Quality not Quantity

Well, what an exciting few weeks. For starters, the holidays were fantastic, got to see lots and lots of my family, which I always enjoy. Scott's parents also returned from England, but with my crazy schedule I just barely saw them this week (they have been home for two- it took me two weeks to see my in-laws!)

Scott and I spent the night in Salt Lake together last night. Since we only get to see each other a few days a week, we have decided to make every moment count. It has actually been really great for our relationship, we really appreciate each other more. All of our predecessors (parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc.) are worried that we aren't seeing enough of each other, and his parents even asked us tonight, "Do you two even like each other?" and we just laugh, because it really is a fantastic set-up. Our new motto is "quality, not quantity."

I could come home every day, sure the commute would kill me, but honestly if I did it wouldn't be my tiredness that would keep me from Scott, it is simply that he has so much to worry about in his own life right now getting his degree and working his butt off to be a competitive grad school applicant. I am so proud of him, and wouldn't change that, and so, whether I stayed in Salt Lake or came home, he would be working on homework most nights, and we wouldn't really be spending time together, I would be sitting on my butt watching TV, while he sits on his butt at the computer. Instead, we have opted for our current situation. Scott will get all of his work done on nights I am not home, so that we can really spend time together when I am, not just physically in the same room while mentally on separate planets. We have really come to appreciate each other more, and our relationship has become a lot better because of this.

So, last night we stayed at the Peery Hotel in downtown SLC, this is where we had our honeymoon, and it was so nostalgic and fun. We just relaxed, ate some good food, saw a movie and reconnected. We had so much fun we are going to try to make it a monthly ritual. Because I am making so much more money through the "commuting" and "not seeing Scott everyday" sacrifices, we feel that this is completely justified, and do not feel guilty at all about the splurge- we deserve it. I am looking forward to next month, should be a good time.

So for everyone who is worried that my husband and I don't see each other enough, you can stop. We have more deep and personal moments this way than we would ever have if we saw each other more. We get to have that giddy dating again feeling of seeing each other, have something to look forward to, and I get an awesome job to boot. Life couldn't be better, we are loving every minute.

I feel like a lame butt because I never have pictures, I am just not good at that sort of thing, but I will make it my new years resolution to take more pictures!

I just want to say a special thank you to all of my friends, present and past- I have been so blessed in my life to be surrounded by such outstanding individuals, and while I feel like I no longer have time for anything or anyone, and will stink at keeping in touch, which I was already the worlds worst at, I want you all to know that I think of you daily, and keep you in my prayers. I wish that I had all the time in the world to kindle these wonderful relationships, but my new lifestyle has really put things into perspective, and right now the most important thing I need to do is focus on my husband. I love you all, but more than the majority of my minimal free time goes to him, and I hope that you can understand that this isn't because I don't love you, I just love him more.

I hope you are all doing well, and if I don't post again anytime soon, which is very likely, I hope you all have a very merry Christmas.

Happy

Well, the first week of my job went well. Trying really hard to just learn all that I can, coming in as someone with little to no knowledge of the inner and outer working of insurance, but I feel that I am getting the general hang out what they throw my way.

All of my co-workers are very helpful and friendly, and I am really enjoying my team. We get an hour lunch and it is tradition to play cards, apparently, and I am super cool with that. My coworkers threw a pizza party for me my first day, and they all signed a card that was waiting at my desk- super nice people.

The benefits are out of this world- I have a 401k, pension plan, retirement bonus, christmas bonus, full health plan (nothing deducted from my salary, just a cafeteria plan on top of my salary), the standard vacation-sick-personal days, etc. I love having a real, big girl job!

The commute is a bit long, but so far I have listed to two very great stories, and I did come home midweek, so all and all it wasn't so bad. The worst part is coming home to a house that, in my opinion, was not at all what I want my in-laws to come home to on Thursday. I leave the house spotless on Sunday night, and it is a boy's version of clean by Wednesday. Scott really does try his best to keep things clean, but it is big job for one person to handle- I should know, it has been driving me nuts!

Rod and Gaye get back from England on Thursday, so Scott and I have begun our preparations to move out- it is going to take a few weeks still, but the renovation has begun! We went and picked out our paint colors on Saturday, and painted the wood paneling "whisper grey." I also painted some older pieces of furniture we found upstairs in this color- one side table and a dresser. I removed all the knobs from the drawers and am going to buy some wallpaper to cover them with and some knew knobs- they are doing to turn out super cute, I am so excited.

