Dear Rexburg

*Prepost edit- Before I posted this, I completely forgot that I wrote a post about this same thing literally right before this. So I apologize in advance, but evidently you can see how much this is affecting me! Also, excuse the iphone photos, I didn't have my camera. 

You and I have had quite the run together. I came here 4 winters ago and you got me good. I wasn’t expecting your freezing cold to take the breath out of me the second I stepped outside. I learned your ways and soon we were decent friends again. That was, until I came back from Arizona and you decided to torture me again, this time knowing this time my blood was thinner than the last time we were together. Luckily you gave me a bit of a break and I acclimated back to you.

But yesterday and today you have made me want to leave you for good and never come back to visit you. Do you realize how cold -18 degrees are for a girl wearing a skirt? 

Oh you don’t? Let me inform you. I was bundled as much as I could be for church without looking like Randy from A Christmas Story (You know who I’m talking about. The little kid that’s bundled so much he can’t put his arms down!). I obviously had to wear a skirt but I wore my boots. I’m pretty sure I was on the verge of getting frostbite on my knees. Thanks.

Then today you decide not only are you going to freeze me out, but you’re also going to knock all of the power out of Rexburg and the surrounding towns. Don’t get me wrong, I loved being able to sleep in, so I thank you for that, but when I finally got into my office, it was so cold I could barely feel my fingers. Luckily I had to go to Staples in Idaho Falls to pick up some tax forms so I was able to get away from you. But not before I was saved by my amazing husband who brought me a space heater, and a stop at a little shop from heaven called Cocoa Bean. 

I decided I wasn’t going to let you take me out so I got myself a peppermint stick hot chocolate and was warmed from the inside out.

Like I said before, we’ve had some amazing times together, but you’re really getting to me and I don’t know how much longer we can do this. Get your temperatures up, or we’re over.

Sincerely,

The girl with the frozen fingers

Rexburg

Rexburg has this little reputation for being cold. I don’t know why. Oh wait, yes I do. It is frigid here. I sit in my house wearing a sweater, sweats, slipper socks and a blanket and I’m still cold. My hands are permacold, and let’s just say if I were a dog, I would be considered healthy. Temperatures are well below freezing everyday and to top it off, we've received so much snow there’s a complete blanket covering the town. 

I hate the cold and I hate the snow, yet when I’m sitting inside my house looking out the window, there’s something serene about it. It’s a love/hate relationship.

Time

It seems like there's never enough time in a day to get everything done that I want or need to. I go to work all day while Ethan is at school and work, he comes home and does homework. On top of all of that he just got called to be the first counselor in the Elder's Quorum. I also know that anyone who's out of this stage of life is thinking, "Just wait, it only gets worse." Yes, I understand that.

*Side note-It doesn't make it feel any less significant though. I was talking to my sister the other day and we were talking about how being one of the youngest in a family, it doesn't really matter what stage you're at, someone is always going to be able to trump you. If you have a newborn, and they have toddlers, you try and express how hard having a newborn is but they trump you with a "Just wait until you have a toddler, it's harder." It's a never ending trump cycle. So try not to think that me wishing I had more time is ridiculous. It may be, but you probably felt the same way at one point.

I know we'll never be able to find the perfect balance and we may get frustrated because we feel that the other isn't giving us the time or attention that we need. I suppose the important part is just to make sure that the time that we do have together, we cherish it and look forward to the time we have time together. Even if just for a little bit.

2012 Wrap Up

Since I wan't in the blogging sphere in 2012, (I was it was just on Tumblr), I thought it might be a good idea to recap what happened:

• Ethan and I came back for winter semester at BYU-Idaho
• Ethan's parents came and visited and took us, along with Ethan's brother Jared and his wife Shannon, snowmobiling in West Yellowstone

• I played basketball for two semesters (Won the championship a second time)

(Poor picture quality. Sorry)

• Ethan and I got engaged (after what seemed like the longest wait of my life!) on March 14th

• Ethan left in April to sell security for Vivint for the semester (longest 4 months of my life!!)
• My family had a reunion up in Rexburg, with a suprise visit from Ethan 
• I finished up my final semester of college
• Graduated on July 20th

• Went through the temple for the first time July 21st

• Started training for my job July 23rd
• Got married on August 17th in the Salt Lake City temple

• Had a reception in Payette and Charlotte
• Went to the Dominican Republic for our week-long honeymoon

• Came back to Rexburg for work/school
• Ethan met my Grandma for the first time (She loves him. She is always commenting how good looking he is. Tell me something I don't know.) We also went to the Missoula Carousel which always brings back memories of my Grandma's. 

 (93 years old and funnier than ever! While we were there, my sister was asking how she met my grandpa. She said she was riding the bus back from Texas after finding out her husband had another woman. Ralph (my grandpa) happened to be on the same bus, and from the mouth of my grandma, he kissed her and her socks fell off!) I sure love her. 

• Ethan and I both turned 23
• Fall semester Ethan played lacrosse and his team had a great season 
• We went to my house for Thanksgiving and had a small dinner with just my parents and us which was followed by a houseful of the whole family minus Kara and her family
• Traveled down to Salt Lake with our friends Cameron and Hannah to see the Christmas temple lights

• Spent a week at my house before traveling out to North Carolina for Christmas with Ethan's entire family (got my new Canon Rebel!) and then drove up to Washington DC for Ethan's sister's wedding (Congratulations again Mariah and Johnny!)

 Hello beautiful (I'm in love with that thing!)

 Isn't he attractive?

 In the 15 passenger bus driving to DC!

The Christus Statue at the DC visitors center

 At the wedding luncheon

At the reception in Charlotte

• Flew back to Idaho on New Year's Eve to spend it with my parents, Derrick and Kim, and Cameron and Tiffany. 

Get her dad! 

I think that sums up our year fairly accurately. We're excited for a new year and everything that it'll bring.