Small Acts of Service

Trent consistently demonstrates small acts of service. Quick note: I bought plain cheerios for the crust of a coconut cream pie that I made and had leftovers. I don't like how plain they are so I avoid eating them unless I have some fruit to put in them. And then I usually don't have enough time to cut up some fruit or I'm just too lazy. Back to the story. Yesterday morning I came downstairs for breakfast and found a note on the cupboard to the cereal that said, "Look in the fridge honey." I proceeded to look in the fridge and found a baggie of sliced up strawberries with a note that said, "These are especially for you honey. Thanks for all you do. I love you! :)" Just a simple act of service that put a smile on my face! Thanks love for all you do!

Speaking of service, I have a cute friend named Amy who went to South Africa this last summer for her public health internship (we are both public health majors).

Here is Amy with two of the darling kids she got to know while she was there :)

Amy truly grew to love the country and the wonderful people of South Africa. She stays in close contact with a lady she called Mama Yoyo (who was kind of her mentor while she was there) and would love to go back someday and maybe even live there for a time. She is such an example to me!

Anyway, a few weeks ago Amy got word that the home of one the families she got to know burned to the ground. Amy says, "The cause of the fire is unknown. No fire trucks came, no Red Cross, no notes about donations in the local paper." So Amy decided to take action and started a Facebook page called "Donate to help the Ndwenwe family!" Take a minute to check the page out and become a fan.

Here is a picture of the Ndwenwe family

This is only part of the family. There are 9 of them in all (2 parents and 7 kids). Amy says, "The family cannot afford the materials it would take to rebuild their shack and buy other necessary items. A first priority is to get this family a place to sleep out of the weather--currently they are living outdoors. Any amount of donation you can give will be a blessing. The money will be sent in care of the owner of the school where the children attend. Though they may never know your name, they will be forever grateful. Thank you."

As I mentioned earlier, take some time to look at the Facebook page for more information. Of course, anything we can send will help. Use a little bit of your tax return! Donations in cash or check form can be sent to Amy and her address can be found under the info tab on the Facebook page. If you don't have access to Facebook leave me a comment and I'll get you the information.

Thanks guys!!

3 Years Ago

3 years ago Trent and I had our first date on St. Patrick's Day seeing Guitars Unplugged. After that night (the best date of my life..it is confirmed in my journal three years ago!) we saw each other everyday that week. About a week later, 3 years ago today, we became exclusive. Our 2 year wedding anniversary is coming up here in May. Anyway, I came home today to tulips and chocolate. Trent remembered! I didn't even remember! I always just remember our first date (easy..it was St. Patrick's Day), but he remembered the day we became "official"! It was a pleasant surprise!

So I always listen to music when I make dinner and tonight as I was making sweet 'n sour chicken "Best Years of Our Lives" came on. In the words of the Baha Men "Ohhh...Makes me wanna dance Ohhh...It's a new romance Ohhh...I look into your eyes Ohhh...Best years of our lives." I can't help but sing and dance when this song comes on :) Anyway, the last 3 years have really been the "best years of our lives" and we are so excited for the many, many more to come!

Notes Left Behind

Last night I had a hard time falling asleep because I could not turn my brain off. I was thinking about a book I recently finished reading called Notes Left Behind. It is the true story of a six-year-old girl named Elena and her struggle with brain cancer. It is actually a journal her parents kept as a remembrance for Elena's younger sister Gracie. In her last months of life, Elena hid many notes around the house professing her love for her family. It is so amazing to me that a girl that young thought to do that.

Anyway, I started to think about how devastating it would be to lose a child and how devastated I will be if anything happens to my unborn children. And that led me to think about how much I already love them (I am taking you through my train of thoughts and no I am not pregnant..haha). Kind of a weird thought, but for any of you who don't have children yet, don't you already feel so much love and joy for them? I was asking Trent about it this morning and he told me he had never thought of that before, but I think he understood :) Anyway, this book taught me again the importance of living each day to its fullest and "finding joy in the journey." Also the importance of expressing love for one another often. And with that - to all of my family and those I hold dear, as well as my future children, I love you!


To find out more about Notes Left Behind you can check out their website notesleftbehind.com

Devil's Food Cake Cookies

So I found this recipe on a cooking blog and have made them twice now. I am so impressed with how easy and delicious they are! All you have to do is mix 1 box of Devil's Food cake mix with 2 eggs and 1/2 cup of oil (I use vegetable oil). I then like to add half a bag of white chocolate chips. Then you just bake them at 350 degrees for 9 minutes. If you want to, you can then sprinkle them with powdered sugar. That's it! EASY!

Both times I have made these people have asked me, "Oh are these those cake cookies?" I guess it's a pretty well-known recipe. Apparently you can use any cake mix, so it may be fun to experiment! Have fun! Oh and let me know if you've tried them with a different cake mix and how they turned out :)

Relief

So Trent and I are going to Cancun at the beginning of June with my family. Because I am now married I have to get a new passport because of my name change (everything girls have to go through to change our names..blah!) This has been on my to-do list since Christmas. I picked up an application several weeks ago and found out I have to mail in my marriage certificate to prove my name change. Well, Trent and I looked for our marriage certificate for about a week and it is nowhere to be seen. It honestly must be in the house somewhere and the last time I remember having it was when I went to the Social Security Office to change my name there. Anyway, I'm a nervous person and wanted to get my passport application sent in as soon as possible. After stopping by several offices in Provo, I found out I could send in our marriage license instead, which I had no idea how to get a hold of. I was able to track down our marriage license in Montgomery County, Maryland (we were married in the D.C. temple which is actually in Maryland). I had to send in a letter of request and a check for $5.50 (not bad, eh?). I sent it off last Monday, the 8th and our marriage license arrived this last Saturday, the 13th. We were so impressed with how quickly my letter of request made it across the country to Maryland and then our marriage license made it back to us in Utah. It was less than a week! So today I officially sent off everything to get a new passport and I think I will have plenty of time to spare. I'm excited to get my new passport because it will make our trip to Cancun much more official..plus my new picture is like 200% better than my one from freshman year of high school :)

So I got my hair cut...

and it's way shorter than I thought it would be. I get my hair cut at the David Douglas salon at the Riverwoods and I always go to the same girl. I really trust her so today I went in and told her I wanted a change and asked her if people ever go in and just tell her to do what she thinks. She told me people do that all the time. I mentioned an A-line and she told me she wanted to try an A-line bob on me and showed me how short. Well it was pretty short and I was too nervous so I asked her if we could do the same style, but shoulder-length. She said, "How about collar bone length?" and I agreed. Well she definitely didn't do it collar bone length. It's shorter than that and I'm a little in shock about it. I can't even really put it in a ponytail..it's like this little nub..haha. I don't really know what to think. I'm afraid it's kind of a mommy haircut (no offense mommies..I'm just not a mommy yet). Anyway, I'm trying to have a good attitude and I'm hoping it will prove to be a fun change :) Here's a picture. Tell me what you think..and don't lie to me!

If I could have only one beauty item it would be...

MY EYELASH CURLER!!! And it broke this morning while I was using it :( So I am at work right now about to purchase a new one. A few years ago I read that celebrities swear by the shu uemura (I have no idea how to pronounce it) eyelash curler so I got one for myself (despite the cost of $19) and I'm hooked.

I want my eyes to look pretty! After all, eyes are my favorite feature on people. Anyway, sorry for the random post. I'm just hoping that my curler will come SOON! Until then, I'm back to my old Revlon one.