Today, I was walking to lunch from my work (Isaac had the car), and I started thinking about things that make me smile. There were some random ones, but I thought I'd share and maybe they'll make you smile too.

My little niece, Ellie

 #1. A child's smile. I can't help it. If ever a child is smiling or giggling it makes me really happy. There's something so pure and awesome about it. 

#2. Little baby semis. Seriously, every time one of these drives by I feel like I want to point and laugh at it, like you would to a bully who is not so tough now. These get me every time.

#3. Isaac cooking, mostly the action, not always the result. :) He's pretty adorable with it. Every time he tries to cook, it's like a test for him. It takes all he has to figure it out. Watching him cook, and helping him with it, makes me 1. Really grateful for a husband who is willing to try to learn new things and 2. Grateful for a mother who taught me all I ever needed to know about cooking. I feel like I took that talent for granted until I lived with Isaac. :)

#4. Obviously music has to go on here. But something that especially makes me smile is when Christine hits that crazy high note during the ultimate chorus in Phantom of the Opera. I remember many days growing up that my sister, Meagan, would play the piano, and I would sing this song with her. We'd belt it out like there was no tomorrow, basically screaming as loud as we could by the time we hit that note (with our siblings and parents yelling for us to stop in the background). Sometimes, if I'm having a stressful day, I'll pull out my Phantom soundtrack and belt it up. 

#5. What I endearingly call my "fuzzy thongs." Yes, they seem like a pointless invention (slippers without the toes covered??) But just slipping my feet into the plush, neatly trimmed fluffiness makes me feel like a queen.

And much, much more. I would add more, but right now I have a husband sitting on the couch next to me that I should get back to. Anyway, post and lemme know what random things make you smile.

Good news and good times

And announcing a new arrival to the Olive Family!!!!!

Before all you Grandmas get too excited out there, I'm just talking about our new fish! :D

2 days ago I went to the Library to drop off a book and somehow ended up at the Petsmart next door. I have been wanting to get a Beta fish for a while, and I figured I'd go look at them. Well, I found one. :)

His name is Theo, and he's a good fish. He likes to eat, and he basically recognizes my voice by now.

I got him and all of his accessories (including water treatment and food) for 15 dollars! I actually bought the bowl, rocks, and plant at Hobby Lobby. The bowl was half off, I used a coupon for the rocks, and the plant was 90% off because it was part of their Fall decor. I just took the plant apart and stuck it in the tank. I think it looks pretty good!

Theo seems to enjoy it, and I figure he hasn't died yet, so I must be doing something right.

In other news, Isaac and I put up our Christmas decorations yesterday. I was so excited. I remember every year growing up on the day after Thanksgiving, my family would all put up our Christmas decorations. I always loved doing that with them. And a couple of years ago, my mom gave me an awesome pre-lit Christmas tree for when I had my own place, so I've been waiting to use all of this Christmas stuff for a while now.

Isaac wasn't quite as excited about it, but I think he was just excited to see me so happy. He even got his new lap top yesterday. I thought for sure he wouldn't want to do decorations with a new lap top to explore. But when we got home, he put the laptop in our room (without even opening the box) and said, "So what do you want to set up first?" That made me really happy. So we put up our tree and all of the other little things we have.

It's a seriously legit Christmas tree. We both talked about how fun it will be when our kids bring home little decorations each year for us to put on the tree. I'd take messy, home made decorations over fancy, matching ones any day.

We also got this amazing nativity as a wedding present from a close family friend. I love Jim Shore, and I may have to admit that this was my very favorite wedding present. I had been wanting a nativity for a few years now, but they were always too expensive. I think Isaac and I will treasure this one for many years to come.

Anyway, so life is good here. I'll most likely be officially starting my job within the next couple of days now that the background check, fingerprinting, TB test, and drug test are all taken care off. It'll be nice for me to have something more to keep me busy. We're so grateful for all that we have and especially for our families.

Marriage

This morning, I woke up feeling really grateful for the husband that I have.

It's kind of funny, because for the last month or so, I haven't been able to feel that gratitude. Adjustments are really hard for me, so getting used to this whole marriage thing has been a roller coaster. I've actually been praying and seeking out ways to draw closer to Isaac during this transitive time.

So I was glad this morning, when I woke up feeling a genuine gratitude and love for him. There's a few small and simple things that have come to mean the world to me.

