My Oragami Valentine

We're not usually a very romantic couple. Our typical night together (on the rare occasions that we actually have a night together) normally consists of maybe watching a movie and then going to bed early because of Scott's early morning work schedule. Lately, because of my work schedule and Scott being in a play and having to rehearse each night, we don't get to see each other very often, or at all. So with all of the craziness and business of our lives, imagine my complete surprise when I woke up Sunday morning (yes, Valentine's Day!) to find on my kitchen table 2 of my most favorite things: Lilies and cinnamon bears! For the past 3 Valentine's days I have asked Scott not to buy me flowers because prices are always way too high in February and it's just not worth it. Being the creative genius that he is, this year he made me flowers instead! With a few pieces of construction paper and some online oragami instructions, I got the prettiest flowers I've ever received! I love my Valentine!

Flambe!!

So I thought I would try someting a little different for dinner the other night. I had to make good on a bet I had lost to Carynns dad and I owed him dinner. Since I can't afford a nice meal for 4 we had the in-laws over and I made a nice dinner instead. I made Steak Diane with sauteed potatoes and peas with a side of Angel Hair Pasta with shrimp and tomatoes. It was my first attempt to flambe anything and it turned out great. For desert I made a cake in my skillet and topped it with a chocolate carmel mix topped with chopped pecans with a side of homemade vanilla ice-cream. I had a lot of fun making it and the results came in, dinner turned out delicious!!

Friends with the Mafia

Scott has connections to the Mafia! Well, not really. This DVD, "Mario's Conviction," is a documentary about a man from Detroit, Michigan who was very much involved with underground crime in the city; that is until his wife made the mistake of allowing two young men in suits to enter their home. This is a powerful story of conversion and sacfrifice and one man's transformation from Mafia to Mormon. Although Mario was baptized even before Scott was born, Elder Butler dined many times in the home of Mario Facione and got to know him and his family very well. Scott and I had a geat time watching this movie, especially when they would interview people from the stakes and wards in the area that Scott remembered from his mission. I recommend this DVD (or the book) to all of you!

A Year in Reflection

2009 seemed to slip by without us noticing. It wasn't as adventurous or exciting as 2008, but it still had its good moments and its challenges too.

The toughest challenges of 2009 were the loss of Carynn's dear Aunt Colleen in April, right around Easter, and Scott's sweet cousin Michelle just before Christmas.

Both of these losses, although sad, gave us time to reflect on the meanings of the holidays and remember the family members that are preparing a home for us on the other side. Our testimonies have been strengthened as well as our ties to both our earthly and heavenly families.

But we can't look at our challenges without looking at the many blessings that we also have. The blessings of 2009 include:

- Having the chance to live with Scott's mom for the majority of the year. This gave Jayna and myself a lot of time to get to know each other a little better. We are grateful for Jayna's hospitality towards us and her willingness to put up with us for 10 months!

-Sending out a Missionary! My little brother Riley left for his mission in May to serve in the CLAM! (California, Los Angeles Mission). We love getting letters from him each week and it was so good to speak with him on Christmas. Having a member of the family out serving a full time mission has been a blessing and strength to us. We love you, Elder Groves!

- Moving out of Jayna's home and back into the world of being independent adults. We love where we live and love the friends and ward members that have been so warm in making us feel welcome.

-Scott's new job!! This has been one of the greatest blessings we could ask for at this time. He is doing what makes him happy and it has paid off! Not only does it help our financial situation, but Scott showed so much talent and skill in his first weeks of work that it didn't take long for him to be promoted to a supervising position! I guess all that time and money at a University really does pay off.

- My schooling. It was a tough year for me, but I got through it. One of the highlights of my educational journey so far has been the wonderful chance I had this past year to intern at the Ouelessebougou Alliance. Not only was I able to see the inside workings of a Non-profit organization, I had the chance to exercise my french language skills on many levels, educate the local community on our sister community of Ouelessebougou in Mali, and make some friendships that I know will last for the rest of my life. It has been a life-changing experience I will not likely forget.

Plans for 2010:

We hope to have another year of seeing change and improvement in ourselves. We hope to strengthen our bonds with each other, our families, and our friends. We also hope to do a bit more traveling! And..... graduation! If all goes as planned, I will be graduating in December, finally.

A brief look at 2009

Just us with a couple of friends gettin our GROOVE on... MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

50 words or less

So it's been while since we've blogged about our happenings, but we just installed the internet this morning after going nearly a month without it! I don't want to bore our numerous readers with monotonous details they don't really care about, so my goal is to take you through our last 5O DAYS in 50 WORDS OR LESS!! (Word count starting.....now)

San Diego!: Sea World, Beaches, Temple, Shopping, Very long car ride.

New Apartment:Moving sucks, But we are finally in our own place!

New Job:
Exciting. Fabulous. Park City is cold.

Party:
Cute kids, messy doughnuts, feeling dizzy.

Halloween:Blue!

We have never been busier but never been happier!

Two Years and a wonderful Wife!

Kind of weird to think about but we have successfully made it to our two year anniversary!! A lot of things have happened in those two short years but that is not what I am going to write about. Instead, I would like to share with all of you how lucky I feel I am to be married to the awesome, wonderful, beautiful woman that Carynn is.

I don't believe I ever understood true happiness until I met Carynn. From our first date to the present day, she has always had some kind of quirky way to make me smile or roll my eyes (in a loving way of course) and brighten my day. I love the adventurous spirit she has in her, and willingness to try new exciting things, even if she is terrified :). I am constantly amazed how she can be overloaded with school work, stressed with her job, and struggling with new languages yet still have the most positive attitude about teaching kids in nursery and finding time to prepare. Her spirituality has always been something that has astounded me. She never has a negative thing to say about people and always looks for the positive. She is dedicated to life, family, God, and always seems to put herself last. She is always there to support me in any and all endeavors I choose to pursue, and keeps me on track when I get a little side tracked. Thank you Carynn for being the best wife and example that I could ever hope for. Not referring to anything in the near future, I know you will be an awesome mother for our future children!

I feel very blessed to have been introduced to you Carynn, and have been able to spend these last two years of marriage with you. I look forward to many more years of excitement with you. I love you more than I can describe and hope that I will always be able to demonstrate that to you!

Things that I have learned in the last two years of Marriage:

Carynn likes to laugh- this doesn't mean that I can tickle her to induce such laughter.

Carynn is not fooled when I pass bodily noises off on the dog.

Mustard will only be in our fridge if I remind Carynn that we need it.

Oreos are a sacred item and should only be eaten with permission from Carynn.

If Carynn is reading, don't ask her what she is doing... she's reading!!

Tomato soup can actually be good.

Scary movies are something I must enjoy alone.

There is never a wrong time for flowers.

My jokes aren't necessarily as funny as I think they are, but Carynn gives me a nice chuckle or eye roll anyway.

Our body temperatures seem to always be polar opposites.

Happy Two Year Anniversary!! I love YOU!! :)