New Thang

I've been having an internal struggle with my hair over the past few months. I have enjoyed it being longer than I've ever had it, and when I put the time and effort into it, I really loved it. However... it is truly a pain in the butt, and since my hair is so thin and fine- it takes me 30-45 minutes to get my hair the way I want it, and within 20 minutes it's stringy, flat and tangly.

But even with this, the thought of chopping it off gave me anxiety. I've come close a couple of times, but when I sat in the chair.. I quickly changed my mind to only a trim. I'd go home shortly liberated and proud of myself for not cutting it, but soon after I'd be kicking myself.

So I finally did it. I made an appointment for 9:00 this morning, and didn't look back! I have to admit, I became quite emotional afterwards (a little during, too..) I called Alex in tears- completely overreacting and saying that he's going to hate it over and over. (Not building his confidence in the haircut, I'm sure...) It's a lot to get used to, but here she is... "The New Do":

Blessings

I love this time of year. It gives me another reason to be thankful for the many, many blessings I have.

• Alex. I can't ever start a "thankful" list without him. I don't think I truly understand just how good I have it. I have a man who loves a clean house, is sensitive, who will watch chick fliks with me (and not complain), is affectionate, says I love you at LEAST twice a day, has a strong testimony, served a mission, is a hardworker, is a good singer, is extremely loyal to his beliefs and friends, can walk through home decor stores for hours with me and ENJOY it, cares about looking nice, is ridiculously good looking, is organized, is thoughtful, is funny, is smart, who is NOT quick to anger, who hates to fight, and who is just the greatest guy I've ever known. Take all of this and add to that he loves me? I know what you're thinking... this can't be a real human being. But it is. And I am darned lucky.
  Did I mention ridiculously good looking? Mmm..mm..mmm..
  • Family. I know this is a generic one that is probably on everyone's lists. But I don't care. Like the preceding blessing, I can't forget this one either. As I have grown older, I've realized that I have a fantastic family. My family has evolved so much in these last couple years. At one point, I figured that everyone in my family would stay within an hours distance from eachother. We'd all live in Oklahoma for the rest of our lives, and even one day- we'd all have houses right next door to eachother. (I know that sounds crazy....) The Lord didn't have that in mind for us, but I think that He knew we'd all stay in touch, no matter the distance. That is why I am living in Utah, I have a sister in OH, soon to be FL, I have another sister who will be in another country by the end of next year, a brother in TX and a brother on a mission. There is only one sibling that will be left in OK. Pretty spread out... but I know that even though we are starting our own eternal units, we are still an eternal family. Which brings me to my next blessing....
  • The Gospel. Without it I would not be who I am. Without it I wouldn't have survived the darkest days following my dad passing away. Without it I wouldn't have met my husband and been sealed to him for time and all eternity. Without it I wouldn't have the comfort and peace that comes with the occasional trial. Without it I wouldn't have any reason to challenge myself and strengthen my weaknesses. Without it I wouldn't be truly happy. I love it, and my life is anchored to it.
  
• Christmas Music. Yep. I said it. I am not ashamed! I enjoy listening to Christmas the day after Thanksgiving. :) Nothing quite compares to the feelings you get when you hear the first Christmas song of the season. Ahhhhh.. I love this time of year!
• Seeing those you care about turn tragedy into triumph. My brother, Coulter, is currently serving a mission in Dominican Republic. I won't go into great detail, but it has been a long road to get here, and he has always had a positive attitude. Many times the outlook seemed bleak, but he perservered and made it through. Now he is a worthy, happy, successful missionary and I literally get giddy when I think about him.

• Good friends. There are only a few who I still remain in constant contact with, and I don't mind it. I love the friends I have and I'm very blessed to have them in my life.
• Great examples. My mom and uncle both joined the church in college. Their parents still aren't members, yet they don't let this dwindle their testimonies. They are rock solid people and I know I can call both of them whenever I need anything.

And furthermore, I'm grateful for (deep breath): Pumpkin pie, hot chocolate, Mormon Tabernacle Choir, a great relationship with Alex, blankets, twinkly lights on garland, Christmas Trees, random acts of kindness, a job, a healthy body, repentance, piano, great music, talking about old times with friends, anticipation for the season, planning for the future, being almost debt free by March (a personal favorite), Cafe Rio, Dr. Pepper, and the list could go on and on and on......

Who COULDN'T love this?!

That's what I thought. ;)

Lately..

When I first started this blog, I thought that I would always have something interesting to write about. But as I started to really think about what we do in our day to day lives... I found that we truly aren't that interesting, and there really isn't anything interesting to write about. Hmm. I've found myself in a pickle.

So, I'll try to give you a quick (and trust me, it's quick) update on what's been going on in the Teran household.

• We both have callings now, and we both are back in Primary. I have to admit, at first we weren't particularly psyched, but we decided to give it our best shot. I'm the primary pianist, and he is teaching alongside another teacher of the 4-5 year olds. Playing in front of people has never been a strong suit of mine, but I've found that it is forcing me to practice- and that the kids don't listen to me anyway. :)
• I got a little promotion at work. It gave me a small raise, and I'm not complaining. Anything is better than nothing at this point.
• I decided to go to school, and even though I'm only taking one class- it makes me feel somewhat accomplished. I've been talking about going to college for a while now, and one class is better than no class! :)
• Alex and I are going to be lumberjacks for Halloween. I'm not one who generally enjoys dressing up for the holiday, but decided to give it a shot. Besides, it just means that the holidays are coming up!! I felt the urge to put on Christmas music.... but I restrained myself. Proud?

And truly, that is the updates of our lives. We're just living the routine life, and loving it. It's nice to have time to spend together and just enjoy this phase in our lives. I have no idea what will happen in the next few years, or where we'll be... but I'm excited for the journey.

A Change Of Seasons

Well, it's offically fall. We have autumn scents burning non-stop, and I've been trying to bake a little more often than usual. Due to it being our vacation (we have had this week off together) I thought it would be the opportune time to start my baking frenzy, but on Monday morning, I woke up with a horrible cold. I'm just now starting to feel better.... I've felt lousy all week. I was determined, however, to not let it get me down! :)

This week has been filled with:

• TaiPan
• Rolo Cookies
• Rolls :)
• Shooting guns. (Yep, you read correctly. I have to admit, I did enjoy it!)
• A photography exhibit downtown- followed by eating at a cute, delicious cafe.
• Deseret Book (where I finally purchased a journal... I've been dying to get one for the longest time, and I have been faithfully writing since!)
• IKEA
• Going on a mini hike in the canyons (and believe me when I say it was mini... my head felt as if it would explode.)
• Out to lunch with a good friend
• Getting excited for the holidays!
• Staying up late and sleeping in. :)

I'm thinking that when I go back to work on Tuesday, I'll feel refreshed and energized. It was a much needed break! I've been lovin' all this quality time with Al. I've been bad haven't taken any pictures thus far.. hopefully I'll manage to take a couple before the vacation is officially over.