Twenty-Thirteen

Is it just me or are the years going by faster and faster? I know I know, its just because I'm getting old and so time goes by quicker because a year is a smaller portion of my lifespan... blah blah blah.

The point is, its time for the YEAR REVIEW!!!

Lists of memories from this year:

BIG Things:
Angel and Mike tying the knot!
Newest nephew & Nevin-ite born - Koen Hale Nevin!
Parker baptized at age 8!

Trips:
Portland - for Ari's very special Wildwood birthday party!!!
Texas - just because I miss all my dear friends and family who live far away & I had to meet all their new babies I already love and adore!
California - where we rocked six flags and sunburns (okay it was just Julie on the sun burn thing)
Cedar City - Utah Shakespeare Festival for my first time! We saw 12 Angry Men and Peter & the Starcatcher. Both were amazing.

Shows worked on:
Rapunzel - first time I was back ON stage, probably since High School, for reals.
Harlem Shake - does this count as a show? haha In case you missed it:

The Box - a wonderful new piece by Christian Swenson, that I was dramaturg for (kinda.)
Hello Dolly - SM for the Jerry Elison
The Scarlet Pimpernel - SCERA Shell Summer show, again alongside Mr. E!
The Jerry Elison Scholarship Night - I was the emcee - which was scary. But I'd do anything for that man!
A Christmas Carol - 3rd year! It gets better every time! And of course, with Jerry!

Other Shining Moments:
Our beautiful new juicer!!
Being Cinderella for a day in the 4th of July parade!
Seeing Wicked for my 25th birthday
#uglypicturefacecontest
Andrew finished wheel of time series - an end of an era
Hiking up around Strawberry Lake & seeing wild beavers only a few feet in front of us
Attending the Beautiful Singing vocal camp at BYU with my Mommy!
Lincoln riding on 2 wheels
Halloween - biker duo
Anvil, thermos, axe collection grew and grew
Little camping trip
Witches Tea Convention
Andrew's axe from the Ukraine
And of course just stopping at every estate sale and antique shop we can! seriously.

Not-so shining moments:
Spraining my ankle jumping in puddles
Scout's eye infection and having to wear the miserable cone
My awful sunburn from Cali
Cracking my iPhone
My fantasy football team
.....wait why are these mostly about me?
Wasting too much time of our lives watching the Netflix original series Hemlock Grove.

Memorable Movies of 2013 (in no particular order):
Catching Fire, Ender's Game, Gravity, Monster University, Iron man 3, Life of Pi, Bridesmaids, Warm Bodies, OZ: Great and Powerful, The Great Gatsby, Silver Linings Playbook, Django, Les Mis
Burt Wonderstone, Saving Mr. Banks, Bernie, and The host.... just kidding about the last one. :)

Firsts that happened this year:
Pyrex! And so began my obsession.
Dirty Dr. Pepper (at Swig)
Men in Black
Acting performance on Utah stage
Bachelor and Bachelorette viewing
Andrew's Handmade knife
Utah Shakespeare Festival

What I wish I could say we did this year.... and is *maybe* going on our goal list for 2014:
Buy a house
Start my online vintage shop
See a Broadway show in NYC
Take lots of pictures on our amazing camera. (I mean I took some this year, just not enough!)
Camping camping camping (again we did go, just not as much as we'd like to have)
More swimming and hot tubbing!!!! (notice the amount of exclamation points - this is serious)
Grow a garden

More of 2014 goals to come. But for now....

here's a little photo flip review of twenty-thirteen! 

Goodness it has been a long while.
I'm hoping to eventually catch up and start this whole blog thing again!

But for now, I'm just going to share a quote. I heard this quote for the first time yesterday, and I cannot stop thinking about it.

“There is no difficulty that enough love will not conquer: no disease that love will not heal: no door that enough love will not open...It makes no difference how deep set the trouble: how hopeless the outlook: how muddled the tangle: how great the mistake. A sufficient realization of love will dissolve it all. If only you could love enough you would be the happiest and most powerful being in the world..."

