So Many Things To Celebrate

Kurt and I have had the best couple of weeks.  The biggest news for the both of us is that we both passed our big tests! Kurt passed the first section of the CPA Exam, and I passed my End of Year Exam at UCDH.  I've probably complained to most of you about this test, but for those of you who don't know about it, it's a comprehensive exam on most of my classes from 1st and 2nd semester, and for every section, if you get below a 75% (15/20 question), you have to pay to retake the class in a crash-course version after school. Not fun at all, right? Well, I'm okay with it not being fun, because I don't have to retake ANY of my classes. I am SO grateful for such a supportive husband and family.  I was studying all during my 2 week break, even when I was in SB with my family.  Kurt has worked so hard to study for the CPA exam, plus keep up with his full-time job, his calling, and being a husband.  I am so unbelievably proud of him, and I look forward to the upcoming things we can accomplish together.
So, last Wednesday was my 21st birthday.  It's weird. I'm way to young to be 21.  But then again, I am married and we are (for the most part) independent from any sort of monetary support or anything of the sort from our immediate families.  I feel like a young person living an old(er) person's life.  It's odd.  But yes, I am 21.  This birthday was accompanied with going to Sushi Ya with Christine on Sept. 18th (our actual birthday) and making a pizookie at mine and Kurt's place with Christine, Payton, and Alex.  Then Thursday consisted of going to Tucano's Brazilian Grill with Kurt, Christine, and Payton; it was so much fun to go on a double date with my twin...we haven't done that in a while, so I'm glad we were able to do it.  Friday consisted of dinner at Nicoitalia's (a pizza place in Provo with NY style pizza), Nickel City (it's a nickel arcade where you pay with nickels instead of quarters), and a movie night with a couple in our ward.  We watched World War Z. Let's just say I totally thought I was going to have nightmares haha.  But we loved the movie.  Saturday was one of my favorite days of my Birthday Week (yes...I believe in Birthday Weeks.  I'm still trying to get Kurt on board with that).  We went to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple in South Jordan, Utah.  It was absolutely beautiful.  Going to the temple was one of the main things I wanted to do for my birthday.  I love going to the temple, because my little family of two receives so many blessings because of it.  Kurt and I have maintained our goal of going to the temple at least once a month, and trying to go to a different temple every so often.  So far, we have been to the temple 9 times in the past 5 months.  Here's a list of the Temples we have been to:

Los Angeles California Temple - Los Angeles, California

San Diego California Temple - San Diego, California

Salt Lake City Utah Temple - Salt Lake City, Utah

Provo Utah Temple - Provo, Utah

Mount Timponogas Temple - American Fork, Utah

Draper Utah Temple - Draper, Utah

Logan Utah Temple - Logan, Utah

Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple - South Jordan, Utah

I love the temple, and I love the opportunities I have been given to attend the temple and feel the Spirit.  I am incredibly blessed to have been married in a temple for not just time on Earth, but for all eternity.

Kurt and I were able to spend a lot of time with family on Sunday.  About once a month, all the Witt cousins who live in Utah get together and have dinner.  I love going to Cousins dinner and getting to know more members of Kurt's family.  His family is BIG. He has 11 aunts and uncles on the Witt side, so I have a loooooong way to go before I meet them all :)  But we have fun with the ones that are in Utah, and I've had a blast getting to know my new family.

After Cousins dinner, my dearest friend and former college roommate of 2 years, Miss McKenzie, invited me to mine and Christine's very own birthday party! Kurt and I had so much fun catching up with a bunch of our friends.  I was able to reconnect with many friends I hung out with before I married Kurt, so it was fun seeing what everyone has been doing with their lives.  McKenzie deserves a bit of a shout out here: You are seriously the sweetest and kindest person I have ever met.  We have had so many fun times together, and you made my experience at BYU better than I ever could've imagined!  So, THANK YOU MCKENZIE FOR MAKING MY LIFE SPECTACULAR!

