Matt and Mallory Seamons

He's So Smart

2011-12-19T21:49:00.003-07:00

Anyone who knows Matt knows that he is an engineer through and through. He loves it. Well in one of his engineering classes, his group did outstanding on a circuit project. So they got interviewed, did their little photo shoot, and ended up on BYU's homepage today. They'll be interviewed for the Daily Harold as well. Good Job, babe!

Dancing in the Kitchen

2011-12-11T21:38:00.003-07:00

I pretty much have the best husband ever. He is seriously so good to me. Not only does he always tell me I'm beautiful, give me daily massages just because he likes to, work hard for us, make me want to be a better person, and the list goes on... but he dances with me in the kitchen. A lot. And it doesn't get old. Yesterday, I was getting some water out of the fridge, I felt a little tap tap on my shoulder, I looked over, and he swept me into his arms and started dancing with me. Humming a tune he knows I like and giving me butterflies.

And yes, it was just like in the movies. What a romantic.

I'm a lucky girl :)

It didn't disappoint...

2011-11-15T16:32:00.014-07:00

So I am totally obsessed with two series: 1) Harry Potter, and 2) The Hunger Games! When I learned that they were doing a movie of the Hunger Games, I got a little nervous because I love the books so much. They HAVE to do a good job on the movies! Well I saw the trailer yesterday and so far, it does not disappoint. I'm so excited! March, please come quickly!

You can help out

2011-11-07T16:14:00.003-07:00

So I have this friend, Lizzie, who is the cutest mom ever to two of the cutest little boys ever. They want to add another lucky baby to their family through adoption. They are currently fundraising through a little something called Ordinary Hero. It's an online store that gives Lizzie 40% of all items sold. (You have to select her name and the pull down menu at checkout.) Check it out :)

Lizzie is also a wonderful photographer. She's doing a photo session giveaway, and you can have a chance to win it by buying something from Ordinary Hero or sharing their story and fundraising.

Check out their story and more details here at her blog. Good luck, Lizzy!

There are no words...

2011-11-02T20:04:00.005-06:00

OK, well maybe a few choice words crossed my mind during my traumatic experience yesterday. As my mom would say- "Gag me with a rubber twinkie" or something like that. My lunch yesterday went as follows:

I felt like having a delicious chicken salad. Grilled chicken, check. Other toppings, check. Organic spinach and spring greens, check. On my plate, check. Oh, wait a minute. It looks like one of the leaves is bad or has something on it. Better pick it out. Upon first glance, it appeared to be a dried curled up leaf stuck to another one. I touched it (obviously- I was picking it off) but it kinda stuck. And felt firm, yet soft and a little squishy. Oh no. It can't be. Upon closer inspection, it looked a little something like this:

My lovely pupa was a little less obvious because of the stuff that was making it stick to the leaf. Um, that was unexpected. And a tad horrifying, considering I was going to put it in my mouth and chomp it up. I was so freaked out that i immediately threw it down the disposal while gagging and almost knocking everything else to the floor. I didn't even think to get a picture, which I'm not even sad about because even posting this other picture for you all is making all the old feelings rush back, lol. Matt will be sad, however. He would have wanted to keep it and see it emerge from it's little home. Boys are so gross.

Needless to say, I did not have salad that day.

Organic is great, but not that organic. Hopefully I will get over this fear of salad soon!

The hunt is on...

2011-09-22T18:05:00.004-06:00

Matt is in full fledged internship/job search mode. He has a plethora (my word of the day) of interviews this week and next week. Yay, hunny! Seems to be that electrical engineers are in a pretty good spot right now. Doesn't hurt that he's a smarty pants with a tip-top GPA, awesome work experience, and a smashing personality. But enough of my bragging. Turns out quite a few of them are companies where his work would need to be a secret. There would be no telling me all about all of his crazy programming languages, whirly birds (funny name, right?), or other engineering concepts that are way over my head. I love that he's so excited about what he does. He loves it. Wants to fill me in on every little detail. So if he ended up with some top secret job, would I be a little sad if I wouldn't be so informed about his day? Maybe. I love his excitement about everything little thing. Would I miss every equation and 10 new engineering vocabulary words a day? Probably not! (shh- don't tell him! I'm just glad he's the engineer and not me. Not my cup of tea.) I've got the smile and nod thing down to an art. Anyway, it will be interesting to see what comes along. Knock 'em dead, babe.

