Let Things Land Where They Fall...

When it comes to law school, I think we will never make a decision.  Every time it gets close to a decision, something happens to drag it out again.  Cody called ASU on his last day before his scholarship offer was revoked and let them know he was still waiting to talk to the dean.  The receptionist, with a quick whisk of her hand, said "Oh, we will just extend your deadline two weeks."  So.  We are still in waiting.  I'm kind of staying out of it now and trying to let things land where they fall and someday the right thing will happen.

It's been a busy week for us this week! The main event being Cody graduating from college!  Yay!  He graduated from the University of Utah with a Bachelor Degree in Political Science and minors in Spanish and Campaign Management.  He is such a hard worker!  All those nights of writing ten page papers, studying all day, and even going beyond and doing extra credit work even though he had an A seriously paid off.  He will be an even better law student.  Great job babe!!

We've been really enjoying the warm weather recently.  Cody has spent a lot of time golfing and has really gotten good at it.  I decided I wanted a little more change with my hair for the summer (oh no, I will never cut it so don't even think it) so I decided to get a little more blonde put in it.  I was nervous at first but I really like it now!  It's a fun little change.  Also, I told Cody how much I really wanted some flowers this summer to hang on our balcony so we went and looked at a few hanging pots around town.  There were some really pretty ones but I couldn't decide so we ended up going home without one.  Then the next day or so when I came home from work, Cody had the most beautiful hanging flowers sitting on the counter for me waiting!  It was such a wonderful surprise and I can't wait to keep them blooming this summer!

My mother got a puppy.  She is the tiniest thing I have ever seen, ever.  She's so small!! She is adorable too.  She's a little chocolate poodle.  We are poodle people at the Stam house.  Everyone is still trying to think of a name for her.  We thought about Hershey for a little while.  It's still up in the air, I'm not really sure what fits her yet. She is so reserved and quiet.  She never makes a peep.  She needs a name that says silent but beautiful.  We'll see I guess!

Happy Graduation Cody!! I bought him some red and white Beats by Dre for his present and make graduation cap cupcakes!

My beautiful hanging flower pot Cody bought me.

Good old blondies in my hair.

A sneaky picture of my husband BBQing me some steaks.  He's so cute and so good at taking care of me!

Really fuzzy picture, but little unnamed chocolate poodle is the sweetest!!

Blessings

Being married is so totally wonderful.

It's really unbelievable how blessed Cody and I have been in the past weeks since we got married.  I think both of us have been in a little bit of awe as we have watched everything just fall into place for us.  It's almost like our whole dating life together was such a rough road that now that things are going smoothly, it's shocking. 

We are still waiting on schools to decided where Cody will be starting law school.  That's really freaky to me considering he will be starting in just four short months.  Staying in Utah that's not a big deal, but if we decide Arizona then that's quite the change we have to make in four months time.  But we will make it work, whatever is the best thing.  We are still waiting to talk to the Dean of ASU to discuss his scholarship options.

This last week or so has been a lot of fun at home.  My work schedule worked out so that I had a lot of time to spend with Cody.  We got a lot done in the apartment as far as cleaning and organizing.  We just have one more trip of returning duplicate wedding gifts and we will actually have space in our apartment.  And can use our second bedroom for the dogs instead of having a massive dog cage in the middle of the living room!

We also got a Dyson Animal vacuum! You wouldn't believe how much this was needed.  Having a white husky that loves to lay on the couch, it's a much needed product.  Highly recommended.

After Cody got rear ended by the cop, we decided the best thing for us was to trade his car in and get something different.  His car got terrible gas mileage and things on it just kept breaking down.  Luckily Cody's good friend works in car sales and was able to get us a really great deal.  We ended up trading in the car and leasing a 2013 Volkswagon Jetta. (I'm telling you, leasing is the way to go- even if you want to buy the car.  Lease it first, you will save money on it!  Interested, and I will explain more to you. Leasing is not what it used to be.)  It's a really great car and we are excited to have a car that gets such good gas mileage plus not have to pay for any maintenence whatsoever on it!

