2017 Highlights

I lost all of my photos at the end of last year. I am continually sad about it. A lot of friends I follow on Instagram reviewed their years on New Years. I stole some photos from Thomas and Facebook. I'm a little late in the game but here is my photo review of 2017...

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

 December

Hello 2018

Hello 2018
Hello age 23
Hello new apartment
Hello next level of adulthood

Hello blog reader,
It's been a heck of a Year already. Today is MLK day and I spent the day off school doing homework. The semester is in full swing. I like almost all of my class and will probably spend much of the semester with my nose in a book. Being busy and back in school has felt good. I like to learn even if I can be grumpy about it. I would still take my classes over T's. It is pretty exciting to think this is his last semester before graduation.

Being back at school means we are in Provo again and this time we get to live together!!! I rather enjoy being married to Thomas. We live at Wymount right across from the MTC.
The crazy thing about Wymount is that Mom and Dad lived here AND Grandpa and Grandma Marchant lived here the first year they were built. I almost lost it when I heard that.
I love being next door to the temple and close enough to walk to school. Our apartment is bigger than we need. We have 3 bedrooms. The first night we were here I had a small emotional breakdown. I told Thomas it was too big and that we would never see each other or that he would get tired of me and hide in the other room....... I know I was a little dramatic. So far he hasn't. We've pretty much finished unpacking and it feels more like home everyday.
We are anxiously awaiting our living room set to be delivered this week. It will be awesome to have couches. We have been watching the Office in camp chairs. I don't remember who gave them to us but what an awesome wedding present they've turned out to be.
It's still crazy to believe we bought a living room set. It's the most money (other than school) I've ever spent. It is a new level of adulthood to pick a coffee table and think "what do I want to have for the next 10 or so years." I think we picked some good stuff and I can't wait to have it all arrive.

I'm a little late on documenting my birthday. We spent our first few days in Provo watching the Corey kids. One of those days was my 23rd Birthday. Thomas took every chance to make it special. He let me sleep in and saw the older kids off to school. We went to breakfast while they were all at school. Then later he let me sneak away to take a nap while he played games with the younger kids. We had a pizza party and opened presents later that night. I even bought the fancy Dairy Queen blizzard ice cream cake- it was absolutely delicious!
23 sounds older than I feel. I spent the last year forgetting I was 22 and telling people I was 21 so maybe that is why I'm so confused.

I expect great things from this year. So much of where we are going to be after May is unknown. Do we head off to PT school, stick around Provo or move back to St. George to lock down my degree.... It's all a bit overwhelming. However, here is what I do know...
I'll spend 365 days this year married to the most incredibly kind person.
I'll have to make some big decisions but I don't have to do it all on my own.
I'll miss that cute missionary brother of mine but anxiously await every email.
I'll still have two wonderful families to celebrate life with. We are expecting a new niece or nephew this summer- we can't wait!

Yippy for 2018 xoxo

New Years Eve

 Early Bday dinner at Cafe Sabor in STG- soooo good! Thanks for sharing Logan, UT!

We ate this for days. yum yum yum

Some of my favorite humans. A Happy Birthday indeed.

Christmas Wishes from the Rich's

I did not make a Christmas card this year. Am I adult enough to do that now? Well maybe next year. Until then I'm sending my Christmas wishes through the internet.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

We love our friends and family and are so grateful for the support we received this year.

It was a really big year for us, WE GOT MARRIED! This is our first Christmas for our new little family of 2. It's been fun to compare Christmas traditions and talk about how we will blend them together. We were almost engaged last Christmas but because both our parents live in St. George we spent Christmas morning apart. I'm excited to experience the magic together.

LIGHT THE WORLD

We were so excited to take part in the church's #lighttheworld initiative.

We didn't have long on temple square so we jumped into the shortest line.

We each took a turn to purchase clean drinking water. 

If you don't know what I'm talking about follow the link above. This year The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is inviting everyone to light the world by doing good. One thing you can do is visit temple Square in Salt Lake City. My parents used one of the fancy vending machines to purchase a goat that will be sent internationally. You can also donate locally or like us donate clean drinking water. It's a fun way to be charitable this Christmas season.

I Climb Mountains.

