"A Bouquet of Newly Sharpened Pencils"

"Don't you love New York in the fall? It makes me wanna buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address."  This has to be one of my favorite movie quotes  (You've Got Mail) and with all the excitement of a new semester starting, I think back to sharpened pencil bouquets.

       

  Even though I start a new semester every four months, I still feel that excitement every time another one rolls around. Of course it wares off after about three days and then I start to dread the alarm sounding off at 5am everyday.  But I still have to give the "back to school" magic the attention it deserves since it has been apart of my life for so long. 

   The back to school rush makes me want to buy mechanical pencils, sharpies, fancy page dividers, and printer paper. I secretly feel a twinge of pleasure while reading a new syllabus.  I feel like giving my teacher an apple, buying myself a new pair of shoes, and wearing my hair up a little more often.  I guess I just prefer all the changes that go on every so often- it's like a breath of fresh air.  I also love meeting my new classmates and teachers each semester.       
       
 I went to one class recently where the students went around the room introducing themselves.  One girl did a river dance for the entire class (in snow boots nonetheless). Another girl didn't have a social security number till she was eight because her mom forgot about it. Another guy used to be morbidly obese (he pulled out a picture from his wallet and showed us all), and another girl had been to 20 countries in three months....  That was just in one class. You just can't beat that.  
      
  It's my second to last semester here at BYUI and I'm trying to soak up everything I can while it lasts. I really enjoy my professors- I had no idea you could travel to so many places, hold so many degrees, have so many kids, and still only be 50 or 60 years old! The psych faculty is full of brilliant scholars, who are all so anxious to share their love of learning with you. I'm starting to catch on now and it's a good feeling to love learning. 

       

 Lastly and most importantly, Scott's birthday is tomorrow. I asked him a million times what he wants to do and three days before his birthday he finally told me he just wants to have the two of us do an Adam Sandler movie marathon and a birthday dinner- he chose brats on the grill, rootbeer in glass bottles, and potato chips with dip.  -- That's my kind of man! So tomorrow after a long day of classes, we'll curl up and laugh to the brilliant lines from "The Water Boy", "Billy Madison", and "Happy Gilmore".  If it sounds boring to you, just think of it as a six-hour cuddle-fest!  

       

I'm so happy to have Scott in my life. He brings me up everyday and makes me realize how blessed we are to be together forever.  I love his quirky sense of humor, his love for adventures, his supportive and understanding attitude, and his gentle, sensitive heart that has so much capacity to love. He is my best friend and I wouldn't have my life any other way than with him.  Happy Birthday and Back-to-School Week Scott! 

Merry Christmas!

     Merry Christmas everyone! Scott and I have enjoyed the season so much this far! We are leaving the day after tomorrow to go to Utah and be with the Peacocks!  I can't wait to see beautiful baby Mona and the rest of my family, I miss them so much around the holidays.

     Scott and I have had such a great time getting ready for Christmas! We bought a 4 ft, pre-lit, fake "Indiana Spruce" at the Walmart, and hung candy canes on it. We built graham cracker gingerbread houses with his cousin's family in Shelley.  We've had lots of friends come over and bring us treats, and have made lots of treats for friends!  We put up Christmas lights in the window and have the radio station preset to Christmas music 24/7 now. We have had so much fun this season and have started some new traditions for our little family. We have decided that one of our traditions will be serving others.

    Even though this is the "hap, hap, happiest season of all", there are a surprising number of people who are lonely, overworked, stressed out, and depressed.  We want Christmas to be about lightening the load of another as Christ would have done, and loving those who especially need a little extra kindness in their lives. I can't say enough how much happier I have felt since we have started looking for ways to serve others. I have to say one of my favorite service projects was cutting down a tree and leaving it on our neighbors' doorstep because they weren't going to get a tree this year.  Another fun one, was letting my friend who has three kids go out with her husband to go Christmas shopping all day long while I babysit (they were so cute).

Scott and I have been blessed with such great friends that take such good care of us all the time- it was so nice to be able to give back.  I know that serving others is something we really want to teach our kids, and show how much joy it can bring to both you and the people you serve.  And you don't have to spend any money to do it either! Sharing your talents, time, or even just a smile or kind word is enough to truly make another happy.