Many of my cute friends have left good old Utah for jobs and internships, and now I get to be the lucky one wondering exactly where we'll be once this school year comes to an end.

Mom- yes we are trying to stay in Utah :) Hopefully something awesome will come up!

So good luck to Matt with his 4 interviews tomorrow, another on Saturday, and more next week. You're gonna rock their socks off.

I am going to try to recommit to my little blog here. Matt and I had an awesome summer. The best! So here's to hoping I will finally get around to posting about it maybe this weekend.

Tomorrow is Friday! YEAH! Have a good one :)

One of the Greatest Perks

2011-06-07T13:25:00.008-06:00

One of the greatest perks of working in education is the SUMMER!! Oh sun, how I've missed you. Sleeping in? Yes please! A few months vacation from lesson planning, grading, and long commutes- I'll take it! Don't get me wrong- teaching and interpreting have been good. Happy to get first-year teaching behind me, but I'll miss my fun students these few months. Thrilled with the progress I've made with interpreting. Can't quite leave that one alone this summer. I'm an interpreting workshop nerd- I love them :) Interpreting is so fun. So here is my list of things to do this wonderful summer:

Interpreting camp

A bit of singing

Tonsil’s out (not one of the fun things. Boo.)

Zion’s trip with my awesome friends

Maybe take up swimming? A triathlon sounds intriguing. I’ve got the running and biking down. But that darn water… We’ll see.

Celebrate our 3 year anniversary (maybe Disneyland?)

Some camping and other outdoor adventures

Reading

And more reading! (I want to read all the Harry Potter books before this next movie comes out. Gotta get crackin!)

Yep, I think it’s gonna be a good one!

I’ve also got to give a shout-out to my wonderful, beautiful, all-grown-up little sister. She graduated last week! I can’t believe it. I still see her as 10 or something. Good job, Brit! I love you!

Isn't she the most beautiful girl you've ever seen? Holy Moly.

October's over? What?

2010-10-31T17:37:00.003-06:00

Wow I have no idea how October flew by as fast as it did! So much has happened! It was a great month. First of all, it was my birthday. Yes, I am the big 24. So weird. Whenever my birthday rolls around I always say how I feel so old... then everyone I know who is over the age of 30 gets mad at me and tells me I can't say that because I'm still a baby. OK, I know I'm not that old, but still! It's old for ME OK?? haha. But my birthday was fabulous. It consisted of going out to dinner, feeling like a princess, and getting a bike from my super husband :) We want to find some fun new trails close by to go biking on, so hopefully we'll have a couple more days of good weather! If not, my wonderful little bike will have to wait until winter decides to leave again.

It was also Matt's birthday this month! He's a whole quarter of a century now. Jeez, and I thought I was old! ;) Poor guy had to take a seriously brutal Probability test on his special day and pulled over a 13-hour day at the school. Yuk. But he had a great attitude, and we went out to Tucanos the next day. I appreciate him so much! He works so hard for us and is the best husband a girl could ask for! Happy birthday, babe!!

Oh, and something random for those of you who love jewelry...

There is a fun jewelry giveaway on this blog I follow. What girl doesn't love jewelry? Especially for free :) They have tons of cute stuff! And Our Family Treat has lots of yummy recipes I love to drool over. Check it out!

Time for Fall!!

2010-10-05T20:03:00.002-06:00

I absolutely love fall. I love the colorful leaves, the wonderful temperatures, and the holidays! Halloween is so much fun, and it's also a fun reminder that Thanksgiving and Christmas are not too far away! YAY! I love any excuse to have a great time getting together with friends and family. And how often do you get to dress like a crazy person? Fabulous.

Speaking of Halloween, I'm trying to think of something fun that Matt and I can dress up as. Any fun ideas?

Dear Fall- please don't go away too quickly. I really love you. And I'm really not a winter fan...

Pure Bliss

2010-09-27T17:31:00.003-06:00

I have made a simple discovery that has changed my life forever!! OK, so maybe that's a bit dramatic, but I am SOOOO in love with a new little snack that I found here. Tried it for the first time today and I am now addicted.

