Pictures.... Finally

Here are some pictures of the new digs. Like I said before, we love it. Last weekend, Mike's family came down. We went sledding, ate till we couldn't move, and played games. We had so much fun and it was great to have everyone come out and get to know our new place. It's also a good thing they came because we learned a few things that we need to fix that we never noticed before.

Christmas break is about a week from being over and I am savoring every last minute. I am loving have this break from school - is it bad that I don't want to go back?? I have just five more months and then the school year is over. Every year it's the same. I am so tired come Christmas and then I get somewhat of a second wind. I'm anticipating that second wind - any minute now, it would be great. On with pictures!

Let's start with our oh so lovely new washer and dryer. Mike is especially happy about the fact that he no longer has to sit for hours in a laundro-mat on his day off:)

Our living room. I feel especially happy about this because I feel like they were bought with my own frozen numb toes - I stood out in the cold outside of R.C. Willey for an hour before the store opened Black Friday. I was one of the first ones in the door and got this 7 piece living room set (sofa, loveseat, 2 end tables, coffee table and two lamps) for $899. Sweet action, huh?

This is what will eventually be our music room. One of my favorite memories from Vernal so far is this tree. The day after we closed on our house, Mike was off work so he spent the whole day getting things moved over to the new house. When I got off work, I came over and walked in to find a Christmas tree all lit. It made me so happy. I love my husband.

This maybe isn't the best shot, but I like that it shows the openness between the kitchen and the living room. Our kitchen table was another one of those awesome Black Friday steals. I love that it's a bar height table because it makes me feel taller.

Our kitchen. Oh, how I love this kitchen. It's open, there is cupboard space, and the appliances are awesome. I love cooking in here.

Life is great here. We have room, so if you're in town - come for a visit!

Our home

Mike and I closed on our house two weeks ago. We are in love with this new place. It has been so exciting setting up a house. When our furniture arrived last week, we were so happy to sit back and take a look at what it looks like with actual furniture in it. We are right across the street from a golf course that is open to the public for free sledding during the winter time (awesome!) and have made friends with some of our neighbors around. Life in Vernal is getting better and better every day. I promise I will put up pictures eventually. My camera decided that it was officially done with life, and I'm not quite sure where Mike's camera is.

We are excited to have Mike's family come down to visit us next weekend after Christmas. We promise a fun time!

Traditions and Memories

I have thought a lot recently about some of my favorite family traditions. I have always looked forward to the holidays knowing that certain things would happen - orange rolls would be made, family would get together, and christmas carols would be sung. It's definitely a new and exciting experience being brought into another family's traditions. Mike has an incredible family. I've watched them interact and enjoy each other and it makes me a little less homesick for my own family this time of year. I am excited to be part of the annual Balli Christmas Eve get together this year as well as many other family traditions on Mike's side.

I've also been thinking about the traditions and memories that Mike and I are creating along the way. We have one that started after I realized that for a few weeks in a row we were eating soup for dinner on Mondays. I get excited now thinking of new recipes to try come Monday night. Thanksgiving morning Mike and I ran a 5k with his friends Jill and Rob. How fun would that be to have a tradition of doing a run before the big glutenous stuff-your-face-fest? Last night we went to "Holly Days" right in the heart of Vernal (which isn't really big at all), and walked around enjoying the lights, the marshmallow roasting, the karaoke singing, and entertainers. What a fun thing to do with our kids someday!

Life is all about being around those you love and making memories that will stay with you. I love that I have such an amazing family that shares those memories with me and that I get to make new memories with this family that I am now a part of!

Cross your fingers!

Mike and I have been seriously looking for a home to buy by the November 30 new home buyer tax credit deadline. I wanted to stay in the ward because of my new calling and we were able to find a great home within the ward bounderies. We put an offer on the home, received a counter offer from the bank, and are now waiting to hear back. If all goes well, we will be able to close on the house by the end of the month. Here's a little sneak peak at what will hopefully be our new home....