   A movie recommendation for Christmas time:

My mom and dad mailed us a great surprise for Christmas this year: The Nativity Story! It is one of my favorite Christmas movies- a newer one that came out in 2009.  It really brings out the reality of Christ's birth, and reminds me what a blessed miracle He is for all mankind.   Christmas should remind us all of this beautiful story of Christ's birth, and of Heavenly Father's love for us.  Scott and I are so blessed to have the gospel in our lives and I bear my testimony that Christ lives and loves us and that we can take part in the atonement and one day become like Him through His mercy and grace. Merry Christmas, and as President Monson always quotes after his Christmas Message: "God bless everyone!"

"A baby is God's opinion that the world should go on." -Carl Sandburg

   Jack Frost came for a visit to little Rexburg around the third week of November -and he is here to stay! We have had temperatures down to 4 degrees so far, and winter storm warnings just about every week!  We broke down after about the first week of snow and turned on the heaters- I can't imagine living without them!  The weather brings us a lot more quiet time inside now though- we just love snuggling up on the couch in our warm apartment, watching a movie while the snow is falling! 

  Well, BIG news this month:  My beautiful twin sister's baby was born October 29, 2010!  My first neice on my own side of our family, and wow was the Peacock family excited! I saw Mona Lynn Cope (yes her middle name is after muah!) for the first time during Thanksgiving break, and I don't think I've ever seen a more loved baby! At one point, there were four people kissing her at the same time! Above is a picture of the little bugger:  I love her so much, and I am so excited to see her grow!

  

  Luckily being married to Scott has already made me an auntie! I have three absolutely beautiful nephews and neices on his side of the family already and they are the coolest kids you will ever meet!

This little guy on the slide is Braden. He is quite possibly the most hilarious person I've ever met in my life, and he's only four. He says all his words with a "T" in front of it. I think my favorite is "Uncle Totty", instead of "Uncle Scotty"  :)

This little precious baby I haven't even met yet! His name is Mason and he was born a couple weeks before Mona, all I know about him is he looks a LOT like Braden and I pretty much want to give him lots of hugs and kisses...

This is Ava, and she is the cutest!!! She loves pigs, loves to eat, and loves everything girly.  Her parents are really going to have to watch out for her, she is absolutely gorgeous and her smile will break every little boy's heart!    One time she climbed up on my lap and told me I could share her princess pony with her with the sweetest little voice I've ever heard in my life- I am now permanently wrapped around her little finger!                                                                                                                                                                

I'm thankful for all of my nephews and neices, and our family and friends, and especially for the small acts of kindness they do that truly touch our lives.                              

Pancakes for Dinner and Other Nutritional Matters...

      It's been quite a while since my last posting, September flew by!  Scott got a job at a local dealership in town called "Madison Motor City" and has been working hard there detailing cars full-time this semester.  I am back at school and am trying to figure out the curriculum my professors are throwing at me.   We are happier and more in love than ever though- and much more sleepless since we broke down and upgraded to a king size bed recently:) We seem to have more fun together as time goes on in our marriage, and found some new hobbies to do around Rexburg like: hike "R" mountain, go for walks around the temple, play card games on our living room floor, and playing softball for our intramural team at BYUI. 


         But the best part about life right now, has to be that it is FALL!!!  I went for a run today and it is official. The leaves have changed. There are pumpkins in the store windows. And the "back-to-school savings" are all over the department stores.   If we were at my mom's house we would be guaranteed to smell the cinnamon she's set to simmer on the stove, and if we were at Scott's mom's house right now- she would just be starting to light the wood stove again.  This has to be my favorite time of year! And so as I was thinking all of these wonderful, seasonal sentiments as I ran around good old Rexburg, I wondered what would be a theme for Fall in our household.
 
       I love tradition and want to incorporate it in our family, so my mind has been reeling on this idea since my last 1/2 mile towards home.  I thought it over, and one of the most beloved fruits (literally) of fall has to be the apples! This time of the year they are the tastiest, not too mention the cheapest kind of produce around!  They are gorgeous in any color and apparently a good source of both soluble and insoluble fiber. So, my goal to keep this season's delectable harvest a part of our home will be to make something with apples once a week- for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, and even just snacks!

           Starting off tonight, I've gathered up a recipe for "German Apple Pancakes"  for dinner!  Scott's never had German pancakes before so I thought it would be a good night to convince him with this ingenious idea I had!  I found the recipe off my favorite website: www.allrecipes.com, and decided to serve it with maple sausages and asian pears.  The verdict- the entire 9X13 was empty.  The apples were soft and coated in cinnamon, and totally complimented the light and fluffy "pancake" it covered.  The pan licked clean, I took that as a job well done!  Can't wait to see what we come up with next...