We went golfing on Wednesday finally.  Cody has been begging me every since the weather hit 50 degrees.  For me, I enjoy golfing, but I want fantastic weather for it.  But I finally gave in when we were in the 60 degree weather, and we had a lot of fun.  I don't think I'm too bad at it, I got my first Par on one of the holes so I'm slowly improving.  It was probably only my sixth time ever golfing or so!  And Cody is getting really good!  He is taking a golf class right now at the U and not only is it making his golf game improve, but his obession with golf is out of control now.  He talks about golf at least ten billion times a day.  Good thing it's something I enjoy also.

We also decided this last week that we were going to make some good food for dinner.  We actually planned out our meals and shopped for it (okay, I shopped for it) at the beginning of the week so we knew what we needed to do.  I cooked pull apart chicken, BBQ pulled pork, fajitas, and just some boring old tacos so far this week.  Cody also cooked sweet and sour chicken and he did great! We have a few more good ones planned for the week still to come.  It's been a lot of fun and I've actually really enjoyed cooking.  I hope this whole planning the whole week in advanced thing becomes some sort of tradition because it's been great.

Well, that's really all for our little update for now.  Life is busy, but it's very enjoyable.  Each day being married gets better and better.  We are still learning how to work differently with each other.. as much as you think you know everything about that person when you get engaged and even after dating for two years, being married is different.  It's wonderful different, but a whole new learning experience different.  And I love every minute of it!



I found a snake on the green on one of the holes during golfing and Cody wanted to hold it.. So gross.



Our new beautiful Jetta.



Decision, Decisions...

Oh how ironic it becomes when you feel you've made an important decision and then all of a sudden all the factors that lead you to that decision totally change and you're back to square one.

This whole where is Cody going to go to law school charade is wearing on me.  We thought we had made a decision.  Utah it was.  And then, as the universe plans, everything changes.  Cody, the next day, got a phone call from ASU stating they wanted to offer him $20,000 the first year and $10,000 the second year to go to their school. 

Awesome.  No really, it is totally awesome.  It just makes the decision that much harder. Arizona as it stands still will cost just a little bit more money the first year, but it's close enough that it pulls on Cody's heart strings a lot since it's where he really wants to go.

It's where I really wanted to go also until a few days after that call.  I started thinking about actually packing up and moving to Arizona.  And I started freaking out.  Where will we live?  Will we have enough money to afford this?  How much money do I have to pay my work for the contract I signed and will be breaking?  Will I be able to find a job there?  What do we do if I can't find a job since Cody can't work during school?  How will leaving all of my family and friends behind feel?  Am I going to be totally alone with knowing no one and Cody having to spend so much time at school?  Ya, I'm freaking out.

I didn't realize this decision was as big of a decision as it really is.  I thought it was going to be all fun and games picking where to live for the next three years.  So far, it's not very fun.  Some days it's put strain on Cody and I as we try to discuss logically instead of over emotionally how we both feel.  He says prayers.  I say prayers.  We say prayers together.

We have to decide by April 30th.  That's when ASU needs to know for their scholarship offer.  I think my biggest fear is my job.  I got my first RN job in January and had to sign a year contract.  If I break it, I have to pay a whole lot of money.  But even worse, I'm scared about being able to find an RN job in Arizona.  Without a full year worth of experience, many people don't want to hire you.  The reason I got hired here in Utah is because I worked for the same company as a CNA for many years.  What do I have going for me as the newbie from a different state and very little experience? 

I feel bad because I know Cody fully has his heart set on Arizona.  He's been talking about living there for months and months.  Now that that is a real possibility, there's nothing else on his mind.  I've been excited about a lot of it too and trying to repress some of the fears I feel about it, but there's only so long I can hold those fears in. 

I want to do what's best for us.  What is the best school for Cody to go to?  Where is the best place for us to live the first three years of our marriage?  What kind of impact will both places have on our relationship, families, jobs, and lives in general?  I wish I knew the answers to all of this.  I guess praying and praying more is on the adgenda coming here soon. 

