April 20

Today is my best friend's birthday!!!! Today, Ben turns 28! I am so proud to call him my husband :) This is my first time being with him on his birthday as last year at this time, I hadn't met him yet (think Michael Buble because I am pretty sure I really liked that song around this time last year). I am so grateful Ben entered my life when he did. In fact, a year ago today, I received my endowments in the Draper Temple--not knowing I would meet my future husband a month later or that it was his birthday.

Even though it's funny to think I could have waited a few months longer to go through with Ben, I think it was the perfect time for me. A year ago today, I was going through the temple, and the day after, I was graduating with my Master's Degree in English the next day, knew I needed to complete student teaching for a teaching certificate so would be in Ogden for a few more months, and then it was "Who Knows?"



It is scary to graduate with a masters degree as an unmarried girl, and thinking, "When will I ever find him after going into the working world?" I thought of moving back to Provo in an area where older young single adults were, or perhaps Washington D.C. where there were some strong LDS members. There were so many unknowns and being able to go to the temple provided much comfort.





Even though it didn't happen the way I anticipated, my family, aunts, uncles, a cousin, Kelsi, Sheree, Erica, Russ, and my bishopric from my singles ward and their wives had driven all the way to the Draper Temple to be there for me that day. I felt so special knowing that I was going into the "unknown" with so much love and support. Last spring term, I worked twenty hours a week so I had time to go to the Bountiful Temple weekly for a few months and was able to learn so much--that was a blessing. It's hard to believe that that was a year ago today. My husband's birthday! Sometimes Heavenly Father has us wait for the perfect timing (even if it seems last minute to us).

Enough about me, Ben's the birthday boy! So that was my life one year ago today. Then enter: Ben Browning.

He inspires me to be a better person in more ways than I thought possible. He did so from when I first met him. He was definitely worth the wait! I love my Ben!

Here's 28 things you may not know about him:

1. His family has two llamas!
2. He loves playing soccer, and has played most of his life.
3. He has an amazing voice (I keep telling him not to hide his light under a bushel :)
4. He is amazing with kids! Our next door neighbors have four children who run out when they see him and want to play with him for hours.
5. He was an EFY counselor for 5 years and loved it!
6. He played ultimate frisbee, inter-tube water polo, and soccer on Intramural teams at BYU.
7. He loves Brazilian grills.
8. He doesn't like desserts as much, but he loves candies.
9. Ben LOVES budgeting, which I love that he does :)
10. He graduated in Business: Finance from BYU in 08 (the year before I did).
11. He speaks Portugese and Spanish.
12. He loves the hero-type movies like Captain America, Thor, etc.
13. As mentioned previously, he loves new technology and utilizes all of it.
14. He is amazing at Excel, and his work loves him for it!
15. In high school, he was the president of and participated in many clubs and organizations.
16. He is the newest (and probably youngest) member of Rotary Club, representing the bank.
17. He served his mission in Sau Paulo Brazil.
18. He has been to England, China, Hawaii, Brazil, D.C., and many other fun places :) throughout his life.
19. He knows his grammar very well, which I appreciate.
20. He loves Ogden! He went to Ogden High School and has a great love for the history and community surrounding Ogden.
21. He gives amazing Family Home Evening lessons!
22. He likes to mow the lawn (phew).
23. Ben is always thinking of others before himself.
24. He loves looking at the newest and greatest cars.
25. He can find you an app for just about anything.
26. He built a twine hut with his brothers in their yard when he was young.
27. Ben was involved in a community singing group from elementary to high school (hence lots of his travels).
28. Ben has the heart to eat my cooking!

Happy Birthday, Ben!

Are You Old Enough to Drive?

Yes, I was really asked this question by a thirteenish year old boy. I was on my run and this thirteenish year old boy was riding his bike with his dog, and the dog came chasing me. Luckily, I saw this as a wonderful opportunity to pet it! So I pet it, he apologized for his dog running towards me, and I assured him I liked animals.

