Cook Family Adventures

Owen video series: my Daddy is the funniest

2012-01-24T13:29:00.000-08:00

A New Year's Blessing

2012-01-16T08:59:00.000-08:00

Owen was given a name and a blessing on New Year's day at my parents' congregation on Jan 1. We were lucky to have some family travel to share the occasion with us. Owen is lucky to have uncles and great-uncles to be able to stand in the circle when Kevin gave the blessing!

L to R: uncle Austin (Katie's husband), Grandpa Tim (Sarah's Dad) Kevin, Great-uncle Will (Sarah's uncle) and uncle Justin (Kevin's brother).

Grandma Lisa made the blessing outfit with some help from Great Grandma Ruth Ann and aunt Brandy made the booties.

Owen video series: Rolling Over

2012-01-16T08:45:00.000-08:00

Owen video series: Why did we even buy him presents?

2011-12-20T00:04:00.000-08:00

When he has such a reaction to a scrap of wrapping paper, we are thinking about returning all his presents to the store (just kidding).

Owen video series: playing with toys

2011-12-14T15:38:00.000-08:00

Owen video series: diaper change laughs

2011-12-08T18:33:00.001-08:00

3 Months Old

2011-12-05T13:53:00.001-08:00

Owen now likes to watch TV, especially with his Daddy. While they wear hoodies.

Recent Milestones:

First giggles. This kid's armpits are ticklish but he also likes getting his belly tickled

Can almost pull him self to sit up when reclining - he tires a lot but is still working on it

Grasping things within reach - like Mommy's hair or his bib

Really good at getting his fist into his mouth

Sleeping 7-9 hours at night (YAY!)

Babbling and gurgling A LOT and will even do it on his own without prompting

Likes:

Being naked

Watching TV with us. His current favorites are Malcolm in the Middle (Netflix) and Storage Wars, but you can also occasionally find him arguing back to Fox News

Anything that lights up

Drooling

Being lifted up into the air

Attention from Mom & Dad

Falling asleep either in someone's arms or the carseat when the car is moving. Only.

Dislikes:

Going to bed at a decent time

Being even the slightest bit hungry

Owen video series: Enjoying his new swing

2011-12-05T13:50:00.001-08:00

Owen video series: happy bouncy seat time

2011-12-05T13:47:00.001-08:00

Owen video series: wookie noises

2011-11-17T16:07:00.001-08:00

Owen video series: standing up to Daddy

2011-11-17T16:04:00.001-08:00

Two Months Old

2011-11-15T17:21:00.001-08:00

Owen is now 2 and a half months old, but I wanted to give a "two month" update.

(At two months old, Owen got to watch the Cardinals win the world series with his Grandpa and Great Grandpa)

Two month checkup:

60th percentile for height and 25th percentile for weight (was previously 15th for weight, so good job Owen!)

Took his shots like a champ - the nurse was lightning fast and he didn't cry as much as I thought he would.

Recent milestones:

Smiling A LOT - mostly in reaction to others, although sometimes just smiles on his own or at a toy.

Holding his head up really well

Sitting up (supported or held up)

"Standing" - bearing weight on his legs

Being pulled into sitting and standing positions

"Talking" - will now have conversations and also make noises on his own. Kevin gets the best talking out of him.

Will follow a small object with his eyes.

Starting to reach for stuff, occasionally can grasp but not usually.

Flew on a plane for the first time at 8 weeks old - he did GREAT and mostly slept the whole time.

Likes:

Binky, but mostly to fall asleep and right after a bottle, not all the time.

Diaper changes - oh the difference a month makes, now he smiles when you take his diaper off.

Play time - he prefers to stand on your leg, but also likes being bounced on your knee, having his cheeks tickled and "talking".

His black and white quilt - we call it "Owen's TV"

Dislikes:

When there's nothing left in the bottle

When he's tired and wants to keep playing

When he's in the car and it's not moving

Owen video series: lots of smiles

2011-10-20T11:34:00.001-07:00

Owen video series: a real smile at 0:06

2011-10-10T23:48:00.001-07:00

Owen video series: easily startled

2011-10-10T23:09:00.001-07:00

Owen video series: Looking around

2011-10-05T11:37:00.000-07:00

you can see his dimples at 0:24

Owen video series: yummy hands

2011-10-05T11:28:00.001-07:00

Owen video series: surprise at the end

2011-10-05T11:23:00.000-07:00

Owen video series: a new toy

2011-10-05T11:20:00.001-07:00

8.28.11 Owen's Birth Story

2011-10-03T22:33:00.000-07:00

Owen's birth story, like most birth stories, starts the day before he was born. It was a wonderful Saturday spent relaxing and hanging out together as a couple. Fall semester started on Monday for Kevin, and the baby was due on Tuesday, so even if the baby came late we knew it was probably our last chance for a long time to have a date with just the two of us. Besides the fact that I was 9 1/2 months pregnant in late August I was feeling pretty well. I had started maternity leave that week so I spent the week sleeping in, washing and folding baby clothes and trying to put pants on without falling over. So Saturday we slept in, went to the duck pond south of campus for some "belly pics" and we laughed at the turtles "giving each other piggy back rides" in the pond.

See pic below of humongous belly. Clearly I was about to explode.

Then we went to the Malt Shoppe (another Provo landmark) for lunch and then went home for a nap. I think I took about a 3 hour nap and Kevin stayed asleep a bit longer. He slept so late that I decided to venture out in my sweatpants to the grocery store for a few items that I needed to make dinner on Sunday. Also I stopped by taco bell on the way home. I enjoyed watching something or other on Netflix while I ate my taco bell and Kevin still slept.

For some reason (probably the 2 liter of Diet Dr Pepper I picked up at the grocery store and drank with my taco bell) I couldn't seem to get to sleep that night. The baby was very active that night, (I should have known something was up, but I didn't), so instead of getting a good night's sleep I set out my outfit for church the next day, dinked around on Facebook, read "What to Expect" for the millionth time and finally fell asleep around 3 a.m.

I woke up at 7 a.m. per my usual ritual of getting up every few hours to empty my bladder and waddle back to bed for some more sleep. Unfortunately when I crawled into bed I had a contraction. I looked at the clock to note the time and then tried to fall back asleep. Another one about 10 minutes later. Shoot. Whether this was false or real labor I knew I wasn't going to fall back asleep. I went in and told Kevin who said "Yay, we're having a baby today". I went and took a shower, ate a granola bar even though I really didn't feel like eating and watched a couple of episodes of 30 Rock while I watched the clock. By about 10 a.m. the contractions were still pretty mild and short but they were coming about every 5 minutes, so we decided to head to the hospital and get checked out.

We got to the hospital around 11 a.m. They checked my progress and I was about 95% effaced and about 1 or 1.5 cm. I guess it wasn't obvious that I was in true labor so they decided to keep me for an hour and check my progress then before deciding whether to admit me for real. After another hour or so, I was checked again, but had only made about a cm of progress so they decided to give me a little more time. We hadn't called our parents yet because we weren't even sure if they were going to keep me or not, but I knew this baby was coming soon. I thought I felt my water break, called the nurse and she didn't think it was my water breaking, but she had finally gotten a hold of my doctor and apparently they decided to admit me and help me have this baby.

Then all hell broke loose! Just kidding. Other than the birth, though, this was the hardest and most exciting part all day (my labor was seriously BOR-ING). I think it was about 2 or 2:30 when my doctor arrived. Apparently he had been out of town all weekend but was on his way home from the airport when the hospital called him. Then came my favorite part: the doctor was doing a quick ultrasound and pressing on belly the nurse was trying to get my IV in (took about 5 attempts) AND I was having a contraction ALL at the same time. Awesome. THEN the doctor was going to break my water. After he poked around in there for a while (now I know how Thanksgiving turkeys feel) he declared that my water must have already broken. (This nurse was really nice and all but I'm so glad I got a new nurse by the time Owen was born)

From about 3 to 4:30 was spent finally telling our parents we were at the hospital, reading Tina Fey's Bossypants again, and oh, throwing up several times, more intense contractions, and realizing it was definitely time for the epidural. By 5 p.m. I had my epidural and finally stopped puking so I was a happy girl. Within minutes my legs were completely numb and the best part was I no longer felt anything during all those cervical exams!

I kind of lost track of time after that, but basically Kevin tried to take a nap on the couch, while I consumed ice chips while watching Billy Madison on the TV and occasionally texting or checking Facebook. I attempted to sleep but every time I got close someone came in to check my progress or flip me over so I was laying on the other side. Hearing the baby's heartbeat was really relaxing actually, and the rate got faster with the epidural and slowed down as it ended. It was the only way I knew I was still having contractions now that I had the epidural.

After the epidural I was progressed to about a 5 but stayed there for about an hour. Not good if the baby was going to be born today so they started me off at the lowest dose of pitocin. Apparently that made my contractions too intense and too close together because the baby's heart rate started to drop but at least I had quickly progressed to a 7. They turned off the pitocin drip and luckily the next time they checked me I had progressed to a 9 on my own. Around 10 p.m. my doctor, Dr. Holmes arrived back at the hospital. I guess the nurses had not called him but he decided to come in and check on me - luckily I had in that short time made it to a 10 and a 2 station (whatever that means) and declared it was time to push.

I would like to point out that Pushing (yes, capital P) was the only thing that I was freaked out about with this whole pregnancy and labor thing. So then I got really nervous, but knew that it was kind of too late at this point to back out... At least the epidural (amazing epidural, that is) started to wear off just enough so that I could feel pressure and (I hoped) enough to push. They had me push for a count of 10 about 3 times during each contraction and on the 4th contraction Dr. Holmes got out the vacuum (Kevin saw it but I didn't) and I heard "baby's out!" and then repeated by a couple of other people in the room.

I thought "Really? I didn't feel anyth---whoa!". Weirder than feeling a baby inside of you kicking and punching is feeling that baby exit your body, even though you had an epidural and are pretty numb. I started to cry and asked if I could see him, so Dr. Holmes held him up. Yep, he looked gross but he was my baby and he made it safe and sound! Owen Alexander Cook was born at 10:55 p.m. on Sunday, August 28, 2011. After that he was cleaned off and checked out while I got stitched up, etc. (I would again like to thank the inventor of the epidural). He weighed 7 lb 3 oz and was 19.5 inches long. Somehow Kevin got to hold Owen first but I did finally get to hold the little guy around 11:30.

What a happy day! Poor Kevin had his first day of school the next day, I think he got home around 2 or 3 a.m. I will breeze over the next couple of days in the hospital - I did not expect the post-delivery to be so hard, but what did I expect with only 3 hours of sleep?? Owen was a healthy little baby and I actually had a fast recovery so we left for home on Tuesday afternoon. Kevin had to go to class right after taking us home but it was nice to finally be home with just our little family. We have been truly blessed with our little Owen and could not be happier!

Owen Alexander Cook

2011-10-02T01:02:00.001-07:00

Here are the pictures from Owen's first photo shoot - he was 11 days old.

One Month Old

2011-09-30T15:12:00.000-07:00

Little Owen is one month old, I can hardly believe it! It seriously seems like I just brought him home from the hospital.

