1-year anniversary

Thursday, December 17th, was our first anniversary. I can't believe we've been married for a year! It's been such a wonderful year and I'm so grateful to be Josh's wife! He's an incredible husband and I have been so very blessed since he came into my life!

To celebrate this special occasion, we decided to go to Little America for two nights and get away from everything for a little while. We stayed there on Wednesday and Thursday nights and came home on Friday. We both had to work on Wednesday, the 16th, and I was anxiously awaiting the end of the day when Josh surprised me. He came to my work all dressed up in a black button-up shirt, slacks and a red tie. He carried a red rose and had a big smile on his face. He looked soo good and it was a perfect way to start our anniversary vacation!

On our way to the hotel, Josh saw someone whose car had broken down and was on the side of the road. He pulled over and helped to push her to a gas station. He did this same thing when we had our engagement pictures taken. We were waiting for a light turn and he quickly jumped out of the car and told me to take the wheel. The next time I see him, he's in the middle of the intersection helping to push some poor person out of the way. It makes me smile that he's such a considerate person!

Once we were on our way again, we went through a Wendy's drive-through and picked up dinner. We actually did this same thing on our first night as husband and wife. We didn't get a chance to eat at our reception and were pretty hungry, so went through the first drive-through that we saw.

As we pulled up to our hotel room at The Little America, Josh got out to get us registered, or so I thought. After a few minutes he came out to help bring in our things, leaving the door to our room open. I walked in first and started crying the minute I did. I had just walked into another surprise. The room was beautifully decorated with rose petals, white lights, a dozen roses and streamers in our wedding colors. There was also a banner and two glasses with a bottle of sparkling apple cider. The cd Josh made when he proposed was playing in the background. Apparently he had gotten off work early to do this for me. I still marvel at the fact that such a wonderful man fell in love with me!




On our anniversary morning we ordered room service. It was really good food and nice to have breakfast in bed. I had an omelet and Josh had a breakfast burrito. The tray was set up so professionally and there were cute, little bottles of ketchup and Tabasco sauce. We didn't use them, but brought them home as souvenirs.

Later that day we went walking around The Grand Hotel which is just across the street. They have a ginger bread village set up and
many festive decorations. The gingerbread houses were made by local chefs and were expertly decorated. They were up for auction and the ones we saw were going for at least $150.



That night we went to Temple Square to see the lights. I loved enjoying that with my husband! The nativity sets were so neat and we watched the story of the first Christmas that is played every few minutes at the center nativity set. It was such a meaningful time for me to be in the same place we were a year ago. We were married in the Salt Lake Temple and that will always be special to me.


After our joyful time at Temple Square, we took a carriage ride back to the hotel. The carriage we took was heated and as an anniversary present the driver took us on both of his routes before taking us back to Little America.


The last surprise of our anniversary happened when we walked back into our hotel room. This time it was for Josh. I had the hotel decorate with rose petals and bring in chocolate-covered strawberries and more sparkling apple cider. There was also a bottle of bubble bath. I hardly ever get a chance to surprise him because I'm not very good at being sneaky, but this time I got it right. It was great to be able to show Josh just how much I love him!


It was a perfect 1-year anniversary! Thank you, Josh, for all that you have done for me! You're a wonderful husband and it's been a wonderful first year together! I hope we have many, many more together! I love you!

Christmas Season

I love the Christmas season and am excited to be able to enjoy it this year! Last year we were distracted by wedding plans and missed out on it (not that I'm complaining!) but it's nice to be able to enjoy it again. To start things off, the weekend after Thanksgiving we put up our Christmas tree. We had to do some furniture arranging to fit it in our front room (our loveseat is now in the second bedroom) but it all worked out and the tree is really pretty. My two favorite ornaments are the ones we got for our wedding. The bear ornament is one my mom gave us at my bridal shower, and the other is a wedding gift from Paul and Kelci.
Josh and I have decided to make it a tradition and get a new ornament every year. We bought one for 2009 that has a snowmen on it with a place where we can put our picture. I think it will be fun to be able to look back through the years and have an ornament to remember each one by!

Several other decorations adorn our apartment. We have our stockings hung by the fireplace and a sweet, children's nativity set. A jingle bell wreath is on our front door and I think it's one of the coolest things. We found it at Home Depot and it's made entirely out of jingle bells. At the top is a ribbon and mistletoe. It's fun to open and close the door with Santa's bells jingling merrily each time we do! These plates are in our dining area and were a gift from Josh's aunt, Kathy.

