Bring on the Sweets

This past week was an epic dessert week. I completed my abstinence assignment with flying colors. I gave up sweets for the semester and I accomplished it with ease! I did not relapse once this whole stressful semester! However, I wanted to multiple times not only to celebrate success on different tests but also to emotionally indulge in yumminess to compensate for my stress :). BUT, I DIDN'T DO IT!!! WAHOO. Thursday, as a class, we celebrated our success and had a sweets party. There was a ton of stuff there; brownies, cookies, cinnamon rolls, cheesecake, candy, pop, and etc. When you have not eaten that stuff for a few months, it is wise not to go in full fledge! All I had Thursday was a small brownie and muddy buddies, but I was still sick. However, it was so worth it.

Muddy Buddies!

It was great to have this experience because I was able to see that life is wonderful with and without sweets. I do not need sweets, but they are a great blessing on earth:).  I will eat them occasionally but not go crazy because I do not need to. Life is to be enjoyed, not endured. Sweets make it enjoyable...partially:)

Provo has been a great experience for Jason and I. We headed down here with a little hesitation, but have been pleasantly surprised. Our ward has been wonderful and we have made great friends. We have spent quite a bit of time with the Ferrin's and Lively's. They have become great friends, most of our time spent together is laughing! Love it. We are on a trend to visit different countries through food and entertainment. Friday we headed to Sri Lanka. We ate at the Banana Leaf for dinner. It was awesome! The food was very authentic and super flavorful. We wanted to watch a Baliwood movie to relish in the Indian culture. We headed back to our place and decided to watch Bourne Surpremacy instead. It starts in India, right?!? We ended the night with delicious brownie sundaes, which was the only thing that I truly missed through the past few months. The brownie sundae made the wait totally worth it.

Noted: do not wear those capris again in public:)

General Conference was this past weekend! What a wonderful spiritual rejuvenation it is for me. I am reminded about what I need to focus on. The re-occurring theme was to prioritize my day so that the Gospel remains the first priority to my day. The to-do list of changes I need to make is large, but not daunting. I am grateful for the chance to be reminded about what it truly important; my relationship with my Heavenly Father and Savior, then my relationship with my husband and family, then comes the secular tasks- such as school. I continue to learn that the Lord has not forgotten about me and the struggles I face daily.  I need those reminders occasionally. What a blessing!

It was Jason's mom's 57th birthday this past Sunday so we headed up to Liberty to celebrate with her. Ricky treated us to a steak dinner Saturday night after Priesthood. The food was divine! After dinner, we headed back to the Baker's to spend the night and watch Sunday morning session of conference. Ricky made us waffles for breakfast. He treated Cindy well for her birthday. Thanks Ricky! 

Nice decorations...kind of creepy.

Pez table at the restaraunt, ha!

Every Sunday, my sister-in-law's and I try to exchange emails in order to stay up-to-date on each other's lives. Phone calls seem to be more of a hassle and not possible. Life is busy for us all! Emails have been great to keep up with each other. But, I really wanted to skype with my family. I do not get enough time with them. I maybe see them twice a year...that is not cool. Sunday night we skyped with my parents and Christian and Sheener. It was nice to see the girlies and Carter for a bit. We need to do the same with Chase and Mandi now. Emma and Sami are changing so quick these days, it makes us sad. One day, I would love to live close to my family and take part in their lives on a regular basis. I was reminded of how lucky I am to have such a supportive and loving family. We laugh a lot together and for that, I am grateful. This weekend was a time of reflection on how blessed I am.