Happy Now-Feb. 6

One of my New Year's Resolutions is to read at least two books a month.  Twenty-four books in 2012 would definitely be an improvement over last year.  I know to some of my friends and family who are avid readers, this may not seem like a very lofty goal.  As much as I love to read, however, it is not something for which I always make time.  Unfortunately, I am already a 1/2 book behind, but I plan on catching up to stay on track.  Fortunately, I did not make a resolution about making regular blog posts. :)  Here are my Happy Now 10 for the past couple of weeks.

1.  Rock Climbing--In my last post I mentioned that Darren chose rock climbing for our next activity.  This was definitely a new experience for me.  I started to get nervous when we stepped out onto the padded, blue floor beneath the rock climbing walls.  We started by having an instructor show us how to tie the proper knot and what to do should your partner start plummeting to his death while climbing.  I wish I could say that I totally jumped at the opportunity, rolled up my sleeves, and sprinted up the rock wall on the first try.  It definitely took more than one try, and my forearms have never been so sore after grasping desperately to the hand grips, but I did eventually make it to the top and actually really started to enjoy myself by the end.  I was lucky to have such an encouraging partner who kept the rope taut and sent words of motivation up to me while climbing.  I was the first to suggest we go rock climbing again soon.

2.  Dessert with the Grossarths--I grew up with Jeanne through elementary school and jr. high until her family moved to Utah after our freshman year of high school.  While I haven't been able to see her as often as I would like, we have kept in touch and I have loved watching her beautiful family grow.  Darren and I were able to have dessert with Jeanne, her husband Kevin, and their three adorable kids about a week ago.  It was great to talk with Jeanne and Kevin, and Darren and I were both charmed by the kids, especially their oldest little boy.  Such a fun evening!

3.  Classroom Comics--For Christmas I received a tear-off daily calendar of teacher-related comics.  One day last week Darren came to pick me up at school and help me sort some papers.  Before leaving, he noticed the comic for that day on my desk and decided to try and draw it on the board for my students to see the next day.  I have to admit, I didn't know my husband had such artistic talent.  My kids loved the comic and I definitely gained some "cool points" just by being associated with Mr. Myler.

4.  Geneva Memories--In 2006 I was lucky enough to spend some time in Geneva, Switzerland on a BYU internship.  While in Geneva, I was able to meet some amazing people and life-long friends.  One of those people was Afton Beutler, my internship mentor.  Afton has dedicated the past several years of her life to the Worldwide Organization for Women.  She has worked tirelessly to unite women and their cause for good throughout the world.  I felt privileged to join in her work, if only for a few months.  In December, Afton e-mailed me that she would be visiting Utah in January and wanted to see me and meet Darren.  We met Afton for dinner last week, and it was SO great to see her.  I was flooded with some wonderful memories from my internship and was, again, so inspired by the work she and the NGO are doing.

Me with Afton and some others from the UN on the International Day of Peace in Geneva in 2006

Dinner with Afton 2012

5.  Death Comes to Pemberley--My first book of 2012 was P.D. James's Death Comes to Pemberley.  Mystery is probably my second favorite genre, after historical fiction.  When I heard that a well-known mystery writer decided to set her next novel among the characters of Austen's Pride and Prejudice at Pemberley, I knew I had to get my hands on that book.  I was only able to figure out part of the mystery by the end, and enjoyed being kept on my toes.  What else did I enjoy about the book?  The author twice snuck in peripheral mentions of characters from  Persuasion (my FAVORITE Austen novel) and Emma.  She made several of Austen's characters seem like contemporaries whose lives occasionally intersected.  Love it!

6.  Personal Quote Book--My Dad has encouraged my brother and me to keep a book of favorite quotes we come across.  It becomes our own, personal source of gathered inspiration.  I was reading through some of the quotes I've gathered over the past several years and was, again, touched by the power of words.  I love how these words of wisdom and inspiration continue to affect the lives of those who read them generations after they were written.  Here are just a few examples:

• "I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived." (~Thoreau, Walden)
• "Oh who can tell, save he whose heart hath tried." (~Lord Byron)
• "I gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which I must stop and look fear in the face ... I say to myself, I've lived through this and can take the next thing that comes along ... We must do the things we think we cannot do." (~Eleanor Roosevelt)
• "Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me." (1 Nephi 21:16)

The most recent addition to my quote book came just today when I read this quote on the inspiring blog of a dear family friend, Karen Holmes: "It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.  The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly, who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who at the worst, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat." (~Teddy Roosevelt)  Thanks, Karen!