I'm very grateful to be able to spend so much time with my husband.  I love him more than I have words to say.  All these huge decisions are just a reality check of being married.  "Married" can be hard sometimes, but I wouldn't trade it for anything else in the world.  Things will work out.  We will figure out what/where is best for us.  And whatever we decide, I know we will love.

A little flash of our week this week...

We went to Ikea and found a new bedframe for our new memory foam mattress.  Cody mostly put it together because the first part of the bed I tried to help with, I broke.  But we totally love the bed, especially the memory foam and especially king sizeeee.



And the dogs probably love the bed as much as we do.



Cody got rear ended by a police officer.  A dog ran out into the street and let just say... the cop may have been following a little too closely.





Easter Morn

Easter went a little like this for the Jenkins couple.

I currently work as a nurse on a maternity floor in the hospital and I had to work a graveyard shift the night before Easter Sunday. Being a nurse has many great perks to it, but working graveyard shifts is not one of them.  I really liked them at first and thought I would like them for a while, but the recovery period after the shift is just brutal.  I find myself having minor medical issues like pain under my ribcage after I work too many night shifts.  Plus spending my time the next day sleeping when I want to be awake spending time with Cody instead is really hard.  Luckily my job lets me do half day shifts and half night shifts so I do get my break from night shifts.

Anyways.  Easter.  I got home around 8:00 am and set out some an Easter basket and candy for Cody.  It took him forever to leave the bedroom or bathroom and see it in the kitchen, but it was a good little surprise for him.  Cody's mother was always so good about doing cute little things for Cody that you would think only little kids got from their mom, so I had to step up to the plate.

Next, we got ready for church.  I know, that sounds crazy because I had just worked all through the night.  But Cody and I hadn't been to church in so long because of the wedding and honeymoon and we wanted to get to our new ward.  So instead of sleeping, I went to our new ward.  Oh, the difference a family ward is from a single's ward.  It's noisy.  It's messy.  And there's pretty much no one mine or Cody's age.  Not to mention, that ward is FULL of terrible singers.  But it's okay, I will get over it.  The bishop seems really nice and it will be good for us to get into a ward where we can stay for a little bit.  Sacrament went nicely, but you better believe my head was bobbing BADLY after a little while.  There's only so much quiet reverence a person who has been up for 24 hours can take.

We left church after sacrament so that I didn't pass out on the spot and I came home and slept until about 4:30.  Then Cody drops the law school bomb on me (which will be explained later in this post).  We went to Cody's grandparent's house where we ate good food, got showered with more candy, and listened to Cody's grandma's cute Easter story presentation.  Once we were done there, we went to my parents house and got even more candy.  My mom is also in this cupcake making phase where she makes these ridiculously yummy candy filled cupcakes that rot your teeth instantly.  So we got a second plate of those (she brought us a different plate a week ago) and came home to watch a movie together for the first time as a married couple- The Lucky One, typical chick flick that I loved and Cody made fun of.  It was a great first Easter together and we had fun spending time with both of our families.  It's still weird and exciting getting used to the idea that we are married, but it's the best thing to remember!  Being married is by far the best thing in the world.

Law School Bomb:  Originally, Cody and I had our hearts set on Cody going to law school at Arizona State and us moving to Phoenix.  I think we were both pretty thrilled with the idea of wonderful weather and a much lower cost of living.  But after a few different eye opening experiences, our plans have changed fast.  Cody has already been accepted to the University of Utah law school and given a $14,000 scholarship for the first year.  Arizona, we are still waiting to hear from.  Cody has to make a decision about the Utah scholarship by Friday.  After those eye opening experiences, we think we are going to stay here in  Utah.  We've realized in the long run it will be cheaper, I will be able to stay at my job I just started and get some solid experience as a nurse, it will be nice staying by family- especially when little babies come into the picture in a few years, and it means we can buy a townhome that has a small backyard and we can get out of a stuffy apartment with two big dogs.  We still have some things to think about and plan to go to the temple and do a lot of praying, but as for now, Utah is the decision.  Maybe we will get our out-of-Utah experience some time later in life.  But for now, I feel very content with this decision and I think Cody does too.  So my Utah friends, that means you are still stuck with the Jenkins. For now.  :)

Our Easter cavities waiting to happen.  Plus a few other fun things.