I'm grateful for a kiss in the morning when Isaac wakes up:

The first time Isaac and I were sleeping in our apartment, he woke up before me, and gave me a kiss to tell me he was awake. Now, he does that every morning, and if he ever forgets it makes me sad. I always go back to sleep for a little while, but I love that he does that. It's an awesome way to start the day.

I love that we can go to church every Sunday:

I especially love sitting next to him and singing the hymns. There's something awesome about singing together. It always makes me a tiny bit sad that we have to split up the last hour of church for Relief Society and Priesthood. :)

I'm so glad he can hold his own:

Lots of people that know Isaac, are scared for him in this relationship because they think I'll just run him over. They think I've been running this show the whole time. What they don't realize is that Isaac can hold is own and does, often. I love that about him, and I wouldn't want it any other way. He puts me in my place better than anyone else I know, and somehow he always does it in the most loving and patient way.

I'm glad I'm learning more about marriage:

Before I got married, I didn't understand what marriage was all about. I didn't even really get why marriage was even necessary (other than the obvious added benefits ;) And I'm definitely not claiming to know all about it now, but I'm beginning to get little glimpses. Marriage is meaningful and special. It's something that says, "I'll be there for you no matter what." or "I'll try my hardest to be the person you see in me." It's giving yourself completely over to another person. For me, I think that's been the hardest part. I've never been the type of person who eagerly shares her feelings. During the past month, I've realized that it's a lot harder to hide from a person when you're around them 24/7. I've found myself beginning to open up, which is scary to me, but also pretty liberating. I'm glad Isaac is the exact type of person who can make me open up without forcing it.

Anyway, I suppose every married blog needs a nice, serious love entry every now and then. I don't plan on writing them often. So if you like that kind of thing, I guess you'll just have to read this entry over and over. Today, I was just feeling it. :)

Manly Men

Today, I discovered something about Isaac.

If you don't know Isaac very well, let me be the first to tell you that he is the type of person who loves asking for help. That may sound weird, but really, it's true. For example, he'll ask the guy at best buy "Ok, so will you tell me everything about this computer, just so I can understand it better." He loves involving people in a decision he's making, and I think he just loves to let others help him learn. Sometimes, it can even become a crutch for him because he has such a hard time just doing things on his own; he just likes others' input. But anyway, today... was a different story.

I don't know how many wives, girlfriends, or sisters out there are familiar with this place:

 But it is seriously like a different world. Upon walking through its doors a typical woman will find that every husky, working man is "just there to help if you need it" and every woman working there is annoyed by you. In the few times I've gone, I've learned to expect this, and honestly, I use it to my advantage sometimes. ("Hey there, Mr. Handsome, you wanna come over here and find me everything in the whole store that I need? *giggle*)

But today, no, today was a different story. Today I went with Isaac to Home Depot. Isaac is building some shelves in our laundry room for storage. He's been working on this project for a few weeks now, and it's kinda his baby.

And this afternoon he ascertained that we needed "just a few more things" to get these shelves up and running. I was already out and about with him, so I went along. I stayed in the background once we got to Home Depot, knowing that Isaac knew what he needed and where to find it. As we got to the isle, though, Isaac was unsure of something to do with the screws he needed. For 5 minutes he went back and forth, thinking through everything. Twice he was asked by a worker if he needed help, and he said no. I looked on in wonder. This was not the husband I knew!

Then it hit me.

In this magical man-world named Home Depot, no respectable man asks for help! Shouldn't knowledge about wood, tools, and screws just be inherent for the manliest men? *Insert manly grunt here*

I watched for a while, smiling inside (but definitely not outside, I couldn't let him see I was enjoying this) and eventually, I realized what I had to do. I walked up to a worker guy (across the isle, far enough away from Isaac to look like I was on my own). I smiled and sweetly asked "Hi, I just need a little help knowing what to do here, do you think you could help me?" To which the husky man with tattoos eagerly replied, "Of course!" All during the time that the man was helping me, Isaac stayed on the other side of the isle. I was kinda laughing inside at this point. He was being pretty adorable about the whole thing. But eventually we got what we needed and headed out.

So here's the ultimate discovery I made today. Home Depot changes people, and no one is exempt from this. Even my husband fell under the stereotypical spell of sheer "manliness," cast on every poor man the moment he walks through the Depot doors. Men become "manlier", and women... we just become "helpless", or so they think... (tell that to Mr. Husky!).

Overall, the trip was successful and he's finally gonna get those shelves done. And I'm still smiling just thinking about the whole thing.