A Whole Year!

It is totally unbelievable that Jonathan and I have been married for a whole year! It feels like we're still newlyweds. This really has been the quickest year EVER! Since our anniversary happens to be two weeks after Valentine's Day, Jonathan and I split up who was in charge of each celebration. I had Valentine's and Jonathan had our anniversary. I have been looking forward to see what Jonathan was planning all month long and it was perfect.

We started the celebration the night before our anniversary by exchanging gifts. Not all of them were there, but they will be coming soon! I think Jonathan's favorite gift was a Spanish Buzz action figure. We LOVE Spanish Buzz! Jonathan is still trying to learn some of his pick up lines, and hopefully will learn his dance moves too! My favorite gift was the adorable trench coat he got me. He wasn't sure what to get me so I made the suggestion that he should go shopping with my mom because she knows me so well. Thanks mom!

We dressed each other and then headed out for dinner. We went to Fat's and the food was AMAZING! My favorite was definitely the eggplant. The sauce is what makes it so good. We ate way too much and we still have tons of leftovers! After dinner we went to DQ for dipped cones. It was Jonathan's first time having a dipped cone and I won't be surprised if this turns into a new tradition.

On Sunday, my allergies were so bad that I couldn't go to church or do anything but sleep. Jonathan was the best because he not only taught my class, but also taught his own class. He really is the best! I took a long nap and when Jonathan came home, we took another nap. It was delightful! I started to almost feel human again. Then we watched a few movies and made some rice crispy treats that ended up exploding all over the living room! It was great!

Jonathan is such an amazing man. This past year has been the best because I got to spend so much more time with my best friend. It is amazing how similar we already are.We agree about almost everything (except food), but when it comes down to the important things we are on the same page. I can't imagine life being better than this. I truly feel like I'm the luckiest woman in the world because I get to have Jonathan forever!

A Wonderful Week!

Last week my nephews and niece (oh that is so fun to say!) came from San Jose to visit. It was so wonderful to play and spend time with all of them. Lyla is getting so much bigger and more interactive, Kyle is as cute as ever, Tyler is super good at playing Star Fox 64, and Ryan loves playing games with the adults.

 My dad has been waiting for the boys to be old enough to play one of his favorite games as a boy. He and his brother would set up their lincoln logs and then shoot them with rubber bands. My dad started buying lincoln logs as soon as he found out that he was going to be a grandpa. I'm not sure who had the most fun, but it was so great to watch the 5 boys (my dad being the biggest) playing.

That same night, Tyler got to spend the night with Jonathan and me. I love our slumber parties! It didn't turn out the way we planned it, but it was still a lot of fun. Tyler and I were going to surprise Jonathan by shooting him with dart guns, but Ty fell asleep too early. I also promised him that we would make a fort, so Jonathan and I built it around Tyler while he was sleeping. He was very happy when he woke up. 

Our amazing fort!

I love spending time with my nephews and nieces. I can't help but think of them as my own kids. It's so wonderful being able to see them grow up. This June, all 7 kids will be together! I can't wait for that!

More Projects!!!

I love making things! It's so much fun! So, Jonathan and I have quite the library (thanks to our dads), but we didn't have enough room so we just had to go to Ikea and buy another bookcase! It fits perfectly! Now we just need more books to fill it up!

Before...

After!!!

I also made a few more decorations before Valentine's Day for me and for my mom (her house was NAKED so I had to do it). I hand-stitched the xoxo banner and used the sewing machine for my mom's garland.

Also, our niece Mercedes celebrated her second birthday last Sunday and so I wanted to make her something. My mom suggested a purse and so I went on pinterest and found the perfect little girl purse. (Here's a link to the tutorial.) It took about 4 hours, but I was able to do the vast majority of this project by myself! (This is impressive especially since I have never taken sewing lessons, I just find something I want to make and do it with help from my mom usually.) Mercedes loved it! She got the dog out of the purse and then put it over her shoulder. It was so adorable!

The fabrics.

A cute little dog for a cute little purse!