You know you own a husky when you have been at work for 8 hours already and find a hair like this on your water cup.  Geez.



Oh, just pictures of our rings we take during church.



Things I've Learned Since Marriage Happened

• Calling him "husband" outloud is easy, but my mind still hasn't accepted this new title yet.
• Him calling me "wife" sounds even more weird.
• Having two big dogs when beginning a new marriage is really dumb.
• Having two big dogs in an apartment on the top floor is dumb.
• Having two big dogs is just plain dumb.
• I love my dumb two big dogs, but wouldn't be surprised if I came home from work one day to find out that Cody had either sold or killed both of them.
• Working graveyard shifts where I only get to sleep with Cody at night a few times a week is not fun.
• Having a husband who is laid off from his job can be fun because he is always home when I'm home :)
• Making enough money to pay all the bills without being too worried while Cody looks for a job is really nice.
• Cody twitches so much when he is falling asleep that sometimes I think he's going to break into a full blown seizure.
• What's his is mine...including illnesses.
• Sleeping with Cody while he has a cold is the hardest thing in the world to do because the sound that comes out of his nose could blow the windows off the house.
• Cody wakes up and stops snoring everytime I adjust positions in bed... so while he is sick, I seem to be adjusting every few minutes.
• Apparently I moan in pain in my sleep when I am sick.
• We had to buy a king size bed to fit dog #2 on the end of the bed at all times. END of the BED is the key word and a valued thing since he usually tries to come up to the head.
• Cody and I freak each other out when we say the exact same RANDOM sentence at the exact same time on almost a daily basis.
• Cody's nose bleeds like Niagra Falls.  Finding bloody tissues around the house that he couldn't manage to make to the garbage might make me kill him early on in this marriage.
• I married a man who had to ask me how to start the laundry machine AND how to start the dishwasher. He is very willing to learn though and I'm grateful.
• When sorting laundry by color, Cody will throw his nice white garments on top of the dark color pile for laundry.  He must be color blind.
• Cody gets out of the shower and he must shake off like a dog instead of using a towel because afterwards the entire bathroom seems like it was part of the shower instead of just the tub.
• Instead of coming to work and never eating because I'd rather sleep than spend time making lunch, I now come with a fully packed lunch with napkins that have love notes on them every time.
• Either waking up to or coming home from work in the morning to Cody's cute messy sleepy hair, bloodshot and confused eyes, and sexy morning breath is my favorite thing in the whole world.
• I love that Cody is comfortable enough now to not wake up and use mouthwash just before I get home from work early in the morning.
• Even with this whole list of funny new additions to our lives, not much has changed since getting married.  He still get just as excited to see me each time I see him, he still calls me "babe" instead of my name each time he talks to me- even if he's upset, he still holds my hand everywhere we go or keeps his hand on my back whenever he can't hold my hand, he STILL opens my door almost every time we get into the car, I still fall in love with him more every single day, and he still is the BEST decision I ever have or will make in my life.



Wedding/Honeymoon Time

Well, it's been a whirlwind but Cody and I are home from the honeymoon.  The wedding was so much fun although quite stressful.  It turned out really beautiful though and much better than I expected.  I can't even begin to describe the temple sealing.  The day went by so quickly though it felt like it was over in a blink. 

Then we went on our honeymoon which was absolutely incredible!  We went on a cruise that left out of Puerto Rico.  We traveled to St. Thomas, Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Kitts, and St. Maarten.  Then we stayed in Puerto Rico for a few more days before flying home.  We were able to swim with dolphins, go snorkeling in the amazing ocean, ziplining in the jungle, to a beach where airplanes fly so low you can almost touch them, and shopping in each of the islands we visited.  On the cruise ship we spend time going to the shows and comedy clubs, and Cody spent lots of time eating the ice cream.  I got so sunburned one of our stops that my burn peeled twice!  We took lots of pictures, it was so fun that it was really hard to come back, especially to a lovely snow storm!

