The update of all updates

I know a lot of you are family members. And, if you're a family member on the Emmett side, you know about our family letters (which I am terrible at finishing in time...). Sometimes, I just want to copy and paste the letters I write onto my blog - just so I have a record of what's going on in my life. Since I'm such an inconsistent blogger, I seriously think that would be a good idea.

For those of you who don't know, the entire extended Emmett family submits "Family Letters" every quarter during the year (January, April, July, October). Grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, everyone. We all just write an update - what's going on, any exciting news, touching/interesting stories. Sometimes, a lot of what's written may be things some of us already know. But, it's so nice to hear about every family members' life.

So, right now, I'm doing a mass update. Maybe you don't want to read it all. Maybe (Mom) you already know most of it. But, I want to keep my blog as current as I can (which I usually can't...) so, I'll try to include pictures and all the dirty details. Just kidding. Kind of.

Here goes:

Austin and I have been married for- (drumroll, please...) 2 years, 3 months, and 25 days. It seems like so much longer. I can't remember being without Austin. I was more of a wreck than I am now! Good glory... Seems impossible. So, that's almost 850 days! Poor guy. But, lucky me!! I love Austin. He's perfect for me. Patient, loving, understanding, fun, hiiiiilarious, takes everything I say with a grain of salt. Ahh, yes. That's my man.

We adopted wonderful baby Doug on August 16th. He's half mini schnauzer, half chihuahua - and IF you DARE to think he's just a "little yappy dog," you will never earn his love. Or mine. He's precious. We love him. He was born on July 2, 2013. So, when we got him (which, looking back, was probably too early for the breeder to let him go...), he was only about 6 1/2 weeks! We have a cute little corner in our house deemed "Doug's room." He's got his kennel, a shelf stocked with food and treats, toys in his toy bin, his food & water corner, and room to run and play. I don't think he's spoiled. In fact, he may be borderline neglected... He just never runs of our energy. We come inside from a walk and playing, I pass out on the floor, and he runs circles around me. Well, that's never actually happened... But, I know it would, given the chance.

So, before I talk about where we live now, let's recap where we've BEEN.

June 2011 - Boom! Married - We moved into a sick-o basement apartment in Provo. I lived there for a month or so before we were married. Not fun. We moved out of that apartment after I was plagued by flying ants one morning, forced into exile (at McDonalds inside WalMart) until someone brave enough came to help get rid of them.

marriage license! this is when things got REAL.

enjoying our last minutes on the last day of our honeymoon

myyyy handy man

our table was so weird, wobbly, and short. it was easier to eat on the floor.

see that window in the right corner? bugs. BUGS - and lots of them!

Late June 2011 - We made the move to Heber soon (like, SOON) after the bug incident - because, as fate had it, we found a free apartment. Well, we paid utilities. Sweeeet deal! Bonus - We landed ourselves in Austin's parents' ward.

the one and only picture of our first Heber apt... showing how well the LoveSac fit in the living room.

September 2011 - Once Austin finished working up in Heber (the main reason we moved there), we found a cute little apartment back in Provo. I loved that apartment.

reeeelaxing. outside that window was a car dealership that left their lights on 24/7. permanent night light...

Austin looks so young in this picture! We ended up cutting right across the middle of that wooden shelf, making one short shelf and a bench!

I really didn't mind this kitchen at all. I just needed more counter space.

LOVED the counter space in the bathroom. Maybe I should have moved the cutting board in there.

this little apartment was so good to us. we had a beta fish named burt in the glass "vase" on that small table.

For my birthday (in 2012), Austin got me all this loot! I miss that bike... (and that Dr. Pepper)

caught red handed - wearing the coziest, most fashionable "accessory" in the house.

He loves packing, moving, and unpacking...

October 2012 - I got a job in Heber and we found a brand new (government subsidized) townhouse only 2 blocks away! That place was nice but way bigger than we needed and not worth the monthly rent.

speaking of moving... there's all our stuff!

new home (for 6 months...) view from our back window.

here, we see Austin succumbing to his hot cocoa addiction/obsession

vegan carrot cake & cookies. prep for a Seawright family fun time.

Father / son snoozing

oh man. I loved that tree.

Princess Polly gets a mani/pedi

picnic time

medical gloves. the peppers were burning their hands.

this is how Austin got through Downton Abbey. (jk. he really loved it.)

booty shakin' to the sweet sounds of Polly on an out-of-tune piano

April 2013 - Tadaah! We're here in Midway. This was such a good find. Sherrie (Austin's mom) just drove by one day, saw a sign on the road that said "Apartment for Rent" and told us about it. Thank goodness! It's perfect. We signed a year contract up-front and have even signed on for another year! We love it here. Our landlords are so nice and the area is perfect - quite, but not too secluded. Bonus - they let us have Doug! So, we should be here until April of 2015. I seriously hope so - I'm DONE moving for a while.

(retired) Trojet dance-off

sleepover with the littles!

Hazel Sue loves that monkey

catching up on The Bachelorette while Austin was in class

our dog is cray

the beginnings of a "new look" in our house

So, Austin is working full time at Summit Engineering in Heber AND going to school at UVU. He's getting his degree in Construction Management. I'm so happy for him. I think he's finally found something he loves to do - that will also pay off well! He's such a hard worker. I love seeing him do work he loves.

I'm nannying right now for a few different families. I'll be honest - it's not my dream job. My dream job is to be a mom! So, this is a close second for now. I love the kids I tend. They're a lot of fun. Rarely do they feel like a lot of work. I have fun and really learn from the work I do. I'm so grateful to be welcomed into someone else's home and trusted to care for their children. It's easily the more rewarding "work" I've done.

I love being home to care for Doug. Really, I LOVE decorating our home. For over half our marriage, I think we tried to decorate with a combination of our parents' homes. Lately, I've realized that Austin and I like the same styles - but nothing in our house was what either of us would choose. So funny. So, we've been getting creative and making changes around our home. Paige and Lorin were SO kind to hand down their couches and recliner. We love how our living room feels now!

Austin and I have also been trying to eat better. There are so many "fads" that I'm sure work for some people. But, we need to make more permanent changes to our diet. I know I'll never be able to give up soda completely. I KNOW it's so bad. But, there are still worse things. I think we need to focus on incorporating the good things into our diet - before we try to cut out all the bad. If we start "filling our plates" with healthy options, there won't end up being room for the unhealthy ones. So, we'll see how that goes.

Austin was out of town...

Bountiful Baskets

Freezing fruit for smoothies

Doug has already helped us become more active. I hate being out of shape. I wish I could jump in with all the runners in my family and bust out a marathon! (WHAAA?) But, we all have to start somewhere. I want to get back into running. I was kinda/sorta in shape in high school and have been on a steady decline ever since. Let's face it, we've gained our fair share of "newlywed weight." But, it's about time we shed that back off.

Austin ran the Emmett Family "You Really Should Be More Careful" 2.5 mile fun run in Logan

I ran ("ran") the Utah Valley 10K with Paige - My dad and Erin left us in their dust. Polly ran the kids' fun run.

So, now that you're pretty much caught up on our lives, maybe I can keep up moving forward. The point is... I love my life. I love the people in my life. It's not perfect and I'm FAR from perfect. But, this is how we "make do." If you're here, thanks for reading :)

Until next time...