Then.

He started telling me about trails I could run on, and he asked where I lived (it sounded like he wanted to know so we could "play" sometime). He then asked if I was old enough to dive. I assured him I was, thanked him for letting me pet his dog, and went on my way, sheepishly.

I have been mistaken for being younger than I am for. . . my whole life. While I was conducting parent/teacher conferences, parents were shocked to find I was the teacher, and would say you look just like the students! The student teaching coordinator even asked me if I was sure I wanted to do high school because I looked so young, and she was concerned they might take advantage of me. Many lovely people in our ward have commented that I look just like one of the Laurels. I was asked if I was a freshmen/sophomore when I was finishing my Masters Degree in Singles Wards.


Oh well.

I guess I know how old I am, and that's all that matters.

The House that Built Me

As most of you know, I have lived in many places throughout my life. The longest time I have lived in one house was from when I was eight to two weeks shy of turning sixteen--in Los Ranchitos of Temecula, CA. This is the home and place I think of when I think of growing up, probably because it was the place I was familiar with the longest. It was in our home in Temecula that I carried around zucchinis from our garden, wrapped them in blankets, drew faces on them, and pretended that they were baby dolls, and when they died (in make believe), I would bury them in our pasture. Weird. I know. This was the place I went to elementary (for a while), middle, and high school (for a while). The people of Temecula were people who shaped my life for forever and became some of my family's closest friends. This past week I was able to return to Murrieta, which is right next door to Temecula (the equivalent of Provo to Orem). It was so neat to go back and see people and things that reminded me of growing up. The best part was that I was able to take my husband to see my childhood habitat :)

Right after Seth and Leslie's wedding, on Easter Sunday, we drove back to Ogden, went to church, and then got ready to fly to San Diego with family (except honeymooning Seth and Leslie, who we missed) that night. Three states on one Easter Sunday! Although crazy, it was fun to feel adventurous. We got back at 2 in the morning and took a look at the beautiful house we were able to stay in. The views from this house are incredible! In some ways, it makes me want to move back to CA. The next morning we awoke to beautiful, perfect southern CA weather--I can't even explain how much I love this! We went swimming in this beautiful pool overlooking the valley. My favorite part of our first day was driving a borrowed golf cart around the development we were staying in to look at the beautiful homes and surroundings! I then was able to drive Ben
around Temecula to show him old schools, the old house, churches I attended, and all those dear places of my heart.

The thing I found out very quickly on this trip is that trips sometimes revolve around food. Especially when we travel home, it is so exciting to be able to eat things we grew up on, even food as silly as Jack in the Box, Richie's Diner, Pat & Oscar's, etc. Oh, and of course, Ben tried the Doritos taco from Taco Bell and was smitten. The Browning and Connors affinity for Doritos is dangerous. Yikes!


The next day Ben and I went with Kim and her date, Jake, to Universal Studios! We had lots of fun with them. We went to the Crepe Cafe for breakfast--delicious!

Universal Studios was a fun, slower paced amusement park. We didn't have to rush to get to everything because, honestly, you could see the whole place with the shows in five hours :) Ben and I got camera happy as we waited out some time to avoid LA rush hour
We all decided to go see Hunger Games to further avoid rush hour. That is the kind of movie that I am STILL thinking about, and although I can't say I enjoyed it, it left me thinking of my own values under pressure.

Then to further avoid traffic, we went to London.

Just kidding! Okay, this was taken at Universal :) However, a life goal is to show Ben the sights of London from Study Abroad.

The next day we took it easy, visited Grandma and Grandpa, Dad's office, and saw our old friend, Judy Cook, who made us delicious mud pie! It was a laid back fun day, which ended by Ben and I seeing Mirror, Mirror with Mary.