The other two walls of the room were coated with wallpaper- we didn't realize that this would mean five layers of wallpaper with various consistencies of glue and sticky matter inbetween....all put on sometime in the last 60 years. Fun. It has been a monsterous pain in the butt, but we have removed 80% of the stuff, so we feel pretty good.

Rod says he will help Scott remove the rest, and then we are going to have to get some kind of plaster paint to level out the wall, and then paint. After that it is laying the new carpet (naturally getting rid of the hideous pink shag) and then moving in. We are looking for a new mattress, and I am going to make a new headboard for us.

Pretty much I love this room- it is my big DIY project and I think it is so much fun, it is going to take about a month to finish, but everything is pretty much going to have our personal touch. I will, of course, take pictures- I can't wait. Going to do a bunch of sewing- making pillows, a throw and new curtains. Living with my grandparents three days out of the week makes that very nice- I can glean a lot from their sewing wisdom!

Speaking of which- I love my grandparents. They have been so kind to open up their homes to me, and I really feel welcome. It is fun getting to see them, and I think they like having me around. They have been very hospitable, making me dinners, making room for me, and just making this a really easy transition. It is hard commuting, but it is nice only having to do it twice a week.

Things are good- Scott and I are very happy- we will be happier when we have our own space again, particularly one so tailored to our tastes, and I can't wait to see the final product- it is going to be fantastic!

What can she possibly have to say?

I am at a loss for words. Life is just comfortable, nothing too crazy going on, and most of the time I think to myself, is there anything I could say that would really be interesting? That and my lack of photographs make for one very dull blog. I am not having babies, I am not off on some new adventure in a different state or country, and I am not the kind of person who has random unplanned adventures on a regular basis. I am practical, predictable and all around normal.

So, here are the few things I can tell you

-Starting my new job tomorrow, going to be commuting two times a week. I am going to be staying in SLC on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday nights, and coming home Wednesday and the weekend.

-My work is right next to IKEA, and with the way I love that store I am going to really rock out our new little space in Scott's grandfathers house. We are going to move into his home in a couple weeks, occupying two of the rooms in the vacated upstairs region of the house. It needs serious tlc, so we are starting our renovating next saturday. We are going to remove the wallpaper, paint the walls, windows, etc., get new carpet in the bedroom (replacing the seriously outdated pink shag carpet) and then I am going to be doing lots of interior decorating. I am going to make my own headboard, pillows and window coverings, and maybe make a few more crafty things to decorate with. Getting pretty darn excited about it too.

-Not much else to say, just planning on living out of my car half the week (well, sleeping at my grandparent's houses) and I have food, clothing and overnight stuff in my trunk, all organized in bins, very neatly. Also arming myself with books on cd for the drive, my first commuting pick: The Penderwicks on Gardham Street. My good friend Mandy loved these books, and I trust her literary judgement, so heres to enjoying my drives!

Glad the holidays are coming up, not much on my wishlist, so far I want a bento box lunch set, a CHI hair straightener and a new Northface jacket. I know, so exciting...maybe I need to throw in a must have toy for the season, or a gift card to IKEA.....that would rock.

CHICKEN- YUCK

So as some of you may know, over the years I have developed a pretty healthy dislike of chicken. It has nothing to do with the taste, and everything to do with running into weird stuff while you are eating it. There is nothing more disgusting than biting into a piece of hard, unchewable chicken parts.

I never thought that this particular quirk of mine would actually get me fired from my job, but it did- crazy I know. Apparently me hating chicken was too much of a hazard for the Avalon Hills facility, and so I took my bow and left. Am I a bit upset? Absolutely, I keep thinking to myself- that was messed up. Will I get over it? Half way there. Although, I do need to brag for a minute on how I have definitely been a very big person through the entire situation.

I was very graceful when my boss told me I had to leave, I didn't even back talk, I just took it, told her if that is what she thought was best for the patients then I would do what I had to in order to ensure their full recovery. When the girls asked me why I had to leave (and let me tell you several of them were very sad, it was hard to leave them, I had really started bonding with them) I just told them that my chicken dislike was too hard for Avalon to accomodate, and that it was in their best interest that I no longer stay on as staff. I assured them it was not a big deal, it had nothing to do with them, and I would miss them very much.

