Graduated.

Hey guess what? This girl is a college grad!

I took my last test Wednesday. And things have been so insanely busy I didn't get to blog about it until now.

I am now celebrating by partying it up with the McKee's.

This guy and I are pretty happy about it.

12/12/2013

Happy birthday to this handsome guy!

24 looks so dang good on him.

So here is a compiled list of 24 reasons why I love that boy.

-He scratches my back even though I hardly ever do it in return.
-He smiles at everyone.
-Whenever I come home he says, "Hi honey!"
-He is a really good kisser.
-He always turns the light off before we go to bed so I don't have to get up in the cold.
-He lets me put my cold feet on him at night.
-He holds my hand in the car.
-He kisses my eyes.
-He smells good.
-He wants to kiss me when I have just woken up and have bad breath.
-He doesn't have stinky feet.
-He snuggles with me even when he's dying from heat
-He had a hot tub filled up for me before I got home, just because I told him I wasn't feeling well.
-He cuddles me when I have bad dreams.
-He works hard so that I can live a comfortable life.
-He makes me treats to eat late at night, just because I think it is fun to eat treats at night.
-He eats my whole grain pastas even though I know he hates it.
-He sings like Michael Buble.
-He dances like Justin Timberlake (you think I'm kidding... ask his sister Heather).
-He is grateful for everything.
-He is so wise. I know if I ever have a question about ANYTHING, he will know the answer.
-He tells me how much he loves me every single day. And tells me I'm pretty.
-He has big, beautiful eyes.
-He always talk to people in line and at the register wherever we are.
-He calls me "fruit fly" and "chicken nugget"

Don't count how many there are. Because there are actually 25. But when I read them all to delete one, I couldn't bring myself to do it. And then about a-kagilian more came into my mind that I could write down. I guess I'll just have to save them next year.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MR. MCKEE!

Thoughts

Sometimes I feel like I'm a little bit of a one tracked mind. Whatever it is I am doing or thinking-- all of my energy is focused on that one thing. I pretend like I can check my email during class and pay attention to both. False. Even though I feel like I am multitasking... I'm really not. All of my brain power is focused on one thing at a time.

This is why I often get called "Media Maddie" by my husband.

Because if I am texting someone back-- then I am focused on texting that person back! I try to pretend that I can multi task. But I really can't.

The past few months my mind has been focused on an idea. It's a beautiful idea. An idea worth my thoughts and focus.

It seems that everything in my life revolves around my idea. It revolves around what the future has in store for me and my idea.

But today I read this.

And I just cried.

Am I even looking around at how blessed I am?

I am married to a boy who will do anything and everything just to make me smile. And yet I break his heart by crying to him about all the things I want and don't have-- instead of thanking him for everything he has done for me.

My ideas about what I want for my future will pan out how they are supposed to. I have no doubt that I will look back in a few years and see the hand of God involved in every part of my small life.

So today, tomorrow, and the next days, I am going to try and remember all that I have.

Because I really have never been so happy. And why should I focus all of my energy on my future? Life is so good right now.

That's all.

News

Ummm... we kind of have some big news.

JORDAN IS OFFICIALLY SELF EMPLOYED! Baam.

For those that don't know-- for the last few months Jord has been working on a marketing company he started up. They do social media management, web development, online marketing, and a bunch of other stuff I don't know anything about.

He is basically amazing and I am so proud of him.

It was a little scary having him put his 2 weeks notice in, but we are  both confident with the decision. The business is doing really well, and he wants to put his all into it.

And I'm slightly high maintenance and I'm sick of sharing my Jordan time. The last few months he has been going to work all day and then coming home to work all night. He's basically had no extra time to do anything. Busy, busy boy.

We are so so happy and are excited to move on to new and better things!

Oh, P.s. we are re-doing one of the rooms in our house to make an office for him. That means new carpet, new paint, new baseboards, etc. It's exciting. Before and after pictures to come soon!

Cookies

My parents are in Europe... meaning Jordan and I get to become mom and dad to the little ones.

This last week has been so fun. Full of driving kids everywhere, but we've made sure every night is fun.

Favorite night? Making sugar cookies and watching Jord, Lauren, and Matthew decorate them.

And Skyler eat them. :)

Cute huh?! They did such a good job.

Not seen in pictures: Madelyne McKee and Skyler Osborn.

Wish we had gotten one big group picture. I was covered in flour and make an executive decision that we shouldn't.

 These were my favorite of the night! Wish I was that artistic.

Oh, and if you are wondering... the one in the left hand corner is the Grim Reeper. Matthew made it! Mind. Blown.

