatting a lot and talking on the phone and texting a lot a few weeks before I came out in July. We met and had our first date. Can you believe he kissed me on our first date? I knew it was my last first kiss. I think we both did. Our second date we both agreed that we were crazy, but knew it felt right and talked about getting married. Less than 2 months later (all the while being in different states) Taylor proposed! September 5, 2010. Originally we set the date for June, but realized it was crazy, so I dropped my classes at NAU and moved in October, a little earlier than planned and we changed our wedding date. We were married on December 28, 2010 in the Salt Lake Temple and have been married almost 4 months.


How long did you know each other before you started dating? Oooops I already answered that.


Whose siblings do you see the most? We see Taylor's siblings/family a lot more. They are all here in Utah and my family is in California and grandma and papa are in Arizona. It is nice to have his family close by though. And it will be fun when we have kids for them to be close to their cousins. My brother and sister, Michael and Melissa are only 14, so I hope they wont be having any kids soon...


Do you have any children together? Nope. Not yet...

Do you have any pets? No, but I would love a big dog. Someday...


Did you go to the same school? Nope. Taylor is at Brigham Young University and I am at the University of Utah. But just because I go to the U does not make me a Ute!


Where do you eat out most as a couple? Probably Chili's. Their chicken tenders are Taylor's favorite, so we go there most often.


Where is the farthest you have traveled as a couple? California. It is about a 9 hour drive. But we both would love to travel. That is another "someday" dream...

Who does the cooking? I think I do most often or we make dinner together. Taylor has made several dinners for us though. He almost always does the dishes though, he insists! or we will do them together.

Who is more social? Hmmm... tough question. I think we are about the same. I used to be really social, but now I love just being the two of us. We try to be social though. We could do better...

Who is the neat freak? Me. Taylor said he didn't have any idea. He teases me about vacuuming so much. He says that if i keep vacuuming so much we will not have any carpet left.

Who is the most stubborn? I don't really like the word stubborn... but maybe me? Taylor would definitely say me, but he has his moments too!

Who wakes up earlier? Me, but not by choice. I work earlier than he has class or work. If it were not for my alarm Taylor would probably be the first one up. He usually is on weekends. I think 8:30 is the perfect time to get up.

Where was your first date? Paradise, Utah. We met in Salt Lake because I was staying in Provo and we drove up to Paradise and met his parents. We took out the 4 wheelers and when I was driving it there was liquid leaking out onto my leg from the handle bar. We pulled over and the back wheel caught on fire. We ran to a house and called a fire truck. Taylor's parents got there first and his dad put it out before the firetruck, police and ambulance could get there. It was quite the adventure. We had a picnic in the backyard and hung out. We went out to dinner and then back to Salt Lake and watched the movie Win a Date with Tad Hamilton. Did I mention he kissed me on our first date?

Do you get flowers often? No, but I wouldn't want them often. Every once in a while is nice. They are beautiful, but just die. They are kinda a waste of money.

Who sings better? Haha. Neither of us! Maybe Taylor. Anyone can sing better than me!

Who does the laundry? Both of us. I usually start it and forget about it. Taylor is really good about starting a load if I haven't and also finishing what I start.

Who is better with the computer? Easy. Taylor.

Who drives when you are together? Depends. It is probably 50/50.

Who picks where you go to dinner? He usually makes me, but he will let me know if I choose somewhere he doesn't want.

Who is the first one to admit when they are wrong? I think we are both really good about admitting when we are wrong and both quick to apologize.

Who wears the pants in the relationship? We are a team!

Who eats more sweets? We both have a sweet tooth. Probably Taylor though. In fact he was just complaining that we don't have any sweets in the house before going to work.

Who cries more? I am the cry baby.

What's your best day together? Every day!

Where did you honeymoon? Salt Lake at the Anniversary Inn.

Favorite date night? Any time we are together!

Favorite T.V show to watch together? 24!!! We just finished season 7! Now we have to wait for season 8 to end and come out on DVD.

Okay, enough fun... time to study!

Sunshine Academy

Okay, so after a few months of substituting and looking for a teaching position I decided to settle with an office job at the Utah College of Dental Hygiene. The schedule works great and the pay of course can always be better, but it is good. The job is not horrible. I sometimes enjoy it and the other times it is not that bad. Basically I help the patients check in and out, make sure the students enter their patients information correct in the computer, file, make copies, and a lot of other tedious office work. Some days I feel a little disappointed and do not like my job very much as I hole punch and day dream of working with kids. But in those moments I am also grateful that I have a job. However, the other day Dr. Molen- the program director, was talking to a co-worker who works in admissions and was telling her how much he appreciates her because she is such a great problem solver, takes the initiative, etc. and then he looks at me... and says, "And Michelle... you are... hmmm a great paper sorter!" I know he did not mean it the way it came out, but it did not make me feel very good and got me thinking. Taylor looked on Craigslist, which I had given up looking on after months of daily searching and came across a post that read: "Day Care Director Wanted. (Apline, Ut)" I called thsi afternoon and was asked to come in this evening. Long story short. I got the job! It is a new school serving infants-5 year olds called Sunshine Academy. They have a sight in Magna and just opened their site in Alpine in November. Enrollment is still low, so she could not offer me as much as I had hoped. I wish I could work for free, but unfortunately I can't. I explained to her that financially I cannot quit my job at the Dental College with what she was offering me. She promised me that as soon as enrollment increasing, which she is confident will happen in Fall, since they opened in the middle of the school year, that she will match what they pay me. Until then I have to keep that job at the college, but agreed to work only 10 hours a week- Mondays and Fridays. Once she can offer me more and can afford for me to work at least 20 hours I will quit UCDH, until then I will work both. I am really excited. A little anxious with trying to juggle school and both jobs, but it will work out. It will be fine once I get a routine and figure out my schedules exactly. I will have to learn how to manage my time better. Maybe a little less blogging? (I always tell Taylor it is family history. Which is why I began the blog to begin with.) My greatest worry is the time I will lose with Taylor. Monday and Friday's I did not really get to see him as it was, since he had class in the morning, but at least we got to have lunch together before he had to go to work form 3 pm- 11pm. Now if I am working I will not get to see him until late at night, when I should be asleep or the next morning when he should be sleeping or until the next day when I get off work... Oh, how sad! I wish he worked during the day... He should be getting off work right now, but he has a "short meeting." Those short meetings are not like 5 minutes... that would be short, but they are more like a half hour, which means he will not get home until midnight. Ugh... I think we should run away to an island where we can just be together and sleep under the sun all day long. That is sounding wonderful right about now...

Sunday

Had a great Sunday. Taylor and I slept in a little; not as late as I would have liked. We woke up at 8ish and had breakfast, did our scripture study, watched "To This End Was I Born", made a yummy lunch together of salad with BBQ chicken (it's out latest yumminess) , and went to church. After church I went visiting teaching and then Taylor and I went over to McKay and Jodie's place and visited and had dinner. After getting home one of Taylor's companions, Elder Null came by. He is from San Diego, but is on his way up to BYU Idaho. We had a nice visit with him.