RIM TO RIM

5 AM was cold and the sun was hours from making an appearance. I was nervous and excited as I pulled on a second pair of socks then squinted in the bright flash of the before picture.

It felt like it took forever to get light. Hiking in the dark was fun for the first minute or two but then it made me nervous not seeing more than a couple feet in front of me. Slowly, as the sun woke, the magic of the Canyon came to life.

It. was. breathtaking.

I have visited the Grand Canyon many times now but being inside it felt different. I did great the first 9 miles and highly enjoyed chatting with my in-laws. Well before the half-way point that I began to feel tired. A cliff bar at our first rest stop and a bag of cheez-its through the long gorge worked wonders in giving me more energy. I was continually amazed at the human body. I didn't train (big mistake), I didn't prepare well sleep or hydration wise (also a mistake) but I asked my legs to work and they did. Our bodies are far more capable of extremes than I often recognize.

I was grateful for the chance to hike with Matthew and Clarissa. We talked books and movies, Harry Potter baby names and for at least 2 miles of pizza. There is a lot to discuss when comparing pizza places. Hungry Howies will forever have my heart.

We took a short detour somewhere in the first half to explore ribbon falls. Those couple extra miles are well worth it in my opinion. The bridge is pretty sketchy but the waterfall is phenomenal. An extra couple of miles didn't seem like a big deal when we were already hiking over 2 dozen. One thing you can't tell from the tourist viewpoints of the Grand Canyon is how green it is down there.

It was fun to watch the scenery change from rocky to green to bridges over the Colorado River.

I found the view stunningly beautiful hiking alongside the river. The second half of the hike really is incredible. However, my post lunch hiking was not as enthusiastic as those first 13 miles. My muscles ached and my head hurt. A blister had formed on my toe and negative thinking filled my head. We were all less talkative and focused on keeping a steady pace. Daniel and Stephen had run a marathon the month before so their speed was far faster than ours. We didn't even try to stay with them.

I can easily separate the hike in half. The first half was exciting, adventurous and fun. The second half was a struggle. I don't think I will ever hike it again but if I do I will be sure to prepare better. I would still be in the bottom of that Canyon if I hadn't been hiking with Thomas. Everyone dreads the last 4.6 miles. I had been told many times about the switchbacks. I was anxious about my ability to get up the South Rim but the truth of the matter is- you have to get out. There is no way of avoiding it. Our goal was to get out before dark. I REALLY didn't want to hike out after dark. We were slow but kept moving. Thomas would switch between placing his hand on my back and lightly pushing me and holding my hand to pull me. I was so grateful to have him.

If we look exhausted it is because we are.

I ran some wicked track workouts back in the day but my legs have never burned like this. Every step hurt. I didn't stretch cuz I'm a baby and it hurt too bad. Those last couple of miles were harder than the rest of the hike put together and it felt like it would never end.

It did end. We made it out right as it was really getting dark. Total time 13 hours. We weren't speedy by any means. I marvel at the people who do Rim to Rim to Rim. I can't imagine turning around at the top and going back.

As we made our way up the last and longest switch back Thomas pointed out Daniel, his Dad and Stephen. When he didn't I couldn't help myself, I started to cry. I was just so ready to be done and so relieved that we had actually finished.

The days to follow were humbling. I hobbled around as my muscles took their sweet time to recover. They eventually did and I'm sitting here writing this grateful for the experience.

Oh what a wonderful world. Oh what a fantastic place I live. I'll miss it. I can count the days on one hand until we move and it's surreal.

Fill in the blank

Things are finally slowing down here at Jacob Lake. With newfound free time I am itching to start writing again. Before I do so I might need to fill in the half a year gap here for my posterity.

A lot has happened since I last wrote.

1. I got married

May 6th 2017 was everything I ever dreamed it would be. It was a fairytale wedding. The kind every little girl dreams of. I will forever be grateful for my mom and mother-in-law and all who assisted them in bringing my dream wedding to life.