(picture taken at 2 weeks old)

Recent Milestones:

Smiling at us when he's awake

Laughing in his sleep/almost asleep state

Putting his hands in his mouth

Making noises that aren't crying

Growing out of his size Newborn diapers (still wearing size N clothes though)

Likes:

Eating

Sleeping (but not in his crib)

Looking at faces

Being held as much as possible

The binky

Being wrapped in a blanket

Dislikes:

When the binky falls out of his mouth

Taking the bottle out of his mouth if there is even a drop left in the bottle (how does he know??)

His bouncer after about 10 minutes

Baths

Getting his diaper changed or his clothes changed

Nicknames:

(these are almost all from his Mom)

Little Owen, Baby Owen, Owen Bowen, Bowen, Mr. Bowen, Baby, Baby Waby, Poopy, Poopy Pants, Little Boy Blue, Honey Badger

27 Weeks and some goals

2011-06-02T19:31:00.000-07:00

A couple of days ago I hit 27 weeks of pregnancy. It's hard to believe I start the third trimester next week; time sure is flying by.

I'm starting to feel more ready for this baby to come. We have pretty much all of the basic necessities - a car seat, a bassinet, diapers & wipes, clothes, toiletries, etc. But on the other hand I know we still have tons to do before he gets here! Details of my maternity leave are still in the works, and I keep meaning to sign up for a childbirth class (although I did finally find out my hospital offers one, so at least making some progress there haha) but things are starting to fall into place to help us prepare for little alien baby.

Considering this is my first pregnancy and that in addition to building a baby I have the responsibility of being the family breadwinner, I have decided to take things as they come and try to have a low-stress pregnancy. I'm usually very hard on myself and a bit of a perfectionist, so I've decided to keep my goals for this pregnancy down to the bare minimum:

1) Keep the baby cooking inside until 38 weeks
2) No vomiting
3) Keep my "innie"

So far, so good!

On the off chance you don't know

2011-05-22T10:49:00.000-07:00

We are having a baby.

I realize this is old news to almost everyone, but just in case you don't read facebook and do read our blog (I don't think anyone does read it anymore, since it's been almost a year since our last post!) I'm telling you now.

Answers to frequently asked questions:

I am due August 30.

It's a boy!

No morning sickness, lots of naps, occasional back pain and swelling in hands/feet but that's it.

Yes, we have talked about names, no we have not totally agreed on one yet.

Due to an anterior placenta, I did not feel movement until later (22 ish weeks) but now he kicks and punches pretty regularly (unless Kevin tries to come over to feel it, then he stops in his tracks). Yesterday I'm pretty sure I got kicked & punched at the exact same time.

No, I will not be posting any side-view (or any view) "preggy pics" "pictures of the bump", etc.

Having the baby in a hospital, hopefully with an epidural :).

Yes, our parents are thrilled.

Small Updates

2010-07-18T17:27:00.000-07:00

I guess if I wait until we have big news to share then we would never blog (hence the 6 month hiatus...) so I would like to share small updates.

We saw Inception yesterday and we're still trying to make sense of it.

We've been attending the married ward again for a few weeks now and it's not so bad. We've made some new acquaintances, met our next-door neighbors and my new visiting teacher and I discovered that I was her TA once upon a time.

It is only the 18th of the month and I have already completed my visiting teaching. New record.

Today is my Grandma Ruth Ann's birthday. She is one special lady and I'm lucky to have her in my life.

Kevin is officially going back to school for fall semester. He will be leaving his job at the library that he's had for 4 years - so it is a lot of change, but we are excited to move closer towards graduation, leaving Provo (we better!) and post-student life!

The Last Six Months

2010-06-06T16:47:00.001-07:00

Hi all! I'm sure some of you thought we'd dropped off the face of the earth. It really felt like it at times, but here I am while Kevin's napping so I thought I'd blog for a bit. I guess I better summarize the last six months of our lives:

January
I guess we did blog about our Las Vegas trip, but it was awesome and worth mentioning again. At the end of January my parents came to visit and we celebrated Christmas with them. By the way, Christmas in January rocks - you can get some good deals on gifts for people after Christmas.

February
Another month of Utah winter. Blech! Kevin was sick on Valentine's weekend so that pretty much sucked. I'm sure something good happened that month but I can't think of anything :).

March
Well, winter continued, of course, but some good opportunities occurred. A new positioned opened up at the DownEast Outfitters corporate office - I applied, interviewed, and in a surprise to no one but myself, I got the job. I'm now the Assistant Manager of Apparel, or Assistant to the Manager of Apparel if you'd like (that was an OFFICE reference for those who didn't recognize that!) Pros: Sweet raise, awesome new team to work with, no more working Saturdays at a busy mall, not working at the mall, and I could actually go on. Con: driving to downtown Salt Lake City every day from Provo. It takes me at least an hour to get home in good traffic.

April
We celebrated Easter with Kevin's family and were also able to attend our niece Hailey's 3rd birthday - it featured a Little Mermaid theme so I was in heaven. Although I was offered my new job in mid-March, I started in early April, only to find out that since my replacement hadn't been found for my Store Manager position, I was now stuck with two jobs in two different cities. It was tough juggling two completely different jobs all month, but I made it through (thanks to Kevin for listening to many tear-filled, stressed-out rants). My little sister became a big girl and graduated from BYU with a degree in Marriage, Family and Human Development. So proud of her. Oh, and it also snowed and rained a lot during this month.

(obligatory blog post picture: L to R me, Grandpa and Grandma Heitman, Katie Miller)

May
May 3 I officially started my new position full time at the corporate office. It's been such a huge blessing and an amazing opportunity. I work with a great team of people and I'm learning so much every day. Some days it's a dream job - I've helped style for local TV show segments, I've been the assistant stylist for a photo shoot, worked on our fall catalog (you're going to love it!!). On those days when I'm sitting in front of my computer staring at spreadsheets all day, I have to remind myself that the spreadsheets make all of the fun work possible :) and most jobs have parts that aren't so fun. Annnnnd, it snowed on May 26. Enough so that it made the roads dangerous and it was measurable at the airport - setting a state record for latest measurable snowfall at the airport.

June
Today was a bittersweet day. Kevin was released from his calling as the second counselor in the bishopric of a BYU single student ward. We've been attending this student ward for the past year and we will greatly miss all of the people we've served with the past year. I will miss having the "kids" over to our homes on Sunday evenings and playing games with them. We have been so greatly blessed this year by the Lord through this calling and in other ways in our lives. We will start attending our married student ward again next week, and while we're a bit apprehensive about that, we have faith that it is where we are supposed to be.

Here's to blogging more than once in the next six months (but no guarantees!)

Happy New Year!

2010-01-26T14:45:00.000-08:00

So, we celebrated Christmas together at home this year. It was so nice to just relax together, watch the movies we had bought each other as gifts, and pretty much just be happy to not go to work. We went and saw the Blind Side on Christmas Eve (loved it!) and also saw Sherlock Holmes over break as well. After the craziness of the holidays and finals, we took a little vacation earlier this month. Thanks Southwest for having a sale in October and allowing us to book some very cheap flights! We spent a few days in Las Vegas shopping, sightseeing, and of course, eating at restaurants.

here's where we stayed:

Not a bad price but then they stick you with a mandatory $22 a day resort fee. But even with that it was still a pretty good price for the location (center strip, next to Mirage) and it was a brand new, good-sized room.

We are silly. One of the only pictures with both of us in it.
It actually might be the only one in focus.

One of the highlights was visiting Madame Tussaud's wax museum. It was pretty cool, although the gift shop sucked. Here we are with a few of our celebrity sightings:

In case you couldn't figure it out, from top to bottom:
Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones
Kevin shaking Al Roker's hand
Sarah with her plastic friend Britney Spears
Kevin blocking Angelina Jolie, because he wants Brad Pitt for himself
snuggling with Cameron Diaz
judging with Simon Cowell
and playing with... crap. I forgot who the trumpeter was. I just liked the disco piano.

And Kevin's temptation to gamble. A Star Wars slot machine.

The end.

He finally let me start playing Christmas music.

2009-12-07T20:05:00.000-08:00

I did have a few decorations up before Thanksgiving, but we waited until December to actually put up the tree and decorate it. Just thought we'd share a piece of our little place with you.

$2 glitter signs from Target. Yess!

Blue tree made by my dear Mom. My roommates and I used it as our
actual christmas tree while in college.

Blech I need to take photography classes.
But how hard is it to take a pic of a lit christmas tree?
Apparently difficult because most of the ones I took were blurry.

I just love all our blue and silver ornaments.
Once again we went with a stars and snowflakes theme.
Last year my friends noted that it looked like a Hanukkah tree.
To that we say Mozel Tav!

Yes I bought him a Darth Vader Santa bobble head.
And you know he loved it.

Why I love my husband

2009-12-01T11:07:00.000-08:00

Sarah: That baby is so cute. You know I want one sometimes, right?
Kevin: I know.
Sarah: But you know I don't really want to take care of one all the time.
Kevin: You just want to carry one around occasionally as a fashion accessory.

I love how he knows me very well yet still loves me.

Giveaway on Sarah Ann Style

2009-10-08T23:43:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! We haven't been posting because, well, not much has happened since our last post. I just wanted to let you know that I'm having a giveaway on my other blog - http://sarahannstyle.blogspot.com - and you just have to leave a comment over there to enter. My birthday is on Saturday and to celebrate I had a week full of wonderful guest bloggers. Please check it out if you haven't already.

Can you believe I'm 25 already? Sheesh!

Anniversary Camping Trip

2009-09-22T18:28:00.001-07:00

So for our 2nd wedding anniversary we went camping up at Maple Canyon near Mapleton, UT. Since we've had our tent almost as long as we've been married and never used it, we thought it was time. We took Friday and Saturday off from work and drove up Friday afternoon and drove back Saturday morning. It was so nice to just relax, spend time together, eat foil dinners and s'mores, and of course, play with fire.

Our awesomely huge tent.

I love this shot of my armpit. It's the only picture of the both of us from our trip,
though, so that's what y'all get.
Oh man catching marshmallows on fire is so fun. I also got to introduce
Kevin to the magic that is s'mores made with reese's cups.

You've got a few more years before we post videos of cute little babies,
so you get this instead. Muahhahahahaha!

Fall already?

2009-09-19T16:37:00.000-07:00

Can you believe that summer is totally over and that it's officially fall? I can hardly believe that school has started, college football is in full swing, the leaves have started to turn and that we just had our second wedding anniversary. That's right, folks, it's been two whole years and we're still together.

Also, some of you may or may not know my sister, Katie. Some of you may or may not know that she got married this summer. They are also still married :). Here are a few pics:

It's been a busy summer and hopefully things will slow down a bit so we can post more, but they probably won't. Kevin has work, school and is still in the bishopric (goodbye Sunday free time) and I still work full time. We're just trying to fit in enough time to see each other and get laundry done every week right now. But stay tuned to hear about our anniversary trip to go camping in Maple Canyon!

