four

we celebrated 4 years of marriage on october 30th.

four years!

for so many marriage is something you enter into easily and even leave easily.
i'm grateful for a husband who is committed to me and to our marriage
and equally we don't believe in the 'D' word.

four years has had many ups and many downs.
but i would never want to live my life with anyone else.

four years means:
comfort
accepting
trust
disagreements
frustrations
dreaming together
goals {both short and long term}
family
happiness
familiar
love
friendship
companionship
confidant

my list could continue....

at the end of the day...
i'm grateful for mitchel and the life we share

i love you sweetheart.

einstein and avocado

i seem to have a continual script running through my mind the last couple of weeks.
between endless hours at work, managing tasks at home, the urge to be creative, the endless to-do list that continually compounds....  and all the other minor thoughts that run through my mind....
i'm having trouble balancing everything.
last week was especially challenging for me.

marriage is a wonderful blessing.
simply put -- there is always someone on your team.
unfortunately i feel as though it was one of the weeks where we were looking out for ourselves and didn't team up to take on the world.
it happens.
maybe in my exhaustion and selfishness i wasn't aware of something that mitch was dealing with,
or i was simply focused on myself and needed all the attention on me.
for whatever the case... it was a challenge.
and those seem to be the times that a good cry and a verbal vomit are a necessity.



on a completely different note --
i picked up my pigs on monday.
they are a york and hampshire cross.
boy and girl - einstein and avocado.
14 weeks old and rather shy so far.
these darling little pigs smell like old people and salty play dough.
i adore avocado's speckled bum and her timid way.
einstein is quite the little man.

a few things i've learned about pigs --
1) they are not soft like dogs or calves....
2) they are a solid animal... not one meant to be snuggled
3) so far they are not in love with human interaction.... {which will make it easier to raise for dinner}
4) again - they smell like old people and salty play dough and their poops look like my doggy poops.
5) they absolutely love tomatoes.

once again i'm grateful for a grandpa who is allowing me to try on the farm girl boots.
i'm loving every minute of it {so far}

Mr. & Mrs.

Finally the day arrived.
Mitchel and I were so excited to be a part of their wedding.
we planned to leave early to be safe with the traffic.
surprisingly we didn't have any troubles in the morning and arrived waaaayyyy early.
i dosed off and on in the car waiting for joe and alyson to arrive
with less than 6 hours of sleep.... we were in for a long day
9 am arrived and joe and alyson still hadn't shown up.
joe's family had made it and we patiently waited for the bride and groom.
turns out they had been pulled over for speeding and joe had been detained
not necessarily the best way to start your wedding day....

eventually they made it and i went up with alyson to the brides room.
after dressing her and meeting joe in the hallway
i headed up to the sealing room to wait for them
it was a privilege to be alyson's escort.
sitting in the sealing room and watching them enter...
i was reminded of our special day.
{being sealed to mitchel was the best day of my life}
the words of the sealer were perfect.
a reminder that once married husband and wife become one and build their own family.
i don't think i can adequately describe the feeling of the spirit in the room.
once again i am grateful to be a member of this church and to be sealed to my spouse for time and all eternity

after the sealing i joined her in the bride's room to help her dress for pictures.
i'll treasure those moments with her, helping lace her dress...

we joined them for pictures around the temple grounds.
family, bridal party and couple photos....
the weather was perfect and the humidity was bearable.

after the temple we headed towards the vineyard were the reception and ring ceremony would be held
lunch in a darling historic down town
{sadly i don't remember the town name.}
a quick stop for caffeine and then all hands on deck to finish setting up for the evening.
the vineyard was breathtaking
i wish i managed to sneak more pictures of the grounds and so forth.
mt. airy called to my soul.
i'd be tempted to move there and live among the rolling hills and beautiful farm lands.

the ring ceremony was absolutely perfect
they balanced both worlds the families come from beautifully.
commitment, love, and covenants.
listening to them exchange vows brought tears to my eyes.