In reality, when I get home and am not at Avalon? I think that I was treated extremely unfairly seeing as I ate the chicken everytime they served it. I hated it but I manned up and ate the stuff. I made a request a few times with individual chefs to substitute something when I knew I was really going to have a hard time eating the stuff, but whatever. Also, my boss said that my last week here I wouldn't have to eat chicken at all, that the culinary staff would provide substitutes- guess who ate chicken twice, and never got a single substitute. I know I know, I can't blame the culinary staff, but really I just feel Avalon really treated me unfairly.

Okay enough complaining and on to the silver lining. The day before I got fired I got a call from an insurance company I put an application into back in the Spring. If I hadn't of gotten fired, I never would have called them for the interview. The job could be fantastic, great salary and absolutely amazing benefits. I feel really good about the interview, still waiting to hear back for sure about whether I have the job, but I feel optomistic about it. I will be making almost three times what I was making at Avalon, so financially it will put us in a really great position, and I qualify for outstanding benefits after just a month of working.

Can I complain and moan about my situation? Yes. But will it last forever? No, I think I move on pretty quickly.

Making the cut and keeping it all in perspective

So, do you all ever just feel sometimes that no matter what you do you aren't ever going to make the cut with some people? I have this compulsive need to be liked, we all do, but there are times when I feel like no matter what I do, no matter how nice I am, I just can't win people over, and it really gets to me.

I was thinking about that today. I am in a new environment and I am trying so hard to make friends with co-workers, neighbors, etc. but I just feel like I can't break into the social circles, and it is really tough. Of course I have friends, and I love them all and they are totally great and their friendships are enough, for now, just not when they all move away, as they will. I am trying to prepare for this next transition, and I feel so overwhelmed, and a little alone.

When I was a child I was the biggest social butterfly, I had no inhibitions, I wanted to be friends with everyone and so I befriended everyone I could- I was outgoing, bubbly and completely myself. I know we all change as we get older, but sometimes I wish I could bring out these traits that were so natural to me as a child. I wouldn't say I am not friendly, but I definitely have a harder time putting myself out there than I used to.

I think my job is making this difficult for me, because you have to be so careful of what you do and say, and me being such an open and honest person, I sometime say or do things that while appropriate in the real world, aren't appropriate at Avalon, and I get talked to a lot about my inappropriate behaviors at work. I know it is just business and you shouldn't take it personally, but I do, I get easily hurt, that is just the way it is. I guess this all stems from feeling like I am never going to be a good enough employee, which really gets to me because I have always been a super hard worker and gotten praise at all my previous jobs. I take pride in my work ethic and my ability to learn new skills quickly, but I guess Avalon is an exception.

When I come home from work feeling absolutely awful, like I do today, I try to keep it all in perspective, and of course I use this same mentality with any other thing that brings me down. I remember all the people in my life who I know care about and love me. I think about whether or not the thing bothering me is really that big of a deal, which it usually isn't. I remind myself that what is happening is only temporary, and I am not stuck in the situation. It helps, most of the time.

When life gets really bad or sad, I always remind myself that this life is also temporary, and is a freckle on the timeline we live eternally. I know this life is just a stepping stone to an even better one, and that in the end everything will be fine, and as long as I am trying my best, that is all I can do. All the Lord asks of me is that I am trying harder every day to become the best me I can be.

Keeping it in perspective is somewhat easy, but waiting for a time when I can stop worrying about the things I do, who likes me, etc. isn't so easy.

Sermon on Loving Yourself

This month has been pretty crazy, getting settled in for a few months at my in-laws home while they are in England and getting all trained for my new jobs. Things are going pretty well, Scott is tackling his schoolwork fairly well, he has a pretty tough semester, but he is so smart, and he will do just fine. He is very diligent with his studies, for the most part. Living with my two brothers-in-law is a little detrimental to his study focus (Can you say Starcraft much?) but he does pretty well all things considered, and I am happy he gets to spend so much time with them. I have so many things I could catch you all up on, but I want to get on to the heart of this post:

My job is going great, I can't say too much because it is pretty confidential and I want to respect that to the extreme, but what I can tell you, is that it is totally amazing and completely, heart-breakingly draining at the same time. I am working with girls with eating disorders, and I never fully understood what an awful disease anorexia nervosa was. Bulimia is obviously just as bad, but right now the majority of girls have the former disorder, and being surrounded by it daily makes me feel so grateful for my healthy body image and mind set. I truly, and honestly believe that being a member of the church has completely helped me develop a loving and self-respecting attitude toward my body, and I wish that I could share that knowledge and understanding with the young women I work with, but I cannot cross any moral boundaries and have to remain professional. So instead of sharing it with the girls I know need this the most, I will share it on here in the hopes that perhaps it will help someone else understand how wonderful they are, and how beautiful and special their body is.

