thoughts with no purpose or direction

Work was incredibly slow today so what did I do?

Nothing productive.

BUT...

I did have a lot of random thoughts and questions though.

Feel free to leave your comments or answers.

Why does everyone hate Elizabeth Hasselbeck?

I love her.

She will always get crap for being such a beautiful, smart and opinionated Republican woman.

Yeah, let's belittle her for that.

Cheesesteaks are delish and addicting...

Why can't I wake up just an extra 15 minutes early?

Maybe I could actually eat breakfast in the morning or pick out clothes that match.

Knitting isn't just for the elderly.

People need to know that.

It is an acceptable activity for those in their 20's too.

I'm getting so sick of LOST.

We've come this far and, yet, no answers. That's why I love Modern Family.

Immediate satisfaction.

I'm an OBSESSED with houses.

I love looking at different houses in Sugarhouse on walks with Mike, watching tv shows about houses, talking about houses with Missy and looking at houses online.

No, Mike and I are no where near buying a house of our own.

House envy? Yes.

Where are Mike and I going to live in 3 years from now?

What kind of Indian food would I like?

I've heard from a lot of people that it's tasty but sometimes when I smell it, I have to immediately stop breathing in and just walk away.

I want Mike and I to get bikes so we can really enjoy the outdoors this summer!!

Oh summer... I'm craving summer.

I love you... I miss you Grandpa

Last Friday, I got the call from my mom that I knew I would get eventually. My grandpa, Ronald Oliver Farnsworth, died one week ago today.

Gramps had been struggling with cancer for the past few years and these last several months were vicious. The cancer had spread up his body and attacked his spinal cord to the extent that he was completely immobile. He couldn't get out of bed at all. He has lost OVER 100 POUNDS. No matter how many months I could've been given, I would never be fully prepared to say goodbye to him.

Last Friday night, I left work early and drove down to pick up my little sister in Provo. We then sped down the interstate to American Fork and spent our last few hours with Gramps. He was heavily sedated but we were told that he would most likely heard us, though unresponsive. He looked like he was sleeping but that didn't stop me from pouring out my thoughts, feelings, love and tears. Gramps is so much a part of me. My fiesty personality is (mostly) from him.

I love that.

*This is Grandpa at our wedding reception last June.*

These words were said at his funeral and touched me so much:

"There is no sadness in death without a love of life."

So true. Gramps loved life. He loved dreaming. He loved giving his Grandkids the world (or at least what he could from his world)... Considering how much he loved this life, I can only imagine how much he is enjoying the next.

I love you Gramps!!

spending it up... someday

I've had my eye on a few things. Some things I know won't fit into our current budget. (Sidenote: With all this talk at church about "provident living": being self-sustaining, financially frugal, etc. I created a slightly strict budget Mike and I will adhere to until May.) After this semester is over and I have time to make a little more money to put in the bank, I plan on taking some out for ME. Selfish, right? I know. But don't you worry about Mike... I take care of him. I've also been eyeing some things that I know won't be part of my life for at least 10 years. Most of these envied items are a direct result of watching tv shows on HGTV every other day. (I complain of no free time but you see where it goes.)

Here are some things I want in the (near) future:

This jacket from lululemon athletica. I probably would never wear it to the gym. It's too cute.

Love. Love. Love this whole outfit from J.Crew. I am a pretty basic gal. I like to keep it classic. THIS is perfect.

Adorable, right?! I want this for the summer... I'll keep on following this little number from Athropologie until it goes on sale if I must. (hint, hint, Mike.)

Ruffled pillows! Mike and I plan on changing our bedroom look next time we move... I'll definitely be buying things from this etsy shop... It has the cutest pillows.

And a couple things I want in the (distant) future:

A cute house with brick/stone and a little porch we can put rocking chairs on. ( I know I sound like a grandma.)

...with a living room like this... I love the dark chocolate brown with white and teal.

And I want to drive my little babies around in THIS. No minivan for Alyssa. C'mon Mike... Volvo is known for having safe vehicles. You'll want our little kiddos to transport in one piece, right? What do ya say?

Clearly, I'm dreaming.

But it's fun to dream.

Weekend Roadtrip

The best thing about these past 4 days... no school or work.

The best thing about having nice parentals... they let us borrow their brand new car (once again!) for a weekend road trip to Phoenix.

Since Mike is an officer he volunteered/was forced to be a representative of the University of Utah chapter of Golden Key Honor Society at their regional conference down in Phoenix, AZ. So with our requests in for days off from work and excellent friends taking notes for the 2 classes we missed, we were on our way for a long drive!

After an entire tank of gas, a pit stop at a gross gas station bathroom, a can of peanuts, 4 string cheeses, 6 nutri-grain bars, a half gallon size Powerade, more random music than you've heard in your lifetime (Anberlin, Dashboard, 50 cent, Backstreet Boys, Michael Buble and Mariah Carey) we made it to our destination for the night... Vegas!

We got settled into our hotel and headed across the street to a delicious restaurant called Bahama Breeze. It was DELICOUS and decked out like... the Bahamas, obviously. After we stuffed ourselves fat we headed over to the strip for a free show. I mean the water works in front of the Bellagio... but we definitely got more of a "free show" all over the strip! I tried to shield Mike's eyes when at all possible and scowl and the poor people who tried handing out those dirty cards. I'm sure I hate their jobs as much as they do.

Although, we did see something that seemed a bit out of place for Sin City...

After 4 chocolate Snack-Packs, 4 more string cheeses, 2 bottles of water, another tank of gas, more random music, lots of laughs, thousands of cacti and joshua trees, a stop at the Hoover Dam and a chat with a nice biker from Ogden, and six MORE hours of drive the next day, we finally made it to PHOENIX.

We loved Phoenix. We could totally see ourselves living there. We loved the warm weather (although, Mike is afraid of their summers). We loved the red rock everywhere. We loved the excellent shopping venues. We loved the nice people we met. We loved the easy freeway system (big thanks to the GPS too!).

Mike loved the ASU campus.

I loved the Blue Bell ice cream and CiCi's Pizza buffets there (don't judge me).... and I loved the GOOD DRIVERS.

Thank you Phoenix for such a wonderful time. We hope to see you again sometime very soon!