the evening was filled with pictures, laughter, and family.
drama was kept to a minimum and new friends were made

shortly before 10 we made our goodbyes and wished joe and alyson good luck.
we had another long drive ahead of us...

celebrating 60

last night we spent time with family celebrating my grandparents 60th wedding anniversary.
all the grandchildren in the valley came and we gathered in grandma and grandpas kitchen.
there was something magical about the evening.
this spring they are celebrating their 81 and 82 birthday and 60 years of marriage.

as i stood there observing everyone, i couldn't help but think how wonderful the scene was.
marriage wasn't always easy for grandma and grandpa
he baptized her on his mission and then proposed to her before heading back home to vineyard.
she was brave and made the train ride out west to marry my grandpa a few weeks later.
they had 5 children
grandma had numerous health challenges
grandpa has worked from before sunrise well into the evening his entire life
they have 14 grandchildren
one great grandchild on the way
and the love and memories we all share with them is worth more than gold.
i've also had the privileged to work side by side with my grandpa for 10 years
grandma and grandpa have taught me many many lessons through out my life
the most wonderful lesson is being committed to the gospel and each other.

someday mitch and i will celebrate 60 years of marriage
and the evening will be full of family and joy
just as last night was.

my desires for 2013

today is one of those days where i need an extra extra dose of caffeine. which may be odd considering i've been able to spend the morning in bed. our church time has changed to 1. lets be honest, it is not our most favorite time.


however.... i've been putting a lot of thought into the new year and some of the things i am hoping to accomplish. however you wish to call them - resolutions, goals, wishes.... here is a list of things i hope to check of during 2013.

-practice yoga regularly
-cook more {i'm very focused on what i am eating and the health benefits. home cooked meals is my goal even if it requires more effort and time. i honestly feel that it will be worth it.}
-manage my personal garden better {i'm determined to grow primarily if not 100% heirloom varieties. being able to harvest and preserve my harvest for the winter months = canning. and learn recipes to correlate with what is being grown in my garden.}
-gather fresh eggs from the chickens at work. {i haven't been able to convince mitch of raising chickens here at home... until i do at least i will be able to take advantages of grandpa's chickens}
-continue to nurture my marriage
-learn photoshop elements. {along with learning the program, i plant to improve my photography skills}
-continue to read more
-sew curtains for my office
-make homemade biscuits for the boys
-minimize caffeine {everyone needs  lofty goal....}
-become more happy
-be more grateful
-visit pack trials in california in april {plant show for new varieties}
-compete in the tough mudder or spartan race
-vacation to disneyland with mitch, nanna and we will be taking hope along too.

i'm sure as the year continues so will my list of goals/wishes will too.

in the words of my grandpa "dream big for it has the power to stir one's soul"

a little bit of everything

there is nothing more magical then getting a creative boost. thanks mister fish eye. i look forward to exploring with it in the coming days and weeks and months.

i made arrangements to come home and get some computer work done this afternoon. luckily i was able to sit down and feel accomplished by the time five o'clock rolled around. updating facebook and giving our website/blog a face lift. hopefully i'll be able to keep on top of things a bit better from here on forward.

we've been busy at work with poinsettia sells. i'm grateful to be moving so many this early in the season. christmas just isn't the same for me without these gorgeous flowers. i wish more people my age decorated with a quality poinsettia. the fake ones and the sad ones at the grocery stores are just pathetic in my opinion. sweet farmer grant truly grows the best of the best.

the weather has been absolutely gorgeous for this time of year. everyday i feel like i should be outside working in my yard. maybe i'll be successful in planting my garlic before we get a solid blanket of snow. who am i kidding... we haven't had snow like that in forever. maybe we will get lucky and finally have a white christmas. i honestly don't think i could live somewhere that didn't get any snow.... there is something magical of having four season. and nothing beats a beautiful fat fluffy snowfall!!

last night we enjoyed a perfect rainstorm. {i suppose that will be the closest we get to snow for awhile} mitch opened up the window above the bed, we snuggled up with little one and enjoyed listening to the pouring rain. the moment was perfect. as i laid there i couldn't help but exclaim how happy i was. sometimes you just need those wonderful moments.

