Summer Plans

For those of you that don't already know, Ben and I have some pretty great summer plans this year.  Ben was hired as a legal intern in San Francisco and I'm so proud of him.  Internships for first year law students are like gold, so this is wonderful.  He's learning a lot and really enjoying himself.

Before Ben got the internship, our friends - the Beckers - told us they were moving to Ukraine and starting a business.  They invited us to come over with them and help out.  We thought it would be fun and decided to go along... and then Ben got the internship.  Since we had already accepted their offer to go to Ukraine with them and help out and Ben was going to be really busy with his internship, we decided that just I would go.

It was a hard decision, since that meant we'd be apart for about 2 1/2 months, but the opportunity was too incredible to pass up and with Skype, we thought we'd make it through.  Ben will also be coming out to meet me at the end of the summer and we'll get to spend some time together in Europe before starting back into "real life."

I'm currently in Lviv, Ukraine and absolutely loving it!  Honestly, this place is incredible! It has everything you could ever want or need!  I can't believe how much it's changed since I was here last.

For photo highlights of Paris, check out my design blog!

2 Years!

Yesterday, Ben and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary.  It seems like just yesterday we were shivering outside the Salt Lake Temple, wondering what had happened to the beautiful spring weather we had been enjoying the week before... but not not really caring since we had just been sealed for time and all eternity.


Mondays are hard days for us.  Ben goes to school early and I head off to work.  Regardless of what time he gets home, he spends the rest of the night studying for finals, and I go straight to class from work.  (I'm taking an Interior Architectural Drafting class on Monday nights this semester.)  After 3 hours of class, I get home a little after 10 and fall straight into bed.  when I saw that our anniversary fell on a Monday this year I was a little bummed.  I knew that by the time I got home I would be too exhausted to do much more than say hello.

Well, Ben - being the wonderful, amazing husband that he is woke me up with breakfast in bed!  When I finally got home, I was surprised with a beautiful bouquet of flowers, a card, and a clean room.  As if that wasn't enough, at the last second, before I fell asleep, he pulled a little jewelry box out of nowhere.  I was completely shocked!  It was a beautiful necklace that Ben picked out all on his own!  What a guy!  I really have the best husband ever!

You know, it's really amazing to see how far we've come in these past two years.  I would have struggled to believe that I could ever be more in love with my darling husband that on that cold April day, 2 years ago.  But as we've grown as a couple, I know now that I love him so much more now than I could have ever imagined.  It makes me excited for the rest of well, forever!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone!  This year has been full of adventures, to say the least.  We've only been married for a year and a half, but we've already gone through a rather serious car accident, moved back and forth across the country (a number of times), and started graduate school! 

For those of you that don't know, Ben and I are currently living with his parents in California.  It's a party all the time here, because we're not the only ones living here - Darlene and Greg and their soon-to-be baby are living here as well!  Ben just finished his first semester of Law School and he's absolutely loving it!  Sometimes it's hard to talk to him because he's off in his own little "lawyer world" and analyzes everything with a lawyer perspective.  :)  I'm working part time as a mother's/teacher's helper and I absolutely love it!  I'm also heading back to school in January to finish up my Interior Design degree. 

We're enjoying this new phase in our lives and we're really excited to see where it takes us.

Love you all!

Nielsen Kitchen

Since moving to California, I've done a lot of cleaning, organizing and painting.   With Darlene's help, we've completely transformed the kitchen, giving it just a bit of an English Tea Room feel.  Here are a couple pictures, but there are a lot more on my design blog.  Enjoy!

I have one large wall space that I'm planning to put a plate collage on.  Here's the catch - I want input on the designs.  Click here and tell me what you think!  Thanks a million!  :)

Before

After

For more before and after pictures, click here.

Wake me up when September ends...

Sorry I've been so neglectful lately. I can't believe I haven't updated in so long! It's been really busy, with family and parties almost every weekend. Also, I have to confess, I started a new Design blog, and I've been spending a little more time there lately.

So here's the condensed version of what's been happening lately:

With the help of a number of wonderful friends, Ben and I packed up our two bedroom apartment in Provo and moved to San Francisco. Now, before you go thinking "what fun! - they're living in the city!," let me inform you that we're not actually right in the city. We decided that it would be better to save some money and live with Ben's parents while he attends Law School. The funny thing is, that Greg and Darlene had that same thought, when Greg got a job in the city. So now we're re-living one of the shows from our childhood - Full House - and all living together under the same roof. I must say though, for roommates, the Swapps and the Nielsens are pretty awesome. (and no, I'm not just saying that because Darlene's sitting across from me on the sofa right now.) :)

Ben has successfully started Law School. He seems to be cut out for this stuff because he's doing so well, and loving his classes. I'm so proud of him! I'm looking for a job and planning to finish up school myself in January, as well as taking on the project of re-doing some of the rooms here at my in-law's home.

In other news, my awesome and gorgeous sister is in Jerusalem right now at the BYU Jerusalem Center! I'm so happy she gets to have this experience, even though I totally wish I could be there as well.

Camping!

When you're prepared, camping can be one of the most incredible experiences - turning off technology, slowing down the pace of life, and discovering some of the most beautiful things nature has to offer. If unprepared however, you probably won't ever want to try it again.

Since we got married, I've wanted to take Ben out camping, but lack of necessities like a tent and sleeping bag prevented us a number of times. I have to say though, part of me wondered if this city boy I married would even be able to handle the great outdoors.

Well, we finally had our chance to go camping a couple weeks ago. We went down near Goblin Valley with 3 other couples and had an awesome desert camp-out. After breakfast and breaking camp Saturday morning, we went on a beautiful hike and even found a cave! Unfortunately, I completely forgot that I had my camera until we were on our hike, so I don't have pictures of our camp site or anything. :(

On our drive to and from the camp site, we listened to some Louis L'Amour short stories. It was fun walking around the desert pretending we were in one of his stories, braving the harsh winds and searching for a desert oasis.

Enjoy Life

I recently ran across this blog post that totally made my day. The blog serves as just a little reminder to recognize all those great moments in life that we take for granted.

Why obsess over our appearance and weight? While I'm a firm believer that you should exercise and look your best, the key to it is looking YOUR best, not the photo-shopped-model-on-the-magazine-cover's best. Part of the wonderful blessing of having a body is getting to enjoy the pleasures of life. Enjoy that extra scoop of ice cream or that second (or sometimes third) slice of cake. Don't deprive yourself - Just remember to do it in moderation. Enjoy every moment in life - the exercise AND all of those yummy treats.