7.  Dryer Faux Pas--I was helping Darren fold some laundry over the weekend when he came across a sweater of mine that I had left in the dryer a little too long.  We just had to laugh.  Perhaps it could work as a shirt for a future daughter?

8.  Greek Yogurt--I have been wanting to try some greek yogurt for a while.  I came across a simple and delicious-sounding breakfast idea that involved greek yogurt, honey, and a variety of berries.  I decided to try some this past weekend and loved it!  It was really sweet, so Darren and I had some for dessert tonight, as well.  I think we've found another favorite!

9.  Movie Night--Darren and I went to see our first movie of the year in the theater two weekends ago.  I love the whole experience of going to the movies--there are no distractions and, for better or worse, you can become completely wrapped up in the on-screen action.

10.  Dreaming with Darren--I love talking about the future with Darren.  Talking about the immediate future fills me with excitement about the realistic changes we can anticipate.  Sometimes Darren and I venture into the unknown distant future and talk about, ideally, where we would like to be several years from now.  We talk about the design of our dream home, the land we would want surrounding our home, and our future family.  Most recently we got on the subject of future pets.  Fortunately, I have married someone who loves animals (almost) as much as I do (he stops short of hamsters and mice :).  Today over dinner we were talking about the pets we would like to have, and I went ahead and chose names.  Darren decided that he would at least need a horse and a dog, and I proposed that I would need my own horse, dog, and cat.  Here are the names I'm currently considering (pictures from pinterest):

• Horse: Indie

• Golden Retriever: Atticus

• Orange Striped Tabby Cat: Scout

Now to make that idyllic future a reality. :)

Happy Now-Jan. 22

It has been a great week!  Here are this week's Happy Now 10:

1.  Wedding Album--Woot!  Woot!  That's right!  My parents received our wedding album earlier this week and then forwarded it to us.  I think it turned out great, and we are SO excited to have it!  Here is a sample of one of our pages. :)

2.  New Necklace--This week I also received my first Etsy purchase in the mail.  I saw a picture of this necklace on Pinterest and loved the delicate leaf pattern.  This was quite the week for receiving fun things in the mail!

3.  Welcomed Work--Darren and I have been amazed at how hard it has been to find a full-time job for Darren until law school starts.  This week, however, Darren received a long-awaited job offer from Lowes.  We feel so blessed to have this offer and be able to start adding to our savings!

4.  Dinner with Friends--We got to have dinner with our friends Sara and Ian on Thursday.  It was great to catch up with these two, and we are looking forward to doing more activities with them!

5.  Student Puppet Shows--The mom of one of my students owns several puppets and performs puppet shows at the local library.  At the beginning of the year, this mom offered to help my students perform puppets shows should it ever fit into our curriculum.  I recently had my students write fables and thought this would be the perfect opportunity to incorporate puppet shows.  We had two fables performed last week and will have three more next week.  The puppet shows have been great so far, and I am so grateful for this mom's help!

6.  Rainy Days--Saturday morning we woke up to a wonderful rainstorm that lasted all day until it became cold enough in the late afternoon to turn into a snow storm.  It provided some much needed moisture and made for a wonderfully cozy Saturday.

7.  Breakfast at Mimi's--Darren and I started off a fun Saturday with breakfast at Mimi's Cafe.  I love the atmosphere at Mimi's, not to mentioned their hot chocolate and omelets. :)

8.  New Books--Mimi's Cafe just happens to be right next to Barnes and Noble.  Yesterday our browsing in this book store turned into some fun purchases.  I am perhaps most excited about the Below Stairs memoir I bought of a kitchen maid in the 1920s that inspired the creator of "Downton Abbey."

9.  Library Cards--Darren and I went from Barnes and Noble to the new Springville Library where we got our library cards and spent some time reading.

10.  Rock Climbing--I'm afraid I put Darren's "man card" in serious jeopardy last week when I chose crocheting as our first opportunity to learn something new together.  It is now his turn to choose the activity, so I must be equally supportive now that he has chosen to go rock climbing.  They have "family night" reduced prices at the Quarry on Mondays, so we are planning on going tomorrow.  Rock climbing is not really a new activity for Darren, but it certainly is for me.  It should be an adventure!