New Job

2009-07-05T14:32:00.000-07:00

On Monday I started a new job. I still work for the same company, but now I'm a store manager and received a significant raise. Especially in this economy, I feel so blessed to work for a company that is expanding and growing and treats its employees well.

So far I love the new job, although it's going to be a challenge. I manage a high-volume store so things are always busy, I manage more employees and I just have the feeling that I will never again be bored at work.

It's hard to believe it's been a little less than a year that I quit my job and had to have faith that things would work out. Now I have my own store and I couldn't be happier. Maybe now we'll be able to afford a TWO bedroom apartment.

Sarah's Talk

2009-05-27T15:38:00.000-07:00

So last Sunday I was asked to give a talk in our church. Because Kevin is in the ward leadership (he's the second counselor in the bishopric) and we're essentially new in the congregation, our Bishop asked me to give a talk introducing us. Since it's mostly about us, I thought y'all would also like a chance to get to know us better. He did ask me to talk for 15 minutes, so it might be a lot of reading. I won't be offended if you don't read it! I did edit a few audience-specific sentences out (remember this was written for a bunch of mormon college kids), but I hope you enjoy it!

I have two favorite scriptures. The first is 1 Ne 3:7. “And it came to pass that I, Nephi said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.” I discovered this scripture at a young age and Nephi's faith and courage have inspired me many times over the years.

My other favorite scripture is Proverbs 3:5-6. “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” I discovered this scripture as a teenager at a time when I was still trying to figure out where I was headed and what I wanted out of life.

You may or may not have sensed a theme from these two scriptures, but I think the reason that these two scriptures have meant so much to me is because we can only truly be happy when we trust our Heavenly Father and do his will. I certainly try to discover and follow the Lord's will and recognize his hand in my life, but it's obviously something we all struggle with from time to time. I hope that by the time Kevin and I grow old that it can be said of us that we truly exemplify these scriptures.

I'll come back to this theme later, first it's time to talk about my favorite subject. Me. Just kidding! Bishop Paiser has asked me to introduce my husband and myself to all of you. Last night I was IMing my sister , mentioned my topic and she said, and I quote: “make them see that you guys are awesome.” My goal is just to not put too many people to sleep.

Kevin and I were born in the same year – in fact, only a couple of months apart. Other than that, our upbringings were pretty far apart. Kevin is the sixth of seven children, and I'm the oldest of two. I have a younger sister, while Kevin has a younger sister, and older sister and 4 older brothers. I was born and raised in a small town outside of St. Louis, Missouri; Kevin was born in Houston and grew up in North Ogden, Utah. Kevin is descended from Pioneers, while my parents are both converts and the pioneers in my family. I grew up with extended family members of many different faiths, as well as experienced being one of two members of the church in my high school. Kevin grew up in Utah, with a large extended family of members.

While our stories start off pretty different, our future together is the same. We have the same goals. We both want the same things in life and have very similar priorities. This is so important when you are choosing a spouse! Where you are headed together is infinitely more important that where you've been before.

Kevin and I graduated high school in 2002, but we didn't meet until the summer of 2006. I'll spill the juicy details of how we met, but for now I'd like to show how letting the Lord's hand direct our path helps us be truly happy. I know that Kevin and I would never have met if either one of us had ignored the promptings and guidance we received from Heavenly Father.

As a high school student, I never planned on attending BYU. I LOVE St. Louis and am pretty close to my extended family. I knew that attending a state school would be much more feasible financially for my family and, well, I just didn't know anything about BYU. On my own I had narrowed down my college search to two choices in Missouri; I prayed many times to know which of the two I should attend. I knew that this decision would affect the rest of my life, and I wanted to know where the Lord thought I would be the happiest. One day the answer randomly came to me: BYU. “How could that be?” I thought to myself. After a lot more prayers and tears, I came to understand that BYU was where the Lord truly wanted me to be. It was an incredibly difficult decision to make, but even before setting foot on BYU campus, I knew it was the right one.

And almost seven years later, I'm still stuck in Provo. But let's go back to Kevin's story. After high school, Kevin was called to serve in the Texas Houston East mission. He served faithfully for two years. Like most missionaries, he faced many challenges including having his apartment robbed and having his return home delayed because of a hurricane. I know that his mission wasn't easy, but I'm so proud of him for doing what the Lord wanted him to do. He might complain jokingly to me, but I know that he was blessed for faithfully following the Lord's will. After several months of working full-time after his mission, Kevin moved to Provo to attend BYU. According to Kevin, his decision to attend BYU was a little easier than mine. “I thought I'd apply, I got in, and decided to go.”

When Kevin moved to Provo and started school during spring term, I had just moved into a new apartment complex. I had planned to do a summer internship in D.C., but once again, the Lord had something completely different in mind. So I ended up deciding to work and play in Provo before my last year of college. To set the stage, I had been in singles wards for four years, so I knew a thing or two about dating at BYU. I had pretty much given up on finding love in Provo, and was excited to hurry up, graduate and leave Provo forever.

But luckily, we moved into the same ward. I was quickly called as the ward chorister, which gave Kevin the opportunity to check me out, or so he says. One night I hosted a “waffle night” party, which is the first time that I remember meeting Kevin. He showed up really early, which I thought was weird, but sweet. Over the next couple of months, we'd see each other at ward functions, talk and laugh for a bit, but I didn't really think much of it. We eventually bonded over the great music of the 80s, and we ended up hanging out in some smaller groups and got to know each other a little. I loved how he was so sweet and funny without being boring. Then I found out he was from Utah and that he was a freshman in college and I almost gave up on him. But in reality, the fact that I was a super-senior and he was a freshman, just made me realize that this might be the perfect summer fling. Don't worry, I found out later that he was thinking the exact same thing. Kevin finally got up the nerve and asked me out. To make a long story short, we ended up falling completely in love within a few months. We originally planned to move to Chicago after I graduated so that I could work in PR, and he could finish school there. Yet again, the Lord had something else in mind; we trusted the Lord and tried to rely on his understanding, not ours. It was pretty difficult for me to give up some of my dreams, but I knew that the Lord knew me better than I knew myself, and I hadn’t gone wrong following his will yet.

Obviously, we ended up staying here in Provo. We were married in the St. Louis Missouri Temple about a year and a half ago. Things are going well and we still like each other. Kevin currently works at the Provo City Library full-time (he's the guy in the blue collared shirt and tie behind the desk) and goes to BYU part-time. Kevin is majoring in English and has plans to graduate in 2030. I graduated two years ago with a degree in public relations and a business minor. I work full-time for Down East Basics and currently manage the kiosk at Provo Towne Centre. While we still plan to move out of the state in the near future, we know that for now we are following the Lord's will and that we will be blessed for it.

About a month ago President Stratton of the stake presidency met with us and asked us if we would be willing to serve in this ward, and Kevin as the second counselor. To be honest, we were pretty surprised; we weren't sure if this was something we could do very well. While meeting with President Stratton, I got the overwhelming impression that this was something that the Lord wanted us to do. I remembered the words of Nephi and knew that the Lord would provide a way for us to serve in this calling although it didn't seem to us that it would work out very easily. We are happy to serve in this ward and get to know all of you and have you get to know us.

Wow! You made it to the end! I cut it off here because then I started naming all the ways they could get in touch with us, and included a joke about us being "hip" and "cool" because we are on Twitter. But we're not cool--we're just on Twitter.

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T15:38:00.000-07:00

I Love you, Mom!
I hope that I can be half of the great mother that you are someday.

kevin, do you notice anything??

2009-05-04T19:19:00.000-07:00

so every time i get my hair cut, i have to point it out so kevin can tell me he likes it. i seriously cut off like 5 or 6 inches today, and he didn't even flinch. i also got new glasses about two weeks ago and had to point that out to him as well. oh well. i still love him.

in other news, kevin has been called to serve in the bishopric of a local single adult ward. so basically kevin's part of the congregation's leadership, and we now attend church with a bunch of young single adults - mostly BYU students. so far things are going well and he just puts in a few extra hours at church on sunday, nothing too stressful.

i love my job.

2009-04-22T20:09:00.001-07:00

and my boss rocks. i got a raise at my semi-annual review--my mood matched the sunny skies today.

wow, that's a lot of pills to take.

2009-03-06T17:51:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was the most interesting day I've had in a long time. Today made yesterday even more interesting. (Confused? Me too.)

I went to the doctor for my annual physical and was tested for strep throat since I had just caught Kevin's cold and had a pretty sore throat. Lucky me also had my (bad) knee x-rayed and of course blood drawn and endured the dreaded stirrups. Really lucky me went home with three prescriptions (yay!) and immediately called my Grandma Ruth Ann (Grandma? Where do you get those 7-day pill counter-holder things... I may need one.) AND to top it all off... I got a call today letting me know that I have an underactive thyroid, and ANOTHER PRESCRIPTION (double-triple yay)! So, I think I REALLY need one of those counter things because how am I going to keep track of all these pills?!

But on a more serious note, it's nice to know that you're not just crazy and that there's something going wrong with your body... and that it can be fixed pretty easily. I realize that this is a pretty public forum and that most people are more private than I am... but if anyone has any experiences with this whole thyroid thing, shoot me an e-mail or call, I'd love to hear from someone who has gone through the same thing!

P.S. I made the most delicious chicken noodle soup today and we are both feeling much better although there's still a lot of coughing here at the Cook home!

2009-03-05T18:47:00.000-08:00

So both of the Cooks are sick this week. Kevin started getting sick on Sunday and he's still sick. Once again, I started getting sick on MY DAY OFF. Blurg. But don't worry, we just have colds. Horrible, horrible colds. :)

a letter to my customers

2009-03-01T14:43:00.001-08:00

Dear customers/mall patrons:

I have a few requests to make of you.

1. Please do not set your coffee/coke/bottle of something messy on my cart. I sell clothing and i don't trust you not to spill your drink all over it.

2. If you are drinking and holding the coffee, don't stand close and keep breathing on me. I'm desperately trying not to throw up from the smell.

3. Why are you asking me where the bathrooms/food court/motherhood maternity/victoria's secret/aeropostale/gap/store that caters to larger women(?! are you calling me fat?) is? The mall directory is right behind you. And so is customer service; it's THEIR job to help you.

4. Why do you shout questions at me from far away? Couldn't you greet me before your question? Can't you at least thank me? "Hi. Do you happen to know where the bathrooms are? Thank you." Was that so hard? Didn't think so.

5. Please don't yell at me! I don't make the policies and yelling at me just doesn't help!

6. Please don't return clothing if you're a smoker. Or at least febreeze it or something. As soon as I touch the clothing I can smell it. Just because you can't smell it anymore doesn't mean that no one else can. Do you think someone wants to buy tobacco-saturated clothing?

7. If I say "Hello, how are you today?" And you ignore me, that's being rude. In case you couldn't tell, this isn't a cell phone kiosk and I'm not going to try and sell you something you can't afford/don't want/don't need. I'm just here to help.

8. I understand that you want to see what the shirt looks like. Do you have to unfold every single one, though?

9. If you want to see what the shirt looks like, grab the one on top. Set it BACK on top when you are done. There's no reason to pull your size out from every single pile and throw them somewhere else.

