what it is.

Well, I'm back again. This time with some fun stuff to share. on the agenda:

0 the hero: Ben's Birthday

1st the worst (not really): School Update

2nd the best: House Update

3rd the nerd: Primary Story/Experience

4th the dork?: Fun Sunday with Family

5th the __? (any suggestions): anything else I want to say...

ben is my hero. I love him so much. I guess you could say we're still in the honeymoon stage, but i like to think that we're just normal married people who like to laugh, tickle, bake, eat, talk, etc together... i especially like it when he wakes up on saturday and decides to make me breakfast in bed. It's probably the best thing someone can do for a girl. I love it. anyway, my hero turned 25 a little while ago (same day as our 5 month marker) and we were able to go to tucanos with Chris (ben's bffk -- best friend from kanab -- we all know i'm his bff) ;) haha but yeah, we had fun. Chris of course was willing to take the picture for us, and not be in it.. and then my battery died. so we just have this pic from lunch for ben's bday.

then comes school (as you can see, I like knowing what is coming next b/c of the list i just gave you. Isn't it great when the teacher gives you an overview of what's happening that day.. [i love it] that way, when he gets to #4 in the lecture you know he's almost done!) :) but yeah, so as I said in "the Beast" I am taking 18 units. Things are coming along smoothly and I am enjoying my classes. For those of you who know me (and my college-self) it is about at this point in the semester when I fall behind and start doing 10 pg research papers the night before they're due or simply turning things in late.. This is disappointing to most people who know me because they hate to see me slack/fail/be lame... but others think its ridiculous and they still hate me when i write a paper the night before it's due (I average about 2-2.5 pgs an hour when under pressure) and still get an A or B+ on it. But let me tell you. doing your work Early/ontime feels great. I knew how it felt in High School, but it's different. it's probably b/c college actually MEANS Something in the real world! but yeah, so, enough with the fluff.. Point being, despite having to make a sacrifice and skip some classes, I studied ALL day for a test (8a-11a, 12:15p-4:15p) and got a 92%!! i know that's no 100%, but still. I was so proud of myself because it was a Financial Management test (which is a hard class) and I did really well. The class average was an 83% and i got almost 10% HIGHER! anyway. it's awesome b/c there are only 4 tests for the class and that's IT! nothing else! so yeah, I'm a happy camper...

Now for the house update.. I know I already posted pictures of our Apt... but those were kinda out of desperation to get them up here... In preparation for the family dinner we had at our house on sunday I cleaned and put up lots of pictures on the wall in a new arrangement which I happen to LOVE. I feel so accomplished and I just love looking at my wall now that it's not just plain NBC with some pics on each side.. check it out. (panorama around the updated room):

Computer area w/ overflowing bookshelves.

futon areaSouth Wall (w/ Awesome IKEA Shelves)
West Wall (this is what I'm so proud of)
North Wall...

Bathroom again...

and our storage room/2nd bedroom

Now onto the primary story... So it's way better when i tell it in person, but basically we made this awesome craft with the kids which we found HERE. and they made this craft:

so pretty much the straw holding HF/JC goes up and down so that when joseph prays they appear in the sky... it was such a good lesson and they were very well behaved for the most part and we had a larger crowd than usual so when this one adorable kid says, "Hey! that's fun!" It just really makes you feel like they love you and that they are learning something. Anyway... there really is more to it then that, but its getting late and I have a homework assignment to finish... but yeah, these kids are adorable in our new class and they just love to color pictures and eat cookies and smile and sing. It's great. It's just very rewarding at times like these.. I think the first class we had was a test and this class we have now is a reward for passing the test! :) Our cutest kid is moving this week and I will miss him. The only reason he is cute is because his mom is so nice to me and apparently the kid has loved us as teachers (he is also super well behaved and lets us help him spell stuff.. it's nice to feel wanted/needed). but yeah. Primary is pretty good right now and I am grateful for primary songs that help build my testimony everyday... I think HF knew I needed to go back to basics and learn of christs love for children. I'm not having any of my own anytime soon (or at least that's the plan) but still.. He is softening me up for when the time is right... and it's working.. :)

The dinner with family thing is just a quick one... we had a great time yesterday when Gpa, Halie, Kendall, Todd and Tia came over for dinner/dessert at OUR HOUSE! I love having people over and it's kinda hard sometimes b/c we live a little out of the way (spanish fk.) but I really appreciate when people come visit and hang out at our house... I just love our little apt. Despite the orangeish brown carpets/lenolium I will hate to see it go when we move closer to orem this summer... I will also hate seeing our super cheap rental payment disappear. but yeah.. we had so much fun and ate some really delicious food and I can't wait to do it again sometime soon!