Happy Now-Jan. 15

I am excited to share my Happy Now 10 for this week!  Unfortunately, this past week has found me a little under the weather, but there's nothing like being sick to really make you appreciate the small things that are often taken for granted.  I spent last weekend lying low (hence no blog post) and then took Friday off to give myself a longer weekend this weekend and finish recuperating.  Here are my top 10 moments from the past couple of weeks.

1. More Law School News:  In the past couple of weeks, Darren has received two more law school acceptances and has been put on one school's wait list (at our top-choice school, so we are keeping our fingers crossed!).  It feels like such a blessing to have choices.  So far, we have been accepted to a school in Michigan, Arizona, and North Carolina.  Can you guess which school this sun-loving, CA girl is rooting for?

2.  Student's Morning Question:  I have one particularly active student in my classroom who bounces into my room every morning and doesn't stop bouncing until he leaves that afternoon.  This student has started greeting me with a question each morning that never fails to make me smile.  Our conversation usually goes something like this:

Me: Good morning, (student).  How are you doing this morning?
Student:  I'm great!  How are you Mrs. Myler?  How did you sleep?

Now it may not seem like much, but it's his last question that always makes me laugh a little inside.  He holds still for just a moment to hear my response to his questions before moving on.  I try to answer his questions as sincerely as possible.  Maybe it's because I think of it as a question a mother would ask her child, but it always seems so unexpected and cute every time he asks.

3.  E-mails from Chris:  I've received a few e-mails from my brother over the past couple of weeks.  I love it every time I see his name in my inbox.  His sense of humor cracks me up, and I love hearing about what he's up to and his song recommendations. :)  Thanks, bud!

4.  Pajama Days:  I mentioned earlier that I took Friday off from school because I wasn't feeling well.  What I didn't mention was that I spent the WHOLE day in my pajamas.  I definitely started to get antsy toward the end of the day and it was great to get out and about a little yesterday, but staying in comfy clothes all day certainly has its up sides.

5.  Indoor Plants:  I love nature.  For Christmas this year, the other fifth grade teachers at my school and I decided to exchange classroom plants as gifts.  I was so excited!  While Darren and I were shopping for the gift plant, we also bought a few plants for our home.  Staying indoors and getting plenty of rest recently has definitely been good for me, but when I started to miss seeing some greenery, these little house plants sure brightened my day.

6.  Breakfast in Bed:  I woke up Friday morning to see my husband carrying in a tray of eggs, toast, fruit, and water.  What a great start to a day!

7.  Couple Crochet:  Darren and I decided that we wanted to start learning new things together.  I got to choose our first activity ... and I chose crocheting. :)  I remember learning once for a Young Women's project for which I planned to make a baby's blanket, and it turned into a pot holder.  I now remember why the once-planned blanket ended up so much smaller.  Crocheting takes me a really long time!  I'm not ready to give up on it, but I do know that if I ever finish a baby's blanket that thing will be more rare and precious than gold!

This is how far I got before I decided to take a break.

Darren made it much farther--I think he's found a hidden talent.

8.  Austen Book--We're reading Sense and Sensibility for our book club right now.  I LOVE Austen and I'm so excited we're reading one of her books.

9.  Primary Class--Darren and I started teaching a new group of kids in our Primary class.  We loved our last class, but the group of girls we have right now are little angels.  It's such a pleasure to teach them.

10.  RedHeadedHostess--I recently came across this website: www.theredheadedhostess.com.  She has some great scripture study tips and other insights that I have loved reviewing.

Here's to a week of improved health and continued happiness!

Happy Now-Jan. 1

Happy New Year!  I have a great feeling about 2012.  So far, we are off to a great start!  This post is several weeks overdue, but I have my top ten Happy Now moments from the last few weeks of 2011.

1.  Dinner with the Chaffees--On our last Sunday in Utah before the Christmas Break, Darren and I were invited to dinner with the Chaffees.  It is always wonderful to see them, and I feel like I am meeting with family rather than friends whenever I am with them.  While there, the Chaffee women recommended the TV series "Downton Abbey" to me.  Darren and I just finished watching the first season via Netflix, bless Darren's heart.  We both really enjoyed it, though, and can't wait to start watching Season 2 next week!  Thank you for the wonderful meal, evening, and recommendations, Chaffee family!