10. If you change your mind about a shirt, that's fine. I don't really care. Just hand it back to me. It's annoying and rude if you leave it rumpled up hidden somewhere else. This isn't Wal-Mart, people!

11. Please don't let your kids climb on the cart. They could get hurt or break something. Also, please don't let your kids touch all the shirts. Kids have gross hands and I finally figured out they are the ones creating the stains and smudges I keep finding.

12. Please don't let your kids lay on the shirts. Are you even paying attention to them?

13. Please don't cough all over my shirts. I certainly don't want to touch that shirt you just coughed all over and left for me to re-fold.

Sincerely,
Me - the unsuspecting, innocent retail associate/waiter/salesperson that you are being unconsiderate* to.

There, that feels SO much better since I only DREAM of saying these things to people.

*The majority of my customers are very considerate: they watch their kids, they try not to mess things up to much, and are polite. However, I deal with enough inconsiderate people that it starts to get to me.

Kevin's Commercial

2009-02-24T11:08:00.000-08:00

While I still remember how to imbed YouTube videos, I thought I'd post this commercial for the Provo City Library that features my cute little Kevin. He's in both the b&w and color segments. See if you can spot him!

Butt dialing

2009-02-24T09:01:00.000-08:00

Have you seen this T-Mobile commercial?

I don't own a blackberry, but as a proud owner of a Nokia brick phone, I occasionally forget to lock my keypad. I also occasionally slip my phone into my back pocket as I'm heading out the door. Yesterday, I did both. Apparently I butt-dialed my Dad (he was the last person I called) while driving to work. He called me and my butt back and we had a good laugh about it.

Have you ever butt-dialed someone?

I need help...

2009-02-20T01:00:00.000-08:00

but we all knew that (ha ha). I'm putting together a Baby Shower Gift Guide for my other blog, and as I started on it, I realized that I really had no idea what new Moms want. So if you've been a new Mom or know what one would like for a baby shower/new baby gift, please share your wisdom with me. Emai l me or comment here or on this post. Thanks!

- Sarah

I just wanted to say

2009-02-10T18:30:00.001-08:00

that this season of American Idol ROCKS so far. And I've been watching since Kelly and Justin. Auditioned. I took a few seasons off bc the show was getting old, and now I'm LOVING this show again.

My Dad

2009-02-07T19:35:00.000-08:00

thinks he's soooo funny. here he is handing me his wallet,
and his grief at spending "all" his money for my wedding.

Guess who got one of these

2009-01-20T21:07:00.000-08:00

for free. Someone lost it at my husband's work and never came back to claim it.

I love my job because

2009-01-12T15:13:00.000-08:00

I just got 8 shirts and a dress for FREE. By combining a great employee discount, already low prices and some Schrutebuck-like rewards for having a great holiday season, I was able to go on a shopping spree. Oh and I still have some rewards left to spend - I'll be waiting for the spring skirts to come out before I cash them in though.

want to see what we sell? check out our website: www.downeastbasics.com

The lights at Temple Square

2009-01-08T17:56:00.001-08:00

While Mom and Dad were in town, one of the things we did was visit Temple Square in downtown Salt Lake City to see the lights. It was incredibly cold, but the lights and temple grounds were incredibly beautiful.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2008-12-24T20:36:00.000-08:00

Kevin picked up my parents this morning at the airport. Everyone picked me up at work, and after one long trip to Wal-Mart, we were able to enjoy a nice ham and potatoes dinner at home with them. It's nice to have my family here, but it can be stressful playing the hostess. Hopefully the weather forecasts for a blizzard will be wrong and we will be able to travel to North Ogden to see the Cooks for Christmas...

Have a very merry happy safe Christmas!

My Favorite Things

2008-12-18T14:50:00.001-08:00

So, we don't post much on this blog because, in reality, our lives are incredibly boring (no, seriously). I mean, we're happy with our lives, but to describe them would be boring to y'all.

So, I blog about shopping. Seriously. If you haven't stopped by my other blog and added it to your list of blogs to check, you should. I really try to post about relevant, incredible stuff. Sometimes I even give stuff away, like right now. Head on over to my blog, My Favorite Things, and follow the instructions on this post to enter my Winter Weekend Giveaway (I know, I'm so clever).

My blog is so awesome that my friend Becky asked me to be a guest blogger on her blog, Project Domestication. Check out that post with some great last-minute holiday gift ideas here.

Merry Christmas!

Through the Grapevine

2008-12-05T18:58:00.000-08:00

Sarah and I have discussed grape-flavored things at length. Grape soda is inevitably the last flavor left. As a child, grape-flavored candy sat in the Halloween candy pile long after everything else had been eaten. I resorted to grape only when my body went into sugar withdrawal.

So who eats this stuff? We know you're out there, oh closeted grape-flavored candy eaters! It is time to be heard! It is time to proudly stand up and say, "I enjoy that artificial flavor that passes itself off as grape." That way, we know who to blame.

Me and my new baby

2008-11-23T19:46:00.000-08:00

Our lives are boring, but our friends Emma and Adam just had an adorable baby girl. We finally got to see and hold her and she is SO CUTE. I started to tear up within the first minute I held her. She is just so fresh from Heaven and I can't believe Emma is a Mom. Emma and I have been through a lot together over the years (I caught the bouquet at her wedding) and she is practically my sister. It was wonderful to see the beautiful baby girl she brought into this world. She (Bonnie) slept like a baby (wonder why) and is just so tiny and cute and wonderful. Emma looks great of course and you can't even tell she just had a baby inside of her a few days ago. Check out their blog for more pictures (the link is to the left).

Sarah Ann and Bonnie Rose

Ummm

2008-11-22T19:06:00.000-08:00

It has been three weeks since I last posted. Wow. Our lives are really really boring apparently.

Update:

We're still alive.
Kevin still works at the library and still goes to BYU.
I love my new job; I am less stressed and I make more money now.

And I'm hungry.

The end.

hilarity and politics

2008-11-01T22:45:00.000-07:00

Thanks, PostSecret!

We also find all of the SNL mock Presidential and Vice-Presidential Debates hilarious as well.

my favorite quotes:

"Let me tell you.... about a time... when i was 8 or 9.... when i was abducted by aliens"
- SNL obama

"wait, there's not a talent portion?" - SNL sarah palin

"it's about time. let me repeat that: time " - SNL joe biden

and of course

"joe the plumber lives in a box under my bed"

- SNL mccain played by the ever-hilarious darrel hammond
who also played Clinton and Gore on SNL (lockbox?)

On a more serious note, I hope that those of you who live in battleground states realize how important your vote is. (It's ok, I still like you even if you vote Obama.)

If you live in California, I don't think any of us really understand how important your vote is when it comes to Proposition 8. Marriage isn't just a civil union; in many religions, it's a sacrament. Do we want the government interfering in our religions? Any of them? Do we want the judicial branch overturning votes of the people? (Don't we live in a democracy?) Do we want our children to be taught in school that marriage is between two consenting adults? I don't.

The outrageous thing is that in 2000 61% of Californians voted to preserve a traditional definition of marriage. 4 judges were able to overturn that. How do you overturn a vote? Like I said, don't we live in a democracy?

In case you're wondering, voting No on Prop 8 wouldn't give same-sex couples more "rights" like being able to visit each other in the hospital or whatever. Those rights are protected already.

Obviously, I support Proposition 8; if you want to learn more, visit preservingmarriage.org and whatisprop8.com.

He says it better. Kudos to my friends and family who are working so tirelessly to make a difference in their state. I only recently realized that the outcome of this election in another state could affect MY life, and MY future and MY country so much.

Birthday Presents

2008-10-10T12:42:00.000-07:00

I've always had really great birthdays. My first date was on my 14th birthday. With an October birthday, I usually get to celebrate on Columbus day or sometimes the same day as homecoming. I usually get great weather, and I was always in school so I get lots of "happy birthdays" sung to me. Two years ago Kevin got me 2 seasons of The Office, and one of my favorite snacks. It was then that I suspected he liked me more than a little. I still remember that crazy night my freshman year when we celebrated my birthday; I borrowed Keriann's coat that I'm pretty sure she ended up returning. We went bowling and we went to the dollar theater and I think we played sardines at like 2 a.m. @ Deseret Towers...

Anyway, today has been no different. I had an interview scheduled with a local store that caters to soon-to-be missionaries (men and women). i still really wanted the position with Down East, but felt I should go on the interview since I hadn't heard for sure. The interview went okay considering I had to wait 30 minutes for the interview to start and I could tell the guy wasn't the best interviewer in the world. I left the interview, checked my voice mail and called Down East back to find out that I got the job as the kiosk manager!

I could not be happier. This is something I really wanted and it felt really right. The timing is even perfect. After the good news, Kevin took me out to lunch and to Costco to buy me one of my birthday presents. And next week I get to spend a week with my family! I am seriously the luckiest girl in the world and can't believe how much my Heavenly Father has blessed me. Thanks for all your prayers and good wishes during the past couple of months that I've been looking for a job. Couldn't have done it without you!

Wishin' and Hopin'

2008-10-09T11:59:00.000-07:00

I know that Down East talked to at least one of my references. I finally inquired today after not hearing back for almost a week; sounds like I should hear back either way by tomorrow. Hopefully it will be a good birthday present this year!

My sweet Kevin finally asked for some time off for my birthday. He didn't even ask off for his own birthday. I'm still deciding where to go when he takes me out for my birthday lunch. Any suggestions? I'm thinking the Spaghetti Factory, California Pizza Kitchen, or Chili's... But maybe if I get the job we'll head up to SLC for some Texas Roadhouse or even Cheesecake Factory to celebrate!

I totally cannot concentrate right now because I am so anxious to hear back. If it isn't good news, it will definitely be ok. I have an interview with another company scheduled for tomorrow, but I really hope I get this position with Down East. Here's hoping!

Second interview

2008-10-03T12:54:00.000-07:00

Today I had a second interview over the phone with Down East Basics. I think it went well considering I didn't know I was going to have one until I got the call. I really really hope I get the job, but if not, I know I'll be okay.

2008-09-30T22:17:00.000-07:00

I have a job interview tomorrow (Wednesday) so wish me luck!

NOW I remember why the dollar theater only costs a dollar...

2008-09-13T22:48:00.000-07:00

So we finally went and saw Ironman at the dollar theater (Kevin had already seen the movie, but he wanted to see it again).

Top 10 reasons why the Dollar Theatre will only cost you a dollar yet still manages to stay in business

10. Sticky floors. Stickier than the usual sticky-theater-floor.
9. Velvet-upholstered seats that have been in need of a good steam-cleaning since the 90s.
8. The tickets are printed on receipt paper so there's a good chance you'll accidentally throw them out when you clean out your wallet.
7. The theater can't afford a ticket-taker so you wonder how many people actually paid to see the movie you are watching.
6. The fire alarm goes off intermittently before the movie even starts, but it's so quiet that it stops before anybody really figures out what's happening.
5. You avoid sitting in the seat that is completely ripped and end up sitting in the seat that is missing the top of the armrest. You end up with a bruised left elbow.
4. Stale, oversalted popcorn. At $4 it's still a rip-off but not as badly as the regular-priced theaters.
3. There's only one trailer. And unfortunately that trailer is for Twilight.
2. The top of the screen is dark and you can't really tell what's happening in that part of the screen.