By Thursday, we were ready for exotic adventures again so the whole Connors shebang went to Coronado island, off the coast of San Diego. This has always been one of my family's favorite spots. The Hotel Del Coronado has been there since 1888 and has the most beautiful architecture. You just feel elegant going inside--I love that! We walked along the beach and basked in the view!

After this lovely afternoon, we went to the zoo, which I sadly forgot to take any pictures of. I love the zoo. This is not an understatement. We didn't stay too long, but I loved watching all the lions, tigers, and polar bears, and especially the monkeys, I just loved the monkey faces and their climbing!

Apparently, we brought Utah weather with us our final day. It was a high of 50, raining and cold.
We took a morning swim while it was drizzling, watched movies, and then I sat out in the courtyard with the overhang and listened to the rain and read. This warmed my soul :) To finish off the trip, Ben and I took a trip to the San Diego Temple. I did baptisms there for four years, but had never done a session. It was the first temple I had ever attended; I even went to the dedication as a little girl. It was so neat to go and feel the sweet spirit there, which once again reminded me that there is a plan for all our lives and God knows us and our needs, and he knows what is best for us. The best part was going with Ben, and thinking that this temple I saw as a little girl, I was now standing inside with my husband. What a week filled with family, relaxation, and fun. We only wished Seth and Leslie were there, too :)

April Love

I love April. It always feels like spring is, finally, here, especially with all the famous April Love! Last weekend I had the honor of going to Sheree Olsen's wedding to see her become Sheree Anderson. Sheree was the picture of a beautiful bride; she just RADIATED. Then again, she is always radiating because she emulates happiness. Sheree and Bryce are such good people and are going to be a powerhouse couple throughout their life, you can just tell. It was so fun to be with Erica and Sheree's family, who I used to visit when I had no family of my own nearby.
It's weird to think that now ALL of my close freshmen friends are married and most have been for a long time. It is fun to have friendships you know will last forever--this one is a definite forever friendship!


After driving down for Sheree's sealing in American Fork, I got in my car, met Ben, and went straight to Idaho Falls for Seth's, my youngest brother, wedding preparations. Are you seeing the love yet :) ? Ben and I LOVED our hotel room/balcony view of the Idaho Falls Temple; it reminded us of our own love and covenants we have made.

Then we went with my family and Seth's friends to see the famous Idaho Falls of Idaho--so fun and WINDY!

We helped set up some things for the reception, came back, I straightened my hair, and a few hours later, Seth and Leslie's wedding day had arrived! Seth and Leslie are an adorable couple; they even look perfect for one another. It's crazy to think my little brother is getting married; however, we love Leslie and are so happy over their happiness! The wedding day was beautiful and sunshiney although crisp and cool. It was perfect!








This was seriously such an amazing, wonderful day--hardly any stress, too! And now, I have another sister :) Waking up to this view outside our window made me again remember how lucky I am to be with my husband for forever and ever because of the temple. Today it has been six months since our special day, and we have an eternity to go.

Vignette

Question: why is "vignette" in my blog title?

Answer:
Practical Answer: definition of vignette: A brief evocative description, account, or episode.
Emotional--I am old fashioned, and I love words that become lost as time goes on! I first heard this word in Anne of Green Gables and have loved it ever since--sigh.

So some of the things in my blog may seem dull, but to me they are the threads of my life that make my life tapestry. Here are some of my life threads as of late:

1) I have been trying to run at least three-four times a week for the last couple months, which has been. . . good for this main reason: I love to be outside and look at the beautiful view we have in North Ogden. However, with all great views come hills--steep ones. When I go up the hills I walk, and then I run on the same streets a few times that are horizontally straight (the neighbors must get sick of me passing by three times in ten minutes and petting their dogs--it makes running worth it!)I still don't love running. at. all. I like petting the random dogs, looking at the view, and feeling accomplished after I come home. These are the ONLY things I enjoy about running. I hope this changes.