Keeping Busy

Since we have moved to Vernal, I've been desperately wanting some good friends. It's a strange transition going from living in a house of friends to living with just one person - my best friend, I know - but just that one person. It's also an interesting transition from living in a house filled with estrogen and all the validation you want, to living with... well, a boy. I love Mike, and I have loved the adjustment, but there are moments when I just really miss having some good girl friends close by. I have relished my weekend opportunities to visit with some friends in Salt Lake and it has definitely helped. Needless to say, my prayers have included this little plea. Last week I got a calling in our new ward. Second counselor in the Relief Society Presidency. I know Heavenly Father answers prayers, and this is proof of that. Also proof that He will answer them in his own way. I wanted good girl friends - now I will have the opportunity to be a friend to a whole group of women in my ward.

Well, the lack of friends wasn't my only gripe about life in Vernal. My other gripe was that I have so much downtime between when I get home from work and when Mike gets home from work. I'm a social person. I don't like being alone too often - although I am learning to adjust. The day after I was called to be in the presidency, my principal and vice principal called me into the office. They asked me if I would be on a committee of teachers that will be spearheading ideas to improve the school. This will be a bit of a time commitment and definitely require me to be involved even more than I am.

Wanted friends? Solved.
Needed something to fill my time? Done and done again.

The Lord truly works in mysterious ways. I know He hears my prayers and I know He answers them. I know that He is blessing Mike and I. And I know that He will bless me in these new endeavors. I am so grateful right now and so excited for these opportunities to serve others and become more involved with this community that is becoming our home.

Weekend Get Away

One of my good friends, Katie, recently moved to Colorado Springs. Although it is 7 hours away, we realized that Steamboat Springs, Colorado was in fact somewhere near the middle between our two homes. So... we booked a hotel and met there for a fun little reunion this past weekend. Katie is one of my favorite people for a few reasons - she is genuine, she laughs out loud, and she's up for anything. On Friday night, we went to a Saloon with live music. It was so fun to watch people out there on the dance floor two-steppin' all over the place. After that we went to Coldstone, got us some yummy treats and went back to the hotel to watch "Dateline" (a show we both share a love for). Then today we woke up, stuffed our faces with the free continental breakfast and got dressed and headed to the church building in Steamboat Springs to watch conference. Aside from the fact that it was FREEZING in the chapel, I felt spiritually uplifted. We then went on a little hike to a nearby waterfall and then for a stroll through the town. It was so fun to reminisce with Kate and it made me appreciate my time in Boston and all the wonderful people I met. Thanks for driving out to see me Katie!!

The guitarist of the group playing at the Saloon was nice enough to smile at the camera for me!

The beautiful fall foliage in Steamboat Springs - man, do I love being outside!!

Me and Katie :)

My life in.... Cookies?

Sometimes I get restless. When I get into that mindset, there's nothing that is going to cure it. One minute I'll want to watch a movie, the next I'll want to read a book, then I'll want to go for a drive, only to realize that I want to be really obnoxious and just keep poking my husband - you can imagine what it would be like to be around me in one of these moments. Mike was trying really hard to help me in my restless moment on Sunday night. He was even willing to get in our car and just DRIVE around (something he doesn't really consider to be his favorite activity). Right when I was about ready to go and put my shoes on, I lost the urge to drive around. What a dilemma. Then he suggested that I bake something.... ahh, the golden ticket. That always works! My old roommates can attest to many nights of bakery, er, cupcakery should I say. Needless to say, I got out the handmixer, flour, and sugar and started baking away. I had the genius idea to make sugar cookies (thank you Shannon for that recipe!) and Mike had the genius idea of getting out our 100+ piece set of cookie cutters. Oh what fun we had! The next night we sat and decorated them. It was Mike's grand idea to pick shapes that represented our life in Vernal. He even picked out a "T" and "M" cookie cutter. I got all excited to display our montage and then take pictures. As we finished decorating, I grabbed all the cookies to start arranging them for the picture - only I couldn't find the "M". Unfortunately Mike had eaten it not realizing the importance of that piece and I pouted for all of two minutes. Instead, I used a frankenstein cookie to represent my dear husband :) Here is our life.... in cookies:
A brief description of each piece - truck (we see those all the time here), dinosaurs (we live next to dinosaur national monument and it seems that Vernal has cashed in on that theme - quite thoroughly), cowboy hat (pretty sure I've seen students wearing these to school), airplane (we live right next to Vernal Regional Airport), star (ummm...Mike likes them?), cat (Mike HATES them and we will sadly never own one), flower (the garden I will one day have), house (the home we are looking for - not very seriously, but I think about it a lot), "T" (for Trisha), Frankenstien (for Mike).

