Some things as of late...

First off, thanks for the comments and words of inspiration from my last post. It was much needed and seemed well recepted. I'm encouraged and will try to find more meaningful things to say!

So I just thought I'd post some pictures of happenings lately. The first is to state something John has done with his birthday money. He bought 2 suits (which were greatly needed). I only have a picture of 1 however. His other suit is a light grey almost cream color. It's pretty awesome. He didn't like posing for me but here he is anyway.
Handsome guy!

So I have cats and they are so fun. They love to do random things like climb up our drapes and hang out on the curtain rod...

Something else we're really into is cooking. Well it comes and it goes. It mostly comes when John watches a lot of Food Network and wants to create meals he sees. Ever watch Good Eats with Alton Brown? Oh yeah!!! If it looks good to me then we both get inspired! So, we did this pretty much... minus the home made tortillas and use of tequila...


Ours:

For some reason I can't remember we decided to also do some sweet pulled pork tacos. We got that recipe from a blog who copied it from Costa Vida's recipe (or close to it). It was a yummy food night! The pulled pork looked so delicious, I had to take a picture of it,


The second time we made the pork we tried it with nachos and tostadas. Also very very yummy!!! BUT this time just yesterday I told John I wanted to try the pork in enchiladas. I think he was a little hesitant but I just knew I could do it. My mom made Mexican food A LOT and although she didn't force me to learn from her, I think I caught on to a thing or two. Once the pork was done slow cooking, I made the enchiladas. They had the sweet pork, lots of cheese, a few black beans inside and on top we did a drop of sour cream and some black olives, as well as some rice and beans on the side to give it that restaurant look (even with the melted cheese on the frijoles). John was impressed and surprised and complimented me by saying it was his favorite thing I've ever made and also the best thing I've ever made. I was a little surprised too! I took a few bites before realizing I should take a picture but here is that picture,


That's it for now, more to come another time probably soon!

Life

Hello People Who Read My Blog,
It has been a while. Now that all the busy stuff is over I've been doing a whole lot of nothing. It's been great! But uneventful... so I don't have much to say. I've never been one to say much on the blog anyway. I don't typically like to use it as a journal. I don't think anyone is that interested in me and frankly I don't know if I want them to be. However, I've been thinking of giving it a try. I might regret this but oh well I only have 8 followers and only like 1 of them ever comments so... I know not many people will really read this.

Life has been pretty good. For the most part. Some things have been hard. My biggest challenge is not letting myself compare myself to other people. Maybe it's just living in Utah where everyone seems really put together. I find myself envying a lot of people. I hate that I do that and I know my husband hates it too. I am a happy person and I love and appreciate a lot of what I have. I know I am fortunate. Life just seems unfair sometimes. I feel pretty happy with how things are right now but I can't help but feel that I won't be totally happy until this or that happens.

Maybe I am selfish, I don't know. But I just feel stuck. I've been at my job not advancing for over the last 3 years.... I have no other skills or hobbies because they are expensive... I can't finish school because all the money I make goes to my husband's education right now.... We can't start a family until the husband works full time and I don't have to.... I hardly ever get to see my family.... I can't lose the extra weight I've put on since getting married.... I can't have my own washer and dryer inside my house unless we move but we can't move because we have a mortgage that's losing money.... I don't have a local best friend.... I can't find a way to get my cats from not being afraid of me.... and I have a ton of grey hair and I'm only 27. Ok so not all these things are bad. At least I have a job, at least my husband is doing what he loves, at least I have food to eat, at least I have a good family that I want to see, at least I can do more than one load of laundry at a time, at least I have a few good friends and at least I can color my hair easily and for cheap! I get it. So why am I still so down? Because I compare myself to the younger, thinner, more successful people around me with beautiful homes and families. I feel like they judge me. A friend once told me that I have to understand that those people have challenges too. Easier said then done right? Do these feelings ever go away?

I know the answers. I just don't want them I guess. But like I said, I am positive and I am happy. I try not to think too much about what I want because then I get discouraged. I don't know if this post was worth it but maybe someone will tell me they've been there and life does get better!