I know I am made in the image of a supreme and holy being, my heavenly father. I know that I am a daughter of God, and that while the world may see some of my physical traits as less than perfect, I know that in God's eyes I am flawless. The world wants to categorize everyone into specific genres, telling everyone that you have to be a cookie cutter woman to be worth anything, but I know differently. I know that originality and differences are the true treasures I possess, and I am happy to have my butt-crack nose. I love that my eyes are Brown, even though I would have been happy with Blue or Green too. While my lips will never compare to Angelina Jolie's, I am grateful that I will never have to spend so much time re-applying lipstick and balm. I appreciate my long torso and big boobs that make it nearly impossible to buy shirts that I like, and remind myself every time I go shopping that they don't make my size because I am simply too special. The point I am trying to make is that we need to learn to love the things that we like least about ourselves. All of the above are things that at some point I have wanted to change. What I now realize is that if I didn't have these traits, I wouldn't be me anymore, and I don't want to change myself. I am proud of who I am, and if I changed that the world would be short of Lindsay Marie Anderson Kirby.

It would be an absolute shame if we all looked the same, if we all had the same color of eyes, if we all had the same nose and lips and legs and butt. Concepts of beauty are ever changing and evolving. I love looking at 16th century art and pointing out that those women have flab and boobs and the occasional mustache, YET they were so beautiful for their time that they are forever immortalized in a piece of art that has been admired and appreciated for centuries. Embrace who you are, realize that you are made in God's image, that he designed you, he designed this world, and I promise you he took just as much care in creating you as he did this world. Think how perfectly this world fits together, all the beauty in nature. God was careful, he made no mistakes, everything was thought out carefully. Would he do any less for the children he loves, for the children he sent his beloved son to die for? The answer is NO! God makes no mistakes, and he has made you the way you are, perfect and flawless. The only thing that is flawed is the perception the world has on what you need to be or look like.

A bishop once told me every time I looked in the mirror and felt bad about myself it was just Satan telling me that I wasn't good enough because he was jealous, jealous that he would never, ever, be able to have what I have- a body. My bishop told me at that moment of insecurity I needed to look myself right in the face and say, "I am beautiful, I have a body, a precious gift."

I am so grateful that I have healthy body image, because I have seen what can happen if you don't. There are times at my job I have to choke back tears because of the tremendous feelings of compassion I feel for these lost little girls. The simplest daily routine can be so overwhelming for them, and it has completely impacted their entire lives. Instead of being normal teenage girls going to dances, cheerleading, getting ready to leave for college, they are at the Avalon Hills facility.

I encourage you to check out the website: http://www.avalonhills.org/

The program is absolutely fantastic, and I am so proud to be a team member of an outstanding facility that is helping young women have a chance to be happy and to change the course they are currently on.

I know this post was a little bit deep, but I really felt like I needed to say these things, and I would love to hear your comments on the subject.

Perpetual Catch-up

I always seem to be the biggest slacker when it comes to actually sitting down and writing to cyber-space. I am a tad better when it comes to writing in my journal, but not by much.

Scott and I are back in Logan, and should be here for another 2 years or so, depending on what Scott decides to do for his masters program. We are currently living with my In-Laws, because they are going to Europe for a few weeks, and we are going to fill in as cook, maid, and part-time babysitters. The last part not so much, but we are in charge of making sure Grandpa Murray, who lives next door, takes his pills and has food to eat. It is nice to have the free rent, but I am also finding myself a tad anxious to get our own space again. This Summer with my family was fantastic, and it was great for them to get to know Scott better and vice-versa, but it was just the right amount of time, and we were definitely ready to move out when the end of Summer came. Scott missed his family, and while I love my family dearly, I love having my own space. So, we have about 8 or so weeks living here while Mom and Dad K. are gone, and then we will hopefully be moving into a nice upgrade from our last apartment. I check KSL religiously, even though I know I will not be able to put down a deposit on anything for a month or two, but I just like knowing what the general outlay of the apartment world looks like right now.

