"Time of Your Life"

Well, I guess it has been a while since I have posted but I think I had a good excuse! I got married! And I have a strict rule of no facebook, blogging or really any social media when you are on your honeymoon! I hate it when people are on facebook on their honeymoon! Focus on your spouse, not the world! Anyway, after that little rant.... This post has two big parts to it. First, this is my annual year in review post, and I got to say, this year was very eventful! But that we will get to that in a minute.

 I have an announcement! Since I am now married, it is time for this blog to come to an end and to start my new married blog! Because a new song has begun! So, introducing The Dynamite Life of TNT and the new web address for that blog is:

                                                                 tntnord.blogspot.com

So, please follow that blog from now on! It will blow your socks off! 

And now for the year in review!

January

 I started my last semester at BYU and didn't attend a single class. I an internship at the Center for Change with the Recreational Therapy department. We did Chinese Lanterns, built a sweet fort and had an awesome cook off. I even had a chance to get dressed up all pretty for a dance. (Too bad I had a bad experience with a man jumping on my foot and then a girl in stilettos jumping on that same foot!)

February

I finally had a boy on Valentines day and it was amazing! We also saw the most interesting parking job ever... right in front of my parking garages only exit.

March

 Thomas and I flew out to Arizona for a weekend so he could meet my parents for the first time. We also went to the Festival of Colors with some of my favorite people.

April

I did it, I graduated from BYU! A very triumphant moment for me. Another triumphant moment that happened in April was I finally made it to the top of Squaw Peak! I also said goodbye to my great roommates and moved out of Banbridge.

May

I went on my very first cruise!! We went to great places like Haiti, Jamaica, Cayman Islands and Cozumel. I also got to do some pretty cool things like scuba dive, zip line and para-sail  A few days after the cruise, I headed up to Portland to meet Thomas' family for the first time. We spent time in the city, hiking and celebrating mothers day!

June

I ran my first and only Marathon! Didn't go that fast but I made it to the finish line and that is what counts! We hiked Mt. Olympus and headed down to Arizona for my cousins wedding.

July

 I went to my first ever rodeo! We also went up to Portland to celebrate the fourth of July. We did some pretty neat things and I experienced some new firsts like water rafting! We also hiked Mt. St. Helens. Then one of the biggest events of my life happened at the end of that month, Thomas asked me to marry him and I said yes!

August

I had the amazing chance to go be a part of my friend Michelle's wedding and I couldn't have been happier to be there for that. I also took another quick trip to Arizona to see Rachelle and the kids, Ryan and my parents. Thomas' family came to Provo to bring Thomas' brother to school and we spent a day in Park City!

September

doTERRA took over my life in September when they had their big convention.  But I still managed to spend lots of time with Thomas' doing hikes, eating waffle love, going to soccer games and going to football games.

October

 Thomas and I took our first real road trip with each other as we headed down to New Mexico to spend a weekend with Shane and Sam. We went to Santa Fe and the Balloon Festival. Thomas and I also ran the Halloween Half Marathon together. My mom came in town and we did crazy amounts of wedding planning and I got to have a family/Naperville Bridal shower! We also managed to get in the usual October activities like carving pumpkins and going to corn mazes.

November

Thomas and I celebrated our first Thanksgiving together with some bowling and a great movie. We also froze as we cheered on the BYU cougars in football and soccer. 

December

 I would say this is my favorite month of the year! Thomas and I finally got married! We then headed out to California for our awesome honeymoon. We went to San Francisco and Monterrey Bay. We then headed to Arizona for Christmas at the Fortress.

There you have it! I loved this year, I don't think anything else could have made it better. I hope you all had a fabulous New Year and Christmas! Now go follow our new blog because this song has ended!

"It's my Life"

Things have been so crazy lately, I haven't had much time to update the blog! So, I thought it would be a good idea to do a quick picture update of what has been happening.

First, at the beginning of November, Thomas introduced me to Kvas. I am going to be completely honest, I found it disgusting. He tells me that after ten times it gets better and then you will really like it.... I just don't see that happening.

Thomas happy about the Kvas

Me... a little nervous

 The long awaited election day finally arrived. Let me tell you, I am happy that my life isn't completely surrounded by politics. But I voted!

Proof that I voted

 That night Thomas and I went to Buffalo Wild Wings and watched the election results since they put those up on half of the TVs. That was fun and delicious!

