Friendship

So, I've been thinking a lot about friendship and how wonderful it is :) Thinking about it has made me grateful for all the friends I have--single friends, married friends, family friends (aka friends in the family), my best friend (Grant), church friends, math ed friends, you name it. Friends are all around! I'm grateful because it seems like no matter what, they never get old. I always feel like I can catch up with any of my friends and we can talk like we had never been apart. All these different friends have influenced me for various reasons. My single friends (some soon to be married!) have given me a lot of good memories and are still there for me no matter what! I love them very much! My married friends are good examples to me of how I can be a better wife, and how to live a well balanced life. Family friends are awesome! I learn from all of their knowledge and experience and they have always been there for me to talk to. Church friends give me spiritual support and help me be a better person, and math ed friends always give me a shoulder to cry on. No matter who it is, friends are all around and I'm grateful for them :)

Valentines Day :)

A day of love :) How wonderful! This is mine and Grant's first Valentines Day together...kind of. Last year we were kind of starting to date, but he still gave me flowers last year (he's super thoughtful!) This year, I told Grant that I wasn't expecting anything and to not feel like he needs to do anything for me. Well, he didn't really follow that at all hahaha. The first thing he did was write me a love note and left it in my laptop, which really meant a lot to me. Next, when we came home from campus he banned me from the kitchen--usually he at least lets me cook with him, but this time he wouldn't have any of that. Just as a side note, when I walked in I saw a vase full of red roses--what a sweetheart! Anyways, he wouldn't even let me see what he was cooking! So, I relaxed while he cooked up the most amazing dinner (Chicken Cordon Bleu thing with seasoned potatoes and toast and alredo noodle goodness...it was SO good!) Not only did he make enough for that night, but for the whole week! He also bought some milk chocolate chips and white chocolate chips, along with bananas and strawberries so we could dip them in chocolate for dessert--what a genius! It  was fun to have a night of relaxing in the midst of school and work and everything else. I got him a card as well as some fudge and peanut buttery goodness from the BYU bookstore that he had to try--it really is amazing. Needless to say it was a great Valentines day, and my husband is the best husband in the world. He really is so thoughtful and works so hard. I'm grateful to have him :)

Horray!

The past couple of weeks in our ward have been awesome! I don't think Grant or I realized how hard it is to get to know people and make friends in a married ward. You don't have group FHE, ward prayer, and quite frankly, in a married student ward, everyone just wants to build their marriage and family, which is good, but finding friends takes a while.
However, these past couple weeks have been great! Grant and I have been more outgoing and had our first couples date a few weeks ago. It's also been kind of hard to get involved because we didn't have callings yet, but visiting teaching and home teaching have helped. Today, I was also called to be the RS pianist. I'm grateful for the chance to have this calling again because I haven't been playing the piano as much as I would like to. It'll be a good chance for me to develop that talent again.
Also, Grant and I are giving talks next week--WOO! I know people joke around a lot about giving talks in church, but I actually like it hahaha and I think Grant does too. It'll give us a chance to introduce ourselves and help us get to know more people. It's taken a while, but we're making friends, we're getting involved in the ward, and we're loving every minute of it :) Wards really are something special, and I'm grateful we have the chance to meet and worship together every week.

Tribute to Grandparents

I've been thinking a lot about my grandparents lately so I decided to write a little tribute to each of them.

Grandma Gay
I love Grandma Gay very much, and there are still some times when I miss her a lot. I think the hardest thing was her not being there at my wedding day--I missed seeing her run around with her camera, catching all the little moments that I probably missed. Although she isn't my biological grandmother, I definitely consider her a blood relative. Last summer, I considered going back to BYU to take a few summer classes, but I felt like I needed to be with my family. Heavenly Father works in mysterious ways, but I'm grateful I got that prompting, because a few days later, my niece Ella was born 6 weeks premature, and a couple days later Grandma Gay was put in the hospital. With all the craziness going on in our family last summer, I'm grateful I decided to stay. I was in the room with Grandma when she passed away and all I could think about was how different Christmas Eve's would be, and especially who would take pictures at every family event! Although I knew how much I would miss her, I was also comforted by the Plan of Salvation. I know that I'll see Grandma again, and even though I still miss her, I'm excited for this summer when we can do her temple work. She was the most compassionate person and I learned a lot of lessons from her. She truly lived the golden rule.