There's one decoration I'm bummed about, though. Over the weekend I strung colored lights on our balcony but we couldn't turn them on because we didn't have an extension cord. We finally got and I plugged them in tonight. They were so festive and fun, but since there's no outlet outside, I had to pull the extension cord through the sliding glass door. The door doesn't shut completely or lock with the cord in it, so we won't be able to keep them up there. Dangit!

Another fun thing I love at Christmas is the cards. We got our first one about a week ago and it's from our dentist. It's actually a really nice card and is now above our fireplace with the other cards we've received.


We've been able to enjoy a little of the season almost every day this month. We've watched some Christmas movies and went to The Festival of Trees. We also saw Josh's cousin, Lindsey, dance with the Dance Company at West Jordan for their annual Christmas Concert. And a couple days ago I went to enrichment night which was centered on Christ and really helped me to remember the reason for this wonderful season.

There's one last thing I'd like to mention on this post which is not really related to Christmas, but made me so happy that I wanted to share. Josh had last Friday off and he was a such a sweetheart for cleaning the house and running errands. But the best thing was when he came and saw me at work and had this beautiful bouquet in his arms. It was such a nice surprise and the flowers are absolutely gorgeous! Thank you my incredible husband!

The Tale of Two Thanksgivings

This year we went to two Thanksgiving celebrations. The funny thing is that they were both with my family. Josh's brothers were with their dad on Thanksgiving and his mom had a quiet dinner with her husband, so he was nice enough to come with me to both of the dinners.

The first was on Wednesday night at my sister and brother-in-law's house. Ryan had to work on Thanksgiving and Mary didn't want him to miss out, so she planned the celebration one day early. Once it was planned, she sent out cute invitations to both his and our families. Then she decorated their house and started cooking. Even though it was a potluck, she still ended up making most of the food. This was her first Thanksgiving and she did a wonderful job! They've only been married a few months, but Mary is a great wife and homemaker. For this occasion, she set up three tables in their front room and decorated them with seasonal table cloths, plates and place settings. My mom and sister, Sarah, made the place settings and they're so adorable!
There were 17 adults and 5 kids with both of our families and the atmosphere was fun and filled with love and happiness. It was a great way to kick off our Thanksgiving celebration!

Our Thanksgiving day started off early because we participated in the Utah Human Race. This is the fourth year this fun run/walk has been done. All of the proceeds go to the Utah Food Bank and I really like running in it because of the feeling that surrounds it. Everyone is participating just because they want to and because they get to donate to those in need. It's really cool!

A lot of people really got into the holiday by dressing up for it. There was a man dressed as an Indian with a full headdress and loin cloth. There were also a few turkeys running around. Josh and I also saw a couple dressed in white jump suits and on the back one said "Where's the yams?" and the other said "Here I yam!". We thought they were really cute.

Josh and I stayed together throughout the race. We set a steady pace and were able to run the whole thing. I was pretty proud of us! I have never run a whole 5k before and it was an exhilarating feeling. I have to admit, though, that if Josh hadn't been with me, I would have walked that last mile. My body was shutting down at that point, but he was my cheering section, and I was able to keep going. It was fun running with my husband!

Later that day we went to my parents house for their traditional celebration. My grandparents, aunt, uncle and cousin join my family for the get-together. There is a TON of mouth-watering food and everyone leaves the table completely stuffed. The air is filled with love and thanksgiving and after we ate, we each shared something that reminds us of the holiday. There were cute stories and jokes and my brother even played "The Thanksgiving Song" by Adam Sandler. What a wonderful way to spend the holiday-with all of the ones I love. Sarah did this as well. She's so talented!

I hope everyone had a great holiday! I love Thanksgiving because it sets aside a time for us to be grateful for all that we have. And I have so much to be grateful for! I am so grateful to be married to Josh! He's a wonderful husband and this last year has been amazing! I am also grateful for my parents and my brother and sisters and all that they do for us. Josh's family is also one of the many blessings I have. They've welcomed me with open arms and I really enjoy being apart of two families! I am also so thankful for our apartment and that we both have secure jobs at this hard economic time. I'm also grateful for our cat, Moroni, and all the fun she brings into our home. There are many more things I could mention, but I am most grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who provides all of these blessings and for His presence in my life every day!

Ghana

I apologize for how long this post is in coming! It's been about 3 months since Susa came and shared her pictures of her trip to Africa, so I'm way overdue, but I still wanted to share these.