― Emmet Fox

The love he talks about is not limited to our own human love, but also by the love from our Heavenly Father. The love from our Savior. The love that abounds from the atonement. Because that love, specifically, is the love that will conquer & heal all things. Although, even among each other, it is always about love. Love is what brings us peace and joy.

That's all.

Happy Day!

This is a story about how I am just a cliche girl

It was the most normal of days as I can recall. 
Andrew was in Moab for work, that was all.
I came home from rehearsal at the break of midnight.
I opened the door, unloaded my things, and felt for light.

Then, a most peculiar thing happened.
As the lights turned on, I thought my eyes were to deceive me.
I saw a thing on the floor.
A wee of a thing. Just about 4 inches, no more.
It was brown and it was furry.
When saw what is was, you can imagine my worry!

I froze in my place and dialed for husband to make me feel safe.
Overcome with sheer angst I whispered, "there's a mouse in the house!
What do I do? I'm afraid he will run around in great haste!"
In his absence and his wisdom,
He called for his father come to my assistance.

In a very short time Leonard arrived, tools in hand,
To take on this beast I so frightfully feared.
In the large net he was utterly caught.
Leonard picked up the mouse
and flushed him right down the pot!

Now, some may laugh and point fun,
that I could not catch that little of one.
But mice are gross, and weird.
Cute from afar, or in a glass jar,
but not in your house, not on the floor.
I do not feel shame in my digust,
Only pure gratitude in those I can trust! 

2010 in a glance

So Christmas has already come and gone! And so has 2010!

It was such good year, 2010. We have had so many wonderful experiences and so much to be grateful for.
Here is a little month-by-month sum up of our last year. 

In January:
*We fell in love with Glee! 
*Andrew grew a mustache .
*Julie took a tap dance class: which she has always wanted to do! 

In February:
*We wrote some slam poetry together.
*Andrew attempted his hand at woodworking. Someday he will build me a cabin in the woods.
*Julie fell in love with stage management!

In March:
*We hardly saw one another, between work, school, and theater! This was a busy time!
*Andrew turned 25!! 
*Julie worked on two shows at BYU as Assistant Stage Manager for As You Like It, and Dramaturg for Blood Wedding.

In April:
*We became completely and totally obsessed with LOST and could not stop until we finished the Series finale!
*Andrew won a laptop at work for his high sale volume!
*Julie Graduated from BYU with a BA in Theatre Arts.

In May:
*We enjoyed rock climbing with Ryan & Kristen in the warm Utah summer weather. 
*Andrew escorted Julie and Jared to PMI's Lagoon Day with Jared, and faced the scarest/wild/super-fun rollercoaster, Wicked!
*Julie Asst. Stage Managed Funny Girl at the SCERA.

In June:
*We took advantage of living in Utah, and spent many days outdoors, exploring, hiking, playing, etc. 
*Andrew took up Tennis, and tried (so patiently) to teach Julie. 
*Julie almost sat on a snake.

In July:
*We Celebrated our First Anniversary!
*Andrew was still obsessed with tennis, and all things outdoors.
*Julie Stage Managed Annie Get Your Gun at the SCERA, which also traveled to BYU's Education Week for a short run.

In August:
*We went hiking & camping as much as our schedules would permit! And we moved out of our first place, and into a newer/smaller place. 
*Andrew's fascination/intrigue/love in axes grew tremendously!
*Julie turned 22!! And she saw She & Him in concert with Kristen!

In September:
*We went camping again! (although, September nights are a little too chilly for comfort.)
*Andrew took up fishing. Fresh trout is oh, so yummy!
*Julie went to Odessa for Marcy's wedding, and met up with old friends, and her family!

In October:
*We cheered on the Cougars & celebrated the first snow of the season!
*Andrew quit work at PMI, and went back to working for Frontier Drilling in Moab.
*Julie transformed into a witch (for one night only).

In November:
*We celebrated Thanksgiving on the 24th with a small feast for two.
*Andrew was promoted to a Derrik-hand and switched crews, which enabled him to be home for Christmas!
*Julie was hired part time at the Hale Center Theater in their box office and also as a House Manager.