three

today marks our 3 years of marriage.
we started the day off with a kiss and a happy anniversary before mitch made his way up to slc for training
i spent my morning at work enjoying the second to last day of pumpkinland {goodbye crazy}
this afternoon i hurried up to taylorsville to pick up mitch's rifles from the gunsmith
then i stopped in at a garden center in sandy to grab some plants that missed my delivery yesterday.
once mitch made it home we celebrated with a tasty dinner of our favorite ~ cafe rio.
we'll polish our evening off with some snuggling.

i finally got an orchid.
it's my anniversary bouquet plus a fancy new teal pot :)

happy anniversary sweetheart
i love you
thank you for the wonderful years so far and i look forward to the many many more to come

celebrating three years

my week seemed to drag on forever....
i worked monday - friday.
i couldn't have been more excited to be off friday afternoon.
mitch and i planned to celebrate our anniversary saturday and sunday
3 years of marriage.
amazing how fast time flies

saturday morning we slept in and then headed to kneaders for breakfast
it was the perfect way to start our celebrations
after than we drove over to the Hyundai dealer to look at their sonata hybrid
mitch's car is allergic to the snow {that's code for it won't go anywhere once it snows}
after a test drive he was hooked.
hybrids have come such a long way.
lets just say it is one of the most amazing cars we have driven
{and we have done plenty of leg work there}
we made the switch
now i won't have to worry about snow days.... we both have snow capable cars :)

saturday evening we went out with joe and alyson.
they invited us to join them at cornbelly's
we grabbed some amazing mexican food beforehand
then we headed to thanksgiving point.
the line was crazy long. luckily we had gotten our tickets online.
no offense to anyone who loves cornbelly's..... but we found it a huge disappointment and a waste of money.
not that i love scary things.... our money would have been better spent at a haunted house.


in addition to mitch's new car, we picked up a ginormous new tv and new laptops for the both of us.
we decided to spend some of the vacation money that we had set aside
and minimize our january vacation and spend some time enjoying the resorts here snowboarding.

we are incredibly fortunate and blessed.
i'm also grateful for the growth we've experienced in the 3 years we have been married.
tuesday the 30th is our actual anniversary date but since we both work we made it a memorable weekend!

i love you baby

moments to remember

mitch fixing my favorite pair of flats as a sweet gesture

mitch filling my gas tank all the way full for me

sweet back rubs and snuggles all day yesterday

waking up to the heater kicking on

looking through pictures of jake as a puppy. oh the memories.

sleeping in 2 days in a row

taking a few moments to meditate and do some yoga

making my first cup of tea this season

decorating for fall

words of wisdom from my tea bag last night....

'appreciate yourself and honor your soul'

date night in our own kitchen

life has been busy lately
i've rarely had a moment to sit down and open up my lappy.
it's a good feeling knowing i'm staying busy and for the most part my body is keeping up with me.

friday night we decided we'd go grocery shopping
{for some reason i usually dread it.....}
and we bought ingredients to spend the night in the kitchen cooking an elaborate meal.
gratefully i've married a man who knows how to cook and he pitches in frequently.
oddly enough i think cooking for a large family or group is more enjoyable than for just us two.
i changed my mind though as we cooked side by side for date night.
if only we had enough energy to do date night like this more often.....
we made chicken avocado egg rolls and chow mien.
my favorite was the egg rolls!!
seriously they were divine!
{my momma bear was shocked when i let her try a bite from my lunch on saturday. see momma, i can cook if i put my mind to it}
i can't think of a better way to have spent our night.
it was the perfect way to spend time together bonding and eating delicious food!

how i know

I can be very particular about certain things
one of them being - I'm anal about making the bed after we have washed the sheets.

