RootsTech

We decided to check out the RootsTech convention this year so learn a little bit more about how to do better family history research. My unspoken intention was to figure out how to find more information about my great-great grandparents from Romania.

We headed down to the Salt Palace on Saturday afternoon for the opening session, and we got to hear words from President and Sister Nelson. I loved their talk, especially the part where Sister Nelson said, "I do everything I can, and then I move on."

But my great-great grandparents are something that I don't think I can move on from. I feel like when my Bubby died, all of the family history died with her. I refuse to let this be the ending to that story, so I will post more information after I figure it out!

We waited in line for one of the exhibits that featured fancy cakes. I kid you not, we waited almost 20 minutes, but I think it was worth the wait. See a compilation collage of the ones I liked the most below. The 3 little pigs cake, the crayon cake, and the Muppet Christmas Carol cake were our most favorite ones. I almost wish Sam liked birthday cake so I could attempt to make something cool, sadly he is a pie guy, hands down.

We enjoyed RootsTech, maybe we will want to go again next year.

#TakeBackTheMorning

I was seriously consumed by the winter blues this season. After I got hurt during Christmas I spiraled a bit. No motivation, my time felt like it had no value, and my self-care sucked. I took a pregnancy test and it came up negative. It was so cold outside that I just wanted to wear my sweats all day, and changing my clothes became a dreaded chore. Then Sam went back to work and I stayed home alone. I was depressed. Then school started again, and I was psyched to get back to work.

Unfortunately, it didn't help me.

I was stuck.

My proverbial bucket was empty.

I had nothing to give myself.

Boo.

A week ago today, we were sitting in Sacrament and I was journaling. I was suddenly overcome with determination. I was not going to let this change me for the worst.

I took a hard look at why I was so unhappy.

Every problem started with first thing in the morning. I was unmotivated to get out of bed and exercise. I kept hitting the snooze button, until I finally just changed my alarm to go off 30 minutes later.

Sam could tell I was struggling. He tried to be supportive by always asking me about workouts, but he seemed surprised when I told him that I hadn't done a workout. He did so much to help me bounce back, but alas, his encouraging words fell on my deaf ears.

Anyway, I decided to do a round of the 21-day fix to kick me out of my depression. Last Monday was my test of motivation. The alarm beeped at 5:15am, and I was off like a rocket!

I had set up my workout clothes and the exercise space, I packed my lunch the night before, and I'd already picked out my outfit for work.

My workout was rough, I had few modifications, and then I rewarded myself with a nice hot shower.

I hadn't even left the house when I noticed an amazing change in my mood.

I woke Sam up to have scripture study, and quickly packed my healthy lunch in my lunch box.

As I made my way throughout the day, I could feel the joy creeping back into my system. I was finally starting to feel happy again.

I've felt myself grow so much in the last week.

I'm proud of myself for taking back my mornings :)

Love, Emily G.

I think two of my favorite books are Something Borrowed and Something Blue by Emily Giffin. I loved the 2011 film adaptation, but realized I loved the book even more, and then to discover the sequel was like Christmas in July back in 2014.

Anyway, I've since read every single book she's written. She released a new one last year, and offered a signature plate to anyone who wrote her. I decided to write her, thanking her for created Rachel and Darcy, and requesting a signature plate.

It came this week!

Socializing

This week really did me in. I don't know what, maybe a full moon or something like that. Regardless, I still managed to spend some time with coworkers past and present.

A few people at my school wanted to get together to shoot balls at Topgolf. Since I missed the last little social, I decided to go and spend sometime with a handful of my coworkers. In case you've never been to Topgolf, it's like what would happen if a putting green and a bowling alley had a baby.

There are tons of clubs to choose from! We found out the silly way that the evens were on one side of the bay and the odds were on the other. It was silly because it took us a hour to figure it out.

The view of the green from our two bays.

It was nice to get together outside of work and just hang out for a little bit. I feel like we are always on the go and never have a minute to just sit and talk unless it's about students or ordering supplies or any pending catastrophes. The only other time I'd been to Topgolf was with the Elmers on one of our last Arizona visits. Maybe it's time to register at the local Topgolf and play more often.

By the time the weekend rolled around, it was time for a lunch with Amy and Heather. We met up at Red Lobster on Saturday afternoon and had the chance to catch up and indulge in a few ship specials. I had shrimp skewers and grilled chicken with a side of french fries.

I love how we've been able to stay in touch ever since I left working at the U. This fall it will be 5 years since we all met and became friends.

On another note, we lost our soccer game last night. The other team was merciless. In one half, I saw someone get hit in the groin, hit in the butt, and then I got hit twice, once in the chest and then my back. We lost by less than half :( Next week is our 11pm game and we are NOT looking forward to it.

Game #2 and other tidbits

We had our second game of the season yesterday, and The Scientists won 5-3. Not bad considering our game didn't start until 10:20pm and it had been snowing a lot earlier in the day. I was especially exhausted because I had to play the duration of the game without subbing out. Our soccer league has a rule that all coed teams must have at least two girls for each team on the field at all times, and Deborah and I were the only girls who showed up to play. I did however hit 11k steps on my Fitbit and logged over 60 active minutes for my Saturday. 