And the number 1 reason why the Dollar Theatre will only cost you a dollar yet still manages to stay in business is...

1. You miss the post-credits ending because they turn the movie off and close the curtains after about 40 seconds of credits.

Still, even I liked the movie. Who knew Jeff Bridges could be so evil and who knew Robert Downey Jr. could be so good at playing... himself.

First Anniversary

2008-09-07T12:39:00.001-07:00

Today is our first wedding anniversary. It's hard to believe we've been married an entire year! We still feel like newlyweds and are so excited to spend the rest of our lives together. We've had a busy year; we've grown a lot closer together and made some pretty big decisions. I've been pestering Kevin with "Do you remember?" questions about the week we got married and our honeymoon. I'm pretty sure it was all a blur to him so I have to keep reminding him.

I know I gush about Kevin enough all year round, but I really am so grateful for him. He is the best husband and I can't believe I'm lucky enough to be his wife. Is he perfect? Of course not. But somehow, he's perfect for me! So often when we're watching TV or just talking in bed, we'll both make the same joke at the same time. Whether it's buying a car, finding a new apartment or shopping for groceries, we're usually on the same page. When we're not, I win. How cool is that? Seriously, though, he's so chill and so funny and hard-working and wonderful and hilarious.

And don't we look cute together?

Labor Day Weekend

2008-09-01T20:34:00.000-07:00

We had a great Labor Day weekend!

I had a lovely visit with my friend Annette and her two darling little girls on Saturday afternoon. It was so nice to see her again; it's been a long time! I could tell she is a great Mom just from the couple of hours I was able to see her. She is so fun and so sweet; I miss hearing her quote all of those plays and movies all the time!

The highlight had to be our late-Saturday-night trip to Smith's (riiight). We were the only ones not wearing BYU Blue shirts and I forgot how crowded the Utah grocery stores are on Sat night. Kevin let me buy a bag of Red Vines so it was all good (they lasted until Sunday night so there).

Sunday was fairly relaxing; we had a very interesting lesson about our Church's 12-step Addiction Recovery program (they adapted AA's program with permission). Our church offers group meetings to addicts and family members. I was moved by the personal stories of the missionaries who strive to help others overcome addiction and heartache. I think this is an inspired program and I couldn't help but wish this program had been around when my Grandfather joined the church in the 1970s (he was an alcoholic before he joined). I was reminded that Satan is trying so hard to torture our families and keep us from reaching our eternal goals. During our lesson, I was shocked to find out that 20% of BYU male students are addicted to pornography. If that is not proof that Satan is trying to enter our homes and hearts than I do not know what is. At any rate, I'm glad that I have no need of the program but I'm so glad it's there; who knows when someone I love will need help with an addiction to alcohol, drugs, pornography, gambling or anything that keeps them away from the love of their family and Heavenly Father.

Monday was nice; Nate and Mary came down for a visit! Nate, Kevin and Ayden (3) went to Cabela's while Mary, Hailey (1 1/2) and I went to the mall. I found a ladies' sized Cinderella shirt at the Disney Store. Score! We ate dinner at Goodwood and had a great time. It's funny to watch the kids eat and interact with each other and of course we always laugh a lot with Nate and Mary.

Kevin starts school tomorrow early at 9 a.m., poor kid. I'm still looking for a job and have sent in a few applications. I'm still not sure what direction I want to go in, but I'm sure I will find the right job at the right time... now if I just knew what those were!

Bye, Katie!

2008-08-28T15:39:00.001-07:00

We've got Little Miss Katie moved into her place with almost all of her stuff. We really enjoyed having her around for a little bit; I liked having a roommate that helped cook and clean...

Last Friday we made crepes and it was pretty fun.

I have scary devil eyes in this picture but I'm too lazy to fix it.

Yummmmmmmm.

This We played lots of games, watched lots of Burn Notice on DVD and ate A LOT of food. I got Katie to try and like salmon and some other foods she was skeptical of. Thanks, Katie!

Back to School

2008-08-27T17:58:00.001-07:00

Today I was at Target to pick up a few things and I couldn't help but notice the plethora of mother-daughter pairs picking up sheets, towels, alarm clocks and other "first apartment/dorm" items. I saw lots of overloaded carts following young women with a list and pen in hand. It's a different atmosphere from the Target I usually shop at; Moms with babies, women by themselves, the occasional couple registering for gifts. It was also interesting to note that I didn't see a single young male on one of these shopping trips. This might be because most males are fine if they have a computer, a pillow, blanket and toothbrush to their name. It could be for another reason, but who knows.

Today took me back to six years ago at this time: I was 17 and I had just left Pacific, Missouri (population: 4,500) for Brigham Young University (student population: 28,000). I was about to live on my own in a new state and attend a new school where I didn't know anyone. While it was a little scary, it was mostly fun and exciting.

I remember talking to my freshman roommate Kara before we met up at college; we both planned to have blue comforters (good thing we would coordinate!), discussed that we both liked Nelly and that I didn't have a problem with her liking the Yankees. I remember that Wal-Mart trip once we got to Utah where I bought hangers, peanut butter and other necessities. I learned a lot that year; there were a few things I bought on those back-to-school shopping trips that I didn't end up needing. But it's better safe to be sorry, right? At least if you're a girl...

Sarah, Emma and Kara enjoying some Haagen-Daas bought w/Dining Plus

Kara, Biggie (Mark Bigelow, BYU Bball team) and Sarah after a BYU Basketball game

Kara, Sarah and Emily at a BYU Football Game

Rambo-Chan (Kara) and me

Sister Sister

2008-08-25T11:23:00.000-07:00

Sarah's sister Katie is back in Provo - yay! She is staying with us until she can move in to her apartment, so we have had a fun time with her. We've played Sorry!, Rummikub, made Crepes, some yum-o Chili Mac and of course Nacho Chicken on Sunday. My lil sis is turning out to be a pretty cool adult and now that we get along (what sisters get along when they are teenagers?) it's very fun to hang out together.

2nd Weekend with the Cooks

2008-08-18T19:41:00.001-07:00

The other Cook family blogs have been updated today, so I figure it is our turn as well. We had another fun-filled weekend up in North Ogden. Despite thae fact that I asked if we could go to Jake's Over the Top every 15 minutes, we did not get to go :(.

We had a blast at Emily's 8th Birthday Party on Friday night and her baptism on Saturday morning. Kevin and I were both able to participate; I was asked to be the chorister (surprise!) and Kevin was able to stand in the circle when Emily received the Gift of the Holy Ghost. I'm so lucky to have a husband who bears the Melchizedek priesthood and is able to participate in those sacred ordinances.

Jon (and Ashley) beat us in Trivial Pursuit: 80s edition: hey, we were born in 1984! We played many rounds of apples to apples (Ashley's absolute favorite game; the only way to guarantee winning her hand is to play a card that says Princess on it somewhere!) Only one person asked us when we were going to start having kids, and we watched Michael Phelps win another gold medal (that one was a close race, though, and was actually pretty exciting). Our nieces and nephews are lovable, exhausting, entertaining and hilarious.

Kevin and Ethan

Emily and Alexis attacking Kevin

Jared making a mess of the meal as usual

Aunt Ashley holding Hailey

Grandma holding Emily's SECOND birthday cake. Teresa, my birthday is in October and I would also like a barbie birthday cake with delicious cream cheese frosting. Thank you :).

Weekend with the Cooks

2008-08-12T16:13:00.001-07:00

Last weekend Kevin's brother Nate got married. I'm excited that Mary is officially my SIL and happy that we were able to attend this joyous occasion. This event was the first time that I've ever been with the Cooks all at once. Sara's family was in London when Kevin and I got married, so this was a fun reunion of sorts. My camera died halfway through the weekend, so I don't have many pictures.

Kevin and I watched Ayden and Hailey during the wedding and Friday night for the bride and groom. Unfortunately, Hailey (age 1) slept through the entire ceremony, AND we never got a picture of her cute little sleeping face. The food was great (Sarah's Spinach Salad was served, so you can't go wrong there), the dancing was fun, the place looked great and Joanie's cake tasted amazing!

Saturday we tried to sleep in, went to Jake's Over the Top for some great burgers, fries and ice cream with the other Cook siblings, spent some time at Kevin's mother's house. I went shopping with my other SIL Heather while Kevin took a beating from his nieces and nephews at the park. We ended the night by watching Drillbit Taylor with the newlyweds; I was pleasantly surprised to find the movie was pretty funny and wasn't as geared to 13-year-old boys as I thought it was going to be.

Sunday we were able to attend the blessing of our niece, Oriah Taylor Cook. She is so cute and so tiny! She fell right to sleep when I held her; aren't sleeping babies perfect babies? Kevin was able to stand in the circle for the blessing and I was able to eat cheerios during sacrament because I sat next to little kids! I also got to take my first trip to the Barker's fish farm in North Ogden.

All in all, it was a pretty fun if exhausting weekend that reminded us we're just not ready to be parents just yet. You have to keep your eye on those little suckers! We'll head back up this weekend for Emily's baptism, and hopefully this time I will remember to charge my camera!

Our St. Louis trip - 4th of July weekend

2008-07-31T23:41:00.000-07:00

Now that we've been back for almost a month, it's time to write about our wonderful trip to my homeland (St. Louis, not Germany). It was Kevin's THIRD trip to St. Louis, and it wasn't long enough. It didn't really seem like a vacation, but it felt so good to not have to go to work, to sleep in a little, and to be out of Utah.

We left in the car about 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday night, and drove straight through. We took turns driving and napping (wait, we alternated who slept and who napped...). We ate lots of junk food in the car, we saw lots of flat land in Wyoming, Nebraska and Iowa. We paid lots of money to gas up our car, but luckily thanks to empty roads at night and cruise control we got GREAT gas mileage. My parents thought it was a dangerous idea, but we LOVED driving through the night; the roads were pretty clear, we didn't have to stop much and the person who wasn't driving could sleep pretty easily in the dark. Once the sun came up, however, we were annoyed by truckers, slow drivers, and of course, ROAD CONSTRUCTION. Overall the driving part wasn't too bad; I didn't get lost until we got to Missouri! I accidentally drove into Kansas when trying to circumvent Kansas City, and without mountains to act as my compass, I accidentally went North instead of South when we were about 15 minutes away from our destination. It all worked out and we made the trip from Provo to St. Louis in about 19 hours total.

We stayed with my Aunt Cindy and cousin Miranda; they were kind enough to stay behind from the trip to the lake to spend some time with us. It was great to catch up on family gossip and have some fun girl time. We dragged Kevin to the mall on Thursday - luckily we met up with my parents and Katie and had lunch at CPK (yum!) so Kevin could go to the movie store with Dad. We had a great time going to all the girlie stores like Sephora, Victoria's Secret and Bath and Body works. I usually drag Kevin shopping with me or I go by myself, so it was really nice to have people to go with!