Inspired

Sister Hinckley has said some of my favorite quotes. What a powerhouse woman.

Today I heard this quote and felt totally inspired. Jordan and I may not have kids yet, but I believe what she said applies to all of us at any stage in our marriage.

Love it.

One Year

This last weekend was mine and Jordan's anniversary! We had the best weekend in the world. He spoiled me rotten.

We drove up to Park City after work and stayed at The Hotel Park City. Thanks to Christian for hooking us up. :)

We ate the best food in the world. We stayed in the prettiest cottage in the world. We went hot-tubing. He bought me a pretty new dress to wear to dinner. We went shopping at the Park City outlets. One of my favorite places ever. We went on a mini hike. We did water aerobics. Ha. We slept in. We had hot chocolate and apple cider. Jordy LOVES apple cider. We went to the Olympic museum. And guess what!? The ski jumpers happened to be practicing! They were amazing. We talked about our wedding day and how strange it is that it has already been a year. We talked about our future.

And we just enjoyed having no stress and getting to spend the weekend together. We had so much fun.

This was the view from our room. GAH!

Spoiled? Yeah. It was amazing.

I've never eaten that much red meat in my life. It was so good though.

I don't know if this video is going to work... But the person jumping and flipping all around is a GIRL. Some girls are just way braver than I am.

Happy anniversary to my love! :)

All Smiles

Hey, guess what?

The Mr. and I are celebrating our one year anniversary on Friday!

I'm pretty excited about it. We are running away and spending the weekend in Park City. :) :) :)

I can already tell it's going to be a good week. I love looking forward to fun, special things!

Plus, Jord took me and the little kids (we are playing mom and dad for my parents again) to Taco Amigo for peach shakes tonight. Instant happiness and the best start to the week.

If you haven't had a fresh peach shake at Taco Amigo go now. They are amazing and will change your life forever.

That's all. :)

Gah, someone slap me. Look at him!

Stress

See these faces? These are the faces of a stressed Maddie in her younger years.

I have never handled stress super well. I kind of get all worked up and worried about little things.

I'm graduating this December and I'm so excited about it! BUT, I still can't get into ONE class this semester. ONE class. Not to mention that it is 1 credit hour and it's half a semester. Who would have thought that such a dinky little class would put my graduation in jeopardy? Not me.

Well, I emailed one teacher who said she couldn't give me an add code because she follows the University Policy of waitlists.  I'm like 11th on the waitlist. Second teacher told me to come to class the first day of school and she'll see what she can do. I went to class and there were people sitting on the floor and standing outside trying to get in. Teacher told me I couldn't be added to the class when there weren't enough seats for the students already in the class. Totally understandable. But still not good.

So I went and saw a counselor. He can't  give out an add code either. He did some emailing, soothed my troubled heart, and told me to wait.

Independent study? Nah, it isn't available through Independent Study yet. Is this kind of becoming comical? It is to me.

So now I wait. Cross your fingers boys and girls. I really just want to graduate!

Second stressor? On the first day of school I didn't have class till 1:00. So I went to work in the morning. Well, while moving a used syringe from my tray I pricked myself! I was totally shocked because the syringe was already capped so there should have been no way I could have been poked by the needle. Upon closer inspection I saw that the needle had bent to the side and WENT THROUGH the side of the cap. I didn't even know that was possible! It must have been a super pointy needle.

So then I had to go to administration and go see a doctor about it all. It had to be reported and I had to get my blood drawn. Worst part? They had to call the person the needle had been used on and have them come back in to have their blood drawn. What a hassle. And so embarrassing. I feel bad I had to make them do that. Would if they are like terrified of getting their blood drawn?

I called Jordan quite stressed and embarrassed about it all. He was super comforting and made me feel better. Then he asked what class I was on my way to.

Stress Management. We both burst out laughing. How appropriate.

It wasn't even by choice that I'm taking that class, it is required for my major! And I have a feeling it is going to have some much needed effects on my life. :)

Hello, world.

It's been awhile! And I have no excuse.

Life has had it's twists and turns in the last few months. But life is good. I'm very lucky. :)

Updates/events/thoughts...

1. Jordan has a new job! He is working for Bronson Vitamins as their marketer in Utah. He is enjoying it! He is also doing some things on his own and loves it. Little entrepreneur in the making. :) I'm really proud of him.

2. Life can start to feel really overwhelming and really hard if we don't look into all the beautiful and happy parts of it. Obvious I know. But I needed that reminder.

3. Chelsie and Jordan moved to Boston! It's sad not to have them at Sunday dinner anymore. But they are LOVING it!

4. We bought a new washer and dryer. Never did I understand how exciting buying things for my home would be! Gah. It was expensive. But they're amazing.