Check out our sweaty post-game selfie, can you tell how tired we are? 

We (Sam and I) are getting better, but we both want to feel more confident on the field, so we bought our own soccer ball and will be using date night as an opportunity to practice more. I know I was bummed about being so inexperienced at our first game, but that is something I'd like to change.

Princess is 7 months old now! She is teething again and as a result has been destroying her rope toys. Additionally, she has become much more confident when it's time to go outside in the snow. It's funny to watch her boldly walk across frozen snow piles and sniff around, when she refused to leave the porch when she first saw snow. I think she might actually be afraid of my phone, which could explain why she isn't too keen about taking selfies. She is still a good girl, and very much a spoiled rotten, but beloved doggy daughter.

I've been trying to experiment with new recipes lately. First I learned how to make cheese sauce a la white sauce to make our homemade mac'n'cheese taste cheesier. Second, I found a recipe for noodle kugel, a Jewish dish that I'm sure Bubby would have taught me to make if she were still alive. I like the kugel recipe I found, but I already have some ideas on how to lighten it up and pump some more protein into it.

Check out my practically picturesque kugel!

I've Never Played A Sport In My Life

I'm an artist, not an athlete. I'm an evil-genius, not a soccer-player.

Yet, I somehow let my adorkable husband convince me to play a season for an indoor soccer league. His friend recruited him to play for a team called "The Scientists" and he managed to get me onboard as well. I was floored that it was his idea, since he has a vendetta against any kind of exercise-like activity. But he was so excited, and I wanted to be supportive, so we became the new team members.

The extent of my soccer knowledge is the Disney flick The Big Green, so I understand a good amount of rules and strategy. But theory and application and two very different things.

Our first game was on Saturday night, so we scrambled to buy shin guards and soccer socks during our regular errands so we were ready for the game.

I've never played a sport in my life, mostly because I'm afraid of getting hit. So when I was playing defense for the team, they told me to block the other team by getting in their way and trying to steal the ball. That's all fine and dandy unless your opponent is two feet taller and has a good 50lbs on you. I got smashed the first time I tried to go for it. My head absorbed most of it, and Sam was trying to determine if I was showing signs of a concussion. Since I wasn't showing signs, we decided to rest easy. It shook me up though.

We ended up losing 5 to 4, but not bad considering Sam and I had no idea what to do!

Making a Dream House

Due to the fact that we spent the last two weeks in our house all day and not at work, we were finally able to talk about some of the home projects we want to do and some of the updates that we need to make. After trolling the house and taking notes, we heading out to Home Depot and Lowe's to do some research and price check a few things. Of course I made a list!

Project #1- Basement Windows

When we bought our house, we were thrilled that the windows were all new, with the exception of three in the basement. We need to get quotes from a few different places so that we can make arrangements to have them upgraded during the springtime. I'm super psyched, but only because our current basement windows are only single-paned and don't have screens. I know this will be the priciest of the upgrades, but it will be worth it.

Project #2- Porch Lights

We have flood lights for porch lights by the front door and the side door, but they need to be replaced (the fixtures are hideous). At first, I wanted to completely remove the flood lights and install regular porch lights, but having Princess has helped me see the value of flood lighting. I hate turning on the porch light and leaving it on for any stretch of time, so I told Sam that I wanted our flood lights to be motion-censored. I can't wait to choose a fixture that isn't quite as outdated, but still lights up the yard for Princess to do her business.

Project #3- Rain Gutter

Our front rain gutter has a low point, which has now made several icicles. Actually, the rain gutter just needs to be replaced completely. Additionally, our downspouts need to be adjusted to Sam's liking (plus Princess loves licking the water that falls off of the house). So yeah, hopefully we can take care of it when the snow is gone, but before spring showers start.

Project #4- Doors 

Our storm doors suck! They are old and clunky and I can't wait to see them go. I found a door style that I really like, and I also want to replace our back exterior door as well. I'm really happy that we can not only keep our front exterior door, but we can give it a makeover by frosting the stain glass for more privacy and giving it a fresh coat of paint.

Project #5- Side Fence

Our neighbors don't really take care of their yard, which explains why they've let the side fence become so run down. Part of it collapsed during November's snow storm, but Sam and Bob reattached it with some new wood pieces. Since then, we've been trying to decide how to deal with the fence as a whole. We've finally decided that we would reinforce if with brand-new two-by-fours and finished enclosing the backyard.

Project #6- Paint House

Our house is made up of light tan bricks and light blue siding. The blue just does not work with the tan brick, so I found a nice dark red color the paint over the blue (now the house will look more like a barn!). I am convinced that it will make our house that much more special because there are no other red houses in our neighborhood.

These are a mix of smaller and larger projects, but I can't wait to get started and see just how beautiful we can make our house. It really will be 'our' house when we've finished these projects.