Apple slices with a yummy little dip consisting of fat-free cottage cheese, truvia/stevia, and cinnamon! It's even scrumptious without the cinnamon. I also tried a different version and used plain greek yogurt rather than cottage cheese, which was also delish! (Still gotta include the truvia.) I'm already an apple-addict, and now I have even more reason to be one! Good thing it's a healthy addiction, or I'd be in trouble!

So here's a shout-out to you, Johnny Appleseed. My life wouldn't be the same without you. Thanks a bunch!

Neglected...

2010-09-11T10:18:00.007-06:00

Yes, I have neglected my poor blog. But I'm resolving to try to be better...we'll see how that goes haha.

It's starting to get chillier and it's finally sinking in that the care-free days of summer are at an end. Summertime is basically my favorite thing ever. I was spoiled this summer to not have to work as much. I got a lot of time to relax and play! Our last little trip of the summer was to Bear Lake with my family. Matt and I got to go up to the lake a few times this summer- we love it there!My sister (Brittney), brother (Brandon), Mom, Matt and Me in the lake

Connor and Brit working on their Sand Castle Kingdom

We've also had fun hanging out with good friends...

And moving!

Yes, we moved, but it was only about 15 minutes away from where we lived before. Just upsizing :) Loving the 2 bedrooms, laundry room, dishwasher, and no crappy electrical problems! I was also ready for a nice little change. In all of the moving hullabaloo, I failed to really take any big pictures. (Shocker. I really need to be better at picture taking.) I'll post some better pictures later.

Well now that summer vacation is officially over, I have been busy with work again! I'm teaching part-time at a high school and also interpreting part time. It's fun doing both because I can get a lot of variety. It definitely keeps me busy, but I'm liking it :)

Matt is starting his first semester of the electrical engineering program at BYU and has quickly found out that this will be a challenging and busy school year for him! But he's a smarty-pants and will do so great. He's excited to be in the program and learn all kinds of cool stuff. (He gets excited about it and tries to explain it all to me. I'm no electrical engineer, nor do I wish to be, so I've got the "smile and nod" down. Never understand a word of it!

Yay for the start of a new school year! It's gonna be a busy and good one!

2 Years

2010-08-01T17:08:00.002-06:00

Today is my 2 year wedding anniversary to the greatest guy in the world. It really has been the best 2 years of my life. We have accomplished a lot together this past year and are excited to see what year 3 has in store for us. Got a feeling it's gonna be a good one!

So, Matt- thanks for being my perfect match.
Thanks for everything good that you are, and for making me a better person, too.
I love you!

ice cream creations and other adventures

2010-07-13T11:58:00.018-06:00

Wow- I have absolutely no idea where June went, and July is already half over! Summer is flying by a billion times faster than I want it to, but I guess that's what I get for having so much fun! It's crazy to think I'll start teaching next month.

Matt and I have been livin it up, kickin back, and doing lots of fun stuff. We went to Macey's last night to get a massive Kong Cone to share, and ended up discovering a hidden talent. Soft-serve sculpting! Ok, Matt did most of the work because honestly, I'm not too good at it. Maybe one day I will match his awesome skills. But here is the lovely ice cream man we (he) did.

As we started slowly carving and eating away at out ice cream man's face, I decided it looked a little like an alien. So Matt gave it some more finishing touches.

Ahem. Ya, kinda freaky.

On to other recent fun events...

We had a blast camping up American Fork Canyon

Taking a tour of Timpanogos Cave

Delicious summer BBQ's

And other random adventures, with more to come :)

I love summer time!

Hired!

2010-06-12T23:24:00.003-06:00

GOOD NEWS- I am going to be a teacher next school year! Starting in August, I will be teaching ASL (American Sign Language) at Copper Hills High School. I'm really excited, because that is where I did my student teaching, and it's a great school with a booming ASL program :) I've had some great experiences there. Still never got used to being called Mrs. Seamons. The school prefers students to not call teachers by their first names. "Mrs. Seamons" just makes me feel so old! haha. But then when other teachers mistake me for a high school student and tell me to get to class, that makes up for it LOL. Teaching can be really time consuming and stressful, but it can also be so rewarding and fun. I'm looking forward to seeing what this first year has in store!