5. We bought a new couch! With new paint in our front room, Jordan said we could get a couch! It still hasn't come yet. But I'm really excited.

6. We bought a new lawn mower! The old one couldn't handle our grass (or weeds... still debatable). Jords really excited about using it.

7. With these new buys in the last couple of months, we can't eat out for the next year. ;) haha. kidding. But seriously, though.

8. We have spent the last week babysitting the kids/ my parents dog. For some reason sleeping over at someone elses house makes it feel like a vacation! We've been partying.

9. My dad sold his company BRAVEN! Crazy. Insipio bought it. He now has lots of free time and it's great having him around a little bit (a lot a bit) more.

10. Jordan and I went and spent a weekend with my grandparents. We asked them questions and recorded them talking and telling us stories. They are both healthy and happy, but we wanted to have stories of them recorded in their own voices. It was a great weekend! I love my family.

11. I have never been more grateful for Jordan than I have the last couple of weeks. That boy is my happiness. So happy he chose me.

12. I haven't been biting my nails! This is a big deal. Trick? Have my nails freshly painted all the time. They chip... paint them immediately.

13. School has started! And it is my last semester! This girl couldn't be happier about that.

That's what was on the top of my head. I know as soon as I publish this I'm going to remember a thousand more things to say.

Here is to better blogging days ahead!

Before and After

Something drastic just happened.

That's over 10 inches! I've been thinking about cutting my hair for awhile now, but today I just decided to do it.

Crazy! I've never had short hair like this in my life!

Test Subject

This is what my morning consisted of...

I thought I looked so cool that I had them take a picture of me. Hehe. Basically, I was was in an ankle study at BYU. They had me walk around, jump around, and performed all sorts of tests on me. It kind of rocked. Plus- I got $25.00!

If you feel like being a test subject and want to help BYU get research, they still would love volunteers! To see if you qualify, go to this link: https://byu.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_3CKHNFeG0R2LN8U 

I wish I could do what they do. Way cool.

Painting

This week my boss is out of town. Meaning I get the entire week to fill with projects I've been dying to do!

First on the list? Paint my entire house. Ha. Yesterday we started and I had cute Kelli Gilbert help me out. She has saved my life. I honestly could never do this all without her. Plus-- she's the best to have around and I love her to death.

Anyway, yesterday we cleaned, spackled, and painted the trim! It took longer than we expected but looks BEAUTIFUL! It makes such a different in my house already.

We realized when we were half way through this part of the project I didn't get any before pictures! Whoops. But these are some during pictures.

As you can tell, I've gone through too many sample colors on my wall. And this is only in the front room. It's been a little bit of a stressful decision. But I'm excited to slap some paint on the walls and post pictures up of the final color!

I've collected a bunch of pictures-- but here are a few that are my inspiration. :)

Summer

School is over and Jordie and I have begun to enjoy summer. But, this summer has been a lot different than previous ones. I've never had a summer with Jord! Last summer was spent in Israel. Mixed emotions come when I say that word. I instantly start missing Jordan even if he is sitting right next to me. I feel the need to jump over and kiss and hug him all over. But, I also feel like bursting into tears because I miss that place so much. So much growth and learning happened there I could never describe it all in words. Ah, Jerusalem will always have a corner of my heart.

Anyway... enough with my rant. Here are my--organized into a list-- thoughts on this summer so far.

#1- We love seeing our gas and electric bill come to us at all time lows. I think it has become a game for us. This last month Questar mailed us a $17.33  bill! I put it on the fridge because I was so proud.

However, bills like this do not come without consequences. Our house is smokin'-- always. But, most of the time we are at work. So we suffer through it in the evenings, open the windows at night, and we do just fine. 

That number there in the bottom left hand corner... that's the temperature inside our house. 81 degrees. Told you it was hot.

#2- I've painted my nails like 4 times already. That's a big deal. Usually Jord has to remind me over and over again because they get too ugly looking. But I haven't even let my nails chip without repainting them! This is a luxury I know I will not have forever. So I'm enjoying it.

#3- All I do is work. Or at least it seems like it. I used to have a break from school and go to work, and a break from work and go to school. Now I just work, 7:30-5:00. It would be nice to have more time on my hands, but it is super satisfying! I like feeling like I'm helping more with our families finances. That makes me feel good, and I'm sure it makes my hubby feel good too.

#4- I actually feel motivated to cook! During the school year by the time I got home I was so exhausted the last thing I wanted to do was cook. Well-- I'm improving. And I like it! One day I'll be a cook like Betty Crocker. At least I hope so.

