The little things

Since we moved into our little duplex last May my favorite part about living in Holladay remains the same- the view on the way home.  

Morning, Evening, Afternoon, Twilight regardless I LOVE driving home. 

From the 1-215 heading east/north I get to see the trees/snow on the mountain separating us from park city.  after turning with the highway and heading north you get this marvelous view of all of Salt Lake City.  Last night Lance and I drove home and were able to witness the most beautiful sunset. 

 

You know when there are moments when your only thought is: Everything is going to be okay.   I had one of those moments a few weeks ago when I was leaving work at 7am (after a 12 hour shift).  The sky literally looked like Christ was going to descend.  I have seen some beautiful skies, but nothing compared to the peace and beauty that I felt that morning.  I know regardless of how stressful or unknown the future looks everything is going to be okay because there is a greater plan.  He knows where we are headed and what our true potential is and what a great feeling that is. 

 

Anniversary Sleep Inn

I realized I just did an entire post on our Anniversary and didn't include our celebration for our anniversary. 

After we worked and went about our typical day Lance came home and woke me up from my nap with roses.  We took Ellie out to his mom's house and then made our way to the Jordan River Temple.  I felt like going to the temple is the perfect way to celebrate and remember why we get married in the first place.  I just love the spirit that is there when Lance and I have the opportunity to go together.  Part of me wishes we lived walking distance to a temple, but then again we live within 20 minutes of 5 different temples and some people travel days to go to just one.  After a lovely time at the temple (which had multiple escalators... I've never seen a temple in all the temples I've been to with an escalator in it) we went to my FAVORITE Texas Road House.  We stuffed our faces and then made our way to Anniversary Inn.

I picked out the MOST AWESOME ROOM!!!!  Swiss Family Robinson

 

The bed was up a spiral staircase in a TREE.  The hot tub had a waterfall where the water came from.  Real live fish in the fish tank.  Cheesecake in the fridge.  TV suspended up so we could watch TV in bed.  

Lance and Christine

Sitting in a tree

K-I-S-S-I-N-G

First comes LOVE

Then comes MARRIAGE

Then comes......

365 Days, One Year!

I cannot YET fathom that I have been married for a whole year already.  I remember when I was in junior high I thought it was impressive to date a boy for a month.  The celebrations of one week together were not uncommon.  When I entered high school I thought each month was like a century, but here I am having been married for ONE WHOLE YEAR and it feels like it flew by.  Crazy to think I have been with and known Lance for 21 months and we are still as happy in love as we were after just days of knowing each other.

Our Story <3

Day 1- Lance and I met October 20th.  It was a Tuesday (important because there is NO pressure for a Tuesday afternoon date compared to a Friday or Saturday night date).  Lance picked me up around 4 and we went to Bridal Veil Falls for a walk (which in reality was a 4 mile trek).  I thought he was a little weird and he hated my skinny jeans.  On our walk I brought my camera so if things got a little silent or awkward I could just take pictures to ease the tension.  At our turn around point Lance decided to be Mr. Smooth and hold my hand.  Naturally I let him.  After our walk we went to Chili's and when he went to pay he prefaced with "I have this verizon rebate card so if it gets rejected don't think I'm a loser."  Since it was a Tuesday night and studying would be a priority Lance said we could end the date then or he brought a red box if we wanted to prolong the date.  (since we were feelin each other we pulled for the redbox)  We watched the Proposal (ironic?) and when the credits began to roll Lance made the big move and went in for the kiss, which I accepted and fireworks exploded that night.

How beautiful is the fall?  This is the path we walked on together as we talked and got to know one another. Free Tuesday afternoon date.

Lance would not take a picture with me "on the first date" so here is Lance.. alone.

Day 2- We weren't supposed to see each other until much later in the week, but the very next day (Wednesday) Lance called me around lunch and said he was gonna come over while I was studying and bring me lunch.  (having creeped my facebook he knew I LOVED White Gummy smoothies from Jamba).  Lance entered with Panda Express and a Jamba- BOY OF MY DREAMS.

Day 3- I don't remember what we did (if anything special) on Thursday, but I do remember we were cuddling on the couch late that night (since we had been together since lunch time) and were on the topic of Honeymoons and he asked what I wanted and I said I would LOVE A CRUISE and he said "NO! I want to go on a cruise!" and I responded with "well where would you want to go?" and he slipped and said "I don't know. I'll let YOU pick."  I responded with "you mean you'll let your future wife pick."  "yeah.. that's what I meant."

 Day 4 and 5 we also spent together from Lunch until midnight-ish

My pointed shoes and tights.

Us on day 6.  Our first picture together.

Day 6- Sunday.   Lance came down to Provo to go to church with me. I made dinner at my apartment and we spend the entire night together.  Late that night he just looked at me and said "I know this sounds crazy but I am head over heels completely in LOVE with you."  

Our first I love you.. at 6 days of knowing each other.  Me 19.  Him 24.  How young we were and how crazy that it wasn't just a fling or short lived, but that we are married and get a chance to be together every single day for eternity.  It blows my mind that we have both been so blessed and how things just happen at the right time, especially when you are least expecting it.  To see where we were and how far our relationship has grown amazes me each and every day.  

 I love LOVE him.

"i definitely like a guy who knows how to treat a girl.  Well... I don't know if I know all the ways how to... but I try to make the girl in my life feel like the most important thing to me..."- Lance

Random Cute Funny

One of our first conversations via facebook BEFORE we ever met.