Our good friend, Susa, goes to Africa every year to volunteer at a deaf school. She's a deaf educator and has a great time going there for several weeks every summer. She works with kids from elementary to high school and besides teaching, she has fun dancing and playing soccer with them. Susa is a BIG soccer fan and she usually she takes soccer balls, cleats, and other donations with her. We wanted to help out, but didn't get a chance before she left, so Josh and I decided to send her a package.

Once deciding how big of a box to send (shipping to Africa is pretty expensive) we headed to the Dollar Store. We had a great night picking out everything to fill it with. We wanted to send things they needed-like paper and crayons-but also fun things that they don't have in Ghana-like Pixie Sticks, Sour Gumballs and Glow Sticks. Once we spread our purchases out on the table, I was sure they wouldn't fit into the box, but Josh carefully arranged it all to fit perfectly. We were even able to add a couple packages of batteries that Susa needed as well.

Once we sent it, it took a few weeks to get to Susa and she still had to pay to get it out of customs. She was grateful for it and said that the kids loved it. We weren't able to send enough for everyone (there's about 600 students in the two schools) but she was able to distribute everything pretty evenly. Then about a month after she got back, Susa came to our house to share a pizza and pictures.

These first few pictures are to show a little of the conditions where Susa was.

All laundry is done by hand. Susa said that most of the time the students did hers. Pretty nice of them, huh? I don't know about you, but this made me really appreciate our laundry room!

This is one of their classrooms. It's pretty basic with the wooden desks and chairs. The only place they have to hang up their backpacks and coats is on the walls as you can see behind them. They also only have chalkboards, no dry-erase boards like we have here.

Though the conditions are a lot less than what we're used to, the students are happy and study hard and just love life as you can see in the above picture.

Here's a picture of Susa with some of the students.

Susa was great to take pictures of the students when they used the things we sent. This first picture is of the Glow Sticks. Susa said these were the most sought after because the students had never seen them before. A fight even broke out between two boys because one had gotten a Glow-Stick and the other hadn't. Thank goodness each was able to get one!

This next picture is of the Pixie Sticks. At first the students thought you had to put them in water and drink it. Then Susa showed them how to eat it and they really liked that.

The students were really grateful for what we sent and in almost all of the pictures they were signing "thank you" or "I love you". This is my favorite picture of the children signing "thank you".

These next two pictures are so funny! Here are the students trying the Sour Gumballs. Susa said they would spit them out and then put them back in their mouths because they wanted to get to the gum.


This last picture is of Susa and the some of students who play soccer. Soccer is their favorite sport and they play it all the time. They don't have fields like we do, but just play anywhere there's a big enough spot of land.


Josh and I had a great time putting the package together and listening to Susa's stories! We'll definitely send another one next year. Seeing these pictures makes me realize just how blessed I am. I have so many things that these students don't and don't even know if I could manage without the conveniences I've become so accustomed to. I will forever be grateful to a loving Heavenly Father from whence these blessings come!

Halloween Musings

Happy (late) Halloween! I hope everyone had a great one! Josh and I got dressed in our costumes early and enjoyed the whole day as a "bone collector" and a "nice witch." Josh made his costume and looked amazing! We didn't take any pictures (dangit!) but he got a tacky suit coat and slacks from the D.I. and then sewed plastic bones on the front and insides of the coat. He also put two skulls on the shoulders. Then he wore a white, Albert Einstein-like wig and dyed his beard, mustache and eyebrows white. Add the awesome, crazy voice and hunched-over walk and you have the best bone collector there ever was! I had a black dress and shoes and wore a blond wig with a purple witches hat and a purple broom. It was a lot of fun!

Last night, after getting home from our own trick-or-treating adventures, we put the finishing touches on our decorations, preparing our apartment for the trick-or-treaters we hoped would come. We put up paper lanterns and fixed our fallen down spider webs. Josh put two plastic skulls in the window with candles behind them so they appeared to be glowing. Add a cd with creepy Halloween sounds and we were ready for the night. We then put on "The Proposal" and anxiously awaited the sounds of little feet and voices. At 9:15 our only trick-or-treaters came. There was a knock on the door and no "trick or treat" was said. I told the 3 kids to take whatever they wanted. They all took handfuls and one little girl greedily took a second. Josh and I can't be sure, but we think there was one "thank you" voiced.