#5- Jord and I think it's time to party everyday. It's been so long since we have had total control of what we want to do in the evenings instead of being forced to write papers, read, or do other dumb homework. So we treat everyday like Saturday. It rocks!

By the way, we saw World War Z last night with my brother and his cute girlfriend-- and we loved it! Go see it if you are up for an intense movie. We talked about it all night. Long hair isn't Brad Pitts best look, but there wasn't even time to think about that during the movie. I had to be concentrated on not screaming if I zombie popped out of nowhere.

#6- My house has remained clean longer than ever before. I should clarify that-- my kitchen has remained clean longer than ever before. That's right, I do dishes all the time. And I don't even care because I have nothing else to do. Proud wifey, here.

#7- We FINALLY fixed our broken sprinklers! My lawn is so happy. It's starting to turn green again!

Oh, and look at this tiny lemon my moms lemon tree made!

Cutest lemon I've ever held. It smelled so good too!

Alright, that's it. My list of 7 things about this summer. Ha.

Now I think I'm going to go grocery shopping. :)

FREE!!

I just got done taking my last final exam!

I. AM. FREE.

I'm completely giddy about it too.

Also, I've had a mental shift over the last few months. I'm not sure PA school is my thing. Is it weird that I think being on a research team would be the coolest thing in the world? One day.

Also... a guy called me and I get to participate in a research study on ankle stabilization! Wahoo. I seriously am so excited about it. I made the control group squad. ;)

So this girl is feeling pretty happy today.

Congradulations!

This guy is a Timpview high school graduate!

Congrats, Christopher. You're going to do amazing things!

Oh, and that yellow string thing is for honor students. Smart cookie.

Clean

I walked into the house after a long day to find this...

Jordan had cleaned the ENTIRE house. And reorganized some of it too :) I just gahhed.

He also started the process of a graden for me! I have been putting everything I want to grow in pots, but he knew how bad I wanted a real garden. Look how cute it is! This garden is going to be my pride and joy.

Not to mention that he fixed the latch on the shed and the gate and mowed the lawn all nice and pretty.

 Like our splotching lawn? It's a work in progress.

Then he made me some delicious, homemade, wheat bread pizzas.

Now I just get to relax with this guy instead of worrying about a clean house. Thank you, Mr. McKee.

This is happiness, I tell you.

California Surprise!

Jord and I had talked about going down to see his parents in California for the 3-day Memorial day weekend. But, the weekend was full of busy things and we figured we couldn't go.

On Friday at about 11:00am I started thinking about why we couldn't go and EVERY SINGLE reason why was one of my own.

I get spoiled rotten having my family live 15 minutes away. So, I made some phone calls, ditched some class work, and told Jordan we we're driving to California. We left at 1:00.

Best decision ever! We love being with those two so so much.

We went kayaking. We went to a fancy bakery for breakfast. We went to a baptism service. Mom taught me trade secret family recipes. Dad taught me trade secret salsa recipes (and sent me home with all the ingredients :)). We watched planet earth and laughed our guts out (who laughs at Planet Earth?? Um. Us.). We ate delicious homemade food. We went to a birthday party. We went to a mission farewell. We went to a fantastic Memorial Day service. We admired their garden. We bought me a beautiful basil plant.

And I fell asleep on the couch in the middle of a group conversation. Because I always do that.

It was a wonderful weekend. We miss you already, mom and dad!

Reception Video

Today was a happy day! I got an email from our wedding videographer and our reception video is finished.

It's perfect and I couldn't be happier! Unfortunately, I don't have it yet so the only way to view it for now is through this link. As soon as I have all the video's I'll post them up for all to see.

Enjoy. :)

https://vimeo.com/66746816

The password is "2".

The Pie

When Jordan and I were dating we went up to The Pie in West Jordan to get some pizza.

We were both totally blown away at how good it was.

So for the past year we have been reminiscing and talking about a special day that we can go up there and eat it again, like I don't know, an anniversary or something.. Well... so much for a special day. We couldn't help ourselves and drove up there to eat it. Just because we wanted to eat it.

Best pizza in the world. I may have drooled after taking my first bite.

We ate the entire thing. Gross? Kind of. I don't regret it at all though. :)

Then the hubby and I went and saw the new "Star Trek" movie. I loved it! I did fall asleep for a portion of it and never caught onto why the bad guy was doing what he was doing... but I still liked it.

Yeah, sometimes were 4-year-olds.

GAH

I'm obsessed with this kid.

Today I'm feeling pretty lucky. Gah. What a hunk.