Married Friends (the Heatons)

Ever since we got married I have felt like I don't have a lot of friends to hang out with.. Especially when we lived in Spanish Fork. Since we've moved to Orem, it's been a lot better. We have a lot more married friends that are close. It's really nice to be able to invite people over and not make them drive a half hour both ways. But even though we've made more and more married friends, some of our closest friends are still single and it's hard to hang out as a three-some. Especially when that one person is better friends with either Ben or me. Lucky for us, the last of Ben's really good friends finally decided to settle down. ;)

@ Our Wedding (Aug. 2010)

Anyway... Since Christopher came all the way to California for our sealing, when we heard that he and Cassie were going to become Mr. & Mrs. Heaton we were hoping that we would be able to go. We were so excited for them! Anyway... they decided to get married on December 22nd. It was pretty close to Christmas so we had to make sure our travel plans didn't conflict. It worked out very well and we were able to attend the sealing on Thursday and then drive to Kanab Friday morning for the reception on Friday night. It's been a mild winter, so we were hoping that it would stay clear until then. It was great weather for both days. VERY cold, but no snow. That was a first for all five winters I've spent in Utah. Well, Chris and Cassie chose the Draper temple to get sealed and it was a wonderful ceremony/wedding. Chris's mission president did the sealing and they were surrounded by friends and family. It was great to be a part of. Plus, we had never been to the Draper Temple and it was BEAUTIFUL. It was great to see our old bishopric and their wives. We also got to see all our married friends together to support our friends as they were sealed to each other for forever. :) These are the few pictures I have from the blessed event. You can hop on over to their blog for the good pictures. :) 

Coming out of the Temple... MARRIED!

Friends since Birth (literally) 

SO excited for these two! (@ the Kanab Reception)

- US -

the Beautiful Bride!

We love these two and are so excited to have more married friends to spend time with. I can't wait for them to move back to Provo/Orem so we can see them more often. 

Salt Lake is a little too far for my taste. 

p.s. getting pictures to go where you want them to in blogger is HARD. Getting it to look like this was an absolute miracle. :)  Up Next: New Years/Ben's Birthday

Christmas and such.

The day after I got home from New York Ben and I set out to decorate for Christmas. I really like our tree. I also didn't realize how uncommon it is for young couples in apartments to have a christmas tree. I'm really glad we spent the money on it last year.... and for the first time in my life I was sad to take the tree down. I just loved that we were able to save money and not be stressed about Christmas this year. I've been a grinch for a while because Christmas (and the spending that came with it) was always such a burden. Anyway... I just am very happy with how this year went and we had enough money for both presents and traveling. It was wonderful to not have to stress this year.

 In addition to our tree that I love, ben taught me how to make awesome snowflakes. This one is the Deathly Hallows snowflake. I'm the one who messed up the middle. It was supposed to be a lightening bolt. Oh well.

Lastly... I made Thomas (Ben's brother on a Mission in Texas) this stocking for Christmas. We filled it up with candy/brownie mix/chocolates and some other random stuff... It was a lot of fun to make. It did not turn out exactly how I wanted it to, but that's ok. He loved it anyway... :) 

Well, That's all for now.. We don't have any pictures from Christmas, so all there is to say is that we had a great four-day weekend in Kanab. We got to go to Chris and Cassie's reception out there and spend some wonderful time with ALL of Ben's immediate family. Tom was the only one missing and we were able to talk to him on Christmas day. It was great to hear his voice. We are excited for him to come home in a few months and excited to go down to Kanab for his homecoming. We also listened to Harry Potter 1 and 2 during all the driving. It was great to help the drives go by faster. Definitely going to do that in the future. :)   Next... New Years/California!

Concrete Jungle ... no joke.