In other news, yesterday we got a real bed! It is pretty tall and I may have to do a running jump every night just to get into it, but oh my, what a delight it is. Also, my kitchen aid (courtesy of my awesome siblings) came yesterday. I loved yesterday.

Our home

Mike and I moved to Vernal about a month ago. Before we left for our trip to Europe, we only had four hours to find a place to live as we drove through Vernal. We were a little nervous, but we found a great place. We will be here in this little townhouse until we can find something a little more permanent. Our furniture includes: two barstools, one love sac, one queen size airmatress and a camping chair:) We realized that we have MANY MANY books between the two of us, so we went ahead and got some bookshelves. I love watching our house come together and I'm loving living here with Mike. Here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure.

The outside view

Our living room, and yes, our love sac. It has to be re-fluffed every day or so.

Our bedroom - airmattress and camping chair. Quaint, ain't it?

Our office/Library. We may have to get yet another bookshelf - I love it!

The master bathroom. The best part is the rather large tub (not pictured - but still awesome.)

The guest bathroom upstairs - just imagine, if you are our guest, you get to use this great bathroom!!

Our kitchen/kitchen table/counter. We really really love the kitchen. It's nice to have a place to make yummy meals.

Another view of the kitchen.

(This trunk and suitcase belonged to Mike's great grandfather. We love them and the special touch they bring to our home.)

It's been such a fun time. Vernal is growing on us, but we are loving that we have family and friends in Salt Lake - a mere three hour drive:) We're getting pretty good at the drive along I-40. We do have an extra room, so come visit us!

To be continued...

So, I'm going to use Mike's blog to tell the rest of the story of our amazing summer:) Go here.

Life as a Sorenson

These past two months have been so great. Married life is fun and exciting and different and it's nice to find out little things about myself and about Mike that I never knew before. Our summer has been non stop and we have finally settled down in Vernal. It feels good to have a routine forming. I'll take you on a little trip down memory lane this past summer, starting with the wedding...

Our wedding:

Everything turned out so perfectly. What a great day. It was so nice to have so many friends and family supporting us, especially at the temple. Our sealing was incredibly full, the sealer mentioned that the only other time he's seen it that crowded has been at Polynesian weddings:) We love our family and love that so many could travel to see us despite long distance and illness for some of them. Thank you.

(The wind was blowing my dress up, hence my terrified face that I was going to flash my new brother in laws!)

Our Honeymoon:

We went to Vegas for a few days and since Mike loves everything "French", we stayed in the Paris Hotel. It was WAY hot outside, but we walked around the strip anyway. Mike insisted on having a strawberry daquiri everytime we went walking around. We would stop at a little daquiri shop every night and grab his drink and then walk along. This was no normal drink, but a drink holder at least 18 inches tall. He was way happy:) The strip is crazy with all sorts of people running around. People watching was especially fun.

Lake Powell:

We spent a week on a house boat in Lake Powell with Mike's family and two other families that are friends with Mike's family. They have been going to Lake Powell every two years since Mike was in elementary school. It was a new experience being out on a house boat and playing in the water ALL day. I finally learned how to water ski (you'll see proof), Mike cliff jumped (after about 20 minutes of hesitation - it was at least a 30 foot cliff he jumped off of, slightly terrifying:), and when we got off the boat, I had sea legs for a few days.

To be continued ....

Update

I am alive, loving married life and starting to get settled in Vernal! I'm using a computer library at the moment because we don't have things set up in our apartment, but I will post soon with pictures of these past few months and all of the adventures we have encountered thus far!

Goodbye!

Today was my last day of school, and as I sit here in an empty classroom waiting to be officially "checked out", I thought I would share a little bit of why I love my job. The past week I have had several moments where I laughed out loud. Sixth graders will do that to you. I introduced my sixth graders to one of my favorite games (Bang!) and they have taken it on with a cult like following. Most of the boys in my class got the game for Christmas because that's all they asked for. Every spare moment in class they are asking to play. I let them play yesterday for quite a while and all of the sudden the whole group (9 boys) starts singing at the top of their lungs one of my all time favorite song - "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey. My heart about burst I was so proud of them. Playing Bang! singing Journey. Wow, I think I maybe left a little bit of an impression.