We spent some time with the Heitman clan on Thursday night; I love my grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins. I really miss being far apart from them here in Utah! Even though Miranda accidentally gouged a hole in my shin with her toenail, it was pretty fun (I love you girl, but there's a scar now). Some of the family went to TGIF for lunch the next day; this was where Emma painted our fingernails at the table. She painted mine and Katie's with straight sparkle nail polish. She was actually pretty good for a five-year-old. The trip to the zoo was pretty funny. We watched a giraffe pee on another giraffe's head and watched monkeys pick each other's bottoms. Typical zoo entertainment. The best entertainment would have to be my cousins:

I'm not sure how Emma got a hold of him, but it was pretty funny. I guess Logan likes to run away. I think eventually my Dad got to take a turn trying to keep up with him.

My mother's favorite thing to do for 4th of July is to go downtown and see the fireworks at the Arch. Unfortunately, due to flooding, we couldn't get very close to the action and the show just wasn't that great compared to our past experiences. It was still nice just to be there, and it made Mom very happy to have us all in our matching shirts:

The highlight of the trip came the day we left: Ruth Ann Kraemer, or Grandma Ruth Ann, was baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 30 years after meeting the missionaries and going to church off an on, she has finally decided to take that leap of faith. I couldn't be more proud of her; I know her decision wasn't easy but I know she will always be so grateful that she did. Of course my sweet mother volunteered her entire family to help out :). Mom, Grandma's oldest daughter, gave the baptism talk. I gave the talk on the Holy Ghost, I was the pianist and I accompanied Katie during her beautiful vocal solo. Kevin gave one of the prayers and my father also participated. Grandma was baptized in the Washington chapel, the same building that Dad, Katie and I were baptized in!

It was great to see Jonathon Roberts again; he officiated at our ring ceremony, attended our sealing and was one of the missionaries that brought the "good news" to my family back in the 1970s. I wish more people had the courage and faith that my sweet grandmother has. Hopefully I'll be able to take another trip out in a year and we can drag her to the temple! (Joke...)

On the drive home we ended up stopping overnight in Nebraska, nabbed the last room available in the Lincoln area it seemed like and ended up staying in a suite. Those AmericInn hotels are really nice and not that expensive.

Well, that was long and I bet none of you are still reading, but that's ok because I wouldn't be either :). It was a fun trip and I'm just glad our marriage survived! (another joke...)

Contest - YOUR Favorite Things

2008-07-31T14:56:00.001-07:00

Hopefully you read my other blog. If not, here's a good time to start. I'm having a contest - and a drawing for FREE stuff! Check it out - it ends August 6th!

Birthday Boy

2008-07-30T11:47:00.000-07:00

We had a low-key celebration for Kevin's b-day. I was the first one to wish him a happy birthday at 12:01 Sunday night, and we both stayed up late reading in bed (one of Kevin's favorite things to do). I suprised him with cupcakes at work. Apparently, a co-worker of his bought him a cake for his birthday, but I arrived shortly after that was scarfed down so I had perfect timing. I just used a yellow cake mix and made chocolate cream cheese frosting (sorry, forgot to take pictures before they all got eaten, too). Gave him his presents: A DVD of Star Wars: A New Hope, and a shelf for his shoes that I put together and in the closet with shoes organized on it before he got home. We went to Red Robin for dinner (forgot our camera) and I made him his favorite dessert:

banana cream pie! Visit my other blog for the how-to. Kevin isn't crazy about birthdays, but I think I spoiled him just enough so he'll start liking them!

Happy Birthday, Kevin!

2008-07-27T23:07:00.000-07:00

My dear, sweet Kevin turns the ripe, old age of 24 today. I'm glad he's older and wiser than me, even if it's only by a couple of months. I can't believe the last couple of years have gone by so quickly - and I can't believe I've only known him that long. He is truly my best friend and always will be.

Happy Birthday, babe!

HGTV watch out

2008-07-25T12:43:00.000-07:00

We moved into our new apartment in April, but we've been gradually setting up and decorating our new place. What started out as a huge pile of boxes in the living room is starting to look and feel like a home. Thanks to a few of my mother's finds, a recent trip to Wal-Mart and well, having lots of extra time on my hands, I finally finished... the bathroom!

TA DA! Tiny, yes? I actually love that our vanity/sink combo is outside the bathroom, so that I can put on makeup while Kevin is showering, or whatever. Even though that means we have a very tiny bathroom, it works.

I adore this shower curtain. I bought it a couple of years ago at Wal-Mart. It's black and white and features little drawings of global landmarks such as the Statue of Liberty, the Leaning tower of Pisa, and a kangaroo (I don't get it either, but it's a landmark in Sydney apparently.

My genius mother spotted these at some craft store, knew they would match my shower curtain PERFECTLY and bought them for me. What a nice lady!

See? Perfect match!!

The finishing touches were my white bathroom scale from IKEA (I think cost me about $5), my favorite candles (bought 50% off from B&BW for $10 total), a metal tray from Wal-Mart (less than $3) and some cute stones from Michael's (also less than $3). So for about $20 you can really make a difference to a small room. Even Kevin said, "I love our bathroom. It looks great. Now I have something to look at when I pee." Thanks... at least he noticed!

Much belated.. Happy Mother's and Father's Day!!

2008-07-21T16:21:00.001-07:00

I found my card reader - yay! So now you are going to start seeing random pictures from the last few months as well as start seeing more pictures on our posts. For now we'll just show you what we got each other for Mother's and Father's Day this year:

Here's my Mother's Day present from Kevin: a tanzanite and diamond necklace. Isn't it pretty?

He also got me a DVD of Enchanted and a beautiful bouqet of flowers.

What did I get Kevin? A tie, what else? This kid has more than 100 ties but he can never have enough. Usually he doesn't like the ties I like, but this one was a winner - and it even matched his new green shirt. Doesn't he look so cute? I'm pretty sure I also took him to Red Robin for Father's Day, even though we do that almost every weekend.

We're so grateful for our parents and everything they've done for us. For mother's day I got my mom a black bra from Victoria's Secret and for Father's Day I found Dad Season 1 of M*A*S*H at Costco. We got Kevin's mom some flowers and we're still waiting to hear what restaurant she wants to be taken to (hint, hint).

So long, farewell, I wish I knew how to spell goodbye in German...

2008-07-18T13:25:00.000-07:00

I promise there are good reasons for our long blogging absence. Yes the standard "we've been really busy", does apply. We took a week long "vacation" (I love them to death, but is visiting family really ever a vacation?) to St. Louis - and yes we drove almost 3,000 miles roundtrip.

But mostly, there's been nothing to blog about. One of my friends complains about her job on her blog, but she is very clever and makes all of her stories very funny and entertaining. We decided to spare all of you reading about our boring lives and frustrating jobs.

But as of yesterday, I am no longer employed by the largest specialty retailer of lingerie and beauty products. I love the company and their products and have no complaints about the company as a whole. However, I have never been so unhappy at a job in my life as I have been the last couple of months. When you spend 40 hours a week (or more) someplace where you are unhappy, it starts to affect you. Also, when you're busy working 40 hours a week, it's very hard to find something better! So, I've decided to look for something that will help me use some of the skills I learned in college; hopefully things will go well!

So, I'll be looking for a job, blogging more often, keeping up with the laundry and dishes, eating less takeout food, cooking more often, going to church every Sunday, over the next little while. It's a little scary but mostly liberating. I'm excited for the new adventure around the corner!

-Sarah

Sarah's Five!

2008-06-03T22:52:00.000-07:00

The Five Tag

5 years ago: I had just finished my freshman year at BYU, started working at the local GAPkids (my first real job), complaining to my parents about having a curfew again, and bought a cell phone on my OWN plan.

5 Months Ago: I had just been promoted to be a Sales Leader with Victoria's Secret - I now make more money than I ever have before in my life, which feels pretty good.

5 Things on my to-do list : (disclaimer: today is my day off so my to-do list is longer than work, eat, sleep, like it usually is)

1. Clean up the living room some more
2. Clean the kitchen -- dishes!
3. Do the laundry
4. Go to campus with Kevin -- he has the day off, too!
5. Buy a dresser - my underwear is in a big Victoria's Secret bag on the floor and half of my clothes are sitting in a cardboard box. Isn't that so sad?

5 Snacks I enjoy:
1. Licorice - Twizzlers or Red Vines
2. Chips and Salsa - HAS to be Tostitos chips
3. Popcorn - mostly because both my husband and father make it all the time
4. Pizza Rolls
5. Anything with peanut butter. Oh and Caramel Apples from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. Yum!

5 Things I would do if I were suddenly a billionaire:
1. Pay off all debt
2. Buy a house
3. Start contributing to a Roth IRA fund, in bonds, in CDs, stashing money under my mattress....
4. Take a trip with Kevin to Hawaii
5. Take a trip with the family (whoever wants to go!) to Europe

5 of my BAD habits:
1. Swearing
2. Not parking very well
3. Forgetting to close kitchen cabinet doors
4. Forgetting to unplug my hair irons
5. Being too lazy to brush my teeth at night

5 Places I have lived:
1. Provo, Utah
2. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
3. Pacific, Missouri

yep, that's not 5. oh well!

5 things people don't know about me:
1. The ringtone I hear when Kevin calls is Depeche Mode's Precious -- which is a song about Divorce.
2. I know I'm not supposed to believe in having a "soulmate" or whatever, but I have no doubt that my Heavenly Father brought Kevin and I together because we are perfect for each other.
3. I got a D in Biology my freshman year of college.
4. I sometimes talk to myself when I'm alone -- although Emma knows this because she caught me once!
5. My favorite vegetable is the cucumber (or water-sacs, according to Muscle Mike).

- Sarah

Unpacked...

2008-05-22T12:09:00.000-07:00

So I found my camera charger (Jenny, I hope you find yours soon!) But alas I lost my camera USB cord months ago and now I can't find the card reader. So pictures are still forthcoming. Sorry. Even though we're unpacked and don't have any boxes on the floor, I still don't feel like we're settled in. I guess that will come with time. We'll get there.

Last Saturday we went and finally got Costco cards. That place is so cool. I think I have found the one place Kevin likes to "shop". Not just buy stuff he needs, but look around and buy something that is cool. We now have an amazing high-tech fan in our living room. Kevin is mesmerized because, well, it comes with a remote and you just can't beat that. It's a tower fan that oscillates, has several speed and variation settings, and yes, it comes with a remote. It also came with a mini-oscillating fan that has kept our bedroom a little cooler at night.

What we REALLY were hoping to find was a way to buy pizza rolls in bulk, but alas, they were not to be found. We consoled ourselves with the trilogy set of Indiana Jones for $35. I bought it because I thought my Dad would love it for Father's Day, but I've decided to watch them instead :). (Don't worry Dad, I'll find you something even better. Remember I'm the daughter who got you the special edition of Diehard for Christmas?)

In other news, Kevin is campaigning to be the Provo City employee of the month (ask him about it), and one of my best friends is having a baby in the fall. Congrats, Emma and Adam!