John's 30th birthday (part 2)

ACOUSTIC NIGHT!!! This is what you're missing out on when you don't come...

Untitled from Jade Lewis on Vimeo.

Untitled from Jade Lewis on Vimeo.

John's 30th Birthday!!!!!! (part 1)

ON TUESDAY AUGUST 16TH, 2011, MY JOHN TURNED THE BIG 3-0!!! He said he didn't want to do anything big for his birthday and it wasn't a big deal. YEAH RIGHT!! I was determined to do something insane! I had lots of ideas and of coarse whenever I asked him what he thought he shot me down. As discouraging as that seemed to be, I refused to not do something! Well one day at work I had a client tell me about a place he likes to take his son, an indoor trampoline place called, Jump On It. That's when I knew... I had seen the place and always wanted to check it out and if you remember my 25th birthday party where John threw me a surprise party at Nicklecade, -a kid's place, I thought it would suit well to have John's 30th birthday at a kid place! So, I reserved a room, made John's special "killer brownies" (his favorite dessert as a kid, that he often made himself, from scratch!), called and messaged his friends- specifically the ones he plays basketball with, and blindfolded him the whole way there! He was very surprised and I could tell he had a blast. He said over and over that night that he couldn't say enough times what a great job I did celebrating his birthday!
lookin' pretty killer

But let's back up a bit and start with the beginning. Actually, I'll let this video explain it...

Untitled from Jade Lewis on Vimeo.

That's right ya'll! I opened a secret bank account over 2 years ago where I stashed extra tip money away and saved it all for John's 30th birthday. He never ever buys anything for himself so he's having a hard time deciding what to do with it but that's ok. I'm glad he's not out blowing it on the first shiny thing he sees! I picked a good one!
go ahead and count it!

After his present, we went out to the Bombay House, an Indian food place...NOT my favorite but that day was about John so that's where we ate and I ended up really liking my food! It probably helped that I was starving!!


We came back home and then you know the rest, he put on the blindfold and we headed to Jump On It! Here's our good times there,



Happy Birthday Babe, I love you!!!

This Summer

As you all know, this summer was wicked busy for me! It's just about all over and I couldn't be happier!! First off, school. School was a lot of work and I tried to squeeze in as much studying and preparation as I could even though it never felt like enough. I took two classes and miraculously and thankfully I finished with an A- and a B+!! I couldn't be happier about it!!

The family reunion was a blast! We ate a lot of good food and played games and went swimming. The only bad part about it was that John's father suddenly had pancreas problems and has been in the hospital for about the last 6 weeks. It was touch and go for a while there but thankfully he is on the mend and recovering quicker than expected. He should be going home soon.

Girls Camp. What can I say? It was fun, a lot better than I anticipated... although I didn't get much sleep and I got sick on the 3rd day. I guess I expected that! What I didn't expect was how much I would enjoy being around those girls. They were so fun and I could tell they liked me a lot. Most things went successfully, we only ran out of a few foods and had some other random leftovers but I think it all worked out. No one went hungry and no one really complained. One girl even said one of the meals was way better than she thought it would be! If nothing else, I got a lot of ideas for next year! I think my favorite part was on the last night right before testimony meeting the girls presented to me a camping chair which they all signed to me personally. It was awesome! A few of them stated that I was the best camp director ever! I guess I'm pretty grateful for the experience. My work even offered to pay for me to take the time off. That was sweet! Sometimes I secretly wish I will get called into young woman's... but then again I'm glad I don't have a new calling. I want to enjoy that freedom as long as possible! Oh and one or two more things to add on... When I got home from camp, I came home to flowers and candy! John was working that night sadly so we still didn't get to see each other for a few more hours. It was hard not being able to have ANY contact with him for about 5 days. That part I really didn't like.. Oh and the last thing, I went to bed that night at about 8 p.m. I didn't wake up til 8 a.m. That's how tired I was!