2.  Holiday Farewells to Students--Every now and then, I think about a scene from the movie "Mr. Holland's Opus" in which Mr. Holland is teaching his first day of a high school music class.  At the end of the day, Mr. Holland says something about how he never imagined as a student that his teachers looked forward to the final bell as much as he did.  I certainly felt that way on the last day of teaching before the holiday break.  I was as giddy as the students at the prospect of having a week and a half off.  I expected the students to rush out the door without a backwards glance when the final bell rang, and most of them did.  A few students turned back, however, with some very kind words.  Their expressions of gratitude and holiday wishes made me pause in my attempt to follow the students quickly out the door with a much-needed reminder of why I love to teach and why the classroom is a pretty great place to be after all.

3.  Road Trip--I have many fond memories of the road trip between Utah and California, most often made with my family while I attended BYU.  The trip has come to represent excitement as I am either driving home or returning back to an academic adventure.  These most recent trips with Darren have been no different.

4.  Family Gatherings--The holidays are all about family, aren't they?  Over this holiday break, Darren and I were not only able to spend some wonderful quality time with my immediate family, but with extended family, as well.  I look forward to every opportunity I have to get together with my cousins, aunts, and uncles.  I felt fortunate to be able to see my Dad's side of the family over the holiday since Darren and I had missed seeing them at Thanksgiving.  Here's to a 2012 with many more family gatherings!

5.  Christmas Eve Chili--I love holiday traditions.  One of my favorite Christmas Eve traditions is eating a bowl of my mom's Christmas Eve chili.  It smells and tastes like Christmas to me more than anything else.

6.  Christmas Morning Wake-up Calls--I am 28 years old, but I still find it absolutely necessary to get an early start to the festivities on Christmas morning.  One may think this should fall to the youngest sibling, but alas it has fallen upon me over the past few years to wake my brother, parents, and now husband when the agreed upon time has come to begin opening stockings.

On a slightly unrelated topic, I wanted to share a Christmas day picture of me and Darren before we left for church.  We had taken several, but I didn't like any as much as the impromptu dip Darren did at the end. :)

7.  Wedding Cake--I previously mentioned loving holiday traditions.  Truth be told, my love of traditions is not limited to holidays.  My parents agreed to save part of the top layer of our wedding cake in their freezer for the past year so that Darren and I could have a bite on our 1st anniversary.  Despite some hesitation on Darren's part to eat a year-old piece of cake, I was bound and determined to carry out this tradition.  It was about a month after our first anniversary, but we ate (and enjoyed!) a piece of our wedding cake.  I was surprised by how good it still was!  Darren and I both had more than the anticipated small bite.  My mom, who did not get the chance to try any at our reception, also had a taste.  I would definitely recommend this tradition!

Chris, our photographer for the evening, got artistic with our rings before we took bites out of the red velvet piece of wedding cake.

We're about to take our first bite.

8.  Zumba with Mom--Several weeks ago I mentioned how much I enjoyed taking a Zumba class with some teachers at my school.  When I found out that a local gym in CA would be hosting two Zumba class while I was in town, I immediately proposed the idea to my mom.  While the music and steps were different than my experience with Zumba in Utah (but still confirmed that I have ABSOLUTELY NO Latin blood in my veins), we still had a great time.  What a fun way to work up a sweat!

9.  New Year's Resolutions--Every year, I love making New Year's Resolutions.  There's something about starting fresh with a clear image of how you want to improve certain areas of your life that is invigorating.  Many years ago, my dad used a scriptural reference (Luke 2:52) which talked of Christ growing in "wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man" to suggest that we make resolutions in four main categories of our lives: intellectual, physical, spiritual, and social.  I have my resolutions set and am ready to put them into action.

10.    Midnight Fireworks--Darren and I started driving back to Utah yesterday afternoon, on New Year's Eve.  Once we were on the road, we set the goal of trying to be back to Springville by midnight so that we could ring in the New Year in our little apartment.  We were about 20 minutes late, but it worked out for the best.  When the clock struck midnight, our car was cresting a hill on the freeway from which we could see surrounding communities for quite a distance.  Our first moments of 2012 were greeted by several fireworks displays in the Utah valley.  We counted nine in all.  It was a magical moment and a great way to start off a new year.

A very happy New Year to you all!