Since graduating, I have been working as an ASL interpreter, which has also been fun. I love being able to be creative with language and to continue learning new things all the time. Now that I'm all graduated and done with school, I have loved working in areas that have actually related to what I studied in school for so long. It all paid off, and it's so fun to apply what I've learned in the "real world." :)

My favorite thing so far

2010-05-26T18:50:00.002-06:00

Summer is my favorite! Though the warm weather hasn't decided to stay for good yet, I have already loved loved loved my "summer break" and being done with school. One of my favorite things this past month has been reading. Reading for pleasure! Reading whatever I want to read! That's right- it's not a textbook and it has no deadlines or chapter summaries. I hadn't read a book that wasn't school-related in a long time. I have a nice list of books that my eyeballs will be devouring and I'm quite excited about it. So far, I have read The Kite Runner and am currently on the Uglies. Now it just needs to get a little warmer so I can read outside at a pretty park and get some sun on my pasty white winter skin haha.

What good books have you read? Any good suggestions?

Movin' on!

2010-05-06T15:23:00.013-06:00

On April 30th, Matt and I graduated from Utah Valley University! I graduated with my BA degree in Deaf Studies/ASL Education and Matt graduated with his AAS degree in Digital Media and AS degree in Mathematics. It was a great day! Both of our parents came down and we spent a long (but fun) day at UVU for the commencement and both of our convocations. What a relief to be done! It hasn't really hit me yet, but I'm sure it will when Matt starts classes at BYU in the fall and I don't. Watch out, electrical engineering program, here he comes!!It's so strange to think that I'm done with school! I have been a student since I was 6, which means that 17 years of my life have been dedicated to school. That's a long time! I've always loved it, but recently have been a bit burnt out, so this whole graduation deal was good timing :)
Reflecting back, some of my favorite things about school have been:

The feeling of progression and growthLearning new perspectives and interesting thingsInspiring teachersSense of accomplishment
Pride in my hard work and reaching my goals
Learning how to be dedicated
The wonderful friends and memories I have made

So now, here's to moving on to the next step of life! I'm currently working as an interpreter and looking for an ASL teaching position. So we'll see what happens! It can be scary moving on to new things and leaving the things that are comfortable and familiar, but it's also exciting. :) Hopefully the future will have many more good things in store :) It's been fun so far!

Lately

2010-04-22T14:04:00.004-06:00

I haven't posted anything for a while because it seems all we've been up to has been school and homework! But things are finally starting to settle down (for me anyway) and I'm pretty excited about it :) I finished out student teaching about a week ago, I finished my senior project today, and I don't have any other finals. I'm done! What a relief and sense of accomplishment. Can't wait until April 30th when I get to walk and make it official! I'll have my BA degree in Deaf Studies/ASL Education.

My last day student teaching! Here are a few of my awesome students.

Matt will be busy with finals next week, but he'll be graduating UVU on the 30th as well, but with his AAS degree in Digital Media and his AS degree in Mathematics. Then it's off to BYU to finish up his electrical engineering degree! whew! It will be a lot of work, but I'm excited for him. He's such a smarty pants and works so hard- he'll do great!

I'm on the job search for ASL teaching positions and it's slim pickins, but hopefully something will come along. It's also time to figure out what to do with summer! Haven't thought much about it until just now. Guess I'll be looking for some kind of work and definitely doing a lot of playing! This warm weather is making me so happy!!! (Well besides the snow this morning. Jeez!) Matt and I are working on our fun summer itinerary, and it's gonna be good. There will be much more interesting things to blog about!

Matt and I enjoying the beautiful warm weather after a visit to the Salt Lake Temple

Hope you all have a wonderful week! I'm already looking forward to posting all about graduation!

So Close!

2010-03-22T11:52:00.003-06:00

Student Teaching this semester has been super crazy and busy, but I've learned a lot. The teacher I have been working with is fabulous, and the students have been good (for the most part ;) ) Today, I had my 7th evaluation- which means I only have one more left! YAY! It's tomorrow and I'll be very happy to be done with them all. Being evaluated is not my favorite.

My last day teaching is April 13th! So close- and it feels soooo good. April 30th (GRADUATION) is going to be the best day ever. Got a lot to do before then, but at least it's a light at the end of the tunnel :) I'm trying to think of something awesome to go do after graduation to celebrate. Any fun ideas?

Happy Valentines Day

2010-02-13T21:56:00.007-07:00

I am the luckiest girl in the world, because I'm married to this amazing guy.