2) New Beginnings was last week, and I absolutely LOVE my laurels. My fellow young women leaders are amazing decorators. These 5 laurels are just amazing, and I love hearing about their prom dates, their schooling, feelings etc. I went to the temple with them a couple weeks ago where they did baptisms for the dead. There was such a wonderful spirit there. It was neat to think how much my life has changed in the past year, and how just a year ago I was doing baptisms and although I loved doing them, I felt left behind as most, if not all, of my friends had gone through the temple by that point. You never know when the next big turn in the road is. My life has changed so much in the last year--masters degree, teaching certificate, the end of schooling, marriage, a house, a move, etc. The Lord knows what we need just when we need it, and all our plans and tapestries are different, but they are a perfect pattern for us, even when it seems tangled and messy from the side we see.

3)Ben and I just received an additional calling: Youth Conference Directors. If anyone has ever been to Lava Hot Springs, feel free to give us tips of what to sign up for there! This will be a fun calling; starting the planning is always the hardest part.

4)We went to City Creek with my parents last week the Friday after it opened, and it was so fun to feel the energy there, fueled by thousands of people. It will be fun to go back when we have more time. There were people dressed up as flower pots who cleverly posed sporadically. How do people get jobs like these?!?


5)I learned how to make coffee from Polish and German business men at my dad's company meeting where I was in charge of the food. Apparently, instant coffee does NOT go in a coffee maker; it is like hot chocolate where you pour it into hot water. I will never forget standing in the kitchen for twenty minutes with my dad's business partner, a stake president, trying to figure out how to work the coffee maker, reading all the instructions, the Europeans coming in, daring each other to try it first, tasting it, and then teaching me the REAL way; they thought it was hilarious, luckily. Good thing they knew we were Mormon :)

It is the end of March, and I am SO excited because so many fun things are happening:

General Conference with Ben's family
Time with Ben's mom while the men are at Priesthood
going to the Conference center Sunday!
Sheree's wedding
Seth and Leslie's wedding in Idaho Falls
Easter (one of my favorite holidays)
Going to California with my family (minus Seth and Leslie)
Ben's Birthday
My friend Katie's baby shower
Seth and Leslie's Open House in Alpine
Tommy and Jamie's Wedding
Ben and Katie BYU Date

New Victories

This, my friends, is a miracle.

I have been experimenting with yeast for the last few months, making bread sticks and rolls, and to my dismay, each time the dough is supposed to double in size, mine increases by 1/8th. Today I decided that even though I wanted to master yeast on other bread products before attempting homemade bread, I could not wait any longer. So when I saw that my dough doubled every time it was supposed to, my heart leaped. I have had a few proud moments in my life, graduating from college, teaching high schoolers successfully, but THIS moment has made me proud of this:



This with homemade honey butter was heavenly. This was a small victory, and it felt different than getting an A on a paper after many A-'s, but I liked it.

On another note, this was my first sign of spring:



This made me happy and panic simultaneously. Ben and I have a yard + I have never been in charge of taking care of a yard = me scared. So my sweet visiting teacher, who used to live in our home, came and gave me a tour of the yard and what I need to do to prepare it for spring. I did my first hour of yard work in our yard today: it was more fulfilling then I thought it would be--weird how maintaining a home can be that way. Along the way, I discovered these small treasures in the front:





I have a feeling this is going to be a new but exciting learning experience for me.

Also, we are getting a new sister three weeks from today--exciting! Leslie Ricks will become Leslie Connors, and I got to go on a road trip (by myself) to Idaho to her bridal shower. Another small conquering of driving through fields and farm lands by myself for over five hours in one day. It was worth it! Yay for another sister!





Last but not least, Ben got his new iPad yesterday at seven in the morning with his dad. He loves technology more than anyone I know--and I reap the benefits! I have been hearing about this monumental occasion for a while now, so late Merry Christmas, Ben! He is bequeathing me his old iPad, which I have no idea how to work, so here's for more new learning :)Even though the knowledge I have acquired in the last few months has been totally different than the learning I was used to for multiple schooling and educational work years, I have found it surprisingly exciting, and although life is a slower pace, joy in the journey still is found.