I have been given a wonderful opportunity by a close family friend to help her with her accounting business and it has been such a blessing. She is so flexible, the work is from home, and it is something that, if all goes well, I could do for many years to help fill in the gaps of our expensive perpetual student lifestyles. I have also been looking for a full time job, putting in applications everywhere I can, and finally got a call back from Avalon Hills, a eating disorder treatment center here in the valley. This was the first job I applied for back in August, and I had totally given up hope they were going to contact me, but they did, and I have my interview today. I am really excited by the prospect, and I seriously hope that I can get the job. The pay isn't glamorous, but I think it would be a really worthwhile opportunity, and something I could really poor my heart into. I like the idea of enjoying my work, and not just doing something begrudgingly, selling my soul for another 2 or 3 bucks on hour.

Scott and I are doing really well. We have been trying to be more conscious about spending time with each other, going on dates, and all out just remembering to still court each other. It seems to have helped the last few weeks, to remember how much fun we can have together, and that life doesn't have to be so stuffy and productive all the time. He has been planning some really fun dates, and says he has a really great one planned for later this week, so I will let you know about how that goes later on.

Oh before I go, I really should give a little update on the cruise we took with my family. We had so so much fun, and we were able to spend some really great moments with each other. We ate fantastic food, got to do an amazing adventure excursion with lots of zip lines and repelling, and we saw some great shows on the ship. We played games and cards, relaxed and really just had the best time as a family. I am so grateful my parents were able to do this for us, and I love them so much, it will be a trip we will remember and reflect on for a long time to come.

What better time

to update that on a Fast Sunday morning? My overactive appetite was upset before I sat up out of bed, so of course any distractions that are still Sunday appropriate are completely welcome. It is good, because I am so bad at this.

Scott has been flourishing in his internship. He has really thrown his whole heart into the thing. I worry a bit because he works SO hard, and I still want him to have an enjoyable Summer. I fear sometimes he has adopted a little too much my neurotic "must work hard" ways. He is just a happy guy, and I don't want him to lose any of that, so keep your fingers crossed for me :). Really though, I am so so proud of him, he is doing a great job. He transcribes sessions, does some data entry, gets to watch live sessions and discuss them with the Grad Students at the University and has been reading all of the textbooks and taken scrupulous notes on them. He has read three grad school textbooks in the last month- he is just such a go-getter! I can't even read my regular textbooks in one semester!

I've been working at Tamura Corporation, and enjoying myself for the most part. I am in charge mostly of purchasing and shipping, so not too bad. I work in a room with two other funny ladies and we have a good enough time, so I can't complain too much, but its still a job so I can't say I am having the time of my life, ha ha. I have been listening to my IPod at work, which helps pass the time. I listen to the Glee soundtrack, and then I also listen to this great little podcast called "The Stuff you Missed in History Class." It is really entertaining, and I encourage you all to look it up, particularly the episode entitled, "Who was the Emperor of the United States?"

We have spent our Fourth of July weekend relaxing, may head over to the beach tomorrow, but for the most part just enjoying ourselves quietly and around town. We went to the ward picnic yesterday, which was a lot of fun, and spent some time with our couple friends the Gillespies. We are the only two young couples sans kids in the ward, so we made an instant friendship and have been enjoying their company.

One last note about the ward picnic- I had a blast, it was a simple event, but there were so many little kids running around doing the cutest things I was thoroughly entertained, and I was blessed at the end of the event because I was asked to help out in Nursery today...let's just hope the kids are still as cute today as they were last night ;)

All our love- Seven weeks til Logan-

The Kirbys

Attention all Scrapbookers- I am now making templates!

Here are my two newest creations! 12"x12" digital scrapbook layouts!

Eternity Invitation Design

Here is the Back

Here is the Front...

I should go into the wedding invitation business...don't you think?

My very first wedding invitation design- I call it

"CareFree"
what do you think?

Here is the Back:

Here is the Front:

New Layout!

How do you like my new summer layout? I have been trying really hard to get better at photoshop, and I think it is working- the Blog Header is completely my own creation! Here are a few other headers I have made by myself in the past too- and a flag graphic I made this morning- the flag graphic is a little bit rough, but I still think the design direction is cute!

This one had a cute outer reaching border but it was too large to load on here, those of you who got to see it before I changed the layout may have seen it.

Here is the flag design, I think it is cute.

and finally the graduation announcement I made for Chelsea:

More stuff to come soon!