Kurt and I have a lot to be grateful for.  We've been married for almost 5 months and we have grown so much in this short amount of time. We are a very blessed family of two :)

So Many Things To Celebrate

Kurt and I have had the best couple of weeks.  The biggest news for the both of us is that we both passed our big tests! Kurt passed the first section of the CPA Exam, and I passed my End of Year Exam at UCDH.  I've probably complained to most of you about this test, but for those of you who don't know about it, it's a comprehensive exam on most of my classes from 1st and 2nd semester, and for every section, if you get below a 75% (15/20 question), you have to pay to retake the class in a crash-course version after school. Not fun at all, right? Well, I'm okay with it not being fun, because I don't have to retake ANY of my classes. I am SO grateful for such a supportive husband and family.  I was studying all during my 2 week break, even when I was in SB with my family.  Kurt has worked so hard to study for the CPA exam, plus keep up with his full-time job, his calling, and being a husband.  I am so unbelievably proud of him, and I look forward to the upcoming things we can accomplish together.
So, last Wednesday was my 21st birthday.  It's weird. I'm way to young to be 21.  But then again, I am married and we are (for the most part) independent from any sort of monetary support or anything of the sort from our immediate families.  I feel like a young person living an old(er) person's life.  It's odd.  But yes, I am 21.  This birthday was accompanied with going to Sushi Ya with Christine on Sept. 18th (our actual birthday) and making a pizookie at mine and Kurt's place with Christine, Payton, and Alex.  Then Thursday consisted of going to Tucano's Brazilian Grill with Kurt, Christine, and Payton; it was so much fun to go on a double date with my twin...we haven't done that in a while, so I'm glad we were able to do it.  Friday consisted of dinner at Nicoitalia's (a pizza place in Provo with NY style pizza), Nickel City (it's a nickel arcade where you pay with nickels instead of quarters), and a movie night with a couple in our ward.  We watched World War Z. Let's just say I totally thought I was going to have nightmares haha.  But we loved the movie.  Saturday was one of my favorite days of my Birthday Week (yes...I believe in Birthday Weeks.  I'm still trying to get Kurt on board with that).  We went to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple in South Jordan, Utah.  It was absolutely beautiful.  Going to the temple was one of the main things I wanted to do for my birthday.  I love going to the temple, because my little family of two receives so many blessings because of it.  Kurt and I have maintained our goal of going to the temple at least once a month, and trying to go to a different temple every so often.  So far, we have been to the temple 9 times in the past 5 months.  Here's a list of the Temples we have been to:

Los Angeles California Temple - Los Angeles, California

San Diego California Temple - San Diego, California

Salt Lake City Utah Temple - Salt Lake City, Utah

Provo Utah Temple - Provo, Utah

Mount Timponogas Temple - American Fork, Utah

Draper Utah Temple - Draper, Utah

Logan Utah Temple - Logan, Utah

Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple - South Jordan, Utah

I love the temple, and I love the opportunities I have been given to attend the temple and feel the Spirit.  I am incredibly blessed to have been married in a temple for not just time on Earth, but for all eternity.

Kurt and I were able to spend a lot of time with family on Sunday.  About once a month, all the Witt cousins who live in Utah get together and have dinner.  I love going to Cousins dinner and getting to know more members of Kurt's family.  His family is BIG. He has 11 aunts and uncles on the Witt side, so I have a loooooong way to go before I meet them all :)  But we have fun with the ones that are in Utah, and I've had a blast getting to know my new family.

After Cousins dinner, my dearest friend and former college roommate of 2 years, Miss McKenzie, invited me to mine and Christine's very own birthday party! Kurt and I had so much fun catching up with a bunch of our friends.  I was able to reconnect with many friends I hung out with before I married Kurt, so it was fun seeing what everyone has been doing with their lives.  McKenzie deserves a bit of a shout out here: You are seriously the sweetest and kindest person I have ever met.  We have had so many fun times together, and you made my experience at BYU better than I ever could've imagined!  So, THANK YOU MCKENZIE FOR MAKING MY LIFE SPECTACULAR!