My Favorite Things

2008-05-22T12:07:00.000-07:00

I probably already e-mailed y'all about this, but I've started a new blog featuring my favorite things -- and hopefully you will find these things adorable and affordable. Check it out and spread the word

http://simplyremembermyfavoritethings.blogspot.com/

Still unpacking

2008-05-05T21:20:00.000-07:00

Since I still can't find my digital camera battery charger, I still haven't taken pictures. I should have taken a picture that first day we moved in; there were boxes, bags and bubble wrap everywhere! Things have gotten a little better, and we are slowly finding things in the black hole that is our living room.

Mom would be proud, I put up some curtains in our bedroom. Unfortunately I have neither her talent nor enthusiasm for sewing, so I paid $18 for my curtains and rod at Wal-Mart (gotta hate and love that place at the same time). Hopefully those will keep the sun out of our eyes in the morning a little longer. I'm tired of waking up before my alarm goes off.

Even though I cooked the occasional dinner (ok, seldom) at our old place, our new kitchen and newly-unpacked appliances have inspired me to make dinner four times since we moved (not counting the 2 times I made DiGiorno last week). I made my amazing chicken fajitas in my new nonstick skillet, made my infamous chicken cheesy rice casserole (from the back of the campbell's cream of chicken soup can, and this time the rice was fully cooked, katie!), rachael ray's chili mac (yum-o!) and today I made pork chops on the stove top (I prefer the taste when they bake, but who has time for that?)

we also went to our new ward yesterday. it was interesting. it's kind of like a BYU singles ward, but everybody's married. i think they want us to have family home evening with other couples or something. isn't that why i got married - so i didn't have to go to singles wards family home evening? isn't that why i have my own family now? for now kevin makes me go to sunday school and relief society; isn't he so nice? and i make him read the scriptures to me because i'm too tired to at night!

New place!

2008-05-01T11:55:00.000-07:00

We moved in this past weekend. We still have boxes everywhere, but we are making unpacking progress. Pictures of our apartment coming soon - here's the complex we live in.

We live in a small building in a big complex for Provo married folks. Kevin loves to come home for lunch since he only has a five-minute walk home and I love that I shaved 2 minutes off my daily commute!

3...2....1...

2008-04-22T11:55:00.000-07:00

We move in exactly three days! Yipee!!

I think now we are up to 12 boxes... our tiny apartment is basically covered in cardboard and sterilite containers.

Today Kevin and I got out of bed early enough to try Kneader's French Toast. So delicious. It's bottomless, but we both struggled to finish one plate of the super-thick, decadent breakfast. If you live in Provo, you've definitely got to head over to Kneader's for breakfast!

COUNTDOWN!

2008-04-21T17:46:00.000-07:00

Days left: 4
Boxes packed: 11
Feet of bubble wrap used: 100

1st and 10

2008-04-15T22:10:00.000-07:00

Days until we move: 10

Boxes I've packed: 4 1/2
Boxes Kevin's packed: 1 (So proud of him)

Sarah's tissue-per-day count: reduced to approximately 15.

Thanks for the well wishes, Sarah's feeling much better now (Thanks, NyQuil!)

Cleaning-out-the-fridge Nachos

2008-04-13T18:58:00.001-07:00

Jessica's cleaning-out-the-fridge recipes are very creative and you would never be able to tell she was just cleaning out the fridge. They are moving the same week we are, but so far I've only made one such meal. Kevin claimed he wasn't in the mood for nachos, but he helped me finish them off so quickly there wasn't time to take a picture!

Cleaning-out-the-fridge Nachos:

Place desired amount of tortilla chips on a microwave-safe plate.
- You could even make your own by frying cut-up tortillas.
Shred desired amount of cheese and sprinkle on top of chips.
- I usually use cheddar, but we had Colby/Monterey Jack, and that was pretty tasty.
Microwave plate for 20-30 seconds to melt cheese.
Spread desired meat or protein on top of cheese.
- I sauteed one diced chicken breast in a little olive oil, and seasoned with lemon juice, chili powder and lemon pepper. However, you could shred any leftover chicken, cook some ground beef, steak, or whatever you wanted.
- Top with desired toppings. We just used salsa, but I also love diced green peppers, avocado and sour cream.

Countown Continued

2008-04-13T12:45:00.000-07:00

Days until the move: 12
Total boxes packed: 3
Number of times Sarah has coughed since Wednesday: 84,359 (+ or - 1,000)
Number of tissues Sarah has used Since Friday: 478 (+ or - 50)

Countdown

2008-04-09T10:01:00.000-07:00

Days until we move: 16
Number of Boxes I've packed: 2
Number of Boxes Kevin's packed: 0
Sq. feet of bubble wrap I got from work: 200
Distance we have to move our stuff: 1 mile exactly

Daddy, Daddy!!! It's allowance day!!

2008-03-14T12:08:00.000-07:00

In honor of today being pay day for the Cook household, I thought I would share a childhood story. Really it's about my sister but we joke about it ALL the time.

So when we were kids we got a small allowance every other week on Dad's pay day. He was nice enough to usually make sure he had cash in his wallet by the time he got home. One Friday afternoon, my sister burst out of the front door and ran toward our father, who must have been happy at this sweet greeting. "Daddy, Daddy!! ... It's allowance day!" Leave it to little kids to make you feel so good and so insignificant at the same time.

Even though I've been putting in a lot of stressful hours at work lately, I decided when I saw my direct deposit today that it ended up being a good thing! I love my job because it IS so different every day and it definitely challenges me in ways I'm not used to. I just found out who my new Store Manager is, and I was so glad it was her. I was nervous about who they would send us, but Amy is amazing and will fit perfectly with our team.

Besides, if you know me, I LOVE change and thrive on it. I think Kevin has noticed that I like to throw things out (namely his old ratty shirts) and buy new things (ok that list could go on forever). Just like my mother, I love to rearrange furniture, take a different route to work, change the paint color on the walls and generally just change things up.

We're Moving!!

2008-03-10T11:28:00.001-07:00

We just signed a contract for our new apartment. We're very excited to move closer to BYU, Kevin's work and start attending a new ward (congregation). We'll be moving from a studio to a spacious (to us) one-bedroom in the Union Square complex in Provo. We'll be moving in at the end of April -- I'm not sure if I can wait that long but I guess we'll see.

One thing that is cool about US is that our friend is the apartment manager there so she can give us the sweet hookup. Actually if it weren't for her we'd probably still be wondering where we were going to live. Thanks, Crystal!

Another unoriginal post

2008-03-09T13:09:00.000-07:00

So, I know I'm totally showing my lack of creativity right now, but this week was inventory at work, not to mention my boss quit and they haven't hired anyone to replace her yet. So you get a lame post this week.

I saw that my freshman dorm-mate Annie had posted this on her blog and called it "Hubby Tag", so I decided to do one, too.

What is his name? Kevin Jay Cook

How long have you been married? 6 months.

How long did you date? About a year.

How old is he? Same as me, 23.

Who eats more sweets? Kevin eats more candy but I eat more cookies and treats.

Who said I love you first? Ummm I think Kevin but it was kind of a sneaky way of saying it.

Who is taller? Kevin unless I'm wearing stilettos.

Who can sing better? Sarah (But he's much better than he thinks)

Who is smarter? I think we are pretty equal in intelligence. I wouldn't have married him otherwise!

Who does the laundry? ME!

Who mows the lawn? Yeah if we had one I'm pretty sure I'd make Kevin do it.

Who pays the bills? Yeah me.

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Right now me because the left side is next to the freezing wall and window. We don't always sleep in the same spot though.

Who cooks dinner? Me and Red Robin.

Who is more stubborn? Good question.

Who kissed who first? He kissed me first FINALLY!

Who asked who out first? Kevin after I sent him my phone number in a note.

Who proposed? Kevin. "How about a fall wedding?"

Who has more siblings? Kevin! He has 6 and I have 1.

Who wears the pants? What kind of question is that we are supposed to be a team.

I tag all the wives out there: Emma, Jessica, Claire, Britt, Emily, Jenny, Annette, Lyndsey, Becky, Lesley, Lauren and anyone I have forgotten.

Sarah's responses (Kevin's are below)

2008-02-20T21:40:00.000-08:00

Four jobs I have had in my life:

1)Babysitter
2) GapKids Cashier
3) PR Assistant/Office Slave
4) Sales Associate then Sales Leader @ Victoria's Secret (in 3 different states)

Four movies I could watch over and over and over again:
1) Pride and Prejudice
2) Anything from the Bourne series (gotta love Matt Damon)
3) Princess Diaries
4) My Big Fat Greek Wedding

Four places I have lived:
1) Eureka, Missouri
2) Pacific, Missouri
3) Provo, Utah
4) Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Four TV shows I watch:
1) Colbert Report
2) The View (I'm slightly ashamed to admit it
3) Rachael Ray (I'm REALLY ashamed to admit it)
4) The Soup (This show ROCKS --it's on E!)

Four places I have been:
1) Las Vegas
2) Washington D.C.
3) San Francisco
4) Disneyworld

Four people who e-mail me regularly:
1) My mother
2) Victoria's Secret (i love the coupons and sales and all, but do they have to send so dang many?!)
3) My father
4) ummmmm well it used to be all the PR majors but now I just get the occasional PRSSA e-mail

Four of my favorite foods:
1) Domino's thin crust pizza with mushroom and sausage
2) Oreos and Milk
3) Twizzlers
4) Chips and Salsa

Four places I would rather be:
1) a warmer climate
2) a larger living arrangment
3) a better city than provo
4) with you!

Four things I'm looking forward to next year:

1) Hopefully a promotion
2) Hopefully Grandma's baptism
3) 2 nieces or nephews plus 3 cousins born in 2008
4) Kevin starting school full-time again

Tagged?

2008-02-20T21:34:00.000-08:00

Kevin sent this to his mother-in-law several weeks after she sent it to him, but I stole it so that he could actually have a voice on "our" blog.

Four jobs I have had in my life:

1) worked as a baler at Deseret Industries with a drug addict and a schizophrenic

2) worked as an automotive parts sorter to make sure people don't die :)

3) worked as a gopher for a guy, where I wrote a Policy & Procedures manual for a new company, helped draw up plans for buildings, helped with taxes, delivered time-sensitive documents, and swept the parking lot, among other things

4) work currently as a clerk/coach at Provo City Library

Four movies I would watch over and over and over and over and over and over and over again:

1) the Star Wars trilogy (the classic, of course)

2) The Princess Bride (my guilty little secret)

3) the Indiana Jones movies

4) a good epic war movie, i.e. Glory or Braveheart or Saving Private Ryan or something along those lines plus a whole lot more--there are some really good movies out there that just get better the more I watch them

so...in my "four movies" I packed in 10....

Four places I have lived:

1) born in Houston, TX

2) Harrisville, UT

3) Crowley, LA

4) Atlanta, GA

Four TV shows I watch:

1) The Colbert Report

2) um....that's about it

Here's four that I would watch if they were still on the air or on at a decent time

1) The Pretender

2) NewsRadio

3) Life

4) Burn Notice

Four places I have been:

1) St. Louis, MO

2) King's Peak, highest point in UT

3) NASA's Johnson Space Center

4) Las Vegas, NV People who email me regularly:

1) Cheryl, a woman who retired from the library. She forwards at least 10 things I don't open each week. I mean, wow.