Now, for the randoms: We finally made stuffed hamburgers.. they were delish! =] see below:

Stuffed patty w/ cheese, onions, more cheese and some other stuff..

burger and fries. de-lish.

happy husband.

pretty sure this didn't really fit in my mouth. but it was good!

Anything else? not at the moment.. off to go finish an assignment for Marketing Management then I've got lots of studying to do for this week.. I recently realized that I've got TWO tests this week that I forgot about! this semester is cruising by! (just spring term and I'm done!!!) YAY.

Also, our tax return is on it's way into our account... that will relieve some stress that I've had for the last little while... Paying tithing totally pays back 10 fold. The Church Is True. What it is. adios. :)

small accomplishment

TOTAL COST OF MY TEXTBOOKS...
if bought NEW from the BYUBookstore: $379.90 + financial calculator
if bought USED from the BYUBookstore: $293.00 + financial calculator
if planned and strategized by Natalie: $189.88 (including financial calculator)

total savings: $190.02 = AMAZING.
does everyone know what that means?? I saved more than i spent! (ok, ok, it was only 24 cents difference, but who cares! I saved so much money and I even made some by selling some books from last semester/previous semesters. It makes me so happy. I love saving money on textbooks. Especially when they're a rip off to begin with.
Also, EVERYONE should check out Amazon PRIME. Its a student thing that pretty much gives you free 2 day shipping on better quality books. the price is slightly higher (but no more than you would have paid for lame-o shipping from that guy in North Dakota who spills coffee on 80% of the pages and considers it "used-Like New" ... no, that didn't happen to me, but I've heard stories. Amazon PRIME gives you FREE 2 day shipping instead of 3.99 4-14 day shipping. It's awesome. Try it out. well, off to go check on the soup.

p.s. We have church from 2:30pm -5:30pm ... this is lame. you know what makes it better?? our new primary class. We got a new class this week (since we were gone when they made the huge transition) and they are amazing! We have the CTR 5 & 6 class... and pretty much lots of them don't come. but these kids are super cute and way better behaved than the last bunch. Prayers of Gratitude are going to be coming from this house every night! :) more stories to come! (they're great ones too).

digi-scrap.

I'm going to teach myself how to digitally scrapbook. My first project is above. I already have the different font thing down, but I'm going to work on the precious paper and button stuff that I'm so jealous of other people for... I found some fun websites that let me download packets for free and they are so much fun. I'm excited to get started after I finish some essays today... (i'm attempting to do/turn them in early so I'm not so stressed at the end of the school year. Hoping I can kick 18 units' trash before it kicks mine. =]
adios.

The Beast. (aka: Longest Post Ever. aka: catch-up)

ok ok ok ok ok ok.... SO. Here it is. The last few months in a nutshell. actually, in an oak tree (that's the only tree i could think of that grows nuts).

Here goes: This is our kitchen the day we moved in. Now, almost 5 months later, it looks the same, just minus all the crap on the counter. It's orange0-ish brown cupboards with a yellow stove. (my favorite color--of course) ;)
This is ben about to eat our first meal in our first apartment. please note the camping chairs match the flooring and we look less than presentable since we'd been moving all day..
This is the Hall before... Looks the same except there are aprons hanging on the breaker box and there is a brown rug that covers the peeling carpet that is struggling where it meets with the orange/brown-ish linoleum. sweet right?This is the living room before we decorated/arranged/cleaned/actually unpacked. It's the only picture I have right now and I'm hoping that my youtube video loads so I can post it on here as the AFTER... don't worry. I love the carpet just as much as you do.Well, it worked:

