365 Days

One year later, it still gets better every day. Thank goodness we have forever left to go! :)

I sure do love this guy.

Let it Snow (Rain)!

Trevor sings this song to me (minus the rain part) year round- and now he can finally sing it and it fits the season! I love it. However, we are in Vegas, where it rarely snows... but it's been raining the whole time!

We love the freedom...

UNLV Game

Trevor's face... hahaha.

It's a Wonderful Life

Okay okay... so I can't stop with the cheesy Christmas titles... just embrace it.

Another semester of finals is now successfully completed!

(Trevor still has one more... he likes to drag it out to the bitter end... my attention span is far to short for that.)

And that means:

Work tonight,

Followed by cleaning the house

Packing

Taking down the Christmas decorations (because it's really depressing to have to take them down after Christmas, and we won't be back until after New Year's) 

And tomorrow, LAS VEGAS!

Where we will play for two whole weeks :)

We are so SO excited! We plan on

lots of sibling time (significant others included)

8 hour nights of sleep

movies

no school

no work

hot dates

*our first Christmas*

*our first anniversary*

and who knows what other kinds of shenanigans?

For now, it's all I can do to not bug Trevor while he's studying...

A common scene.

Best part: he doesn't even try to get rid of me. :)

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

Good news: we survived the week before finals! From here, it's cake (not)... but only a matter of time until it's all done.

Otherwise,

Trevor is officially in the Athletic Training program for next semester!

I got my hair cut! ... really not too different, just some more layers. I love it.

I threw my first bridal shower! SO excited for the girls getting married!

We leave for Las Vegas in approximately 6 days!

And we had a very festive weekend:

Ward Christmas party: burritos and dodgeball.

Temple Square with Jeff and Kiley!

SO pretty!

Our first time seeing the lights together... romantic.

I love my man :)

The End Is Near.

It's here. 

The week when everything is due.

The days when those month-away deadlines are not creeping up on me anymore...

They already crept.

In fact, they are sitting right next to me.

The days I realize that I only have 4 more days of class.

4 days of everything. being. due.

And after that...

Relief, you may think?

Oh, no.

No no no.

A fantastically fun week filled with exams every day.

Time to put it all out there.

There is no more saving of the grades after a not-so-fabulous test score.

This test IS the potential grade saver.

Now, contrary to popular opinion,

I don't mind finals week NEARLY as much as the week before. 

I'm not lying when I say that I have had semesters where EVERY CLASS had an exam the week before finals.

Thankfully, thankfully, this is not the case this semester.

This semester I just have a thousand things to finish before Thursday.

Fine, fine, I'll finish it on time I'm sure, and then it will all be over

(except not. because the next week is finals).

My only wish is to make it until next Thursday at midnight.

After that, I can handle the exams.

One a day for 5 days... 

Get it done and check it off the list.

And the best part?

After the end of the exams is the BEGINNING of the break!

2 weeks in Las Vegas with nothing we have to do...

Heavenly.

But right now... it is only the beginning of the end.

Here we go...

In other news:

He clearly likes it when I bug him to smile for a picture while he's doing his homework.

Holly Cookies! Usually they are green, but I have no food coloring. Also, I learned that you're supposed to scoop them with a spoon, not your hands.

I learned the spoon thing after I finished scooping them all with my hands.

Our house is festive!!!!

CUTE stockings courtesy of my sister :)

Texas, Elk, and Layered Jell-o

Oh what a glorious week away!


Our vacation to Texas began with a 20 hour car ride to Texas through windy Colorado mountains with deer and elk ALL OVER the place!! Uh- SCARY! I felt like we were tromping through uncharted territory with 2-lane freeways and no civilization to be found. It's a strange feeling.