2. I moved to Arizona

After a glorious honeymoon to Orlando we packed up and moved. We aren't too far across the state border but boy this is so different from home. We live in the beautiful Kaibab National Forest. I guess technically it is a town but we are the only thing for many many miles. Bad cell service, limited internet and a group of college kids working sometimes long hours. It is a unique and wonderful place.
Our original plan was to spend a few months of the summer here. As time came for us to go back to school there seemed to be just as many reasons to stay as there were to leave. I struggled with the decision and while I have missed many things (family, friends, college, sports etc.) At the same time I am very grateful the Lord prompted us to stay.
We only have a month left and I know that I will really miss it here. I have gained so many skills and confidence in my ability to problem solve and work hard. However, I'm pretty excited to have a weekend again.

3. Michael left on a mission

New Zealand sounds like a dream mission but in the 2 months he has been out that young missionary has dealt with more responsibility and hard situations than some missionaries face their whole 2 years. He is obedient and hard working and I could not be more proud to be his sister. I love Elder Frodsham. I miss him.

Before he went we took a cruise to Mexico. The sea sick Frodsham's had a good time!

4. I went on MANY adventures

Living where we do has given us the opportunity to see spend over our fair share of time in some of this part of the world's most spectacular places.
Some of my favorites have been:

Grand Canyon North AND South Rim
Bryce Canyon National Park
Zion National Park (old time fav)
Cedar Breaks
Horse-shoe Bend
Lake Powell
White Pockets
Sand Dunes
and lots of Southern Utah (there is no place like home)

We are gearing up to hike Rim to Rim next week and I'm nervous but can't wait.

5. I fall more in love everyday

I knew I loved Thomas pretty early on in our relationship but what I didn't know was how depended upon him I would become. I crave his presents and he brings a sense of security to my soul. I am a very  very lucky girl! It has been a magical 6 months!

Unplug

The easiest way to determine if you are addicted to something is to take it away and see how you do without.

My addictions include:

Microwave popcorn,
Dr. Pepper,
Q-tips,
and Crest 3D white toothpaste.

I don't function well without them. Those addictions I'm okay with (maybe a little guilty about the soda but I've accepted it).

For the first few months we lived in the Kaibab we had no wifi and for those months I used all the data on our family plan. I would drain my phone battery waiting for things to load and missed out on some beautiful summer afternoons outside. I knew I was a typically millennial who loved their smart phone but I didn't want to be addicted.

We now have spotty wifi so I don't hog the data but I certainly didn't learn to do without when I was given the opportunity.

I love tasty videos. Instagram pictures. Snapchat stories.... the works. And while it isn't necessarily evil it sure doesn't strike gold on the good-better-best scale.

I know it.

I know I could do better at being present, being productive and being proud of how I use my time.

So here I am putting it in writing because as the saying goes-

a goal not written is only a wish.

[and yes I recognize the irony of posting it on the internet]

no more 'BUT's

I learned a life skill that I would like to attempt to share with you.
It involves removing the word "but" from your vocabulary. Who knew the difference three letters could make to a statement.

It isn't a big secret that I harbor some hard feelings towards my time as a full-time missionary. I struggle when conversations of mission stories roll around at social functions. I find myself caught between wanting to be honest and not wanting to come across super cynical. I will never discredit the value of missionary work.
my responses have traditional been

"My mission was hard BUT I am grateful I went."

"I'm glad I served a mission BUT you couldn't pay me enough to go again."

"I loved being called as a Spanish speaking missionary BUT I don't speak very well."

Almost every single time my responses include a but.
I credit it to my attempt to be true to both the good and the bad. I always want to be honest.

Turns out it has been doing some rotten things to my emotional well being and I was taught a way to do it better-
replace all the buts with an and

My mission was hard AND I am grateful I went.

I'm glad I served AND you couldn't pay me enough to go again.

I loved being called as a Spanish speaking missionary AND I struggled with the language.

Both parts of those statements are true. However, it feels different to say AND instead of BUT.

I'm working through all the things that stop me from living my life with no regrets AND it is hard AND healthy AND scary AND liberating.
In life it doesn't have to be one or the other. It can be both, and in my opinion most times it is.

I imagine motherhood to be wonderful AND hard.
I know school is overwhelming AND enlightening.
Losing a loved one can be the right thing AND heartbreaking.

So how about that.. no more buts. Try it- I dare you!