Happy Now-Dec. 11

1. December 1st Tradition:  I'm starting off my Happy Now 10 this week with a happy moment that actually belonged in last week's post.  As I was getting into bed after writing my post last week, I realized that I had left out one of the happiest moments of the week.  I couldn't just leave it out, so I'm leading off with it tonight.  Ever since I can remember, my family has had a holiday tradition of celebrating Dec. 1st in order to kick off the Christmas season.  Growing up, we would have a nice dinner and my brother and I would receive Christmas pajamas and an advent calendar.  While Darren and I couldn't be gathered around the table with my family this December 1st, we were still able to celebrate thanks to my parents who sent us pajamas in the mail and e-mailed us a beautiful Jacquie Lawson London Advent calendar for our computer.  I love this tradition and am so glad that we have been able to keep it up despite the distance that separates our family members.

2.  Darren's help with trees: I mentioned last week that I was making a set of paper trees for a decoration exchange I had been invited to attend.  The trees ended up taking much longer than I expected, but I was fortunate enough to have Darren to help cut circles and come up with creative solutions.  When the trees were too top heavy to stand up in the thread spools as the directions said they would, I was about ready to throw in the towel.  Darren saved the day (and the trees), however, by suggesting we glue the spools to an extra square of green card stock and then anchor the trees with some extra Christmas saltwater taffy we had.  Here's how they turned out:

3.  Decoration Exchange:  Sara did an amazing job of organizing the decoration exchange and preparing a lovely setting and delicious food in her apartment for the event yesterday.  As much work as I had put into my decorations, I still felt like they looked like popsicle stick ornaments compared to the other crafts that had been prepared.  I would not blame the other girls for depositing my paper trees in the nearest trash receptacle, but I am grateful for the crafts I got from them that I can, and currently do, use.  Here is what I received:

From left to right: felt Christmas tree wreath, snowflake ornament, "Silent Night" musical note ornament, Santa belt ornament, homemade carmel apple dip and an apple, "Let It Snow" painted mug, flower coat pin

Our "family room" with our new wreath and tree ornaments

I wore the flower pin on my coat to church today.

4.  Christmas Pillowcases:  Darren and I have been meaning to put these festive pillowcases on our pillows since we returned home from Thanksgiving.  This week we finally added them!  We received the pillowcases for our wedding last year and I love how it brings a little Christmas into our bedroom.

5.  Dinner with Whitney and Kelly:  My parents knew Whitney's parents before we were born.  Whitney and I have grown up together and then moved to Utah together as she started college at the University of Utah and I went to BYU.  She has been a great friend.  Darren, my mom, and I were able to attend her wedding to Kelly in Salt Lake last August.  Last night we got together with the Whites for dinner and had a great time catching up with these two.  I'm so glad to know that this friendship will continue to grow as we meet together as couples and future families.

6.  Warm(ish) Winter Weather:  A few weeks ago I mentioned being grateful for a thin layer of snow outside.  Now, any sunny, relatively warm day can make me immediately smile.  Today it was 45 degrees outside when we left for church.  That's not exactly balmy, but it's definitely warmer than it has been.  Did I mention that we will be spending our Christmas holiday in CA where it stays in the 60s during the winter?  Can't wait!

7.  Christmas shopping:  I LOVE Christmas shopping.  I love trying to find the right gift for loved ones and anticipating their reaction on Christmas morning.  Yesterday, Darren and I had a fun time walking around the mall and finding little gifts for some family members.

8.  Visiting Barnes and Noble:  Darren and I go into the Orem Barnes and Noble any time we are in the area.  We rarely buy anything, but there's just something about bookstores that we both love.  Maybe it's the smell of the books or being surrounded by other people (kids and adults) who find joy in reading.  We have even talked about how fun it would be to own our own bookstore a la The Shop Around the Corner from "You've Got Mail."  I may even have a name picked out for our little bookstore and a sketch with what the inside would look like. :)

9.  Chats with Parents:  I've had some great chats with my parents over the phone recently.  I feel like I've hit the jackpot when I can have both of my parents on the line at the same time.  We've shared quite a few laughs and have had some inspiring talks about the future this week.  Thank you, Mr. Graham Bell!

10.  Family History:  This week, Darren created an account on ancestry.com and was able to trace part of his lineage back to the 1300s.  So cool!  I wanted to have a share in the fun so I jumped on and started doing some research on my family tree.  I only read names and dates, but I immediately started to wonder about the personalities and lives associated with those names.  Genealogy is such an exciting work, and I am looking forward to learning more about my heritage on-line and through conversations with family members.

