Please don't let Christmas Break end

Wow we are having such a fun break that I didn't want to waste any of it by taking pictures.  Probably not the most sound reasoning, but that's how I'm justifying not documenting any of our lives for the past I don't even know how many months.  Basically, when we're in the middle of our semester and working like crazy, everything else falls to the bottom of our list of priorities, including but not limited to: blogging.

So anyway, consider this my formal re-introduction back into the world of blogging.  Now for some updates.  Another semester came and went, and Blake rocked it, as always.  He is so dang smart it's pretty insane.  I did alright, worked my bottom off and got better than I thought I would in a few classes, but we're still waiting for most of our grades to be posted.  We couldn't have been more excited about this awesome Christmas break and we had such a good time with our families.

We got to talk to Blake's brother Tom on Christmas, who's serving a mission in Philadelphia, and he comes back home in about 3 1/2 weeks.  So crazy! It's kind of funny because Tom has been one of my good friends since we were in seventh grade and I didn't really even know Blake, but after Tom left on his mission and Blake got home from his, we met and started talking, then dating, then we got engaged and married! All while Tom's been gone, so it's going to be pretty crazy to see my friend from high school again who is now all of the sudden my brother-in-law.  And Blake is SO excited to see his brother and best friend again.

I guess this is where I'm going to stop because I'm super tired and have to get up early for work tomorrow, so.... Happy New Year!

A Very Common Sight

This is what happens whenever Blake is around our nieces and nephews.  He is a child magnet.  He never gets to sit down, he is always bombarded with kids ready to play with him.  He is such a good sport about it, he is the best uncle.

Spencer and Emma having the time of their lives

Two seconds after i took this picture Emma body-slammed Blake with all the strength in her little body.  So funny!

He's going to be a really good dad someday :)

Catch-up..

So I realized I've been a pretty consistent blogger, that means I blog consistently once a month.  That's all you're gonna get during this crappy semester people, deal with it. 

 

Now that that's out of the way, there is so much to tell.  My sister Tiffany and new brother-in-law Shane got married, and Blake's sister Andrea had an adorable baby boy, Ryan.  (He has the most pinch-able chubby cheeks!) My birthday was in October and Blake's is coming up on November 7, We both have a tough semester and we're trying to balance it with work, church callings, (sorry I'm the worst visiting teacher EVER Eve and Melanie! Please still be my friends!)  weekly date nights, and of course, staying caught up with The Office.  Now I shall bombard you with pictures: 

This is what Blake spends all day every day doing... studying.  Usually he is on campus but every once in a while Joe comes over and they study FOREVER! It's terrible because it means that after i finish my homework i can't watch my shows.  The TV is right next to them and it would interrupt them.  I bet it's pretty annoying for Blake too.  Probably more so for me because I'm totally trying to get into the tv show GLEE and how the heck am I supposed to do that when Blake is trying to be productive in the very same room? Impossible. 

Here's Tiff and Shane's wedding.  She looked gorgeous and everything was so beautiful! 

My boyfriend and I outside of the temple at Tiff's wedding.

And here we are catching up with an old friend at her reception. We love this guy!

Here we are at one of Blake's best friend Mike's reception.  Mike married the sweetest girl ever, Crystal.  They are so cute!

Mr. and Mrs. Balser

    

   

We got to babysit our friend's Samantha and Bryan's cutie pie dog Kernal.  He was so sweet! I loved every second of having him here! (Hey sam, this is where I would link to your blog if you had one... hint hint..)

  

I woke up on my birthday to this sign made by Blake (and his sister Mckell, he said she was to thank for all the decorations and "girl writing") 

Blowing out my candles at my Mom's house.  ( I also had a really fun party with the Steele's but didn't get any pictures.  Thanks Robert, Laurel, and Matt and Andrea for the sweet presents! And the cheesecake was amazing)

I can't believe I don't have any pictures of baby Ryan! I'm sure I'll get tons at his blessing on Sunday.  Well, that should fill my blog quota until well into December. 

Darn you, September!

So ever since we've been married, Blake and I have really tried to get to the temple every month, and we had been doing a pretty good job up until the dreaded month of September. We realized with our work and school schedules we would need to really block out a time when we could go because there wasn't one day when we would be home together. We decided that we would have to wake up really early and go by six a.m. on a weekday so we wouldn't be late to our early classes. Well the day came, and sadly, Blake was deathly ill. He had the flu really bad for a few days so we missed our opportunity.

Then we realized that on the thirtieth- the last day of the month- if I sped home from Salt Lake (where I was at a training thing for work) then we would have time. The day came and I realized as I was on my way home that we would have more than enough time to go.  I got home, ran inside, changed really fast, and right as we walked out the door with our temple bags, Blake asked if i had my temple recommend.

........no. 