Kurt and I have a lot to be grateful for.  We've been married for almost 5 months and we have grown so much in this short amount of time. We are a very blessed family of two :)

Taking A Break From A Thing Called School

These past two weeks have been incredible! Why?  Because I had 2 weeks off of school!!! I had Finals Week from August 12th-14th, so after that, I could do whatever I wanted for 18 days.  Although Kurt still had to work, we both were able to enjoy being together more.  Kurt works at home full time, so I got a little taste of what it's like.  I loved being at home.  The cleaning, cooking, grocery shopping, and other "stay at home mom" type of tasks took a lot more work than I thought, but it was a good taste of what life is like being home full time.
During Week 1 of my break, I was able to be an Anesthesia Boards patient for a friend of mine.  It was an incredible experience, because I got to see what I would be going through next August.  It only took about 10 minutes, and my friend PASSED! I was really glad I was able to help her out, but even more glad that I got exposure to what I will be doing when I go to take my Anesthesia Boards.  Later that week, Kurt and I were able to go to a FUN. concert!  We had so much fun! (haha get it??)  But seriously, we had such a good time.  The concert was at The Great Saltair, so it was outside.  It rained a little, but it wasn't too bad.  We chose to sit in the very back on top of the hill, so we could see over everyone and sit during the entire concert.  It was much more enjoyable that way, rather than standing the entire time.  We had to quickly get home and go to bed and get a good night's rest, because that next morning, we drove to Santa Barbara!  We had such a wonderful time there.  Since I'm from there I was able to visit family and friends, and since Kurt's work is based there he was able to go to the office everyday for work.  After Kurt got off work, we were able to spend time together with my family.  We went to ANOTHER concert (2nd concert in 5 days), and we had tons of fun!  Ever heard of the band Heart?  They were a rock band that was popular starting in the 70's, but are still quite popular now.  Well, we went and saw them and Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience at the Santa Barbara Bowl, and it was INCREDIBLE.  We went with my parents, Christine, and Payton.  I'm so glad we were able to go and spend time together as a family as well.  Plus, it was an amazing concert :)
During that week, we were also able to go to the beach, go shopping, go out to dinner, play games, and much more.  My wonderful mom also decided to have a mini celebration for Christine and mine's 21st birthday.  Our birthday isn't until Sept. 18th, but celebrating on August 30th was the way my mom wanted to do it.
Kurt and I had a wonderful time being with my family and vacationing together in Santa Barbara.  We will be going back there in November and December, so it wasn't too difficult to leave, but it's always hard leaving behind people and places you love.
Now, school has started, and I am officially a SENIOR at the Utah College of Dental Hygiene.  I feel so blessed to be able to receive such an incredible education, and that I have a husband and family who supports me in my academic goals and endeavors.
Kurt and I will have a very busy rest of the year.  I am still in school and have accepted another calling at church, and Kurt is working full time, studying full time, and working hard to carry out his calling at church as well.  Kurt and I are the Activities Specialists in our ward, so we are always busy planning the next big activity to bring our ward closer together.  We are planning a Picnic in the Park this Friday, and are very excited for it!  I have been called as Primary Chorister, so I will be working with children ages 3-11, teaching them songs and helping with the Primary Program.  I'm quite nervous, but I'm ready for the new adventure ahead!