I get on a plane at 4:30 and am off to see my man. I can't wait to see him and to get started on this life together! Goodbye Boston. Goodbye Singledom. Hello Utah and MARRIAGE! Woohoo!!!

Girl's Weekend

The original Nottinghill girls have been planning a little weekend get away for the past few months and this past weekend was the weekend. Esther, Michele, Britney and myself (we missed you Kir!) took off for New Hampshire Saturday morning to hit the outlet stores in Kittery. It was a success as we found my wedding shoes and a pretty sweet outfit for the wedding dinner. Then we went back to our hotel, got into our swimsuits and hit the beach. It was a beautiful day! After chatting about life, we went back to get ready for a dinner in Portsmouth. It was so much fun to be with these ladies and just laugh and remember how much fun we all had together that first year in Boston. It's crazy to see how much life has changed for each of us. Britney is getting ready to have her first baby, I'm getting ready to get married, Kirsti is off traveling the world, Esther finished graduate school and is getting ready to move away from Boston, and Michele graduated Law School and is living in D.C. We've all grown up so much! I love these girls and credit my successful Boston chapter of my life in great part to them. Thank you all for such wonderful memories.

Here are some fun pictures from the weekend.

So these next pictures were way funny. Brit, who has 5 more weeks until baby girl Bassett enters the world, wanted to lay on her stomach and chat as we all were doing. But alas, when you have a baby bulge, you can't really do that. So.... we dug a hole for her belly so she could lay on her tummy:)

The lone kidney

So I wondered if I should blog about this because it is such a strange thing, but after last night, I knew I had to. Last week I went in for a doctors visit and after a check up and a subsequent ultrasound - it was discovered that I have a little bit of an abnormality in this little body of mine. Turns out I have two uteruses. Now I know this might be an awkward thing to blog about, and I fully understand that. But really, it's just fascinating. After this was discovered, I was sent to a specialist for even more tests and a consult. During the testing, they found that did indeed have two uteruses (uterus didelphys) and only one kidney. That's right folks - two uteruses, one kidney. Now I don't know about you, but I'm feeling a little backwards here.

I met with a specialist (whose name happens to be Andrea Zuckerman - you know like the 90210 gal?) and got some questions answered. My roommate and good friend, Bree came with me for some moral support. I asked the Dr. if this abnormality would impact the way I live my life and she said that it wouldn't except for the fact that I would need to carry around a card with me that explained the fact that I only have one kidney. That way, if I'm in an accident I'll be taken care of right.

Last night when I got home, I wasn't even thinking about what the Dr. said about the kidney card - but Bree hadn't forgotten. She came into my room and presented me with this....

I will proudly take this little gem with me wherever I go. Thanks Bree! :)

Walking

Today I decided to walk to the mail drop off slot at the end of my street rather than drive to it. Yes, I am in fact lazy enough to drive down the street rather than walk. Today I had my keys in hand, but thought better of it and started the stroll down Nottinghill. I'm so glad I did. It is a beautiful day, and everyone seemed to be enjoying it. Walking down the street, I noticed neighbors I never knew I had. Everyone had a smile plastered across their face. I started to notice things that I never took the time to notice before - like the fact that behind an ugly fence sits one of the most quaint little houses I have ever seen, or that there are in fact manicured yards and gardens hidden behind some of the homes, or the "Slow - Caution" sign to which someone decided to add the words "Children break dancing". I have lived on this street for three years. I have driven past all of the devoutly Jewish families walking to synagogue every Saturday, and I remember times when I have walked along the street cooling down after long runs. I have held to my steering wheel for dear life as I tried to make it up the hill in slippery snow, and I have felt great gratitude as I watched the trees covering the street take on their Autumn beauty. It has been memory piled upon memory in this place. I'm going to miss my Boston. I'm glad I decided to walk today.

GREAT NEWS!

Today I got some really great news. Really great. The past few months one of my biggest anxieties has been about this next year. Not the marriage and starting a whole new chapter in my life part - that's the fun part. It's been the whole "what am I going to do every day?" part that has been stressing me out. Mike will have some pretty long shifts he's working and if I don't have something to occupy my time, I'll go crazy. Simply put. For a while, I would add a new idea to my list of what I could fill that time with. Learning to sew, and then sewing all of my own clothes (Mike said he would NOT be wearing clothing made by me), teaching guitar lessons, teaching piano lessons, learning to paint, tutoring, working with autistic children, baking in large quantities.... this is just part of my list. The closer it has been getting to the wedding, the more I have fixated on this idea of "what AM i going to do??"