With the Olsens

A few weeks ago, dear friends, Erica, Russ, and their sweet daughter McKenzie came up to Ogden to visit. They were so gracious to come all the way north to see what Ogden had to offer. We had so much fun with them and cute Kenzie, who learned Ben's name (he quite loved that). We went and saw Ben's family's llamas, walked down old 25th Street, went to a Mexican restaurant, and then visited at our home. The time flew by, but it was so fun doing something with them; they are seriously amazing.

Erica has been a best friend to me since BYU. We met freshmen year, had the same major and many of the same classes, worked at Special Collections together, went to devotional together, and had many, many chats together. When I think of BYU, I think of Erica because of all those memories :)I remember the first day of my new life in Ogden, I received a postcard from Erica: so thoughtful. I am going to miss these three when they move to Texas, but this friendship is the kind you know you'll have forever.

Curly Karma

I one time received this comic from a co-worker. How true it is!



I have just spent over an hour having this straightener on my hair. Yes, that says 404. That's degrees, Fahrenheit. That's the same temperature I bake my baked potatoes, transforming hard brown rocks to mushy goodness. This is one hundred degrees hotter than it took to bake my first cheesecake, caramel peanut butter swirl (shown below), this week. My hair gets so hot that it burns to touch it!! Oh, the sacrifices.



Sometimes I wonder. . . why couldn't I have been born in the Victorian Era or the 80s? This hair could have been accepted by humanity!





Instead, I grew up in "the straighter the better" mentality, which is great and all, but I never have had the time to have an hour and a half a few times a week to straighten my hair.

I remember when I was fourteen and my friends straightened my hair for the first time at GIRLS CAMP! It took four and a half hours (this was back in the day with straighteners didn't get as hot as your oven). Even after all that, it was still frizzy straight. I remember the second time when my friends and I watched Princess Diaries (fitting) when I was fifteen and we blew out three circuits in my house because they were using so many blow driers and straighteners. I remember the third time, a few months after that, when my friend IRONED, with a real iron, my hair on the carpet, which melted. Oh hair, you have gone through so much turmoil, just to fit in.

Remember my wedding day, hair? Remember how you looked when the stylist came?

Exhibit A:


Remember what you looked like when I came out of the temple, three hours after you got done?

Exhibit B:


Where did the curl go from Exhibit A? Maybe I am biased, but I think curly haired people should have EXCLUSIVE rights to have their hair hold curl when curled. Seriously. The injustice found in this world.

Other curly haired injustices are included here:

1. When I straighten my hair, the straightener turns off multiple times because it thinks to itself, "This is so dangerous. There is no way I can actually be used for this long; I shut off after twenty minutes, and you have to re-start me if you really want to dare using me longer."

2. When I straighten my hair, it rains or snows; thus, all my hard work flattens and frizzes with a few droplets. When I straighten my hair, I receive comments like "Your hair looks SO much better straight!" I say "thanks!" and think, "I wonder what they think of me the other 95 percent of the time with the curls? Why can't I have time to do this more often?"

3. Then I start thinking should I chemically straighten my hair? I realize I look like I fit in more with it straight, and I do like it straight; however, from the time I was a little girl, curls have been a part of my identity. I was the one called Curly Sue growing up. People look for me in crowds by looking for the curls. How would people find me otherwise? Most of the time people associate curls with a crazy personality; I don't think that's me, but I do think curls can have a classic elegance to them (although mine rarely find that), and that's what I try to go for. I guess the bottom line is--curls have become part of me. Even though my hair is stubborn, I have tried to embrace it, and although I straighten it sometimes for a different look, I will always picture me, the real me, with the curls--an appendage of me.