Who knows what my next projects will be? I wouldn't be surprised if it included shamrocks!

A Happy Thought Indeed!

On Saturday night, Jonathan and I went to a wedding reception. It was beautiful. The bride and groom were radiant with joy and excitement as they start their life together. There was a room full of family and friends all excited for them and reminiscing about their own wedding day.

Ours wasn't that long ago, but it almost seems like it was a lifetime ago. I realized that I have changed quite a bit this past year. It doesn't really feel like it, but I have. I love Jonathan more deeply today than I did one year ago. We've been learning more about each other and how to show that love.

I don't really believe in the concept of soul mates. It seems unreasonable to me that there is only one, single person for you and yet I can't imagine finding anyone as perfect for me as Jonathan. He truly is my better half. He helps me see myself as a woman of great worth and as a daughter of God. I am so grateful that he is mine for all of eternity. I honestly do believe that we can and will be together after this life is over because we were married in the temple of God. There is a power there that cannot be found anywhere else. I am grateful that my parents and church leaders taught me the importance of marrying in the temple throughout my childhood. I didn't understand why it was important, but I knew it was important or they wouldn't be talking about it so much. It is such a blessing for me to know that I can have my family with me forever. They may drive me crazy, but I can't imagine being truly happy without one of them.

If you want to know more about eternal families click here. I know you won't regret it.

My Sweet Valentine

I have never been so excited for Valentine's Day as I have been this year. Some reasons that come to mind are I have a husband to spoil, an apartment to decorate, and my own kitchen to cook in. This year we couldn't celebrate it on the 14th because Jonathan has work then school then more work, so we planned on celebrating on Sunday the 12th with exchanging gifts and having a quiet evening at home after church and that would be it. Well, Jonathan needed to help his family, so we ended up exchanging gifts in the morning then playing dominoes while watching Monsters Inc and eating chocolates that night.

A new sign to go up in our bathroom and a Star Trek book for Jonathan.

The next evening I started making dinner and then decided to make it into the romantic Valentines dinner I intended for the night before. It was so fun! I changed out of my jeans into one of my favorite skirts and a new pair of heels. Jonathan just loved it!

Yeah, we used salad plates and salad forks. We're just that fancy!

A few days before Valentine's Day, we both decided on our own that we were each going to do something sweet for the other on Valentine's Day.(We must be made for each other!) I decorated Jonathan's car while he was at school and he bought me flowers before he came home from work.

He LOVED it!

My beautiful flowers!

I love my sweetheart so much! He is a wonderful man that works so hard for our little family. I am glad that we had this weekend to do some out of the ordinary things to show our love for each other and in less than two weeks we can do it again for our anniversary!

Oh, Boy

I realize that my post center a lot around my extended family. I share their joys and accomplishments as well as some of their struggles. I do this because I love them and feel very attached to their lives.

With that said, Adam has been improving so much since he started his chemo treatments. He was awfully sick, but about halfway through his 4 treatments his blood work showed that there was no more cancer. That was music to everyone's ears! Adam finished chemo about 6 weeks ago (another very happy thing) and his wife threw a party for him because he was all done. They're apartment was PACKED! Everyone was so glad that he made it through such a hard trial. Slowly the side effects wore off and it has been amazing to watch Adam. I forgot how engaging and talkative he is. (I shouldn't have been that surprised by the talkative part he is after all his mother's son.) It is such a blessing to have Adam back. He is feeling healthy and even starting to grow hair on his head! He had energy to do things like set up a new router for his parents and take our niece Mercedes outside to find frogs. (She loves them but is also scared of them.) We all have been able to see and love this wonderful improvement.

Last week, he had a scan to see what was left after his treatments. A few days after that the doctor wanted to test his blood before fully discussing the results. Today Adam and Christina found out that he there is no sign of cancer in his blood work, but the original tumors are still there and are the same size and that he now has 3 swollen lymph nodes on the back of his stomach. The doctors don't understand why or how this is happening. It's looking like Adam and Christina still have a long road ahead of them, but the important thing is that they have each other, tons of family and friends, and lots of faith. It may take awhile, but I know that they will be able to get through this and be so much stronger because of it.