Matt- Thanks for your love, support, encouragement, hard work, patience, sense of humor, your amazing example, for being my best friend, and for all the other wonderful things you are. I couldn't have picked anyone better for me than you. I can't believe I have it so good!

Love you!!

Happy Valentines Day, everyone :)

My favorite

2010-01-30T13:31:00.007-07:00

The Road Not Taken, by Robert Frost, has been my favorite poem ever since I had to memorize it in 5th grade. I love that when I second guess myself or really just want to take the easy way out of something, this poem comes to my mind and reminds me that all of the big decisions I'm making and all of the hard things I'm doing now will help me grow into the best person I can be.

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

~Robert Frost

why, thank you :)

2010-01-23T09:12:00.003-07:00

I came home to a pleasant surprise last night! My cute husband got me flowers with a sweet little note congratulating me on my Student-Teaching so far. Thanks for being so thoughtful, honey!
And thanks for picking up all the slack this crazy semester.

I love you.

And I love flowers :)

One Step at a Time

2010-01-20T18:01:00.003-07:00

You know the song "One Step at a Time" by Jordin Sparks? Well I've had that song in my head all day long. I think it's my subconscious trying to tell me to take a deep breath, stop acting like a chicken running around with my head cut off, and just focus on one thing at a time. I have been a little stressed lately (to say the least) and I need to be better at remembering that I can't get to the top of Mount Everest in one giant step. It's the little steps that will get me there eventually. Hopefully my "take a chill pill" attitude will last further than when I wake up tomorrow morning, haha. So here's to taking it step by step!

Wow, I'm really gonna be in the mood for an escalator after this one.... :)

Free Simple Grace Download

2009-11-04T13:48:00.006-07:00

Just a heads up about Positive Music and Download's free song of the week! You can download Simple Grace's song "Trust in Him" here :)

Enjoy!

I need to catch up on some blogging, so more to come later!

One Word...

2009-10-01T21:34:00.007-06:00

CERTIFIED!

That's right, my friends. I am now a certified American Sign Language Interpreter.

and I couldn't be happier.

and more relieved.

a little nervous,

but so motivated and excited.

I will definitely be partying this weekend...

Holding on for dear life...

2009-09-18T13:57:00.003-06:00

I'm sure most of you have had the feeling that you may just not make it through the week. This seems to be that week for me, along with a couple of my friends, too. "I just have to make it through next Thursday" is my new mantra. As I was repeating this over and over, and desperately looking forward to next weekend when things will hopefully calm down a bit, I remembered a conversation I had with a friend a while back. We were talking about the importance of enjoying the moment and the place in life that we are at. It can be so easy for me to forget that and think things like "after this semester, school should be much better," or "one more year and I'm finally done with school and can move on, " or "once we have a bigger house I will be so very happy."

So, I may be stressed and overwhelmed to the max this week, but I am going to try to change my attitude a bit. Maybe it will even help de-stress me. I am going to be grateful that I can even go to school. I may have impossible amounts of homework, but at least I can read, afford books, and have a computer. At least I can work toward a career that I really want. At least I have hobbies and talents, even though they often require a lot of extra time and commitments. And hey, I have the greatest husband, family, and friends ever to help me through weeks like this one.

So here's to everyone who's having just as crazy or hard of a week as I am. It will pass and we can do it :) Just hold on, keep an attitude of gratitude, and take it one thing at a time. That's my goal- we'll see if it helps me survive...

Simple Grace Fall Concert!!

2009-09-08T14:10:00.004-06:00

The Simple Grace Concert is finally here! I've been meaning to blog about it sooner to give you all a little more notice, but school and homework seem to get me a little behind. So hopefully you can make it this Saturday to see the greatest concert you've ever seen!! ;) Don't miss it- we'd love to see you all there. It's been in the works for quite some time and we'll have some fun surprises in store. We'll be performing a few of our original songs from our album, as well as our own versions of some secular favorites.

It would be a great date night, family night, girls night out, or whatever you choose to call it. Come and be prepared to get your groove on and have a great time!

Thanks for all of the support! This has been such a fun and rewarding experience for the three of us. Life is good :)

Who: Simple Grace

What: Our exciting new fall concert!

Where: Farmington Community Arts Center
120 S. Main Street Farmington

When: Saturday September 12th
7:30 p.m.