Mitch is a wonderful help around the house.
I'm grateful for everything he does to help
sometimes he does a better job as a house keeper
{okay maybe a lot of the time}

A few months ago the sheets were ready to be pulled out of the dryer and the bed made.
it was late at night
I was exhausted and my body was beyond run down.
the thought of putting the bed back together was daunting.
i quickly began to get irritated that Mitch hadn't offered to help me.
but then I stopped and realized that he was doing me a favor.
Mitch knew that I had a certain way I made the bed and him helping out just frustrated me
and a argument always seemed to ensue.

that's another reason why I know he really loves me.
it's odd how moments like those sneak up on you

Saturday Mitch spent the day cleaning the house {such a sweetheart}
and he even washed the bedding.
coming home and trying to get ready for our night out
the clean sheets waited for us on the bed til late the night.
On the way home he reminded me the bed was still unmade.
He knew it's my thing

a couple of reasons I'm the luckiest girl in the world

This past week my hubby went above and beyond to make sure I was taken care of during my crazy work week/days. I'm beyond words grateful for everything thing he did. Watering my plants for me, taking care of the boys, making sure laundry was done so I had clean clothes to wear, bringing me lunch on Saturday, getting me a beautiful bouquet of roses for Mother's day {I'm a fur momma}, making sure I was able to relax and rest on Sunday, letting me sleep extra, helping me in the yard..... I feel like I'm the luckiest girl in the world. Mitch has really out done himself lately. I'm feeling incredibly loved. Thanks for everything you have done for me sweetheart! I appreciate you and everything you do for me and our little family.

hello new year and thoughts running through my head

Mitch and I brought in the new year at home. We celebrated with Cafe Rio to go, cuddling, video games for him, a chick flick for me, snuggled the little one - he injured his front paw/leg someone, and we managed to stay awake til the drop of the ball this time. I think I'm a major fan of staying home :)

I spent Sunday with Cezar making sure he was comfortable and carrying him around. He wouldn't walk on his leg and whimpered frequently. My heart was so sad. Luckily we had a vet visit scheduled early Monday morning so I was able to relax a little. We still aren't sure what he did to his leg, but with some pet pain reliever and keeping him on 'bed rest' {as much as possible} he's starting to use his leg. Cezar has a check up visit next week to see how he's doing.

The past few days I've been thinking about my goals for the year. My main focus will be nurturing my marriage and making improvements with my health. I need to prioritize my life and make my marriage number one. Hopefully working on my health will allow me to do that. I have good days and bad days... and its hard for me to stretch myself at times. Mitch and I had a deep conversation the other night and it gave me the ability to understand him in a new way. My husband is the love of my life! He is truly the most amazing man I know. Mitch treats me a like a princess. I need to be better for him. 

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. 1 Corinthians 13:4"

He is my everything ❤

I'm a little late posting about the things I'm most grateful for....
Lucky for me it's still November
and I have some energy :)

As I was thinking about everything I'm grateful for...
My focus was on my hubby.

I am most grateful for Mitchel.
He blesses my life in countless ways!

He is unbelievable patient with me
He is always forgiving
He is hard working
He is thoughtful
He is kind
He is loving
He is wise
He is the man of my dreams

He always goes above and beyond for me
He makes me a better person
He loves me with all my faults
He takes care of me
He always asks if there is anything he can do for me
He leaves the toilet seat down ;)
He knows how to cook
He listens to me

He is my best friend!!

There are so many more things he does for me....
I'm the luckiest girl in the world.

Everyday I am beyond words, grateful for my wonderful husband.

Mitchel, I love you. ❤

Anniversary

I've been married to the most amazing man for 2 wonderful years. Weekend away enjoying Las Vegas touring and shopping {thanks baby} and driving home today. Marriage is wonderful and challenging. It's totally worth it too. I married my best friend and I can't even imagine life without him!! I'm a very lucky lady and give thanks for him everyday. I love you Mitchel!!

Rough start.

Besides being exhausted and working a ton. Mitch and I still need to pack and clean the house. Tomorrow we work a half day and then grab our stuff and head to Vegas. I can't believe we are celebrating our 2 year anniversary already. Wow. I have some fabulous ladies who will take my place while I'm away. So make sure to stop by and get to know them a bit!!