Corn-Fed.

Scott and I were able to go to Indiana this last week of July, and part of August.  We were able to spend a lot of time with both of our families.  They are our best friends and we had the time of our lives out there with them- just fishing, swimming, bbq-ing, and a lot of front porch sitting.  There was no homework, no office, just time to think and time to love.

Everything in Indiana is so different from what I grew up around.  It's amazing how we can all be from the same country, and yet you almost feel like you're a foreigner when you go from one side of the states to the other...

And these "HOOSIERS"... well, they're quite a unique breed.  For instance my hubby is 6' 4", and one big corn-fed white boy, and let me tell you- so is every other man in Indiana.  I went to pick Adrienne up from high school one time when I lived out there, and these boys looked like they could eat me- and the car I was in.  Out there, they eat mashed potatoes and noodles mixed together, fried green tomatoes, and weird desserts that sound more like brands of ammunition: "buck eyes" or "gooey hell".   They say "warsh" and "garsh" instead of "wash" and "gosh", and call vacuums "sweepers".  They use phrases like: "a stone-throw away" to describe distances.  And every night if you live in town, you are lulled to sleep by the sound of diesel-powered trucks constantly passing your corner.  My more rebellious friends from my inner-city high school smoked pot and painted abstract drawings on sides of buildings for fun.  In Indiana, they smash mailboxes or hijack four-wheelers for fun.   And I have been educated on so many things I never knew existed: "International Harvesters", "the FFA", "4-H", etc.

Despite all those foreign concepts, and sometimes humorous tendencies, The Indiana Hoosiers are also some of the most friendliest people I've ever met.  You could get your car stuck in a ditch, and not even a minute later, a stranger would be helping you pull it out (which is what happened to me).  Neighbors often share vegetables from their garden with you, and I've never had so many friendly waves and smiles when I drive.  Your local Walmart is also the town's designated social gathering spot, which makes visiting and socializing with people significantly more efficient.  And the general attitudes of people around there are completely genuine,humble, and laid back.

I love my Hoosier man, and I admit... I love Indiana:)    

Summer Explorers!

          Scott and I have had one heck of a summer so far. Oreo gave birth to one tomato, and now has 7 more coming.  I got a full-time job at a property management company and now have to pretend to know what I'm doing.  And Scott's been fixing cars like crazy and doing wheelies in the golf cart he drives for work (BYU-I mail services).  We've been able to squeeze a ton of fun into our packed days still.
    We love driving up to Idaho Falls and hanging out with the Harris family- Berret and Tanya are so much fun and Hallie just stole the key to our hearts!  We got to go with them on a Sunday drive around Yellowstone National Park a couple of weeks ago,     and I have to say the most entertaining part of the trip was all the jokes in the car.
     The next weekend we went with a bunch of Scott's old roommates up to the ice caves- I got around a lot easier on the slippery, small tunnels than Scott did- but Scott was more graceful than he's ever been:)
      And this last weekend was a real blast. We went back to Yellowstone with half the Peacock family! Becky, Landon, Joey, and Adge were all there with us. It was so great to see my siblings have so much fun with my husband. He fits right into our family!!   Scott almost got charged by a buffalo, I forgot my pillow and ended up sharing a sleeping bag with Scott- worst idea EVER, and Becky balanced her preggo self over a creek on a log with Lando.
            Needless to say, we plan on recuperating this weekend and spending the whole weekend by ourselves around Rexburg. But we love the warm weather and being able to spend so many great times with our friends and family!
      

Brothers.

When Mother's Day rolled around my little brother asked the question: "Why isn't there a Brother's Day?!" I thought that was pretty funny and gave me some inspiration to spend a little extra time today acknowledging the brothers in my life.

Well my little brother Joey is graduating from high school soon and starting school at BYU! I'm so excited he will be closer to me and Scott, and have been thinking about him a lot- wishing I could come to Portland to hear his speech at graduation, see him get his eagle, be ordained an elder, etc... But I'm glad we can be close anyways even if we are far away from each other.

Lando was a nice edition to our family when he somehow managed to catch my awesome twin sister, and it's been so much fun to finally have a big brother!

I thought about what makes my brothers so... UNIQUE. And thought pictures and even a video might do more justice than any words could. So to Joey and Lando- I love you guys!

Lando and Jack from Erica Winkler on Vimeo.