Lance:    SO... You wanna tell me what you're really all about Christine Quirk?... Cause the more I talk to you the more I'm interested in what Tuesday will be like :):)

Lance:  I have had two pretty long relationships in my life... Which I thought were going to be it... But the girls felt otherwise after awhile, and they ended with them moving on and getting married... So I could give you the names and phone numbers of their mom's who watched how I treated them... Or you could just give me some time to show you :):) and find out for yourself. That's what I got for that... Kind of a weird answer, I know.

Needless to say I've found myself a great fella. One who still brings me home roses every month on our MONTHLY anniversary.  Who plays with my hair and scratches my back.  Who kisses me good night and good morning daily.  Life without love is no life at all.

Making progress

Over the last two weeks we have really made a great deal of progress with our basement.  Lots of things have been finished or are near completion and I finally feel like "we're doing it!"  On Monday we had a sheetrocking party were our boy friends came over and helped lay sheet rock and the girls watched the bachelorette (with Liam).  It was really fun to hang out on a weekday night and we were so grateful to have the extra set of hands.  While things might look cloudy (pun intended) we're nearing completion.

stairs!

ceiling before muding and tapping happened

junk everywhere, but look at how nice the finished wall w/ a door looks compared to the unfinished wall.

"Little Helper" - This little helper lance's dad made was a lifesaver to them as they put up the ceiling.

On another note.  I have been contemplating getting a new job.  I know it sounds crazy since I have loved working for and at Riverton Hospital, but I feel like I've hit a glass ceiling and there's no where else for me to progress.  So starting in just a short while I will be an admissions representative for Eagle Gate College.  Lance is a firm believer that everything happens for a reason and he's really rubbed off on me.  Exactly one year ago we were getting ready to get married and I had just applied and had been excepted to the nursing program at Eagle Gate.  After returning from our honeymoon I made the extremely difficult decision to decline my acceptance and to finish my bachelors at BYU.  To this day I still think, wow if I would have stayed in the program I would be a year away from my RN.  However, for some strange reason I declined and for another strange reason I find myself now working for them and getting paid a great deal more than I ever would working for Riverton Hospital.  It will definitely be a bitter sweet goodbye but I think it'll work out best for us with my work now being in Murray instead of Riverton.  

353 days together-  YAHOO! Lance and I have been married for 353 days.  Yup that's right! Our anniversary is on Friday.  This past year has really gone by so quickly.

Our top 10 moments of our first year together:

1.  Honeymoon in Cancun.  What could be any more beautiful.

2.  Being able to attend the sealing of Jung and Megan Oh.

3.  Graduating from College (Christine in April Lance in August).

4.  Renovating our basement (wish it would have been complete already but we're close!)

5.  Running the Ragnar with all of our family

6.  Lance's 5th year coaching basketball

7.  Kelsey and Nicoles Graduation from high school

8.  Buying a new car!!  Mazda 3!

9.  Starting my own business- Candy Stems

10. Being so happy in love!

Collard Cabin

I have been really bad over our past vacations about taking pictures. I don't know what it is but I've declined in motivation (I think because I know pictures are being taken by others).  Anyways, this past weekend we defied the FT and went down to the Collard Cabin.  I was a little hesitant all week about going due to stores of "the water hole" and "no electricity," but once we got there I was in Heaven.  It was so much fun to have a weekend with our best friends and to be able to enjoy nature and the beauty of being so isolated from the world.  The four of us couples slept in the same room with Brad talking until all hours of the night and Michelle trying to tame him so we could all sleep (entertaining nonetheless).  We played so many games from scrabble (which Lance was close to winning! Congrats!) to charades to some game BETTER than charades (idk what it's called).  I also got to experience my very first camp fire dinner in addition to 15+ mosquito bites all over my body that swelled up like balloons. 

After a wonderful weekend we were not looking forward to returning home to our crazy house.  However, we returned and we are looking forward to sheet-rocking this week.  Hopefully it'll be done by this weekend so we can paint and then get carpet in by the beginning of next week.  We have both never been so lacking in motivation to come home.  It has been a long few months with our house in utter disarray, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Manzanita

This past fourth of July weekend we went down with some friends to St. George.  Friday we spend the day in a few small towns right outside the mouth of Zion National Park.  As we walked in the blistering 105 degree sunny heat all I could think about was how much I love and miss Vegas... and then I stumbled upon this beauty. 

 

The first house I ever lived in when we moved to Henderson was on Manzanita. 

Our weekend was filled with swimming, getting sun burned, tennis, napping, and straight up relaxing with oreos in hand.  It was really fun to get away from the tornado that has hit our house and left it in utter destruction the past couple of months.  I feel silly every time my dad calls to check on the progress of our house because when he was here helping things were flying and getting done.  Now our home is at a stand still.  Walls framed feeling naked without sheetrock.  Maybe one day (SOON?!?! we'll get to sheetrocking this puppy.  

On another note, I got "promoted" at work to be a HUC aka a Health Unit Coordinator.  Basically instead of running around the floor like a chicken with my head cut off, now I sit in a comfy chair feeling like my head is going to explode.  My first day as HUC I had 7 admits and 6 discharges.  TO break that down, an admit's paperwork and orders will typically take me 35 minutes.  A discharge will usually take 20.  I work 12 hour shifts and in addition to admits and discharges I have multiple doctors writing order for patients, patients calling asking for help/meds/lame stuff, and our main phone ringing with lab results, staffing, doctors, and other misc things.  Needless to say I left work feeling mentally drained.  But today I went to work and it was the first time in two weeks that I was on the floor working and on a day where I have 7 patients I would typically classify it as a "BUSY" day, but I read 4 chapters of Biology text, redid our call sheet, and sat for a good portion of the day.  I guess training for HUC has got me in mega efficiency mode!