tawny and keegan

One of my best friends, Tawny, just got married, and I couldn't be more thrilled for her. Her and her mission met while on their mission, which reminds me a lot of Harmony and Jeff, which makes me love their story even more!

They were sealed in the Oquirrh Mountain temple on a beautiful and very sunny (hot) day. The sealing was absolutely perfect and I couldn't be more proud of my friend!

Their reception that night was at the cutest place called the Old McMullin house, and they had a s'more bar, which I thought was the coolest thing ever (little fire pits and everything).

Also, our husbands get along pretty great, so that's really awesome.

Congratulations, Tawny and Keegan! So, so happy for you.

animals, baseball, and rides

Life has been super busy lately- it feels like we have plans every single day/night. Kendrick and I are constantly checking our shared Google calendar, just to make sure that we haven't scheduled anything over an existing plan (wow, I just made us sound really important... but reality check, we're not.)

I could complain about how busy we have been- but we've actually be doing some pretty fun things!

About two weeks ago, we spent the morning at Hogle Zoo with my family. Too be honest, admission prices to the zoo have skyrocketed, so I was super grateful when I found out that Wendy was getting us all in for free! (If you have nothing to do for a summer- volunteer at the Zoo, it will pay off!) The highlight of our Zoo extravaganza was definitely the bird show- you see some incredible birds, and they fly so closely to your head that you can't help but wait for a bird's foot to get caught in some innocent bystander's hair. Another highlight was the half-priced food that we were able to get throughout the park- thank you again, Wendy!

Last week, we attended a Bees game with my parents. There is something about the atmosphere at a baseball game that is so incredibly satisfying. I don't know if it's the thrilling people watching, the deliciously over-priced food, or the game itself- but I love it. We each got a free hot dog that was included in the price of the ticket, and then Kendrick went back for a bratwurst while I treated myself to a chocolate ice cream cone the size of my head. The highlight of this night was definitely running into Danny and Wendy's cute little family- we had no idea they were going to be there! It makes me happy to see how big of a baseball fan my nephew Boston is already.

Each year, Kendrick's grandma does a large "birthday party" for all of her grandchildren, seeing that celebrating the birthday of each individual person in a constantly growing family is hard! Genius, in my opinion. This year, the celebration happened at Boondocks, and took place last Saturday. We had a great time driving go-carts, playing mini golf (this didn't last long, it was 100 degrees!), and trying out all of the arcade games- which was then followed by cashing in our tickets for multiple Fruities and Laughy Taffys. I truly felt like I was nine years old again.

Kendrick and I were lucky enough to get Lagoon season passes this year- and we have been adament in getting our moneys worth. So far, we have gone on two Saturday afternoons and one Tuesday night. As you probably already guessed, going Tuesday night was far more rewarding. We were able to jump on rides as soon as we got in line, and the sun was already on its way down so it was not nearly as hot. The highlight of the day was definitely going on Rattle Snake Rapids four times in a row (we were literally able to walk on each time). The first time around, everyone was scrambling around the small raft, desperate to avoid any and all contact with water. However, I thought up a fun and torturous game for the second round, where everyone had to stay in their seat and keep their hands on the middle wheel for the entire ride- no dodging water! As karma would have it, I was hit with the first huge wave of water, but everyone ended up getting their fair share soon after. By the fourth time around, we were all so completely drenched that the water didn't even bother anymore!

I'm so excited to see what else summer has in store for us!

worthy of a dance in the elevator

last Friday, I received the best news that I've had in a while- I was offered the Executive Assistant position that I had applied for at work!

I had been stressing about this position for about a month, because I really wanted it and interviews were taking so long to be conducted, which made me pretty discouraged. when my interview was finally scheduled, I had less than two hours to prep for it- it was so last minute! luckily, Kendrick works just down the street, and he came over as soon as he got my panicked text, just so that he could help me prepare and keep me calm. after a pep talk and quick prayer in his car, I was ready to slay that interview.

surprisingly, the interview was more of a discussion rather than the typical game of twenty-questions, like most interviews normally have. we got along great, and I could tell that our communication was on point, so I was able to fully relax. at the end of the interview, I was told that if two more interviews didn't have to be conducted- the job would be mine.

UM, yes! (I did a dance and three fist pumps in the elevator on the way back down to my desk).

I didn't find out if the job was mine until the very end of the next day. I had developed an intense stomach ache due to the unsurity of the situation. what if he met someone he liked better? what if I didn't meet all of the qualifications? yeah, I'm just super positive in situations like this.

at 4:55 on Friday afternoon, I finally went into the HR managers office. there was no way that I was letting the weekend go by without knowing! Greg, our HR manager, had promised me that he'd let me know by today, and I was going to hold him to that.

he smiled as soon as I sat down, "of course you got it!" he replied. turns out, Steve (the person I'd be working for) wanted to call me and extend the offer himself, but he got too busy. greg went on to tell me that Steve had even canceled his other interviews after meeting with me, except for the one that he conducted on the same day as mine.

we talked a bit more about the job and the compensation- which ended up being a lot more than I had expected, and I would officially be on salary- for the first time in my life!

unfortunately, Kendrick and I weren't able to celebrate that night because my stomach ache was getting progressively worse by the hour (apparently it didn't get the memo that I got the job), so we settled on watching movies while I kept a heat pad on it.

if there's one thing that this experience has taught me, it is that the blessings of tithing always come through. money has been tight lately- it feels like everything came at us at once. from a significant amount put into car repairs, unexpected tuition payments that we thought were covered, and car registrations, we have made sure to pay our tithing with each and every pay check. would that tithing money have helped with all of the money that we owed? definitely. would it have been worth it? no way. the Lord watches over those who obey his commandments, and that's something that I will never compromise.

also- on another note- Kendrick has been killing it at his job lately. he started just a month ago, and has already been approached by his supervisor twice, telling him that he's doing better than anyone on the training team, and that he's keeping her busy with all the works he's completing. I know that this isn't a job that Kendrick loves, and that it probably won't be long term, but I sure am proud of my husband for his amazing work ethic and devotion.

so in conclusion, all I can say is that we are both feeling very blessed lately. very, very blessed.