As many of you know, My work sent me to New York about two months ago and it was a wonderful experience! I left early Monday morning and flew to New York with some colleagues. From JFK we were planning on taking a town car to the International House (where our students stay during the NY Program) where we were staying. While we were waiting for the town car, it was absolutely mind-blowing how insane the cars are and how busy that airport is! Seriously-- I saw more cars in the first 30 minutes of New York than I have seen in my whole life!! And to top it all off, our car driver had a turban on his head! What a welcome!

On the way to the I-House I got a run down of all the things I should do while I'm in NY. However, because I was so overwhelmed with being away from Ben for a week and NY is SO FULL of people I didn't do half the things I wanted to. That just means I'll have to go back... SOON. Anyway, I met Evon (my old coworker) in New York and she spent the evening with me. The I-House is pretty much right next to Harlem and it is just as ghetto as you imagine. It's like Oak Park (in Sacramento) but BIGGER and TONS more people! It was pretty intimidating at night. After a few days, I was pretty comfortable with it all and did not mind going places alone... Even the outskirts of Harlem. :) 

Evon and I took the Subway from 125th and Broadway downtown to Times Square. It was quite the adventure. I'm glad that Evon had some experience with public transportation. I was pretty intimidated. It was a LOT to take in.

We had tickets to Phantom of the Opera on BROADWAY so we went downtown a little early so that we could get some dinner before the show. We ate at what we expected to be a quick burger place and it ended up being a somewhat fancy place to eat. 

The outskirts of Times Square

Me with the sword that kept my sandwich from exploding.

Evon and I LOVED Phantom of the Opera, but I wont lie -- the show in Vegas had a lot more special effects. The music was wonderful, though. Here's us at phantom... Obviously not an amazing picture of the theater, it was too dark to really see anything.

 

The next day (Tuesday) Evon and I went with some faculty members to check out some new housing options for our interns. The housing was great, but way too expensive at this point.... However, while it was pouring rain in the morning we travelled around town and eventually made it into Brooklyn. It was there that I was introduced to this beautiful view. The twin towers used to stand in the group of buildings behind me. This is probably an incredible sight in the night time. 

Especially with the new memorial in place.

 After our visit to Brooklyn, we took the subway to Grand Central Station and walked around Madison Avenue. It was a great adventure... Note to self: never wear anything but tennis shoes or flip-flops in NY. It's way too intense for anything else.

We then wandered down to the Rockefeller Center area and got to see them setting up for the tree lighting party the next night. It was great. We saw the LEGO store and some other fun stuff (sorry for the random details, I guess they're not really that exciting for anyone but me.. and Evon). moving on....

This LEGO sign is made up of a bajillion little lego men.
It was pretty cool close-up.

On our way home it started raining again...
but we wanted a pic by this awesome fountain.
Not the best pic, but it was pretty cool to see
in real life.

Me and Evon by the skating rink at Rockefeller Center

the next few days Evon was back in D.C. at her internship and I was somewhat on my own. I spent most of my next two days visiting with employers and learning about their internship programs. It was a great experience talking with another Internship Director. It was cool to hear her stories and to realize that I'm doing things the same (and sometimes better) than other Internship Directors. Such a great learning experience.

Cool building on the walk
from Newsweek to the
Subway station in Chelsea

On my tour of the Newsweek Building
(so cool)

The Journalism Institute at NYU

My last day was spent visiting NY1 and NBC Universal. It was such a cool experience. I wish I had a better way to describe it. When you walk through those doors, there is a mass of women trying to get tickets to the Dr. OZ show. It was pretty funny to see, but that is definitely something I'm doing next time I'm there. Also, NY at Christmas time is just magical. 

For anyone who has seen P.S. I love you, you'll recognize these awesome Christmas ornaments that they put in the fountain/water thing. They are huge and so fun to sit by. It's also by the Radio City Music Hall where the Rockettes perform. I want to see them next time I'm in NY, too.

Well, that's all for this trip. After breaking down into tears on the first night of being away from Ben, I magically transformed into a lover of New York. I wont lie, I sometimes day dream about moving there with Ben. Of course, in my dreams

we have unlimited funds and no need for jobs, but that's ok. 