In December:
*We moved, yet again! It is very cute & wonderful. We celebrated Christmas this year in Utah, so it was the  25th with the Nevins, and the 26th with the Bonifays!
*Andrew showed Julie around the fine city of Moab, and began fixing up his awesome Bronco.
*Julie stage managed A Christmas Carol at the Hale Center Theater

So Much Thanks!

This Thanksgiving season has been pretty awesome for me! A couple weeks ago I started to really get into the feeling of Thanksgiving when a little interesting something happened to me.

I was leaving Salt Lake a few hours before rehearsal, and had just passed Thanksgiving Point (which actually has nothing to do with the story, just a point of reference for those of you familiar with the Utah valley), when my car began to shake, and I heard this awfully loud "vrooming" sound. At first I attributed the noise to the construction crew using a jack hammer near me, but soon realize that it was, indeed, my car.

I did not freak out. Which surprised even myself! I just thought, "One of my tires is blowing out. I need to pull over." And so I gracefully changed lanes and pulled off into the shoulder, which had been widened for construction.

I called Andrew, who was in Moab for work. He said he would try to find me someone to help me. But before he did, a nice man working construction came over and asked if I needed help. He so kindly changed my tire and I was on my way in probably less than 30 minutes. As I pulled away, I noticed that I was able to pull off into the last piece of the shoulder for about a mile.

All week I kept thinking about this, and could not help feeling overwhelmed by gratitude for the man who so willingly helped me out, and for the calm composure I was able to maintain through the whole experience, and just how perfectly everything worked out.

It seemed to re-open my eyes to a small concept that we often overlook and take for granted.

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." 

- James 1:17

"For I say unto you that whatsoever is good cometh from God, and whatsoever is evil cometh from the devil." 

- Alma 5:40

Everything good we have is given to us by our Heavenly Father. Even when we believe we are working all on our own, He provides us opportunities and sources of relief and help. When we are willing to listen, He will give us peace to sooth, strength for the uphill climb, and comfort for our hearts. The more we listen and receive, the more we see His hand in all we do.

How grateful I am for all that He has provided me with, I cannot describe in words. So in fear of injustice I will simply say:

I am so thankful for everything I have been given. I am grateful for dear Andrew, and all my family. I am so grateful for friends,the Gospel, my home, health, education, employment, and all the little things that bring me happiness.

I just feel so outrageously thankful this year. 

It's a wonderful feeling.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

To answer some questions:

Andrew is back working on a rig. 

It is a good thing for us right now. 

But temporary. 

I miss him already...

...and he's only been gone for one day.

Today

I am going to the gynecologist for my 'premarital exam.' I hear it is painful. I'm very scared.

My first time donating plasma!

For the first time, I donated my plasma! Andrew's brother, Matthew went with me to donate. We both needed money, and I didn't want to go alone. Although, after the waiting, Matthew wasn't even able to donate because he was dehydrated!

So, yesterday I spent a good 3 1/2 hours in a Plasma donating center. I sat and waited for about 3 hours, while they let all the more experienced people go in front of me. Over the course of time I was there I watched Tommy Boy, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, and Zoolander. They would call me up every so often to poke my finger, give me a physical, ask me medical questions, etc. 

Finally I was hooked up to the machine! At that point I was so annoyed that I had been there for so long, I wasn't very scared at all. I just looked away as he slid the needle right into my vein. (I pride myself on my large veins-I never have to be poked twice!) The first part of the "cycle" felt normal. I'm used to giving blood so this part was not at all different. However, the second part was a little strange. The second part of the cycle is when the red blood cells are being returned to you. It was so much blood going in my arm so fast, it made my fingers and hand numb. I, feeling a little anxious about this feeling, asked if it was normal. It was. 

So I was finished in about 40 minutes and was then given my $30! So in all, even though I spent 3 1/2 hours there, i was paid $8.50 an hour - which is more than I make at my job!

 Yippee!