You can see that the room is clean in the video (except my horizontal surfaces--my mom taught me how to keep those nice and cluttery). It has a precious christmas tree and after my tantrum the day we couldn't find one Halie and Kendall came to the rescue. (more details when we get to christmas time). The NBC wall also has more frames on it now, but I'll post a picture in another few months when i get around to it.. :)

This is the Bathroom Before. Precious right? ;) NOT. I was so happy Ben knew how to drill things into the wall and helped me hang the curtain and such, because now it looks like....
THIS! Way better right? :)
You saw the before of the bedroom when i posted about Ben, Chris and Rob building our bedframe.. Here is the new room. matching lamps and everything.. ;)

ok: now, here are some of the delicious meals we eat.. We are proud dinner planners and love trying new recipes. First: Ultimate Hamburgers... after tasting this deliciousness, we want to try stuffed hamburgers like on triple-D.Stuffed Chicken Breast.. this has spinach, ricotta cheese and some spices in it that make it delicious.Stuffed pasta... YUM. This has pork, whipping cream, spinach, and some other stuff that I am too lazy to refer to right now, but it was amazing. The food isn't in chronological order, but who cares... Next we have my 22nd birthday.. Ben made me Chocolate cupcakes FROM SCRATCH (like not a cake mix--and NOT from a box!) crazy right. I always used boxes growing up.. He'll be disappointed when his cupcakes aren't as good as the ones I'm going to make for his birthday next week. ;)
Halie and Kendall joined us for the quiet evening at home eating cupcakes. :)
Ben took me to Harry Potter 7.1 for my birthday as well. It was awesome. We didn't go to the midnight showing because I probably would have broken down in tears out of exhaustion or I would have slept through the whole thing.. either way, friday night at 8 was a solid strategy.
Also, shout out to G-Pa D. who took us to siZZler that night for my bday. he really does love us grandkids.. :)
NOW... HERE IS CHRISTMAS. Remember that depressing day I had when we couldn't find a tree and stuff... well, halie and kendall came to the rescue and found us a tree at biglots for $16.01! What a steal right?? The ornaments cost us more than the tree, but we had so much fun decorating it till 2am and I had no problem being excited for christmas after that.. except when i thought about money and how we don't have any.. but that's ok. life is good and everything worked out great. the lord is really looking out for us (and ben.. good thing the lord is keeping me sane--or trying to--for ben's sake). So yeah, here is our tree, all lit up!
(see above video for full effect).
alright.. now, for GOING to the DARK SIDE... My hair was growing out of it's highlights and Ben's brother was getting married on the 16th, so ben helped me dye my hair a "dark blonde" (or so the package said)... did I mention we did this on the 15th around umm.. 9pm? well, we did. and it was FUN. (ben even thought so--for a while).
He also enjoyed a yummy cup of hot chocolate after he finished helping me.The next day at the wedding... Finished product:Pics of Rob (ben's brother) and Jami (the [now] wife) and how much fun they have together.. :)
the wedding party.. disclaimer: i love this pic except for the fact that i look like i'm pregnant... fyi: I'm NOT. :)Ben pretending to be super excited that he gets to wear his church clothes all day and carry around my flowers.
us in like 25 degree weather outside the church. I just liked the tree and wanted a picture with it... cute right?
cutting the cake.This is the video of what happened after they finally got it cut (well, the cutting is in here too).

First Dance (rob and jami)
Alright... now onto Christmas Vacation in Sacramento, CA.
We did some family names at the temple on thursday. It was a great experience and we got to do endowments AND sealings all right after another.. Long morning, but so great.
Can't remember which night, but this is us at the old sacramento christmas thing... it was fun to see some lights and spend time with friends and family.
holly and david joined the eitels/foells for this event and we all had a great time.. (it was kinda chilly though)also, for a present for my mom, ben and i.. (ok, ok... mainly ben, I was moral support/board holder while the saw was going)... made these awesome can dispensers for my mom. He designed them and made four for her.. totally cool.
but before we could make them.. dad had a great opportunity to clean out the garage and find us some wood for the project. He was successful. and even better... he was a super duper clean garage. (sorry i don't have an after pic of that)... NOTE: this is not what our garage looks like 24/7... this is after some demolition of an organized mess that still fit 1 car in a 2 car garage. The garage can now fit 1.68 cars in the garage which is an improvement.. ;) haha.
Christmas morning was fun. Halie & Kendall made cinnamon rolls for everyone (DE-LISH) and then we opened presents.. we got awesome stuff from my parents and we are so grateful for their love and generosity in our life. Ben loves his pull-up bar and we both love our space heater. Thanks Mom and Dad!
and of course, christmas would not be complete without a wonderful family picture... this one is my favorite because of emma, dad, and ben. They are great. there is another one that is great, but after all this, i'm too lazy to put it up.. It is 12:30AM after all..