The two lovebirds.

If you want to read their blog click here. It is truly inspirational.

Happy Birthday to an AMAZING Man!

Yesterday, we accomplished an amazing feat. All of the Nelson's were gathered together to celebrate our super amazing Dad's birthday. It was so great! We shared a wonderful meal and spent time together. There was an unexpected trip to the animal ER (oh Rosie...), but it was still a wonderful evening with lots of love and laughter.

One of our gifts to Dad.

So, today is his actual birthday and I want to share a few of the huge list of reasons why he is such an amazing man. (If I shared all of the reasons, this post would never end.)

First off, he is almost always in motion (unless he's taking a quick nap, but that's what gives him the energy to keep going). He's always working or fixing or helping do something. A few months ago Jonathan got a flat tire on his way home from work and needed some help and so he called his dad because he knew he would come to help him.

The man just never gives up! No matter what happens to him or his family, he faces it and just makes things work. Whether it's starting a new business or building a room for his son, he is determined to do all that he can do to make things work.

He also has a sweet and calming spirit. I love just being in the same room with him because things seem so much calmer and lighter with him around. Even when life is crazy, he is always calm and thoughtful. I have never seen the man even remotely flustered or uncertain of what to do. He is a quiet man, but he has a way of influencing the feelings of those that are around him.

He loves being with his family. He works so hard taking care of us and his reward is being with us. He is an adorable grandpa to Mercedes. He is so in love with that little girl. (I can't blame him!) I can't wait to see him with my kids.

He also had a sweet mustache too!

Last but certainly not least, he was instrumental in turning an adorable little boy into a hard working man like himself. Jonathan is like his father in so many ways. He doesn't complain when I ask him to do the dishes or help around the apartment. He goes to school and work even though he would rather be tinkering with the computer. He even gives up time to be on the computer to spend time with me. He is a good man because he grew up with a wonderful example of what it means to truly be a man.

I am truly grateful to have him be part of my life. I feel like I'm the luckiest girl in the world because I now have two of the most amazing dads in the world and they both love me so much.

Valentine's Day Ideas

I started getting ready for Valentine's Day way back in January (perhaps making up for the crazy Christmas that we had). I thought I would share a few of my projects and other ideas for this fun holiday!

So, the easiest thing that you could possibly do is to frame some pictures or cute subway art. I did both!

I got the love subway art here. I found the frame with the heart mat at Target for $5. I just couldn't pass that up! The picture next to it says "You fog my spectacles." I had to get that for Jonathan! I found it here.

I also decided to make some heart garland. I found the idea on Pinterest, bought a heart punch (my new favorite toy!), and went to work!

I also added a few paint chip hearts to it.

The finished product! I love it!

These are my finished projects, but I have another one up my sleeve. Here's a clue.

Here are some more ideas from Pinterest.

I hope you have as much fun as I do preparing for holidays!

On the Mend...

The end of January was very eventful for Jonathan and me. A new semester started last week and I had a job interview. At the beginning of every semester I get stressed out and this time it was even worse than usual. My body deals with stress in a few different ways, and this time it decided to make me sick to my stomach. (Not the worst one, but still not good. And for the record I am NOT pregnant.) It was so bad that Jonathan went to class for me so the teacher wouldn't drop me. (Yeah, he's a keeper!) Luckily, my mom was able to come over and help me feel slightly better and get me ready for the interview. (Not a fun thing when all you want to do is figure out some way to live without a stomach.) I did look great even though I didn't feel that way. The interview went pretty well, especially since I didn't throw up everywhere. My stomach felt basically the same way until Saturday. It was amazing to wake up and not feel sick! But that is not the end of our story. While I was feeling human again, Jonathan was not. He came down with a rather nasty head cold that would pretend to get better and then get so much worse! Thanks to lots of medicine, Jonathan only missed two days of work. Now we can get back to normal (whatever that is!)

This was all I could handle eating for the week.