2) Chase Wallis, the only friend from home I really keep in any sort of regular contact with. And by regular I mean once a month.

3) Sarah and I used to email and g'chat each other like mad, and then we got married. We talk now. It's awkward.

4) The "other" Heitman women.

Four of my favorite foods:

1) popcorn

2) Hawaiian pizza

3) chicken. it rocks.

4) any food someone else makes for me. it just tastes better when it's someone else's labor

Four places I would rather be:

1) my gosh I hate this apartment

2) I think being in space would be amazing

3) the Uinta mountains on a backpacking trip (in summer, of course)

4) Gettysburg

Four friends who I think will respond:

1) um....I'm only sending it to you

2) see above

3) seriously, look at number 1

4) I'm not kidding--I didn't send it to anyone else!

Four things I'm looking forward to this year:

1) leaving this piss-pot apartment

2) being a year closer to being done with school

3) Saturdays

4) NOT having a birthday (I've decided against getting any older)

Congratulations Brittany and Bryan!

2008-02-07T18:12:00.000-08:00

Our friends Brittany and Bryan were married in the Mt. Timpanogos Temple on Jan 26, 2008. For those of you who were at our wedding, Brittany caught my bouquet and got engaged about a month later.

I was lucky enough to be asked to be a bridesmaid. Brittany was lucky enough to have a sunny, if cold, January wedding day. I'm sure her week-long honeymoon in Hawaii will thaw her out though.

Emma's pictures are much better than mine, but here you go. We had a great time and we're so happy for the newest newlyweds in our circle of friends!!

Now 5 of the 6 "Original Roommates" are married. I think Brianna might catch up shortly after she returns from her mission in San Francisco.

We will miss him

2008-01-31T12:30:00.000-08:00

After reading many tributes to President Hinckley (Emma, sister-in-law, I-follwed-her-PR-footsteps-until-I-graduated, awesome former roommate) and a New York Times article about him, I couldn't help but share my feelings about this great man.

President Hinckley was really the first Prophet I have ever known in my lifetime. He became prophet in 1995 - I was 10 and had just finished elementary school. I have many memories of him and I have felt the spirit witness to me many many many times that he is a true prophet of God and that he was prepared for this role by our Heavenly Father.

I'm going to copy of Sara again, and list my memories of President Hinckley. I know that we have all gained our personal testimonies of the gospel and the role of a prophet in different ways and we must remember those ways if we are to "keep the faith" -- even after President Hinckley is no longer with us.

- President Hinckley came to St. Louis for regional conference shortly after he became prophet. Thousands of Church members came to downtown St. Louis to see a prophet. There were license plates from surrounding states in the parking lot. Many of us had never seen a prophet in person, and I think many in attendance never had the opportunity again.

- When I was still in our Church's Young Women's program, President Hinckley hosted a fireside for young single adults and teenagers in the Church. I can remember the 6 Be's that he gave us - but more importantly I remember the tears streaming down my face as a Prophet of God prayed for me. He prayed to his Heavenly Father on the behalf of the young people of the Church. I can distinctly remember that sacred experience that I had that night sitting in the Stake Center watching President Hinckley via Satellite.

- Attending BYU spoiled me! President Hinckley came to BYU my freshman AND sophomore year because BYU announced a new University President. Each time he waved his cane at the students, gave us encouragement and reminded us how loved we really are. His wit, humor, wisdom and love will forever remain with me.

- A couple of years ago President Hinckely issued the challenge to the members of the church to finish the Book of Mormon by Dec. 23 (that gave us approximately 4 months to complete the BOM in time for Joseph Smith's 200th birthday). The response of the Church was quite amazing to such a simple challenge. Even though I often struggle to read my scriptures every day, I was able to complete the challenge, and I remember the great spirit I felt as I watched President Hinckley speak about the power of the Book of Mormon from Joseph's boyhood home in New York.

- When President Hinckley walks into the room, everyone stands up and becomes quiet. Sometimes you can feel his presence before that happens - the spirit of God was definitely with him. I was so fortunate to be able to see and hear a prophet in person several times during my lifetime. Even though I was not able to see my Savior in person, I know that President Hinckley was one of the most Christ-like people the world has ever seen.

We will miss President Hinckley more than anything. However, we are so happy that he is reunited with his beloved wife, Marjorie. President Hinckley was a true prophet. I know that our next Prophet will also be a true prophet and he will lead the Church in this amazing era. I know that I will have just as many amazing memories of President Monson and I have full faith in him - and that my Heavenly Father will guide him.

Winter Wonderland

2008-01-16T12:09:00.000-08:00

I hate driving in snow, and I especially hate trying to back out of a snow-covered driveway, but I love looking at fresh-fallen snow and how it makes everything look so beautiful. I still remember the first time I came to BYU and how I thought Utah was so ugly that I wanted to turn around and drive back to Missouri. However, now I know that the mountains look their most beautiful when snow-capped. I think I might even miss the winter and gorgeous views when we finally leave Utah!!

My beautiful store during a snowfall! And that door is open because the wind keeps blowing them open. It makes for an awfully cold shift sometimes!

If you know me at all you know that I HATE driving on I-15, otherwise known as The Worst Highway Ever. Fortunately Kevin was driving home so I could take a picture of the gorgeous view. This picture nowhere near does the wasatch front any justice.

Our Man Mitt

2008-01-16T00:25:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to our favorite Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney for winning the Michigan primary. Surprisingly, even though Kevin and Sarah have fairly different political opinions, they both agree that Mitt is the best man to lead our country into a better future!

(Due to the writers strike we are forced to watch CNN and make fun of political pundits for our daily entertainment.)

AND.....

Thank goodness that the Colbert Report is finally back!

Year in Review

2007-12-29T14:19:00.000-08:00

I know it's been too long since our last post. I know everyone's been busy, but we really have been busy! Something I saw on CNN prompted me to think about 2007 and whether it was best year ever, worst year ever, or just another year. I'd definitely have to go with not just another year, and here's why:

This year, I, Sarah:

Got stranded in Kansas City by myselfwhen weather caused me to miss a flight! (January)
Actually had a boyfriend at Valentine's Day (February)
Got engaged to the wonderful man in my life! (March)
Facilitated PRSSA Elections so that I could have a new President to Replace me (April)
Graduated from BYU with a BA in Communications ; was awarded Outstanding Senior in Public Relations Award (April)
Left a good job, fiance and good friends behind to move home with my parents and live in Oklahoma (May - August)
Went back to retail--and liked it! (May- August)
Recieved my endowment in the St. Louis Missouri Temple (September)
Married my sweet Kevin, had an amazing honeymoon in Las Vegas (September)
Moved back to Provo and moved in with a boy so that my dear Kevin could finish school (September)
Started Working at Victoria's Secret again (October)
Spent my first Thanksgiving away from my family (November)
Got my first promotion ever! (December)
Played piano in the ward Christmas program (December)
Went to Oklahoma City for the first time, my first Christmas away from St. Louis and my extended family; got stranded in Denver, but this time with my husband.

Since Kevin has come into my life, a lot of things have changed. Many of these things, dare I say most of thiese things wouldn't have happened without Kevin, and especially his love and support. Even though I sacrificed a lot to be with him (Chicago, a career in PR); I know that all that I have recieved because of him is even better. Happy New Year, everyone!

It's Off to Work We Go

2007-11-28T21:33:00.000-08:00

So it's been almost a month since we last posted! I had no idea. I still haven't been able to get Kevin to post and I now have a job. For the past month and a half, I've been working at a local Victoria's Secret Store. I know, I know. I have a degree and I want to work at a lingerie store? The thing is I worked at VS in Oklahoma City this summer and I had a great time. Although I love PR (what I majored in during my five years of college), I think that retail management is a better career for me in the short term. My career plans dramatically changed when I decided to marry Kevin, and when we decided to live in Provo rather than move to Chicago.

But seriously, I love my job. It's so much more interesting than a desk job because I get to work with so many people. There's so many different tasks and I often get to do them all in the same day. With retail, things are always changing, and I work for one of the largest companies and biggest brands in the entire world. I've worked at three different stores in three different states. I love that wherever I go, there will be a Victoria's Secret - and that I'm part of such a large, worldwide family of Victoria's Secret Angels!!

So I keep busy with work, our laundry, cooking, cleaning, shopping, etc. and Kevin still works at the Provo City Library. He's busy as ever there and was recently in a commercial for the library (featured on iProvo, or channel 17 if you have comcast). He doesn't have a speaking role, but you can see him at the front of the line in one scene and he's sitting at the circulation desk in another. I'm so proud of him for working so hard - if it weren't for him we wouldn't have health insurance. We don't always get to see each other as much as we'd like, and our schedules don't always match up, but we are still happy and still madly in love. Today I was able to stop by the library during Kevin's break and spend a few minutes with him during a day when we wouldn't have seen each other for 12 1/2 hours!

So stop by Victoria's Secret at the Riverwoods or the Provo City library because that's usually where we are!!

Happy Halloween!

2007-10-31T09:40:00.000-07:00

Family Night

2007-10-20T13:59:00.000-07:00

Since we got married, Kevin and I have tried to have "Family Night" (or Family Home Evening) every Monday nights. We had Family Night when I lived at home, complete with a song, prayer, lesson, activity and treat. Kevin and I are trying to continue the tradition we had in both our homes. It's obviously quite a bit different without kids, but we are having fun. We usually forgo the song and one of us teaches a short lesson. Patriarchal blessings, The Proclamation on the Family and Budgeting are topics we've tried to cover thus far. Our favorite part is the activity and treat; sometimes we combine them like we did this week!

Homemade Root Beer! Yum!

Get out of my dreams (and into my car)...

2007-10-18T21:37:00.000-07:00

Here's our first major purchase together:

Isn't she beautiful? As much as we loved the '98 Grand Am (Thanks, Grandma!) We REALLY love our '03 Toyota Camry (Seriously, thanks Grandma!). The dealer guy was really nice to us and it was fun picking out the car together. Even though it was such a huge decision it was a great experience. Favorite moment from the day was while Sarah was in the front seat during the test drive: Quin (dealer guy): Do you always drive like this? Sarah: Drive like what....? Quin: You know, conservative, slower. Sarah: Oh, yeah. That. Yeah.... Kevin's new nickname for me is "My Little Featherfoot". (Incidentally that is also my Indian name)

So if any of my Utah friends are looking for a car, be sure to visit our friend Quin at Brent Brown Toyota!

Congratulations, Brittany!!

2007-10-17T13:17:00.000-07:00

Yet another wedding tradition came true! My good friend and bridesmaid Brittany caught the bouquet at my wedding. About a month later, she got engaged!! I haven't met the lucky guy yet but I know they'll be so happy together. And since I started dating Kevin after I caught Emma's bouqet, the tradition continues.

Congratulations, Britt and Bryan, we are so happy for you!!

Rest of the Pictures

2007-10-13T16:23:00.000-07:00

The rest of our wedding. The reception was gorgeous, beautiful, fantastic, amazing and everything a girl could want!