I'm BACK

I'm back! 

Okay I never really left... I just took a 5-month sabbatical from blogging.

So much has happened in the last few months.... I got a new JOB!

I now work at a small law firm downtown that does trust and estate planning.  

I am a legal assistant and the attorney I work for is one of the nicest, most genuine people I've ever met! 

Another update... AJ officially has a clerkship for next summer here in Boston!

He will be working at a firm in downtown Boston and he is SO excited. 

They are a mid-sized firm and they have a really good reputation for being family-friendly and not demanding crazy lawyer hours like a lot of other firms. 

We feel very blessed!

I'm not going to lie... I'm really excited about riding the bus downtown together for work every day next summer.

A couple weeks ago we took a day trip to Vermont with some friends for Columbus Day weekend. 

I literally fell in love. 

Even though I love Boston... I wouldn't turn down a summer cottage in Vermont (a girl can dream)!

There was honestly not a single moment on our drive that wasn't picturesque. 

The fall colors were vibrant and beautiful!

After some antique shopping and the purchase of TRUE Vermont maple syrup, we stopped at a pumpkin patch along the road. The pumpkins were 45 cents per pound and we picked the biggest one we could find weighing in at a whopping 25 lbs!!

Next, we headed over to Happy Valley Orchard for some apple picking. 

Most of the trees were all picked over except at the very top... it's a good thing AJ is tall and can jump pretty high.  

Thanks to him we scored some great apples! 

Only $5 for an entire "peck" of apples. 

As we were driving, we saw a trail titled the "Robert Frost Trail" so of course we had to stop. 

Our hike (more like a laid back stroll) was really fun except for the swampy areas that left my tennis shoes a muddy, wet mess. 

Also, AJ learned something new about me that day... I am deathly afraid of bears! 

The guy at the pumpkin patch told us he had seen a lot of bears in the forest lately... so of course I was a nervous wreck during our hike. 

We ended our perfect day in Sharon, Vermont, the birthplace of Joseph Smith. 

This was the highlight of the day for me. 

It was such a beautiful and sacred place. 

I almost can't describe the quiet, serene feeling that was there... it was so peaceful. 

There was even a little forest off to the side that had hidden speakers in the trees playing hymns. 

I felt so good while we were there.... I never wanted to leave. 

We will definitely be coming back here again! 

We loved every minute of our 12-hour trip to Vermont!

May 17

Exactly one year ago today.... on May 17th.... everything in our lives changed.

On May 17, 2011, AJ and I came to visit Boston for the first time.  

We were coming to see what Boston was all about and to check out the Boston University campus! 

I remember it was a really foggy, cold, rainy day in Boston. 

We could only see the runway 10 seconds before landing because it was so foggy. 

My first impression was that I didn't really like it in Boston very much... looking back I realize it was because I was incredibly tired since we had flown from Italy and had just spent three weeks in Europe and because the weather was awful.  

I remember standing in an empty classroom with AJ in the BU law tower, looking out over the Charles River, and having such a strong feeling that this is where we were supposed to be. 

I fought that feeling for many months! 

The crazy thing was that AJ had the exact same feeling.

After leaving the law tower, AJ and I took a walk up the street and stopped at Chipotle to get dinner.  

At Chipotle is where I broke down and started to cry.  

I remember not even caring who was looking at me. 

I was absolutely terrified of moving all the way across the country to this place that seemed so foreign to me and where we knew nobody!!

It hit me pretty hard at that moment. 

I distinctly remember the words, "Be faithful" repeating over in my mind.

  

Over the next few months leading up to our move to Boston, it was difficult for me to come to terms with the fact that we were actually moving all the way across the country. 

One evening in August, AJ and I were driving back from having dinner with some friends and an overwhelming feeling came over me that everything was going to be okay. 

It seems like such a trivial thing, but that feeling gave me so much strength in a time when strength was much-needed.  

I almost get emotional when I think about how far I've come since one year ago.  

It's definitely empowering to do something completely out of your comfort zone and to see how everything works out in the long run.

Today, I am a true lover of Boston and New England! 

It's such an amazing and significant place to me now.