Second Attempt

Okay I am going to try this again, despite the grudge I feel against blogger right now for randomly deleting the post I worked so hard on last night. But the prophet says I should forgive so... ;)

Scott and I are currently in sunny sunny....well cloudy today.... but MOSTLY sunny California. Scotts internship doesn't start until June, and I don't have a job yet, though I am being very diligent, so for the mean time we are just relaxing. We have been here for a week, and have already been to Barnes and Noble TWICE, and I am sure many more times to come, because my cute little husband is OBSESSED with his books. We brought an entire box of books from our house because he just couldn't part with his entire, already three full bookshelves, collection.

Scott has decided to make this his resolution summer. He wants to:

• Lose 20 lbs, and so far he has been running everyday diligently.
• Read all of the books he brought.
• Refresh his Chinese, which he is doing daily with flashcards.
• Read the DSM-V and its accompanying Case Book so he can be a better psychology major.

So there you have it, a few of the things my husband is working on. That was one of the reasons I married him, he was always working on improving himself, and I liked that he was someone I could grow with. I need to remember that more often, especially when I get impatient with his newest endeavours, ha ha, and I just need to brag a little bit, because Scott and I both got 4.0's this last semester, although mine isn't a big deal, I had easy classes. Scott on the other hand had 18 credits, and worked his booty off with some of the keystone classes in his major. Plus, this is nothing new, Scott has a history of fantastic grades, and right now is on the track to graduate Summa Cum Laude- I keep telling him he will be valedictorian at this rate- ha ha well, maybe not but I still think he is the tops.

So I am finally a college graduate, but I have to say that the four years just flew by! College was an interesting journey, and so much happened, but I think just like with High School, I am ready again to leave this chapter behind and pursue the next. I don't mean leave the people I love behind or forget my journey, just that I am ready and prepared for the next adventure, and welcome the change. When we get back to Logan in the fall I will have to do some vigourous searching to figure out what kind of job I will pursue, or even have the opportunity to obtain, but I just keep telling myself that everything will be okay in the end, and things will work out.

I have gotten hooked on a show called "The Millionaire Matchmaker." It is not the most classy show, but as a sociology student I find the social commentary it poses about our culture positively fascinating, and I can't get enough. It just astounds me the way that some people live their lives! Anywho today there is a 6 hour marathon, and guess who is recording every episode....yep...and I can't wait to watch every one ha ha. Don't worry I won't make Scott watch it, he has his own guilty pleasure to enjoy....

BECAUSE

I let him buy a video game to play on our families Wii- now those of you who know me know how opposed I am to video games I have always found them a major waste of time, and feel bad for all the girls I know with husbands who spend more time with their nunchucks and controllers than they do with their wives. But, Scott is very good, and he knows when to stop, and rarely plays because he knows how much it bothers me, so when we found the game he had been raving about at Costco for $15 I gave in. Hopefully he enjoys the game, and doesn't abuse my flexibility too much.

I mentioned all of Scott's goals earlier, and other than finding a job, I have my own singular goal: become a better photo documenter- I want to take lots of pictures of this summer adventure we have embarked on, so wish me luck, and hopefully I will be able to post lots of fun pictures these next few months.

Love you all!

KrAzy kirBys

Still a gigantic slacker!

Ugh...so I just spent 10 minutes typing you all a message, just to lose it....I am telling you I am just not meant to be good at this...its too late to retry, so I will try to be better later

I am such a slacker...

So I have 6 weeks left until I graduate with my Bachelors, and it is totally showing. I have a big bad case of senioritis, and the worst part is that it has transfered itself to all walks of my life, not just the education part. I just want to be done with most things ha ha and have parties and eat lots of yummy food and sleep...mmmm sleeeeep! So pardon me for not being a very good blogger lately, I am just a slacker.



So lots of fun updates- first, Scott and I will be spending the summer in California with my family! He got an internship with my neighbor and will be helping him out with all sorts of psychology internship fun. I am going to work, most likely at FFF pharmaceuticals with my mom because I worked there two summers ago and I can get back on- so there.



Next, Scott and I are car shopping- we need a new car to take to Cali, our car just has too many miles and won't do very well on such a long trip so we are looking around. We are pretty sure we are going to get a Toyota Camry, we have a few people to call tomorrow regarding this matter- so keep your fingers crossed for us!



My documentary is slowly coming along- it has been so much work. For those of you who don't know, I have been making a documentary all semester long- it is on marriage and I have really enjoyed it, but man- it is a beast! So far I have edited four hours of footage, have about that much more to go, and then I have to piece it all together, make sure I have enough B-Roll, etc. It has taken me so much time. It is going to be about 30 min. long, so pretty good for 4 months of work I would say! I will have to post bits and pieces of it on here if I don't feel too lazy ha ha.