Happy Now-Dec. 4

Here are my Happy Now 10 from this week:

1. Wedding Album Proofs--On Monday we received the first proof of our wedding album, which we were able to approve later this week.  We should have our copy shortly after Christmas.  Yippee!

2.  Awesome Article--I read THIS article shared by a friend on Facebook.  I could completely identify with falling into the trap of talking to little girls about the societal "girly" things (clothes, hair, etc.).  I loved this article for encouraging us to think about a girl's mind and less about her appearance and the message we send by the topic of conversation we choose.

3.  Compliment from a Parent--Every now and then, a parent will say something kind to me as their student's teacher.  This week I had a parent of one of my students from last year pay me a compliment as a teacher.  I will never get over how much that kind of feedback means to me.

4.  Crafty Moment #2--As you may recall, crafty moment #1 came last week after about a 15-year hiatus when I sewed 4 pieces of fabric together.  Well, since then, I have been on a crafting roll.  On Thursday, I got together with some other women in our Relief Society to make some projects as gifts or for our own home decor.  I made this sign with lines from Primary Songs, which I think will be fun in a future little boy's room.  The project only required sanding, painting, and applying a big sticker, but that still left a large margin of error (for me) and I was pretty happy with how it turned out. :)

5.  Crafty Moment #3--I was invited by a friend to participate in a Christmas decoration exchange next weekend.  After scouring the "easy Christmas crafts" websites, I found a guide for making some cute paper Christmas trees. I started on the craft this week and have had a lot of fun.  Stay tuned for some finished products next week.

6.  Guest Speaker--This week I finished teaching the Amelia Earhart unit to my Reading Class.  I found out about an awesome opportunity to have a female pilot from the local aviation program at UVU come speak to my class about Earhart's contributions to aviation and about her own experiences as a pilot and a woman.  My students were really excited to hear her present and to ask her their questions.  Our guest speaker was raised to superhero status, however, when she handed out a poster, t-shirt, and model airplane from UVU for each student.  It was a complete surprise to me and, while I could appreciate the marketing motives behind such a generous gift, I was so excited for my students and appreciative of this woman who brought so much excitement into my classroom.  About half of my class is now considering a future career in aviation. :)

7.  New babies--Yesterday, Darren and I had the opportunity to visit a young couple in our ward who had their first son this week.  He is absolutely adorable and I am so happy for Kareena and Chris.  What a sweet thing to have a newborn baby around Christmas time.  It reminds me of the excitement we had about this time last year when little Parker Hyde joined our extended family.  Such happy times!

8.  Homemade Bread and Jam--We were given a gift of homemade bread and jam this week.  Few things taste and smell as good as homemade bread.  Unfortunately, Darren agrees.  We have tried making the little loaf last as long as possible between the two of us.  It is almost gone but, boy oh boy, have we enjoyed it!

9.  Sunday Dinners at Mary's--My Dad's cousin, Mary Wintch, lives in Springville and has been kind enough to host me and many others over the past several years for Sunday dinners.  Darren and I have been lucky enough to have frequent dinners with her recently, and I am grateful for the time and effort she puts into hosting us.  We ate with her again tonight and she made a family favorite--a Danish recipe for Frikadellers.

10. First Presidency's Christmas Devotional--After eating dinner with Mary, she served us some ice cream and sat us down on her couch to watch the annual First Presidency's Christmas Devotional.  I love gathering on the first Sunday of December every year to hear Christmas messages from the leaders of my Church and to hear the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sing the beautiful and familiar Christmas Carols.  It is a wonderful way to kick off the Christmas season and is a great reminder of the true reason behind this festive time.

Happy Now-Nov. 27th (1st Anniversary!)

This has been such a fun week!  I had my Happy Now 10 for last week all written out in my journal, but time got away from me before I could make the post.  I am excited to pick up with this week, however, and share some of the very happy moments we've had over the past seven days.

1. The Wiz--On Monday, Darren and I had the opportunity to see a production of The Wiz at Highland High School in Salt Lake.  Katie, who started teaching choir at Highland this year, was the musical director of the show.  She got us front row seats next to her parents, sister, and Krista.  They were such great seats and we had a lot of fun watching this creative adaptation of The Wizard of Oz.  The students were wonderful, and Katie had obviously used a lot of her time and talent to put on such a fantastic show.  Here is a picture of me with Krista and Katie:

2.  1st Anniversary Part I--After I finished teaching on Tuesday, Darren and I drove up to Park City (where we had spent our honeymoon the year before).  Thanks to the generous anniversary gifts we received from both sets of parents, we were able to have dinner and spend the night there before heading up to Idaho for Thanksgiving.  I had started having a lot of wedding deja-vu the week before, and spending time in a wintery Park City just added to those wonderful wedding memories.

