Resolutions Update- December 2013

I know there are still a few days left in 2013,but Matt and I leave for Virginia on Monday.So I'm going to do my last resolution update now. This has been my BEST year at making and keeping my new year resolutions and I have already started thinking about my 2014 goals.

My personal goals for 2013:
1. Blog 2 times a month
2.Do personal scripture study
3. Read 50 books
4. Lose 50 pounds


Goal #1-

I have 100% with this goal and I'm really happy about it. I made this goal thinking that 2 times a month would be super easy to do,but some months it was challenging to have 2 posts. I'm really grateful that I have kept up this blog,because it is so fun to look back at all the fun times Matt and I have had together since being married.I can't wait to see what makes the blog the next year!

Goal #2- 

For my personal scripture study I have been reading the Doctrine and Covenants. I have only one section left,so I'm confident I will finish on time. I have learned so much from setting aside time to read my scriptures on my own. My testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ has grown so much this year and I know doing personal scripture study has been a huge help with that.

Goal #3-
This goal was HARD! I would call myself a reader,but I have never done well with having requirements with books. I also underestimated how long it would take to read 50 books! I did read 28 books which is at least 2 books a months which is pretty good. I also started 4 books that I'm hoping to finish eventually.

Goal #4-

This goal I focused on the most this year. I have made the goal to lose weigh in years past,but this year I finally was able to stick with it. I ended up losing 40 pounds and have kept it off! I've also learned more about food and health,by making changes to my diet. I never realized how much bad food makes you feel like crap before. I'm hoping to be able to lose even more weight this next year.

Thanks everyone who supported me or encouraged me this year! 

I went down 2 pant sizes

40 pound comparison picture-same shirt

Sugarbush Farm

On Saturday we decided to drive up to Vermont and visit a cheese and maple syrup farm. My cousin had visited it a few months before and had brought us back some of the cheese they make,so we were excited to see it for ourselves.  It's about a 2 hour drive to the farm and there was snow on the ground! Which was big change from Mass,because it hasn't really snowed here yet. They have about 14 different cheeses and they let you sample all of them and their maple syrup! So yummy! It was a fun trip.

We put our tree up right after Thanksgiving dinner!

the view was beautiful

the buckets they hang on the trees 

the machine they use to make the syrup

we loved this covered bridge 

it was sunny ha

On Friday we went to Yankee Candle the flagship store and it was such a crazy experience. We were in the store for 2 hours! And our noses were on smell overload. My favorite part was the Christmas area. They made it look like a German Forest and it snows every 4 minutes! 

The huge candle that could burn for 20 years!

Thanksgiving 2013

We had a fantastic Thanksgiving this year. My parents got into town the Monday before and stayed until the Monday after. It was so nice having family in Massachusetts!  Monday night they got to our apartment pretty late and then Tuesday we just hung around our apartment because I still had work and Matt had one class. After I got home from work we headed up to Boston to do some temple work at the  temple. We got there a little late for the session so we decided to go eat. We wanted to eat at Panera, but it had closed so we found this hole in the wall Mexican place that we didn't want to get our hopes up about,because the Mexican in Mass is really lacking. But it was so good!! And they didn't charge for chips and salsa which is also rare out here. After dinner we went back to the temple and did sealing and we had a wonderful experience! My sister Jessi had booked us an amazing hotel near the temple,so we headed right over after we finished at the temple. We were not disappointed!! The hotel was so beautiful!

In the morning at the hotel they had the best breakfast! An omelet bar made to order. We wanted to explore Boston with my parents,but the weather was looking dreary,but we decided to venture out anyway. We made it to the Old North Church and Paul Revere's house when it started down pouring we rushed back to the car and decided to skip the sight seeing and just head back home.


Thursday we slept in and watched the Macy's  Thanksgiving Day Parade and started making dinner around noon. We were able to have all the food on the table by 4:30! It was delicious and definitely a Thanksgiving I will remember. Now enjoy the pictures!

my face about touching the raw turkey 

peeling potatoes 

making rolls

finished turkey!

food!!

the pies

matching parents 

we made a pecan pie b/c apparently new englanders don't eat it

The temple!

Parents

My parents are in town and it has been so great having them here. We have enjoyed showing them around Massachusetts. We snapped this picture after we did some temple work in the Boston Temple  and I love how happy we all look. I'll post more pictures later,but for now I'm going to soak up all this family time while I can.

Halloween 2013

I didn't take as many pictures as I normally do of our Halloween especially of the pumpkin carving process. Matt carved a wreck it ralph pumpkin, we dressed up as trekkies, and we decorated our ward's Halloween party. On actual Halloween we went to Chipotle dressed up to get $3 burritos! It was so fun to see all the creative costumes and our burritos tasted wonderful! It was a fun Halloween and we even had trick or treaters come to our apartment which was so fun!  Now we are excited for Thanksgiving so we can see my parents!!

The pumpkin- it was so fragile because of the hair

spiders!!

Spock

Spock stare

Smiling 

Chipotle

Working in Mass

Trying to get hired in Mass was DIFFICULT! We moved out here in July thinking that would have been enough time to get licensed and hired before the school year started. This was totally not the case. Getting your teaching license in Mass is almost impossible. The principal I work with told me they make the process borderline harassment. When I was first trying to figure out the process of getting license I called the department of education and they told me what license I needed,because there are 4 different one and their website is SO confusing! They also told me what I needed to do to get the license which was : a fee, transcript, and 2 tests. I got all these things done by late July. I found out I had passed the tests in August so I thought it would get my license shortly after that. NOPE!

I started subbing on October 1st and I directly asked the principal want I needed to do to get my license and how to get hired in this state. We looked at the website together and we found out that I needed to get a letter from BYU saying that I completed an educator preparation program and I needed to take 3 MORE tests!

After subbing for only 4 days I was offered a job to be a tutor! I was shocked and grateful. I talked it over with Matt and we decided it was too good of an offer not to accept. So I finished the week of subbing and then on October 15th I started my tutor job. I work with a 2/3 grade class and I teach the third grade Math. I'm in charge of teaching the lesson and grading all the work I give. There are only 9 kids in my group and they are pretty good kids. They are looking to hire a 3rd grade teacher in the future,so I'm so blessed that I have my foot in the door and now I just need to get my license already!

A New England Fall

On Columbus day we decided to head over to Mt. Sugarloaf our local mountain and see the changing fall colors. The one thing I do love about living in Mass is how beautiful it is. You definitely get that storybook feeling sometimes. I always thought Summer was my favorite season,but Fall is working pretty hard to steal my heart. Now for the beautiful colors...