Is anyone else sick of being sick? I caught another cold....from Scott...and I can't taste anything- I thought spring was finally here? What is with the awful weather and the awful diseases still floating around in APRIL?! Golly! I want spring to get here for reals, I want sunshine and flowers and buds on the trees, and I want birds to fly around and build their cute nests and lay their pretty blue speckled eggs- is that so much to ask?!



On another tangent- I have decided to make a resolution to become much less political- I love politics and am very good at arguing but there are just so many sensitive topics being discussed in our country right now, and I would rather stay quiet than alienate the people I love who don't neccessarily share my same opinions or values- it is hard for me because as a solid RED (Color Code) I like to be right and share my opinions, but I Lindsay Marie Anderson Kirby vow to try my best to zip my lips.....unless someone gets me going.....hey if they start it I can't say I won't finish it ;)



Finally- I am going to change my name (Social Security) on Wednesday- should I drop the Anderson all together, or should I be Lindsay Marie Anderson Kirby?

Must Reads

We are so so busy lately that I am just struggling to update this, because when I get some downtime I just dont feel like doing anything but reading a good book- so in lieu of my recent reading finds, I wanted to share with you the novels that have absolutely thrilled me:

1. The Hunger Games, and it's sequel Catching Fire, both by Suzanne Collins (These two books are AMAZING but I do warn you the third book doesn't come out until August and it will kill you waiting just as it has me, my husband, Brady Knight, Mandy Booth, etc.)

2. Graceling by Kristin Cashore

3. The Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood

4. The Alchymest by Michael Scott, and its accompanying companion novels.

5. The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (Scott loved this one, this is his pick)

We have three FULL bookshelves in our house, are platinum members of the Logan Library, and Scott hasto buy a new book every week, so this doesn't even skim the surface of good books we have loved, but these are a few novels and series' that we have enjoyed and highly reccomend.

Provident Living

So I have always been a pretty healthy person, and a frugal one at that too, but these last few months have really been a super kick of this. Having my own kitchen and cooking supplies, doing all the grocery shopping and making all of the meals have helped as well.

For starters, I love cooking- especially the eating part. The thing about me is I pretty much live to eat- I love a good meal, and I eat about seven meals a day- Scott always laughs because around 8 or 9 at night I will hop into the kitchen and he will shout- "Second Dinner?" I just have a great apetite, but I also have a very healthy diet.

I have studied several health and diet books, and have quite an extensive knowledge of health- I should have gone into nutrition sciences because I am so knowledgeable and quite excited by healthy eating, but its not really a very broad field, ha ha.

Anywho, for starters, let me say- DO NOT DIET- all of those books are a bunch of baloney- its not about starving yourself, or cutting out carbs or sugars or anything like that. It is about eating the right amount of the right things. It is OK to cut out a few calories from a regular 2000 calorie diet- but no more than 500, and do not do it for any longer than a few weeks to jump kick your system.

I think if anyone is interested enough I may just start a whole blog on healthy eating, because there are so many different topics- grains, meats, sugars, vegetables, exercise, recipes and drinks- breakfast, packing lunches, saving money, preparing food, using fats and oils, etc. I could go on and on- so if you happen to be interested- let me know!

But, my whole point of today's post involves using a staple in your food storage- White Hard Wheat. Usually I just use these to make pancakes with my blender, but yesterday I made a big batch of "wheat berries." They are so easy and taste quite well- PLUS they are super healthy, can be incorporated in hundreds of recipes, and can be stored in the fridge just great for two weeks, or frozen for months!

Here is how to make Wheat Berries:

4 C. White Hard Wheat
8 C. Water
1 t. Salt

Put all of these in a large pan (at least 5 qts).
Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
Once you have reached a boil, place lid on pot, and simmer for 1 hour and 5 min. (or until the berries have a soft chewy consistency similar to brown rice. Some may be slightly cracked and open.)

This amount made me about 14 C. of wheat berries!

And that is it! Now what do you do with these? Today I made a stir fry- so good, and very healthy, plus I made a large quantity so Scott and I can take it all week for lunch.