My birthday was pretty fun! I'm actually really excited to be 27! That day, the 29th of July, John and I went and bought me a new camera! It's pretty good. Not as great as I wanted but freak cameras are expensive! I can't justify spending like $800 on a camera even though I want to. Maybe someday when John's making lots of money as a nurse. Oh that reminds me, John got into Nursing school! He starts in a couple weeks! It will take about 20 months and then he's done!! We are so excited!! It's so nice to be able to see an end in sight!!! Anyway, so back to birthday. We went out to eat at The Cheesecake Factory. Our first time there and it was fabulous! I can't wait to go back!! After dinner we went to see Captain America, great show! I love super-hero movies!!! So, kind of a low-key birthday but it was exactly what I wanted so I loved it! Oh and we spent some of the day at the hospital visiting John's dad.

yay! new camera!

taken on my birthday!

Work is extra busy right now but all the bases are covered. So far so good! I'm making lots of tips so that's pretty awesome! I'm really liking work right now and I really like my crew. Even better is one of my girls who quit earlier this year has moved back to town and wants to come back to Fantastic Sams cause well let's face it, she loves me! I'm sure that's not the only reason, we are all so thrilled to have her back!

What am I leaving out...??

One Busy Summer

One reason why I am not posting much lately, besides not having a decent camera, is that I am sooo busy this summer... and not in a fun way. First off, I work full time and manage my store which in itself is A LOT! Second, I decided I wanted to go to school again since last summer worked out so great. I had a first block philosophy class and I have a online geology class. Thankfully the philosophy class is already over, as of a few days ago. I think I did well. The online class is another story. My first test is tomorrow... I am not great at Science, wish me luck! Next, this weekend John's family is having a reunion which should be fun and jam packed! One other thing I've been filling my time with is planning my ward's girls camp. I am the camp director and have about no clue what I'm supposed to do... The week after I get back I have my second test in the online class, then the following Friday is my birthday. I haven't given it much thought because its like the least important thing... John and I might go sky diving or something crazy. I'll let you guys know... Then in August my class will be ending so I will have my final to study for, August is also the busiest time of year for me at work, and it will be John's big birthday and I have so much to plan for that! It's going to be awesome and everyone in the world is invited! More to come later... It goes without saying that this is the least amount of fun I've had during any summer. I have never wanted summer to come to an end so quickly! If my descriptions weren't enough, here's the break down...

January (more like May)-July Plan Girls Camp
May 9-June 22th Philosophy class
May 9th-Aug 12th Online Geology class
July 1-4 Lewis Family Reunion
July 18-23 Attend Girls Camp
July 29th My birthday
August Work more than usual for 'Back To School'
August 16th John's Birthday

I look forward to September!

Update!

Hi everyone!
It's been a while...sorry. Still no new camera. Maybe for my birthday...in July.

ANYWAY, I just wanted to post that my amazing husband, John got a job recently! He quit Papa John's back in December and spent this last semester focusing on school. Which was hard for me being the only provider. I was feeling a little pressure and also feeling like I deserved to quit my job! Things are better now. I'm happy to stay where I am for at least 1 more year (maybe 1 1/2). John has been a certified nurse's assistant (CNA) for a while now but only just started doing something with it! He got a job at this place called Trinity Mission Health and Rehab Of Provo. He takes care of the elderly and handicapped people and he loves it! Really! He's surprised at how much he enjoys it and I'm surprised too! I could not bathe and monitor or whatever else he does to people, no thanks. Handling their hair is as far as I can go... But he comes home with great stories everyday. It's very humbling in a way. A lot of these people can't do much for themselves but they have great senses of humor and the ladies even flirt with John a little bit. So cute! I'm very happy for my husband and so glad that he chose to do something so meaningful. He gets a feeling of worth everyday. He's making a difference! What a great guy!

John is in school this summer and will apply for Nursing school in the fall. Wish him luck!

As for me, I too am going to school this summer. I am slowly working on getting an Associate Degree. I still work full time at Fantastic Sams. Just hit my 5 year mark back in March, crazy! I don't think I mentioned yet that I will be going to Girls Camp this summer. Yep, also crazy... I'm in charge. It's going to be a very busy summer for me!

Just felt like updating. I promise when that new camera gets here I'll start posting a lot more! On the topic, what's a good camera to get??? I will post a pic from just last night... I got bangs! I might cut more...getting used to it. This is a cell phone pic, don't judge!