This morning cezar was having a rough start. He kept whimpering and it seemed he hurt himself. So sad! I got some good snuggles though. I felt horrible leaving him.

It's the last week of pumpkinland. Hooray! I'm eager for the change of hours - 9-5. It makes a HUGE difference working 9-5 everyday. Hopefully I'll be able to get caught up on everything at home next month. Crossing my fingers.

Bedroom Miracle

Last night was the FIRST night EVER that no tug of war was played with the comforter. Seriously folks! It was amazing.

For our anniversary gift Mitch attempts to surprise me with an OVER SIZED down comforter. I ended up guessing it surprisingly. So when it arrived yesterday, Mitch asked if I wanted it early. {our anniversary is Oct. 30} Uh Duh!! We opted to use it now.

It was amazing! No arguments on who had 'too' much blanket, no cold breezes on my back, and no tug of war in the middle of the night. :) peace and love has come to stay in the bedroom ;)

{Lessons.By.Wife}

I had a light bulb moment. Remember how I said marriage is wonderful. But takes work.

I decided I would start sharing my two cents for what it's worth.

--in those disagreements/fights take a moment and just say I love you. It's like pausing and counting to ten, but your making sure to tell your sweetie that you love them.

--Never hang up on your hubby {or wife}. Yes we are all tempted, but I promise you that it won't do any good.

--Remember that you are equals!!! Super important.

--Neither of you needs a parent.

--It's not all about yourself.... {I like to pretend it is sometimes} Try putting your sweetie ahead of yourself for awhile. It makes a BIG difference.

--Understand that neither of you functions the same. ex. I'm more laid back in situations, while my hubby stresses about it....

--Say I love you a lot.

--Use endearments. Sweetie, lover, honey buns...

What are some of the lessons you have learned? Are learning?

Sometimes I'm a party pooper...

I love my husband more than anything. I really, truly do! I love him with all of my heart. I'm happier in my marriage today then I was once we got home from our honeymoon. That's a good thing. That means it just keeps getting better and better.

Marriage is never easy. It takes work. Some days are easy. Some days are challenging. But it is always worth it.

Remember when dating your sweetheart how falling in love, giggling, playing, and constantly being playful was easy?? I do. Those were some of the absolutely best days. The butterflies were always near by. I miss those days.

Sunday afternoon we spent giggling over {awful} raman noodles {thanks love}, making cupcakes, playing on our super fabulous new air mattress, playing Yhatzee {I own}, snuggling and giggling some more. It was absolutely fanastic. Quality time is amazing.

.... then my sweet hubby turned his happy go lucky self up a few notches and I got annoyed a bit. It's like I can only handle his {4 year old} sense of humor for only so long. And now I think to myself how lame am I?

Hi my name is Holly, and sometimes I am a party pooper.

I plan to redeem myself. Starting with a weekend with my hubby and I in Yellowstone.
I can't wait! {a little family play time up there too.}

Wednesday tidbits

Mitch and I are in love with Ben and Jerry's right now :) last night we had movie night and between movies we made a run to walmart for some Ben and Jerry. {if I'm lucky I'll be good and make it last 3 sittings lol}

I'm really looking forward to my day off tomorrow! Sleeping in and catching up on everything! Mowing, wedding, watering, canning, cleaning, laundry...

I have lots of pretty pictures of my yard and garden. I should really post them.

I am really in love with all the clouds and thunderstorms that keep rolling in. It's a good mix of weather for me!! {hope it doesn't shorten the harvest season}

My yard is looking really good {for the most part} and I still want to do a lot more, however I feel totally burned out. I think I'll stick to weeding and watering for awhile.

My sisters are wonderful! I absolutely love spending time with them. I love you sisters!!

Some days I could careless about being friendly. Ya know?! Sometimes I just prefer being in my bubble.

Im trying to learn it isnt always about me, especially in my marriage. I'm not learning it very quickly. I know it takes practice. Learning to be selfless is not something that comes easy.

Feeling more alert with some food in me :) maybe I'll last the rest of my shift. Lol.