                                                    Mom, Aunt Stacy, Me, and Grandma Gay


Grandpa Woodhouse

I love Grandpa Woodhouse! I feel like I can talk to him about anything--I think I kept him the most updated on my current boyfriends, classes, funny blonde moments, etc. I love Grandpa Woodhouse's smile and his laugh, and I love his sense of fashion (see picture above--check out his awesome vest!)

Grandpa is the type of person that will give anything he has for anyone. He is so generous with what he has, and I'm so proud to call him my Grandpa. He helped my brothers pay for their missions, he's helped me with college and my marriage, and is always helping families in need with generous donations. I've learned from him that it's important to give to other people and try to understand other people. I've learned how to be compassionate from him.

Grandma Larsen
I love Grandma Larsen! Her and I have a lot in common--we're both head strong, we both like having things clean, and we both have a love of music. I remember when I was a little girl that I loved playing on Grandma's organ and using her little music stand down in the house in Joseph. Grandma has been a huge inspiration in my life as far as music, and especially now that I'm married, I can look back and see how she has supported Grandpa Larsen. I hope that I can be half the wife and mother that she has been. Grandma has always had a good sense of humor, and I've definitely learned that being confident is something that's needed in every strong woman.

Grandpa Larsen
I don't even know where to start with Grandpa Larsen. I don't think he realizes how much of a wonderful influence he has been on my life. I few favorite memories I have of him is whenever he used to do "plow" on my back--it felt so good but tickled so bad at the same time! He also used to call me Belle because I loved Beauty and the Beast so much. I remember Grandpa as being one who loved the Lord, and one who loved his family very much. Grandpa has had many wonderful experiences as he's served in the church. I didn't hear about a few of them until last year when I went to lunch with him at the Brick Oven. He is a man of great faith, and I'm proud to call him my Grandpa. I love him very much

I'm grateful for my heritage, and for all the lessons that these four wonderful people have taught me. Whether they know it or not, they each have made a wonderful impact on my life.

Global Warming?! Really?! Al Gore was WRONG!

What the heck is going on here?!?! I walk outside and want to cry, but I can't because if I do my tears will turn into instant ice! Walking up from where Grant and I parked to the Talmage (ya know, about 7 minutes), and my nose hairs were frozen...I didn't even know I had nose hairs till today! My hands were cold (despite the gloves), my legs were cold (despite the hairy-ness), my upper body was cold (despite the "weather proof" jacket I got), and my face was completely red...COMPLETELY! I swear they need a sauna on campus where you can thaw out. With the wind chill it was -5 today...in the middle of the day...NEGATIVE FIVE! WHY ON EARTH WAS SCHOOL CANCELLED IN COLORADO AND NOT IN UTAH?! Al Gore, I'd like to hear about your theories on global warming again. You walk up to campus and tell me that the world is getting too hot--LIAR! Winter and I used to be lovers...but I've moved on. Give me my sunshine back. My skin is pale, my face is cold, my toes are going to fall off, and I'm about to get grumpy very quickly. Good thing this dumb groundhog didn't see his shadow or I might have to go poke out his lil' eyeballs. Early spring better get here...now...

Life as we know it

Well, life here in the Vanderhorst family is pretty normal--although we did have a pretty spectacular weekend. I was able to get 2 math tests and a quiz out of the way, just in time for Grant's parents to stop by for a quick visit on their way down to St. George, and for my mom to come into town last Friday night! It was so great to see her! She really is the best mom in the world, and even though it was a short visit, it was still fun to see her.

School is going alright. I'm finding that I'm getting a bad case of senioritis...I think I'm just getting worn out. I need to get remotivated in school, but now that I'm a wife I feel like all I want to do is cook, clean, and take care of my husband :) School's still important though, so I'm getting back into the groove of things, but a little slowly. Grant, on the other hand, is doing awesome in school and is really staying on top of things--he really is such a hard worker.
Speaking of which, Feb 6th is coming up, which means Grant and I will celebrate our one year anniversary from our first date! Look how far we've come :)

Ok, so maybe not THAT far :) Not yet at least :)