I was kindof disappointed with this Halloween experience. When Josh and I were trick-or-treating you always shouted "trick-or-treat" at the door and were polite-even if the person said take whatever you want you didn't try to grab as much as you could. And there was always a thank you said for everything. Has Halloween really changed that much? I think it's sad when children just expect to be handed everything and aren't greatful for what they receive. And it seems to me that trust has also been lost from those long ago days when we were children. I know many stores and churches have trick-or-treating so that children don't do the traditional house-to-house. Again, how sad that parents can't be assured of their children's safety on this one night!

Proposal

One year ago today, Josh proposed. I've relived that special, wonderful day several times today and would like to share it with all of you who read our blog. (And thank you for doing that, by the way! I love reading your comments!) We actually knew we were going to be married about two weeks before this date. On October 6, Josh and I started talking about marriage, and he posed the question to me of where I saw our relationship going. He had been praying and fasting about us for a couple weeks and already knew we were meant to be together. That day he asked me to to do the same, so I took a couple days and poured out my heart to Heavenly Father, fervently seeking an answer.

And on October 8, I received that answer. I had gone to the temple after work and while I was in the Celestial Room, I was prompted to think of how I'd been feeling over the last two days. I had felt calm, peace and hope during that time, and I knew that He would have let me know if it was the wrong decision. Then the words of my patriarchal blessing came to mind-specifically those which describe my eternal companion-and I realized that they described Josh. It was such an incredible moment!

Josh and I talked after I got home and originally planned on getting married in May, after he had graduated from the police academy. But the next day we changed our minds and set the date for December 17. Then that weekend we went ring shopping, and Josh asked me to not tell anyone that we were engaged until he had "officially" proposed. That was such a difficult promise to keep! I had pretty much given up the hope of ever getting married and wanted to shout to the world that I would soon be Mrs. Joshua Woodland.

Well, unbeknownst to me, Josh was scheming with my roommate, Tania, and much sooner than I had expected, I was able to deliver my amazing news. That next week, I went to Chicago with Tania on a quick vacation to see Wicked. I had a lot of fun, but as you can imagine, all my thoughts were on Josh and the wedding. The night of the 18th we returned home and somehow Tania got me to walk into the house by myself without any luggage. As soon as I rounded the corner, I saw the soft glow through the window, and as soon as I opened the door, I entered into a fairytale where the only light was candlelight. There were dozens of beautiful, red roses expertly arranged, with hundreds of tea light candles surrounding them. Love songs played softly in the background and streamers in our wedding colors hung from ceiling.


Josh was nowhere to be found and as I started looking for him, he walked into the kitchen from the front room looking incredibly hot in slacks and a button-up shirt. He led me to the family room and knelt on one knee. He then took my hand in his and read me the most amazing poem he had written. At the end he asked me if I would marry him. I said of course when I should have said yes, but it had the same meaning to us. :) He then pulled the ring out of his pocket and slid it on my finger.


I can't believe the time and effort Josh put into this perfect proposal. He even had to clean the house before he could decorate it! That night I slept on the couch amidst the signs of Josh's love. I could feel how much he loved me in those rooms and never wanted it to end! And I am so lucky that it never has!

Falling into Halloween

Yesterday we took the motorcycle up Millcreek Canyon to view the colors of fall. After bundling up, we still didn't make it up the 10-mile canyon, but had to turn around at mile 6 because it was so cold. Snow covered the sides of the road around mile 5 and the wind was bone-chilling. Josh, my polar bear of a husband, even got cold so you know it was freezing up there! It was also very beautiful and I'm glad we could enjoy the outdoors before winter comes.

When we stopped to take pictures, Josh ran across the street to a patch of snow and started throwing snowballs at me. It's a good thing he missed!

Even though it took us about an hour to get warm after we got home, we both enjoyed our ride. I love the motorcycle and am so glad Josh likes to take me for rides! He even has it in his head to teach me how to drive it. I'm not so sure about that one, but we'll see. I love living in Utah and all of the opportunities we have by living here!



Last weekend we had fun decorating our apartment for Halloween. Between conference sessions, we put up skeletons, witches, and spiders making our home a fun and scary place in which to live. Josh's favorite holiday is Halloween and he was like a little boy again playing with the spider webs and other creepy crawlies.

I'm happy to say that Josh finally put that spider web where it should have been and the outside of our apartment looks incredible! Of course it is a little wind-blown now because of the storms we've had since, but that just adds to the effect.


My favorite decoration is the "Ghost Motel" sign. We bought the sign and the skeleton separately and then Josh made the noose out of rope and taped it to the back of the sign.