Well - yesterday, I had a phone interview for the 6th grade Language Arts position in Vernal. The interview didn't go so well, or so I thought. I was pouting about it and being a sourpuss about it all day yesterday. Then I got the phone call today, offering me the position. I feel a little silly that I put so much time in grieving over a job that I would eventually get. Sometimes life just turns out like that I guess! Needless to say, I am so excited, so grateful, and so mindful of my Heavenly Father's hand in my life. I have seen so many little blessings along the way of this transition. Mike and I are definitely being taken care of, and Heavenly Father definitley wants us to be in Vernal. Knowing that makes this move all the more exciting. I can't wait to see what life holds for us.

More Pictures for your viewing.

I finally uploaded the majority of our engagement pictures to a Picasa album. Follow the link to take a peek.... LINK. :)

Tender Mercies

Tonight I went over to the Quaker church by my church building to help with some of the books that were rescued from the fire. There were about thirty young single adults there trying to help in whatever way they could. It was touching to see how much everyone cared and wanted to help. We sat around for an hour cataloging the books. I wasn't there on Sunday to witness the whole event, so I don't know if I could adequatley describe what happened, but my friend Katie was telling me about some of the really touching things that happened on Sunday.

Across from our church is a Quaker church. On Sunday, they were holding silent worship. From what I understand - they pray for something and then begin a silent worship where they sit quietly and ponder waiting to hear God's will for them. No one is allowed to break the silence for the remainder of the meeting. The thing they prayed for that day was for ways to help their neighbors in the community. As they were sitting in silence, looking out their windows they noticed their neighbors from the Mormon church spilling out onto the lawn and their building in flames. Their leader broke the silence and asked if half of the congregation would come and help in whatever way they could. Promptly, they opened up their basement and nursery. A line was formed from our church to theirs and books from the institute library were passed down the line and into their basement. Only a few books were lost, and as I was helping organize the books tonight I was amazed at some of the books that we had. The Quakers have offered up their building for a place to hold FHE on Monday nights and they are allowing us to use their basement to organize and restore some of the books. Other churches in the area have offered their buildings for our congregation to meet. We have been told by our bishop that we will probably meet in a neighboring church or synagogue for the next few months. What a beautiful testament to Christlike love.

Fun and crazy weekend

This past weekend Mike's parents and brother came out for his graduation. I took the day off on Friday so I could spend some time with them around Boston. Mike's family is so great and we had such a fun time. Saturday we woke up and headed to New York City to see Wicked. This was by far the best one. I've seen the show three times now and I loved this one most of all. The actress that played "Glinda" was on one and I was laughing so hard. The drive back was eventful as we got a little misguided for a while in some Connecticut city :)

On Sunday Mike graduated from Pharmacy School. I am so proud of him! It took a lot of work and many sleepless nights for him to accomplish what he did - but he never gave up. I love how dedicated he is. After spending the day with everyone, I drove back to Boston. It was a little bittersweet because Mike would be leaving the next day to drive back to Utah. My Boston just won't be the same without him here this next month. I'm glad I get him for the rest of my life though.

Another crazy thing that happened - while I was sitting at Mike's graduation, I kept getting text messages from friends from church. Apparently everyone had to be evacuated from Stake Conference because the fire alarm went off. A few minutes later, after everyone was safely outside, there was visible smoke coming from the building and within an hour the entire church was in flames. The building was completely destroyed and it's a bit surreal. The story is here.

little adorables

On Mother's Day, all of my siblings that live in North Carolina went over to my parent's house to visit my mom. My cute little nieces got a chance to try on their flower girl dresses and they looked awesome! It's fun to see all the little flower girls together (minus Lilly and Natalie) and how much they love their dresses. My mom and sister did such an amazing job and I can't wait to see everything pulled together at the wedding. It's going to look so great.

On another note, today I packed up six boxes of books and binders and will probably have to pack up at least two more. Yikes! Also, I found a posting for a 6th grade Language Arts teaching position at Vernal Middle School. Cross your fingers and say your prayers for me - it would be a great job and I'm hoping to hear back from them in the next week or so.