Thomas and his wing!

 We supported our BYU cougars.. First, the girls soccer team made it to the final 8 of their tournament and had all of those games at home! So, we were there to cheer for them. Even on the day after a giant snow storm and it was freezing outside. We didn't have enough of the cold, so we went and watched the BYU football game as well!

The Hot Chocolate made things seem a little warmer!

Can you tell how cold it is!

The football game

 Then it was Thanksgiving time! It is tradition for my family to have a turkey bowl! And we don't mean football, we mean a legit bowl...bowling! So, Thanksgiving morning Thomas and I went bowling! I got a strike or two and Thomas destroyed that bowling lane with how many strikes he got! We later went to my aunt and uncles house for Thanksgiving dinner and it was delicious! After, Thomas and I went to a movie. I would say we definitely made the best of our holiday!

In other news... WE GET MARRIED IN TWELVE DAYS! It finally feels like it is really happening! I am getting married to the most amazing guy I know. He treats me like I am the star of his life and I sure feel like I am a rock star when I am around him.

I moved into our married apartment, we bought furniture for our living room and we moved things into our kitchen! I love it so much! Yeah, it is wymount and it is not the best of apartments but it is mine and Thomas' first place together and that makes it amazing! We have furniture that me and him discussed and decided we wanted. It is my place to decorate and to make our own and I am so excited! And in two weeks, I won't be living in it alone!

Thankful...for a lot!

Well, I failed at the whole post every day something I am thankful for. So, I am just going to do a big one right now and make up for the past ten days that I didn't do!

-I am so grateful for traditions. I know that once I get married there will be my traditions, Thomas's traditions plus trying to create our own traditions. But no matter what, traditions give a sense of home and familiarity and that is what is so great around the holiday times. Those traditions are what make it okay to not be at home on Thanksgiving and I know that it will help to have traditions with my own kids. Give them something to look forward to, give them something that when they move out or things change, they will have that familiarity of the traditions we do. Because things can change all the time, but its those traditions that can stay the same and help with the transitions of life.

-I am grateful for my Aunt and Uncle who took Thomas and I into their home today for Thanksgiving dinner. They really didn't need to do that, they already had all their kids at home to celebrate with. But they made room at the dinner table for Thomas and I to join. That is the spirit of Thanksgiving and I am so grateful for that. I had a delicious dinner today and family time because of them.

-I am grateful for my Grandparents who took me into their home for the past couple months and allowed me to take over their basement and live with them. I know that it was a bit of a sacrifice for them to deal with all my junk in that basement but they did it with so much love for me. I don't know what I would have done with out them in my life. They have helped me so much over the years of my life, especially the past five years of my life.

-I am grateful for the new adventures that are coming my way. I just moved into my going to be married apartment and as I sit in here alone right now, I realize there are so many adventures that are ahead of me. It can be hard not knowing what comes next, but I am grateful for those adventures that are coming my way and for the courage to jump into those adventures.

-I am grateful for all the random people in my life. I have started to realize that there are a lot of friends that I have that truly care about me. I have people at work who genuinely care about my life. They ask me questions, they get excited when I get a promotion, they listen to me when I just want to talk and they are true friends. There are people from school or from church that do the same thing. Its all those little conversations that really make a difference in my life.

-I am so grateful for my talents. A lot of times we are all way too hard on ourselves and we put down any of the talents that we do have. I don't think that is what our Heavenly Father intended for us to do with our talents. I think he expected us to use them and let them grow and be grateful for what we do have. I am so grateful for the talents that I do have. I am grateful for them because they make up who I am and that is pretty great!

-I am grateful that my cruise ship didn't wreck at sea! I just saw Life with Pi (which is an AMAZING movie and I say you all should see it) but watching the entire ship wreck scene was terrifying. I was just imaging how I would have reacted if that happened to me on my cruise, how I would have reacted or what I would have done. It was a terrifying thought. So, I am extremely grateful for all my safe travelings that I have had up to this point!

-I am grateful for the change the education that I have received. I feel like that has helped me so much with my life. I am grateful not just for what I learned in the classroom but also for all the things I learned outside of the classroom as I have attended BYU. I am also grateful that I came to BYU  because it was there where I met Thomas. So, BYU is a pretty great place!