That's why it's a dream. 

I also just love how New York makes you feel when you're there. Aside from the incredibly crowded streets/subway/buildings/food establishments/every thing... It is a really cool place to be and it just makes you feel like you're a big deal. It was such an awesome experience and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity. Thank you, work! It pays to work hard.... Seriously. anyway... Although this place really is a 'concrete jungle' (no joke) it is an amazing place and I can't wait to go back. After you learn the subway system it's much less scary and way more amazing. You can get on that thing and pretty much get ANYWHERE in the city without having to go above ground. And the street performers... WOW. That's another story. Super crazy/cool. And eventhough I was too scared to go out alone at night, the view from the plane was cool enough. I know it's not much... but the camera doesn't do it justice. It was incredible. This is my next trip for Ben and me to take. He's been there for summer installs, but he didn't get to tour it and that's what I want to do. It will be wonderful... 

BUCKET LIST--FOR SURE. 

"No place epitomizes the American experience and the American spirit more than New York City."
Michael Bloomberg

Dan's Ordination and Thanksgiving

So... Dan got ordained an Elder in our church back in November and it was such a cool experience. His Dad, Grandpa Chamberlain, Grandpa Lord, Ben and Christopher were all there. We were just missing Tom and Rob. Some of Sharla's family was there too. It was so great to be there to support Dan in this decision. I can't describe how it felt to see all these wonderful men there standing in a circle. It literally brought me to tears. There's not much more to say than that... It was a wonderful feeling and experience. We're so proud of Dan and his decision to be ordained an Elder.

As for Thanksgiving... We spent it in Kanab again. It was so much fun. The Lord side of the family (Ben's mom's side) got together and we had a fun day visiting with each other. The kids did a treasure hunt and the grown ups chatted. Just how I like it. The next day Ben, Marrian and I went to St. George to do some Black Friday Shopping. It was pretty fun to get out of the house for the day, but I was feeling really sick for some reason. Long story short and gross details omitted... on the way home Marrian had to pull over and I threw up on the side of the road.. A LOT. I haven't thrown up in probably 4 years. and of course the first question I get asked is.. "Could you be pregnant?" ummmm.... No? Then again, it's kinda the obvious question when it's before noon and you puke... and you're married. kinda ridiculous, but that's ok. Turned out that TONS of pistachios and some warm veggie/spinach dip do not mix. AT ALL. So I spent the whole day in the bathroom (not puking). It was a rough day. However, the weekend overall was a lot of fun (aside from the bathroom visits and the up-chucking incident). Until next year... :)

nobody likes it when you're 23.

Not a very good blog title, but it was the first thing that came to my mind when I started to write... Well, 23 was a great birthday. It started out with Halie and Kendall calling me at 6:50AM while they were driving to school/work in Texas. They chatted with me for a bit and definitely woke me up, but it was ok, because they were doing it out of love and not to make me mad.. Don't get me wrong, it was a little mean, but I definitely felt loved.

My birthday continued by going to work and being surprised when flowers were delivered. This was great because for the first time, Ben was able to completely surprise me and I didn't suspect a thing! He usually gets too excited and if I bug him enough he tells me. Surprises are awesome. Then, I got home and Christopher and Cassie left me some cupcakes. They are the greatest. It was another great birthday surprise (especially since I told Ben I didn't want to make cake or anything because we always have too many leftovers). Personal cupcakes just topped off the night. 

Grandpa took us all out to eat and I got a FREE sandwich at Firehouse Subs. This place is delicious and I definitely recommend it. (sorry, no pics up to this point.) 

Then we got to go shopping for a little bit at Ross and went to Grandpa's for a bowl of ice cream. When we got home Ben gave me another present (aside from the flowers and shopping). It was the holiday collection of Charlie Brown movies. I was SO excited. I love Peanuts/Charles Schultz/etc. It's one of my favorites.

Can you tell how excited I am??! 