We LOVED our trip. A few highlights:
Some much needed sister time!
So. Much. Food. (Including the best puppy chow I've ever made).
Warm Dallas weather
Running a 5K with Sarah
Thanksgiving shopping... cooking... dinner... leftovers...
Pedicures (manicure for me- my feet are ticklish and nobody sees my feet in the winter in Provo!)
Mario Kart
Family pictures
Quality family time with everyone, which I love
Mom and Dad's 50th birthday celebrations
Playing with Madison, Jaxon, and baby Colton!!!
Christmas with my side of the family (we will be in Las Vegas for Christmas with Trev's family)
Time to just RELAX
Reading
Colton's baby blessing
NOT going to school or work :)
Football for the boys
Ping Pong

Classic Porter family vacation! I was definitely not ready to leave... I always wish I lived closer to my sister. But we left with good memories and plans to see each other again in not too long, which makes it better. Also- 3 weeks until we are on our way for Christmas vacay!

'Tis the Season!

IT'S HERE!!

I'm officially feeling the "holiday spirit" already, and I love it. I feel it much last year what with certain events...

And holiday spirit is not something that can be forced.

In fact, there have been other years where I didn't feel it as much either.

But this year, it's holiday time and it feels like it.

So this week:

I'm putting up a Christmas tree! Yes, it's early, but I want it to be up already when we get home from Thanksgiving break and before we leave for Christmas to Las Vegas. And yes, I will most likely listen to Christmas music the whole time. 

And along with Christmas tree comes our few various other Christmas decorations (basically all given to us for our wedding, including stockings and a nativity scene). And perhaps some paper snowflakes? I might get a little crafty... 

CHRISTMAS LIGHTS are goin' up!!

Also, I got a holiday-smelling candle (vanilla, because it's the closest wintery smelling candle Trevor would accept without saying, "that kind of makes me want to throw up").

I'm finishing Christmas shopping for my side of the family because we are celebrating Christmas over Thanksgiving break .

Trevor is turning 23 on Thursday!!!!! Last night we had a little family party at our house with Trevor's brother Kyle, his wife Whitney, and my brother Garrett. Thursday he gets to open his presents from me. And Sunday we are having a Trevor birthday cake at Sarah's. I LOOVEEEE birthdays!!! 

And the main event of the week: WE LEAVE FOR TEXAS ON FRIDAY!!!! Unfortunately we will not arrive until Saturday evening ish due to a 20+ hour drive (ew). But I keep telling myself it might be fun driving across the country because Trevor will be there with me this time? 

I can't remember the last time I felt this Christmasy. I'm thinking it probably has something to do with the fact that I feel more "at home" in college than I ever have now that I'm married. And it's our first Christmas, so I'm feeling very "tradition" oriented I think. And I have my Trevor to enjoy it all with me, which I couldn't be more excited about :). I love, love this time of year and all the family!

One of those days...

So far, it's been a relatively low stress semester (for me).

Not too many exams, not too many papers, everything moving at a fine pace with time leftover.

But this week? 

Not the case. 

It really just hit me last night that I was ready to be done with the insanity.

After days of {endless} exams, I finally realized...

I didn't want to take any more! which is not an option, of course.

So today, it all caught up to me. 

I finally stopped and realized that it's been a crazy week...

and when I stopped, EVERYTHING ELSE ran into me!

And I started feeling anxious... I don't like feeling anxious.

Study for another exam.

Finish take home portion of different exam.

Take previously mentioned exam (find two hour block of consecutive time to take exam).

Write a paper.

Work out.

Write swim cards.

Go to work.

Go to class.

Christmas plans.

Grocery shopping.

Clean the apartment.

And the thing that put me over the edge?

I'm getting sick. 

AAAAAH!!!!

BUT! In a matter of only 8 days we will be on our way to Texas, relaxation, physically and mentally far, far away from school with my favorite people. I. Cannot. Wait.

But for now... I'm going to go catch up with my education.

Watch Out, Sylvester Stallone.

PICTURES GALORE!

We were boxers. 

Boxers in love, of course

Watch...

out.

We had a liiiittle boxing match...

This is what I got for throwing the first hit.

Not as bad as it looks, I promise you.

Our masterful black eyes, courtesy of some old dance team eyeshadow and lipstick.

My love Kanani!

Beyonce and Jay-Z

The most loving boxer in all the land. 

Just... the normal.

I love Trevor...

He loves me...

We are a happy family. ♥ 

The end!