After searching for my wallet for about an hour and calling all my siblings (and olive garden, and byu, and work) to see if i left it there, I started to lose hope.  I was so worried because my social security card, birth certificate, check book, debit card, AND credit card were all in there.   Yeah, really smart.  Anyway, I couldn't find my wallet and we ended up not being able to go to the temple in September. 

The point of my story is how much of a difference I could feel from not being able to visit the temple as frequently as before-even if it just meant missing a month.  This experience has taught me how valuable the temple is to me, and how grateful I am for the peaceful, calming, beautiful feeling I always feel when I'm in there.  

It's amazing to me to realize that I can actually feel a difference in my life without it.  Things don't seem to be going as well, school seems harder, work seems more taxing, and life gets more and more overwhelming.  It is one of the greatest blessings of my life to be able to go to the temple with my wonderful husband and be once again reminded of what really matters, why we are really here and where we can potentially end up.    

I ended up finding my wallet (best day ever) and with it my temple recommend.  Even though we missed September and I ruined our previously unblemished record, I'm really grateful that I mysteriously lost my wallet for the last week of September because it really made me realize how important the Temple is to me.  I am so grateful for the blessing it is to live so close to so many temples and to be able to go whenever we want to.  But from now on, we're going to plan our temple trips at the beginning of the month...

Rebuttal

Give a man your blog address, and he'll check it every six months... maybe

But teach a man how to blog, and he'll post inscrutable "anonymous" messages on it.

I believe Blake's comments were directed to his thought that there is an unequal amount of him in comparison to me on this blog, to which I reply, "My darling, (yes, that's how we speak to each other) My darling, you are also an authorized blogger on michelleandblake.blogspot.com and you are more than welcome to make your much anticipated blog entrance at any time!  Well, he did.  And although I know he was totally kidding, and really could not possibly care less what is on our blog,  I'm still going to give him a little more time in the spotlight:

Behold,  the many faces of my husband:

Universe-rescuer Extrodinaire.    

Protector of the innocent

Troubled "bad egg" John Wayne-esque cowboy man

World's greatest fish catcher and harbinger of gorgeous sunrises 

Most gorgeous man who has ever lived... wow!

There's more, oh my is there more; but that's all for now.  

Michelle's Secret Admirerer

Hello Michelle's blog.  It looks really nice.  You are amazing. Apparently you married some loser who doesn't have a family.  You are really pretty.

DOTS?? SERIOUSLY??

So Blake and I were on our weekly date-night and we decided to go to a movie.  On our way there, we were distracted by the attractive flashing lights of Walgreens that advertised "3 BOXES OF CANDY FOR $2.00!" Or something like that.  Being the hopeless candy addicts that we are, (okay, fine, being the hopeless candy addict that I am) we stopped to get some candy for the movie.  Since all I had eaten that day was ice cream and candy, I decided that Blake should pick two of the candies and I would pick one.  Little did I know that he picks the WORST CANDY EVER! Behold:

.......dots and mike and ike's???? really???  please allow me fill you all in on the incredible candy selection they had there.  Mini Milky Ways and Butterfinger Bits galore!!! But Mike and Ike's and Dots? Wow.  Maybe there's some truth to the thought that women like chocolate more than men do.  What did I pick you ask?

Butterfinger Bites of course! (weird picture, blake was making me laugh...again..) I now promoted myself to head-candy-chooser for our household, and we will all benefit from my choices. 

Reunion!

So I used to live in Boston, and when I first moved there, I didn't know anyone.  But luckily, I quickly met this lovely person: 

Carly Jo.  She was so sweet! She introduced me to all the fun people and helped me squeeze in a small portion of a social life ( I was really busy all the time because I was there doing an internship, but I really appreciated Carly for helping me have fun in my small amounts of free time.)

Some of us at the Wine Store in Coolidge Corner in Boston where Carly's brothers were playing a show. 

On the T, probably leaving the show. 

At Carly's apartment for someone's birthday party

So I was REALLY excited when I heard that Carly was coming to Provo for a weekend! I was so excited that she could come visit while she was here!  Here we are over a year later, I'm married and Carly just got her mission call to Temple Square! You'll be awesome Carly JO!

Long Time Comin'

WEDDING PHOTOS! 

Warning: there are a LOT of pictures on this post!

Pretty friends at the Temple

(Most of) the boys

Cooties!

Oh hello there handsome husband.

The rest of my pretty friends at the Temple.

Jennica, Jennifer, me, Lauren and Ashley (not pictured: Mindy!)

Sorry, more kissing pictures, couldn't resist!

My family at the Temple

Blake's family at the Temple

The Reception:

My Beautiful Bridesmaids!

Emma did a really good job holding up my skirt, and holding my bouquet, and trying to wear my veil.... she loves weddings!

I hope I can look like my mom one day. 

Blake's aunt made our wedding cake. It was gorgeous! She is so talented!