On with pictures ....

a sneek peek

Tonight my roommate, and good friend, Bree, took some engagement pictures for me and Mike. Bree did an amazing job and we got some really fun shots. We're going to try for a few more on Sunday, so as to have a variety. Plus, there were tons of people around downtown so it wasn't easy being relaxed and doing fun poses. Anywhoo.... Here are some of my favorite pictures for you to peek at -

Time is flying

Some days drag on forever and some speed by so fast I don't even have time to catch my breath. Back in January, it felt like spring would never get here and that summer time was forever away. Now here we are in May, and I can't believe that school is over next month and my life is about to change - big time.

Getting married and moving across the country to a small town (Vernal, UT) I've never set foot in is going to be quite possibly the biggest adventure I've ever set out on. It will be a wonderful adventure, but one that makes my mind reel when I let it. I try not to let it. I try not to focus on the fact that I don't have a job for next year, that I don't know where I will be living, that I have to pack up my life and move across the country, that I will be finishing school and flying to Utah never to return to Boston again - all in the same day. I TRY not to think about those things because they tend to distract from the most important thing. The fact that I get to marry my best friend and spend the rest of my forever with him - that I'm not embarking on this crazy journey alone. It's nice to be able to experience such a huge change with someone you love by your side. And, oh boy, do I love this guy....

Stupid pigs

I've pretty much jumped on the bandwagon of nervousness caused by this darned swine flu. With every new case reported in Massachusetts, I get a little more anxious. Doesn't matter that no one in Massachusetts has died and that those who were diagnosed with the virus are now recovered and fine. Just the fact that some strange illness is running amuck makes me want to wash my hands a billion times. Today when i was in the middle of teaching about the fall of the Roman Republic and I broke out in cold sweats, my first thoughts were - hmm is it hot in here? Then when my hands started shaking and I could feel all of the blood drain from my face I thought - oh crap. I'm done for. I've got the stupid pig flu! It got worse from there to the point that I had to check out half way through my class and go home. I crashed for four hours - and am now just peachy. Turns out it wasn't swine flu. It was a bad egg. Yup. I ate a bad egg this morning. Does that count as bird flu?

Good Times

Saturday, my mom and sisters threw me a bridal shower. It was so much fun to finally be on the other end of a shower - I've thrown a few and attended many. The bride-to-be always looked like they were having so much fun. I can personally attest to this being true.

We played a game where for we built a "wedding dress". Everyone had a slip of paper that went along with a different material one would use for a wedding dress (silk, chiffon, lace, etc). On the other side of the paper was a question that my mom had asked Mike. If I answered the same way he did, my sister-in-law would add a flower to my bouquet. If I answered wrong - well I had to add a piece of gum to my mouth. I went into the game fairly confident that I would do really well. Mike and I have been dating for over a year and I'm fairly certain that I know him REALLY well. However, there were quite a few questions that stumped me. Who knew that Mike played football in high school? Or had a pet named Oreo? Seriously. At one point I was pretty sure he had made up answers just so I would have to add yet another piece of gum to the gob forming in my mouth. I gagged a few times... too much sugar. Plus, there were over 40 questions! In the end, I was feeling a little sick to my stomach from laughing so hard and trying to chew the ginormous piece of gum that was filling my mouth.

It was so good to see some of the people that I had known since we moved to Charlotte and I was so thankful for the wonderful presents that I received. It made me so excited to start our family and begin family traditions together. My neice Savannah was there and she wanted to be just like me - she made herself a little wedding dress and wanted to have a mouthful of gum too. When I opened one present that happened to be a "Love Basket" (courtesy of my sisters - it is also infamously known as the "Get-it-on basket"), I tried to be discreet and open everything really fast. Savannah caught on to what the basket was all about and got a mad case of the giggles. Her face turned bright red and she about fell over. Oh, Savannah. Good Times, Good Times.

Me preparing for the game - you can tell I was maybe a little bit too confident going in.

At this point my cheeks were starting to hurt - I had to be specific in answering the questions to get the answer right. For example, I couldn't just say that Mike's favorite shirt was a blue and white striped polo. I had to say where he bought it. Cheap.

At the end of the game, I posed with my HUGE bubble and awesome bouquet.

Savannah posing in her matching outfit. I love this kid.