Many Good Things

Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!!! Ours was quiet but a good time :) On christmas eve, we had dinner at my moms with my little brother Tanner, and my mom's boyfriend, and his mom. We played some games, ate LOTS of pie, and watched a good handful of Chrismas movies. It was almost one by the time Steven and I got home and since it was technically Christmas, we decided to open up most of our presents then. it's not like we're little kids or anything ;) we saved some presents to open with our family when Josh is home and the big celebration begins but one of the gifts Steven opened was a game I had given him. We then proceeded to play canasta in bed until about 5 in the morning when I decided I had lost enough for the night and was ready to crash haha. good times. One of my favorite parts of Christmas this year though was getting Steven's big gift- a new guitar <3 I hadn't gotten a new guitar since my beginner one. Although I had an upgrade when I got to take over Josh's while he was on his misison. Since he'll be home soon though, I thought it may be a good time to get myself a big girl guitar. I haven't played very much since I got married because between the job I got then and adjusting to married life, I have had NO time. With school winding down though and with a better schedule this coming semester, I'm really looking forward to getting back into my music and writing.

                                          Isn't she beautiful???? gahh. LOVE it. and HIM :)

Because we both splurged a little on eachother for christmas this year , I decided to wait on all the apartment updates I was going to shoot for over the break. So no pictures yet there. But we'll see. hopefully soon!

With my more manageable schedule I will have this next semester, I'm planning on getting back into the workout routine I worked so hard to get into over the summer. While I did not work out consistently during Fall, I went to the gym occasionally when I did have the time to do so. Since then, Steven and I have invested in a bike machine to keep at home to help fill in days when going to the gym just won't work out. Between that and having free mornings 3X a week, I'll make it happen!! We are going to Hawaii for a friend's wedding this summer and you bet I'm gonna be beach ready ;) After seeing what I could do last summer, I know I can drop the remaining weight I have to go to reach my goal and I'm super excited about it. I feel SO much better and energized when I exercise regularly and it just keeps me in a good mood which will help me stay sane when school gets crazy as it always manages to do.

Week 4

Happy Monday morning bloggers! Life is crazy. Last week we had a tournament for our Orem frisbee league so we had two games on Thursday and 3 games on Saturday. Let me tell ya, by the Saturday afternoon, I was absolutely exhausted. I had a blister the size of a quarter on one of my ankles, I have a bruise on my foot where I got stamped on with someone else's cleats, and my body ached from sore muscles and sunburns. Wowza. We won 2/3 games on Saturday and that final win was sooooo satisfying. with that all said, I am glad to be taking a break from frisbee. I do want to stay in shape though and keep practiced up because I've pretty much decided to play with the BYU girls team in the fall- woo hoo!

After our tourney Saturday we ate lots of food and hung out with some of our good friends. Then Sunday afternoon Steven's parents came to town so we ate lunch together and they dropped off some more boxes for us to use for packing. Steven's dad has an interview today in SLC so we're keeping them in our prayers! Then last night we met with some other friends of ours for ice cream and games. It was great.

As you can tell though, we have been procrastinating with the move. We are so excited but we kept trying to convince ourselves that packing wouldn't take long... yeah. sure. As of this morning, the bedroom was mostly packed, the bathroom is packed, and the kitchen is empty except for what's in our fridge. Most of the things in our closets are already in storage bins or boxes so really, we're mostly done. We'll pack up the truck tonight, clean the place, sleep on the floor, and move first thing in the morning! Boo yah!

After everything is dropped off at our new place, Steven and I are planning to go with his parents to the Manti temple which I'm super excited for because I've never been inside! Then come the festivities for the 4th. I'm starting the morning off bright and early running a 5K with a friend. She signed up and wanted a running buddy. I have never done one before so I thought, heck, why not?? After that wakes me up, Steven and I are meeting with some friends for a birthday breakfast (how cool would it be getting fireworks every year on your birthday?!). after that we'll probably unpack, eat yummy summer foods, and end the night with fireworks. yes, that sounds like a good way to spend the holiday :)

Do you guys have any fun 4th of July traditions? Steven's family wasn't huge on holidays but my family loved them and I'd love to get some fun traditions going for our own little family!

<3 K

P.S. I didn't forget about this week's goal, but with so much going on over this weekend I'll wait to post on that until later this week.

busy busy busy

well it's been quite a while since we've had an update on here and it's about time! life is wonderful, crazy, and never a bore. being married to your best friend is a great adventure. you don't think you have more to learn about eachother until you live together, then boy do you learn! there are times when you have to stretch yourself, rise above your habitual ways, and really take a step back and take a look at the bigger picture. not that marriage is a trial, it's not :) but if you plan to learn and grow together you have to be willing to actually do so. nhat may mean some discomfort, perhaps some arguing, and maybe a slight feeling of insanity of times. BUT this is all good for us. not to mention all the simple joys that come from married life, it's just overall a great deal. now, words of wisdom aside, here is what is new with the Shepherds! the wedding was great and the reception was such a kick butt party! Of course small details fell through but it was too late for anyone to really care and spending the night with family and friends was priceless. the next day steven and I left for Vegas where we flew out to cabo san lucas, MEXICO! our resort was right on the beach and it was gorgeous!! I will forever wish to wake up to the sound of waves outside my window. my favorite thing we did there was snorkeling (although I did swallow some salt water in the process). SO awesome. poor steven got sick while we were there though so we spent a decent amount of time aroung the resort. we still squoze in time for horseback riding, massages, and a dinner cruise though, yay!

well eventually the honeymoon ended and the reality of real life sunk back in as classes started up again. while the apartment came together fairly nicely as we got settled, it just hasn't been a great fit for us and we decided to look for someplace closer to school and work, in a student complex, and with a dishwasher :) and we found one! so, we will be moving in the beginning of december. oh, and did I mention we can paint the walls WHATEVER color we'd like? double bonus.

besides the big stuff, I crashed our scooter last week and am currently recovering. in reality I didn't get it too bad but my right let did get pretty banged up and some of the cuts are getting infected so thursday the doctor gets to check that one out. but no broken bones or serious trauma so i'll take that as a win.

Steven is working hard to wrap up his midterms this week and then we might get to relax for a weekend until my second round of exams starts up. sometimes it feels like we just run non stop until christmas. speaking of which I AM SO EXCITED FOR THE HOLIDAYS THIS YEAR!!! not sure if it's just that it's our first round of them together as old married people or if its because it means visiting everyone i miss and love. in a few weeks, we'll be flying to Colorado for my sister-in-law's wedding so we'll get to see all of Steven's family. Then thanksgiving in st. george with mom, the boys, and lots of grandparents, cousins, and aunts and uncles. then christmas in nevada with daddy-o then off to Portland for a friend's wedding!

so a book and a half later, here we are, decently up to date, just getting to the good stuff <3