It's actually kind of ironic... AJ got his Massachusetts state license today and I mentioned to him how funny I thought it was that exactly one year since our visit he is now a true "Bay Stater." 

(P.S. That's what people in Massachusetts are called--similar to how people from Utah are referred to as Utahns :o))

 

New England at its finest

It's days like today when I love my job and I LOVE Boston!

Our company is having a client conference this fall and I have been put in charge of finding a venue for us to use here in Boston.  This pretty much means that I get to walk around and visit really fancy hotels, enjoy free lunches, and get presents! :) 

So today I got all dressed up and that's exactly what I did. 

It was truly the best! 

I realized that if I could be a full-time event planner, I would pretty much love life. 

My favorite thing about getting to walk around to different hotels is that I get to actually experience more of Boston.

Last week I walked through Beacon Hill (a really cute neighborhood in Boston) and today I walked all around Harvard Square and the surrounding neighborhoods.  

It was fun being a photographer for the day and taking lots of fun pictures (mostly of houses) while I was out walking.  

I am in love with New England style homes! 

Massachusetts State House

I love the color contrast of this cute little blue home and the bright pink tree.

New England at its finest!

While I was out enjoying Boston today, poor AJ was studying all day for finals. 

He has one down.... three to go! 

He will be one HAPPY camper to be done with his first year of law school!

One more important piece of information to share... AJ and I celebrated our 2 YEAR anniversary on Monday!! :)

It's crazy to think we have actually been married for 2 years. 

Looking back, I can see how much we have both grown together. 

We have truly become each others' biggest cheerleader, mentor, and best friend.

Having AJ be in law school has really made us appreciate and cherish the time we do get to spend together. 

I love that boy so much!! 

 

Heaven is Here

This week I ordered and started reading NieNie's book Heaven is Here. 

I was so excited to get it in the mail and start reading it! 

This book has truly changed me.... I have been so much happier this week as a result of reading it.  

It has given me a renewed perspective on life and I'm grateful for that. 

This week I have felt overwhelmed with gratitude for my family and for a healthy body that can run and exercise. 

I have always known that I wanted to be a mom and have always really looked forward to that chapter in my life, but this book has deepened my level of excitement for becoming a mother. 

Basically.... NieNie is incredible.  I love and admire her. 

 

Favorite quotes from the book....

"The more I make the choice to see and feel joy, the more joy there is to see and feel."


"As the children drifted off, their little bodies were so relaxed and still, they seemed to radiate an almost tangible peace. I imagined the wonderful dreams that awaited them. Claire would be creating her own little book of stories and pictures that only her brilliant imagination could dream up, Jane would dream of organizing some sort of neighborhood trampoline extravaganza, Ollie's dreams would find him flying a fighter jet that turned into a motorcycle that turned into a boat that turned into a spaceship, and Nicholas, baby Nicholas, would be dreaming of a delicious meal of big, milky boobs."

 

"Provo (Utah) has always been home to me in the most robust, complete sense of the word. I was born and raised there and married there too.... the mountains and the canyons were truly a part of me.  As we packed up our house, I dreaded the homesickness I knew awaited me, but I also looked forward to the adventure of living across the country. Living in New Jersey made me tougher and more tolerant." 
(I included this quote because I loved how connected I felt to NieNie as I was reading about her experience of living on the East Coast... it was fun being able to relate to her in that way).




"I sobbed silently while my adorable, grown-up six-year-old described her class and her teacher, her new friends and her favorite game at recess. When Claire handed the phone to Jane, I heard her say, 'Mom's voice sounds funny, but it's really her. Oh, and she's crying.'"


"I do think that insofar as heaven is a joyful place filled with people you love, and where you feel peaceful and genuinely happy, then it's true.  Heaven is right here."


On Wednesday, I walked into work and found a surprise on my desk!

  

A few of my co-workers surprised me with flowers and a card since it was "Administrative Professionals' Day"!! 

Who knew?! 

It was really sweet. I have great co-workers.  

Gotta love the diet coke on my desk.... If you were to take a random picture of my desk at any point during the day, 90% of the pictures would include a Diet Coke. :)