- I am grateful for modern day things that we have and take for granted every single day, like toilets, fridges, stoves, microwaves, cars, phones, computers, lights, heaters, water heaters... I think my list can go on and on. I loved being able to talk to my grandparents about the things they have seen happen in their lifetime. It reminds me how lucky I am to have all these things just at my finger tips.

-Last of all, I am grateful for Thanksgiving. Yes, I feel that it is extremely important to count our blessings every single day but I think Thanksgiving helps remind us to do that. It allows us to see just how amazing our lives are. When you really look into it, you can see that there is so much to be grateful for. I don't know what I did to get all these great things in my life, but I am filled with gratitude for everything. Thanksgiving is such a great holiday and I wish we had it more often!

Well, sorry that I was a little bit lazy the past week but there it is!

Now, I am thankful that I can play Christmas music! Now is the time for the giving part of Thanksgiving! Happy Thanksgiving!

Thankful Day 8.9.10

Day 8
Day: I am thankful for chances to sit on a blanket and watch flag football. And I got to meet a BYU Basketball player...my sad claim to fame! But still grateful for it! :)
Life: I am grateful for technology that allows us to stay connected with friends and family. That is pretty neat! Especially with my family being all over the United States.

Day 9
Day: I am grateful for SNOW!!! I love snow so much and Utah had a snow storm and it was amazing!
Life: I am grateful for vision. Without my vision I wouldn't be able to see the beautiful snow, the movies, the people around me, even my own blog I can see! That is definitely a sense that we take for granted and don't realize how much we base live off our vision!

Day 10
Day: I am grateful for fun BYU sports and boots to wear in the cold.
Life: I am grateful for heaters and warm homes. After two games out in the cold, I wanted to be warm so bad and it was nice because I could just go home and eventually I did warm up!

Thankful Day 7

Life: I am thankful for all the people who love and support me with everything I do. Both Family and Friends

Day: I am grateful for the gift cards that I have which allow me to be able to go out to eat!

Thankful Day 6

Life: I am thankful for my rights as a citizen of the united states to vote for who I think would be a good leader of this country. Both times I have voted, my person I voted for didn't win but I still think it is a great country that allows us to vote. And I am grateful to have all the other freedoms that I have as an American. This is a great country!

Day: One year ago today, I asked Thomas Nord to give me a second chance and he said yes. I am so grateful he did that because now one year later and we are engaged and have just a little over a month before we are married!

"Proud to be an American"

I have to admite, I am excited to have the election over with. I am excited to see who the new president is going to be. Its going to be intense and a close one. Tonight, Thomas and I are going to Buffalo Wild Wings to watch the news while we eat some delicious wings. I think that is the best way to watch the elections! I mean, what can be better than wings!

But I have to admit, I usually avoid politics like it is the plague. I find that politics turn people into vicious and attacking animals! I have never seen something change how someone acts so fast as I have seen politics change someone. For example, a friend of mine on facebook did something that I am sure was just to see what reactions he could get out of people, and he sure did get reactions. But he basically asked people to share their views on who he should vote for. Well, 51 comments later, people were calling each other stupid and morons because they were voting for someone that they didn't agree with. Yes, it did provide Thomas and I with some great laughs as we saw the comments get more and more intense. But I am sure that these people on a normal day wouldn't call someone stupid because they share a different view. So why is it okay when it is dealing with politics. It is like someone said its bad to call each other mean things...unless they share a different political view then you.

It was just sad to see one status on facebook make about 10 people angry and start calling each other mean things. And its not like this was the only time, pretty much everything on facebook is getting mad at each other because we are different.

I just think that is sad, that something like voting for a president is very american, it makes us all turn into something that I really wouldn't consider to be the American way. I am sure that when our founding fathers created this system, they weren't planning on us all destroying each other because we have different opinions. In fact, this country is about celebrating our differences and embracing each other because of them.  So, when you start to find yourself getting worked up over someone else's political views, stop yourself from doing something that you normally wouldn't do. Realize that it is okay to have different opinions because for the most part, we all want the same thing. For our country to be better. I don't think there are that many people that want someone who will destroy our country and want them to be president for that reason.

So, yes, go vote because it is important that we do practice our freedom to vote and vote for who we think is president. But don't change who your are or do something you might regret just because someone is going to vote for the other guy. Don't let politics destroy your relationships, because it isn't worth it. Those who you love are much more important than making the other person see you are right!

Happy election day!