Admission: $5 in advance
$25 for a family of six in advance
$7 at the door

email simplegracemusic@gmail.com for tickets or any questions you may have.

or talk to me. :)

Dear Summer Break,

2009-08-22T11:23:00.003-06:00

It has truly been a great 4 months. Thanks for the wonderful warm weather, fabulous vacations, extra time spent with friends and family, some lazy and relaxing days, and a much needed break from school. Seeing as this is the last weekend before fall semester starts again, I just thought I'd say how much I've loved my time with you. Thank you for allowing me to take a big breath and get motivated and rejuvenated for one more year of school. Just one more and I'm done! (Unless I consider graduate school. It's not out of the question, but we'll decide on that a little later...) You have always been my favorite time of the year. I love you so very much.

Sincerely,
Mallory

ONE Year!!

2009-08-03T21:07:00.008-06:00

Our 1 year anniversary was on August 1st and it was so wonderful! Matt and I spent the weekend celebrating up at Bear Lake. Everything was absolutely perfect (besides the wasp sting I got the last day there. Ouch!) We did some fun things including

four wheeling,

relaxing on the beach,

seeing "Annie Get Your Gun" at a darling little playhouse,

and spending quality time with each other.

I love this man more and more every day. He is the greatest husband, friend, and example in the whole world. I am so grateful to be his wife for time and all eternity. This year has been the best of my life, and we are looking forward to all of the adventures the next years will bring to us! I love him, and I love vacations. Therefore, this was the best weekend ever!

Shine :)

2009-06-20T13:59:00.003-06:00

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

~Marianne Williamson

Free awesome download :)

2009-06-17T19:46:00.007-06:00

To any of you who haven't heard any Simple Grace songs, you can download one for free on Positive Music and Downloads! I'm not sure how long it will be free for, so take advantage while you can. :) It's actually my favorite song on the album. It is called Daddy's Little Girl and I wrote it for my dad, whom I love very much. He is such an inspiration to me of love, sacrifice, integrity, and SO many other good things that I want to be. He, along with my wonderful mom, has always helped me stay on the right path and live the kind of life that will always bring me the most joy no matter what. Though I have a wonderful relationship with my earthly father, this song is also about how we are all sons and daughters of a loving Heavenly Father who knows and cares about each and every one of us. Anyway, take a listen and let me know what you think!

Love you, Dad!!

Oh, and ps- Our album made it into the top 10 albums on Positive Music and Downloads! We are number 9 right now. How cool is that? Yay!

The New Music Show

2009-06-09T12:15:00.005-06:00

Hey just thought I'd let you all know that Simple Grace recently had the opportunity to interview with producer Greg Hansen for his weekly radio show on yourldsradio- The New Music Show with Greg Hansen. It was so much fun going to the studio and telling Greg and all of the many listeners about our story and our passion for what we do. Give it a listen at yldsr.com, click the "play" button, and let me know what you think! I think it turned out well :) It will be up until next Tuesday, then it will move to the New Music Show archives.

feelin' musical

2009-05-22T14:29:00.005-06:00

I've decided I'm going to start teaching myself the guitar (again.) I started a year and a half ago or something like that, but then broke my hand and have since forgotten what I had learned. It's been pretty fun and successful so far! Hopefully my fingers get used to it soon- ouch!
I have also had to pick my flute back up again for some Simple Grace songs we are working on. Wow- let's just say it's been a while and I've got a lot of practicing to do! I played a lot in High School because I was in band, but since then, I've only played a few times for church stuff. My lips are feelin it! Man, I used to have some serious muscles in my lips back when I played all the time! (I'm sure Matt will appreciate me practicing again, lol.) The neighbors might not... oh well. Whatever I've got to do, this song is going to sound awesome. Maybe I'll pick up some earplugs for Matt today :)

My second true love is

2009-05-15T12:22:00.003-06:00

Most definitely cold cereal. I love it so much. Yesterday, we ran out of it, which was a first because I always make sure we have more than enough on hand. So today, we ate oatmeal and I was so sad. Any morning that I don't have cold cereal just seems incomplete and quite depressing, actually. So I just got back from the grocery store with some more, and I had it for lunch. *sigh* so much better now. I felt so happy that I just had to publicly express how wonderful I think cereal is. ;) My dad's on the same page. Growing up, I remember him eating it for dinner sometimes. I think that's where I got my obsession from. Thanks, Dad! And thank you, Post, Kellogg, General Mills, Malt-O-Meal, and all you other cereal people.