We then immediately watched "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown"and really had a nice evening together.

Here's us with the flowers, movies and awesome bowl grandpa gave me. 

Saturday consisted of DELICIOUS Tucanos with both sets of Ben's grandparents, his parents and sister (gotta love the free birthday meal)... and then relaxing afternoon designing wedding announcements with Katie for Christopher & Cassie's wedding. Ben's mom also got me a super cute scarf and a gift card to Old Navy. I'm excited to go shopping and find awesome black friday deals.. :) I also bought my first pair of boots. I am kinda excited for them. They're super cute. It was a great day.

Us after Tucanos... Jackets stayed on to hide the full stomachs. :)
Pretty colored leaves, huh?

I also got to talk to my family who is in Iowa right now on the phone (when the called and sang to me) and on google hang-out. It was so great to see them and visit for a bit. That's all for the birthday celebrations... Next Post--Dan get's ordained an Elder. 

Elder Foell and the MTC drop-off

Well, as some of you know my brother, Riley went into the MTC this last Wednesday and I had the privilege of taking him. It was such a surreal experience. Is my little brother really old enough to go on a mission? Did I really just get teary-eyed as I drove away from the MTC? Is he really ready for spiritual boot camp and a new language? Does my mom really only have three kids at home? ..... It has taken me a few days to digest it, but YES. He's ready. I did. He is. She does. I am so proud that my brother has chosen to serve a mission for our church. He will change so many lives, including his own. I had a great time during the 24 hours (literally) that I spent with him before I dropped him off. We spent most of it shopping for last-minute necessities and skyping with Halie/Kendall and Mom, but it was a great time. 

What was great about dropping him off was that as we were driving to the drop-off spot, there were TONS of elders just waving and welcoming him before he even got out of the car. They were even nicer after he got out. It gave me such a peaceful and joyful feeling to see and know that he will be taken care of while he's on the Mission. I wish my mom could have seen it. Then again, she probably would have started to cry almost immediately. It was such a cool thing. I'm glad I was able to be a part of it.

I think the reason this was such a great experience for me is because Riley and I never really got along growing up and still have a hard time talking to each other as young adults.. but he's my brother and I love him. I know he will do great and I hope when he comes home we can see a little more eye-to-eye then we have before. Love you, Elder. I hope you stay warm this winter.. It's still a shock to my system every year. and I still try and wear flip flops... Good thing you're not allowed to wear those. :) adios.

Elder Foell
Baltimore, Maryland Mission
Spanish Speaking

For Real?

Random Note: Between Ben and I, our cars were hit three times in 10 days. First was Ben, on his way home from work. Some crazy person decided to turn from her lane, through Ben's, into a gas station. Guess what happened? He T-Boned her. Luckily she was totally at fault, Ben was ok, just a little sore, and her insurance covered EVERYTHING.

Second was me, while driving grandpa's car. We were on our way to the airport with Uncle Todd and the freeway came to a complete stop. Lucky for us, the guy behind us was going way to fast and couldn't stop in time so he rear-ended us.. then someone rear-ended him. Lovely, right? So we pulled over into the construction area and found no more than a minor scratch on grandpa's car (can't say the same for the other two cars). Since the damage was so minor to our car, we exchanged information and left as soon as possible to make our flight. We were pretty sore during the flight and the next day, but everyone was ok.

Lastly was my car (that we flew to vegas to get, which is why we were going to the airport when we got hit). The best part of this one was that I wasn't even in it! It wasn't even moving! It was parked in a BYU staff lot while I was at work and the person left a note. I was definitely grateful for the note, but it was a little annoying because I had owned the car for less than 4 days and hadn't even gotten a license plate for it when it was hit...

ANYWAY... About 6 weeks later, both our cars have been fixed and we did not have to drop a dime on it. I LOVE INSURANCE. I'm also very grateful for honest people and the fact that they actually had insurance to begin with.

But Still.... For Real? Three times in 10 days? oh yes... only to us. :)