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Happy back to school, happy 2011, happy life. Life is good. If you don't think so, come spend some time with my family, they'll help change your mind.

p.s. I cant forget to mention that we spent new years with ben's family in Kanab, but as usual, we didn't take any pics.. just a super long video of us opening christmas presents from ben's parents/siblings. We love them so much too and enjoy the time we get to spend with them. Thanks to them for the Printer and the awesome other gifts. We are really loving them.

I'm thinking we might do our own christmas next year because this year was so fun-filled (and I'm tired of driving during my whole break)... but yeah. after my 18 unit semester comes to a close maybe I'll post again..
Then again, I usually post when I'm avoiding homework... so maybe you'll hear from me more than you think... :)

If you made it this far, you have conquered THE BEAST (said like they do on Sandlot). Thanks for reading. Hope it wasn't too boring.. I try to be funny, but it doesn't always work. We're going to bed now.. I have school at 8am tomorrow.. which sucks, but I don't have work, so i'll probably be looking like white trash.. whatev. ;) adios.

greatest thing in the world!!

what is the greatest thing in the world do you ask??

SHUTTERFLY!!!!

So as many of you know (or are about to find out) Ben and I ordered our guest book for our wedding from Shutterfly and we absolutely loved it. It's got all the photos that we love and it's hardbound so it will last a long time. We're also looking to order our wedding albums from them as well and we can't wait to see how they turn out! Which brings me to the purpose of this post...
HOLIDAY CARDS!!!
So we ordered our thank you cards from Costco and now that I think about it, I wish I would have remembered to order them from Shutterfly. They have so many great cards and designs for all times of the year! Especially Christmas/New Years! Here are some of my favorite designs that i made up with the pictures we took at ben's house during thanksgiving break...
They have tons more designs, but I have only played around with the two. And! By posting about these awesome cards I'm hoping to get 50 free holiday cards for my family's holiday pictures so we can send out an awesome card to our friends and family!

To find out how to be a part of this offer, click HERE!

Also, shutterfly ALWAYS is having deals and emailing you codes for free shipping or discounted prints.. it's the greatest website for ordering photos from (FOR ALL OCCASIONS). I'd recommend it to ANYONE AND EVERYONE. but hurry!!! ALL SUBMISSIONS MUST BE MADE BY THIS FRIDAY, DECEMBER 10TH, 2010!!

p.s. a calendar is my next adventure.. see them HERE.

anyway, that's it for now.. i'll post again soon!
love, natalie and ben.. and SHUTTERFLY!

brief update.

I'm pretty sure my life is great (because i have an amazing husband who smiles and loves me all day) and yet i still pout about the littlest things. i've definitely hated christmas for the last few years and this year i was trying to love it and be festive, (especially b/c ben's family is super festive) and i wanted to be a precious married couple that has a precious christmas tree and all that crap, but every time i tried, i failed.


guess i'll have to start liking christmas NEXT YEAR..

Promise i'll blog more after finals.. when we clean our house i'll take a picture of it and post it.. sorry i'm lame. :/

at least my blog is precious and festive right??

oh man! i almost forgot!

and a very happy 3 months to my wonderful ben and i!i think it's awesome that our birthdays will fall on different anniversary months. it just gives us a double excuse to celebrate our special day! (the bday that is..)

this is the love of my life after he let me give him a haircut!! looks pretty good for my first hair cut on a guy, right? (I'm still trying to figure out what to do with that little hair flip in the front.)

and this is two Sundays ago.. we were looking pretty good, so i made ben take a pic.
He's such a good husband and I am so happy we are married till foreva-eva. and eternity.. :)