On Main Street in Park City--November 2011

3.  Tree Hunt--When we arrived in Idaho on Wednesday, Darren and I were invited to go find a Christmas tree with Angie, Scott, and their two beautiful girls, Annalyse and Natalie.  This was unlike any tree-buying experience I had had, though.  Scott and Angie bought a tree-cutting permit and went into the woods near their home to cut down their own tree.  We joked about feeling like the Griswalds from "Christmas Vacation", but in reality it was so beautiful and easy!  If Darren and I ever live by a wooded area we will definitely need to copy this tradition!

The whole crew (minus Angie who was taking the picture) before heading out to look for a tree: Annalyse, Darren, Me, Scott, Natalie

The tree has been found and is (apparently) about to be conquered.

4.  Thanksgiving Holiday--I am so grateful for an entire holiday dedicated to remembering the things for which we are grateful.  We even get an amazing feast to eat while we reflect on our blessings.  Angie and Scott made a wonderful turkey dinner complete with mashed potatoes, yams, stuffing, salad, corn, rolls, and jello pudding.

5.  Black Friday--I had my first Black Friday shopping experience this year.  While I'm not sure that I'll be going out again at midnight next year, it was pretty exciting to see the deals that were available.

6.  Cute Nieces--I have really enjoyed becoming "Aunt Kate" over the past year.  I was sorry that Cindy and Brent's family couldn't join us for the holiday, but I had a lot of fun spending time with Annalyse and Natalie this week.  They are such polite, talented girls.  Coming home from dinner last night, Darren and I were riding in the back seat with Natalie.  I decided to play a game with Natalie that we have played before: I take out my iPhone camera, give her an emotion, and then snap her interpretation of that emotion.  I thought that I would share a few photos of this cutie:

The "stare down" look 

"It's Christmas morning and you just got the present you've always wanted."

"You've just seen Uncle Darren after not seeing him for a really long time."

"Bored"

"I'm hungry!"

7.  Anniversary Breakfast--Mr. and Mrs. Myler were kind enough to fix the family a pancake, eggs, and bacon breakfast yesterday morning and today.  When we arrived for breakfast this morning, we were greeted by an anniversary sign and handmade anniversary purse from Natalie.

Breakfast table with sign

Close-up of sign

Anniversary purse :)

8.  Craft time--I don't consider myself a crafty person.  I remember taking a sewing class in Jr. High, but I haven't touched a sewing machine since then.  This weekend, however, Angie helped me start a quilt for which I measured and tore fabric squares and sewed four squares together.  Four whole squares!  Thanks for the opportunity to be crafty, Angie!

9.  Christmas Music and Decorations--Fortunately, Darren and I agree on not listening to Christmas music nor decorating for Christmas until after Thanksgiving.  Helping the Cornelison's start decorating their home for Christmas, however, really made me excited to bring out the few decorations Darren and I have.  We listened to Christmas music the entire way home from Idaho and, as soon as we had unpacked, we got out our decorations and got to work.  Here's what we did:

The spoons on the far left and the table runner below came from  the Quarinos (ma famille francaise) last year for our wedding.

10.  1st ANNIVERSARY-Part II--It is hard to believe that an entire year has passed since I became Mrs. Kate Myler.  When I look back on this past year, all I can feel is gratitude for the man I have married and the life that we have.  It is not perfect, but it is one that we are making together and in which I trust and have faith.  Darren and I have looked at the clock several times today and have tried to remember exactly what we were doing at that specific time a year ago.  Our wedding day was the most happy and perfect day I can remember, and I have loved remembering the details of that day.

I consider myself a romantic, but when it came time to discuss the gifts that we wanted to give each other it was Darren who told me that the 1st Anniversary is the Paper Anniversary.  So, we went to a beautiful stationary store we recently discovered in Salt Lake, Tabula Rasa, and got some handmade paper and a wax seal.  For our gift exchange today, Darren and I wrote letters to each other on the paper we had bought, shared the letters with each other, and then sealed them to open again next year on our second anniversary.  Here's to a great second year of marriage!