Since we've been home things haven't been quite as glamorous.  I had work for the first four out of five days we were home and Cody got a really bad illness.  Then, of course, once Cody starts feeling a little better, his sickness spreads to me.  I guess it really is "what's his is yours" after marriage.  I've had this illness for a few days now and it has been terrible! We had so many plans to clean up the apartment and work on getting my name officially changed, but I guess that will have to work on that once we both get feeling better! But for now, enjoy some pictures of our honeymoon.  I'll post wedding pictures once our photographer is done with them!

 

 

Some pictures with the dolphins we swam with in St. Thomas.

Two dolphins would swim up behind you and each push the bottom of your feet and pushed you out of the water.  It was so fun!

Our boat ride to see the dolphins.

Before dinner on one of our formal nights on the ship.

Our ship, the Carnival Valor.  (And yes, we had a GREAT time with Carnival.)

Ziplining in the jungles of St. Lucia.

Cody and his ice cream he was so obsessed with.

Holding some super cute monkey in St. Kitts.

View from the taxi ride to the beach in St. Kitts.

Airplanes landing right behind the beach in St. Maarten.  The picture doesn't even come close to showing how unbelievable this was!

 

 

 

View from our hotel in Puerto Rico.

Temple Week vs. Party Week

This last week was a big week for both Cody and I.  Firstly, I was able to receive my endowments through the Jordan River temple on March 1st.  It was such an amazing experience, and I am still today taking it all in.  Also, Cody's mother was also able to receive her endowments the day before I went through.  She has had a lot in her life that she has needed to overcome in order to make it to the temple.  She worked so unbelieveably hard to be able to do the things she needed to to be worthy to be there for our wedding.  And Cody and I are both so proud of her that she did it!  It will be such an added blessing to be able to see her in the temple on our wedding day!

This week was filled with  parties.  I had a bachelorette party with some good friends first and it was so much fun.  We played some funny little games that turned out to be way more funny than I'm sure they were intended to be.  It was so great catching up with some friends I haven't seen in a while and visiting with ones I do see more often.  Then later in the week I had two bridal showers, one with my home ward and one with family and close friends.  Bridal showers are always a little awkward because they are kind of like "watch me open gifts you bought me" parties.  Weird.  But I'm really grateful for the gifts Cody and I received because you wouldn't believe how much we need those things.  You would be embarressed to see what I have been cooking things in.  Ya.  It's that bad.  Cody also had a little bachelor party this week with a lot of his friends.  They went to dinner and went bowling and I'm sure Cody got the bachelor treatment he deserved (minus the naked women part...!).  He was quite excited for this little shin dig, he was bugging me about it ALL the time! Some times I think they put so much emphasis on the bride during weddings that the groom gets left out a little bit, so I'm glad Cody got his spotlight party.  Goodness knows Cody is the kind of guy that enjoys that kind of thing.  That's what makes him so much fun though.  He's a total goof and I love it.

We get married in T-4 days!  4 days.  This engagement went by so quickly.  I feel like it was yesterday we were picking out rings. (Which took me like 6 months because I seem to like everything that sparkles, which poses a problem in a really awesome jewlery store.)  Speaking of rings, I got Cody's ring a few days ago.  It's so different than I think both he and I thought he would have picked. But I really do love it.  I think it fits really well with my ring.  I think we have everything planned for the wedding.  You would hope by now we do.  There's still so much we need to do though.  Like move all of Cody's stuff into the apartment!! Oh heck, I'm stressing myself out just thinking about it.  That carribbean cruise is sounding real nice right now instead.  I can't wait to get married.  It's going to be my perfect fairy tale, even if everything you can think of goes wrong.  As long as Cody is there, it's perfect for me.  (Cheesball queen right here.)  But really though, as beautiful and exciting as the whole wedding day experience is, Cody is all I'm looking to get out of it. Things are so perfect.  In love and marriage, in work and my lack of school due to graduation, in family and relationships, in spirituality and the church, and everything else I could possibly think of.  Life doesn't get better than right now.

(Ya, I totally hate blog posts that have no pictures also, so I promise after the wedding I will be overloading this page with so many pictures you won't know where to look first.)