Mark Your Calendars

2009-05-13T12:53:00.004-06:00

The Simple Grace debut concert will be held on Friday, August 7 at the Farmington Community Arts Center, probably at 7:30 pm. It will be a blast and you all should come! There will be a wide variety of music and everyone will have something to enjoy. More to come as it gets closer :)

we are excited...

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T10:01:00.004-06:00

I love my mom so much! I thought I'd list off a few things that make her so great...

- She always puts her family first
- She makes me laugh so so much!
- She has always been so involved and supportive
- She is so giving. Time, energy, and everything else she can
- She's a best friend as well as a mother
- She is so talented, and she magnifies those talents by using them to help others
- She is a wonderful example of the kind of mother I want to be

Here's a pic of my mom and her girls :)

Matt's mom is also a wonderful mother and I couldn't be happier to have her as a mother-in-law! I sure got lucky with the amazing family I married into. Here are a few reasons why Matt and I love Lou so much...

- She loves her family so much and would do anything for them
- She is such a hard worker
- She sincerely loves everyone
- She is very giving of all that she has
- She's very outgoing and loves to have fun!
- She uses her talents to bless the lives of others
- She's an amazing example of what we want to be more like

Obviously both of our mom's have so many good qualities that they share (wow, very similar lists! Sorry for the repetition!) and they are both so unique as well. We could go on forever about both of them, but we hope they know how much we love them! Happy mother's day!

summer plans

2009-04-22T23:13:00.007-06:00

Summer vacation is fast approaching! Next week is finals week, then Matt and I will begin our summer plans. Matt will be selling food storage for a company called Ready Pak. Luckily, it is in Utah so we can stay close to home :)
As for me, I will be staying very busy as well. I will be working in the Salt Lake office for Ready Pak, and also working on expanding my Mary Kay business. Nothing is better than hanging out with girls and playing with make up and skin care products! It's a great company.I will also be working a lot on improving my interpreting skills so I can get certified! Interpreting is challenging, but so fun because you can be creative with language, learn about a lot of different things, and always have a new goal to work towards. It is so hard, but so great.

My group, Simple Grace, will also be preparing for our Debut concert in August! It's going to be so much fun! Much practicing, planning, and song writing will be in order. Love it! Keep posted for details as it approaches.

Sometimes I Wish I Was...

2009-04-14T22:12:00.019-06:00

On Vacation

A Mommy

An amazing seamstress

Living in a beautiful castle in Switzerland

Graduated

An Interpreter

A professional tennis player

Fluent in five different languages

A bird

The Star of a music video

But most of all, I love being me!!!!

Thanks for the cute idea, Dani!
*You are all tagged!

Good news :)

2009-04-08T21:34:00.007-06:00

The results are in! Last night I found out that I passed the written portion of the Utah Interpreter Certification test! Phew what a relief! So needless to say, I'm quite thrilled. With this one down, now I just need to get ready to pass my performance test. That will be waiting until sometime this summer. That would be great if I could pass that the first time too, so I'll be working hard!

More good news is that the Simple Grace website is finally up! To learn a little more about us, listen to music, check out some photos, or schedule anything, check it out at www.simplegracemusic.com.

crunch time

2009-04-06T10:13:00.002-06:00

Matt and I just got back from a great time in St. George! It was a great vacation and like all great vacations, it went by way too fast! Now it's back to school. Speaking of school, March is gone and that means it's now the last month of the semester. I'm going to have to kick this senioritis outta here and get crackin on all of my final papers and projects. It's a great feeling to know I only have three more weeks of classes... but it's also a little frightening that I only have three weeks to get everything done! Good luck everyone! Let the countdown to summer break begin!

I'm so excited, and I just can't hide it...

2009-03-17T13:14:00.005-06:00

It's getting WARM, and I couldn't be more excited! Two days ago, I decided I'd get some of that glorious vitamin D outside while I did my homework. It was beautiful. Well, time flew and before I knew it, an hour had gone by. Who would have guessed homework could actually go by so fast? Well, I have much to show for that hour- a lot of studying accomplished, and a crazy red sunburn! ouch. That's okay, it will just turn into an awesome tan line. Today, I'm just sportin' my Christmas colors- red skin and green clothes for St. Patty's Day! Matt's not wearing green, oh and he definitely has a pinch coming...