WHEAT BERRY STIR-FRY
(double this recipe if you want to eat it all week)

4 C. Prepared Wheat Berries (chilled)
2 T. Butter
2 t. Olive Oil
1/8 t. Pepper
1/8 t. Garlic salt
1/4 C. chopped onion
2 C. Chopped Mushrooms
3 Eggs
1 C. Broccoli cut
1 C. Sliced Carrots
1 C. Corn
1 C. Green Peas
1/2 C. Ham (I used chicken for a healthier protein, but you could also omit this for a veggie meal)
3 T. Soy Sauce

1. Heat olive oil in a large frying pan over medium high het.
2. Scramble eggs in small bowl, pour into hot oil, and sprinkle with pepper.
3. Cook eggs until they are firm enoug to flip- flip over and cook the other side.
4. Remove cooked eggs (large pancake shape about 1/4" thick) from pan and cut into 1/2" squares.
5. Saute mushrooms and onions with butter and garlic salt. Drain the liquid and set aside.
6. Heat vegetables in the preheated frying pan.
7. Add Chilled whea berries and mix ingredients together.
8. Combine the egg and mushroom/onion mix with the other ingredients in the pan.
9. Add your pre-cooked protein.
10. Drizle mixture evenly with soy sauce and stir in.
11. Season with salt, pepper and additional soy sauce if needed.

I got this recipe out of the book "Discover Wheat and Other Grains" by Cary Ruggles. The book has about fourteen other recipes, but tells you how to make the wheat berries in other ways, and how to also make creamy wheat berries, which have a cooked oatmeal consistency.

I hope this helps everyone- The church has emphasized that it is important to begin using our food storage regularly, and the wheat is one of the most foreign and most important food storage products we tend to avoid, so get adventurous- these recipes are delicious!

Anywho- just thought I would share this- let me know if you would like more of the healthy recipes and tips we use in our home!

DRUM ROLL PLEASE....

I FINALLY got around to loading some pics of our first little home! Enjoy!

Here I am in our little Kitchen!
Scott showing off our chinese lanterns that hide the massive pipe in our cieling!

Scotts Library/The Mudroom/The office/The entryway

Our living room, the loveseat sits in front of the TV

Our bedroom- all from IKEA-woot!

Here is the loveseat I mentioned earlier- and the cute little window? Our Apt was once a hospital, and our kitchen the X-ray room! So the window was for the Dr's- ha ha

Some Pics from our first Christmas (WELL... CALI POST-CHRISTMAS)

So, for our first Christmas, Scott and I spent our time with the Kirby's. Scott's family is a lot of fun, and we get along really well. His parents were so nice to me and really included me in the Christmas festivities. Scott and I both got Ipods, I got the 2g shuffle in the green I wanted! I hate the 3g shuffles- they stink, and apple stopped making the 2g, but they found me one! I was so happy- it is perfect for working out. We opened most of our gifts on Christmas Eve, but there were still gifts from Santa come Christmas morning. Traditionally my family eats crab for Christmas eve dinner, so eating the Kirby Chicken Chili and homemade breadsticks was quite a change, but it was quite good, Gaye has some yummy recipes, although they all involve meat, which I am getting used to...mostly :).

On the 26th we flew out to sunny California to ring in the New Year with my fam, and we spent it, of course, in good old Disneyland. My parents got Scott and I plane tickets and Disneyland tickets for Christmas- it was the best, I love nothing more than spending time with the people I love, I couldn't ask for a better gift. Disneyland was way fun, but I have never been in a more crowded place, than Disneyland on New Years Eve- holy smokes, there wasn't even standing room! But we rocked hard and had a blast- here is proof:

The Wilcocks and The Andersons- trying on our various mickey ears

Here is everyone in our New Year gear! (I hate this picture but everyone else looks good!)

All girls no more! My dad finally has a bud!

On the SUPER exciting Bugs Life "smelly" ride where you travel at 2 mph and get to smell different smells ha ha ha

"It' Tough to be a Bug" 3D show- this was Scott's first 3D show, well his first REAL 3D, Avatar so did not count :D

Scott hijacked this cab and ran me over...I forgave him later

We should become Circus Clowns- we packed six of us in here! I dare you to beat that!

This was our rest after the Tower of Terror. We survived, and couldn't be happier.

All in all the holiday was amazing. Scott and I had such a great vacation, and he was glad to get to know my family a bit better. He fits right in. I think my favorite moments were when I would climb in by my mom in bed to give her a good night cuddle, and Scott would climb right in and cuddle her other side- he is so comfortable and loving with my family, and it is just one of those other little things that let me know what a winner I have married.

I hope you all had as great a holiday as we did, and that this new year brings you lots of joy and fun memories!

Love, the Kirbys