We also had a great time at the Flash basketball game last night! Simple Grace sang the national anthem, then we had fun with my family during the game. The Flash lost, but time spent with friends and family is always the best part! Happy St. Patrick's Day, everyone!

Simple Grace at Showtime Utah

2009-02-19T22:03:00.003-07:00

Hey everyone! I just wanted to let you know of an upcoming event that Simple Grace will be singing at. It's called Showtime Utah on Monday, Feb 23 they are having "Family Night Live!" We are singing with Stephen Nelson, a wonderful artist, and it will be a blast! It would be a fun family night, date night, or just a fun night to get out and enjoy some good music!

The address is 20 S. Main, Pleasant Grove, UT. It goes from 6:30 pm until about 8:00, and ticket prices are $5 per person at the door (children under 5 are free). You will also see our CD's sold there. For more information you can visit ShowtimeUtah.com or call them at 801-636-9669. We would love to see you there!

Spanish, here I come!!

2009-02-18T13:04:00.002-07:00

Yes, I now have a new goal in life- and that is to learn Spanish! I am so excited! Matt said he would learn it with me (although I don't think he quite shares my level of crazy extreme enthusiasm! haha). I think it will be a really fun thing for us to learn and do together. And I really want to be trilingual. (English, ASL, and Spanish!) How cool does that sound? lol. I don't know if I'm going to take any Spanish courses at UVU because classes I need for my degree and graduation are priority for sure, but it's something I'm going to try to start on my own and with help of friends and family who know the language. Then maybe when I have room in my schedule for real classes, I will take them then. But I already bought the Spanish CD ROM I am going to use and everything. My action plan is ready to go! I may only be able to learn a little bit at a time during this semester, but once summer hits, I am totally devoting mucho time! It's going to be great. Wish us luck on our new language adventure!! Anyone else want to join us?

Friday the 13th

2009-02-13T14:31:00.000-07:00

Well today is that scary day, but nothing bad has happened to me... yet. Actually I'm not a superstitious person. I do everything the superstitious people tell me not to do. And I'm perfectly happy :) I just read that an estimated $800 or $900 million is lost in business on Friday the 13th because people won't fly or do business like they normally would do. Crazy! Today has actually been a pretty good day for me. One of my classes was canceled, it's not snowing, it's the weekend, I have a hot date with my cute husband, and I feel great! So I'm a little curious- has anything awful ever happened to you on this dreadful day of superstition? I would love a good story :)

Yay Christmas Break!!

2008-12-17T22:19:00.000-07:00

Finals are FINALLY over! (Well, after Matt turns in his last project tomorrow.) This is a wonderful pic of Matt doing his computer programming homework. I'm glad it's him, not me! Now it's time to take a little breather from homework and studying and we are so excited! As much as we love school, we also live for the vacations haha. Now that it's finally snowing, we are looking forward to some fun snow adventures ahead :)

We have had a fun week with family, as my awesome brother left for his mission today! Ohio will be in for a treat :) I'm back to writing a missionary again, so this should be fun!! Here's a pic of the family at the MTC. What an exciting day! We are very happy for him.

Well, more to come soon!

And the blogging begins...

2008-11-10T21:38:00.000-07:00

Well we are starting out on our new blog adventure! Speaking of adventures, we have had three months of fun times starting our lives together. We've been married since August and wouldn't go back for the world. We were sealed in the Bountiful, UT Temple and are completely crazy about each other! We went on a fun Honeymoon to Yellowstone and Island Park, then moved to our new little humble abode in Orem. Yay for school! We love being students and are trying to make the most of every moment we have!

Ya, so Matt is getting the wonderful opportunity to be the man of the house and fix all of our old poor-student stuff that is already falling apart! haha no, I guess it's only the cute but old dresser. The wonderful handyman has the dresser out in the living room fixing it so I can actually open the drawers to get to my clothes. Yay! I have thoroughly enjoyed having a man by my side to kill scary spiders, be with me when I have to go outside in the scary darkness, fix the computer, make me laugh, kiss my forehead (because that is so cute) and love me. :) I am such a lucky girl! What a wonderful guy!