FUN. concert at The Great Saltair

Sunday in Santa Barbara, CA

Heart concert with Christine & Payton

Heart 

Taking A Break From A Thing Called School

These past two weeks have been incredible! Why?  Because I had 2 weeks off of school!!! I had Finals Week from August 12th-14th, so after that, I could do whatever I wanted for 18 days.  Although Kurt still had to work, we both were able to enjoy being together more.  Kurt works at home full time, so I got a little taste of what it's like.  I loved being at home.  The cleaning, cooking, grocery shopping, and other "stay at home mom" type of tasks took a lot more work than I thought, but it was a good taste of what life is like being home full time.
During Week 1 of my break, I was able to be an Anesthesia Boards patient for a friend of mine.  It was an incredible experience, because I got to see what I would be going through next August.  It only took about 10 minutes, and my friend PASSED! I was really glad I was able to help her out, but even more glad that I got exposure to what I will be doing when I go to take my Anesthesia Boards.  Later that week, Kurt and I were able to go to a FUN. concert!  We had so much fun! (haha get it??)  But seriously, we had such a good time.  The concert was at The Great Saltair, so it was outside.  It rained a little, but it wasn't too bad.  We chose to sit in the very back on top of the hill, so we could see over everyone and sit during the entire concert.  It was much more enjoyable that way, rather than standing the entire time.  We had to quickly get home and go to bed and get a good night's rest, because that next morning, we drove to Santa Barbara!  We had such a wonderful time there.  Since I'm from there I was able to visit family and friends, and since Kurt's work is based there he was able to go to the office everyday for work.  After Kurt got off work, we were able to spend time together with my family.  We went to ANOTHER concert (2nd concert in 5 days), and we had tons of fun!  Ever heard of the band Heart?  They were a rock band that was popular starting in the 70's, but are still quite popular now.  Well, we went and saw them and Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience at the Santa Barbara Bowl, and it was INCREDIBLE.  We went with my parents, Christine, and Payton.  I'm so glad we were able to go and spend time together as a family as well.  Plus, it was an amazing concert :)
During that week, we were also able to go to the beach, go shopping, go out to dinner, play games, and much more.  My wonderful mom also decided to have a mini celebration for Christine and mine's 21st birthday.  Our birthday isn't until Sept. 18th, but celebrating on August 30th was the way my mom wanted to do it.
Kurt and I had a wonderful time being with my family and vacationing together in Santa Barbara.  We will be going back there in November and December, so it wasn't too difficult to leave, but it's always hard leaving behind people and places you love.
Now, school has started, and I am officially a SENIOR at the Utah College of Dental Hygiene.  I feel so blessed to be able to receive such an incredible education, and that I have a husband and family who supports me in my academic goals and endeavors.
Kurt and I will have a very busy rest of the year.  I am still in school and have accepted another calling at church, and Kurt is working full time, studying full time, and working hard to carry out his calling at church as well.  Kurt and I are the Activities Specialists in our ward, so we are always busy planning the next big activity to bring our ward closer together.  We are planning a Picnic in the Park this Friday, and are very excited for it!  I have been called as Primary Chorister, so I will be working with children ages 3-11, teaching them songs and helping with the Primary Program.  I'm quite nervous, but I'm ready for the new adventure ahead!

FUN. concert at The Great Saltair

Sunday in Santa Barbara, CA

Heart concert with Christine & Payton

Heart 

Summer Vacation

Last Wednesday I finished my last final, which means that I officially finished my 2nd semester of Dental Hygiene school! I am so happy that I finally get a break.  During the last break, I went home and got married (best break from school of my life, but not necessarily relaxing), but this break I get to just relax.  Okay...not really.  The week after school starts, I have an End of the Year exam, which is a comprehensive test with almost all of the subjects I have studied from my 1st and 2nd semesters of dental hygiene school.  So, I need to study during my break.  It's not going to be fun, but it will be worth it when I pass that test!
So, to celebrate being done with school for 2 and a half weeks, Kurt and I decided to spend the weekend with family.  We went up to Logan this past weekend to stay with Kurt's brother Ryan, his wife Kaylynn, and their son, Dallin.  First, we went to Lagoon on Friday with Ryan & Kaylynn.  I was a little nervous to go, because I get SO motion sick (I would get motion sick driving when I first got my permit; it's that bad.), but I ended up getting through the day quite well.  We had so much fun! Kurt absolutely LOVES rollercoasters, so I know he enjoyed himself.  Then on Saturday, we went to the Logan Temple.  It is absolutely beautiful!  Kurt and I have a goal of going to a new temple every month (within reason; fortunately, there are many temples around us within a couple hour radius) and we've been able to do that.  I love going to the temple with Kurt. We have a wonderful time when we go, and it definitely helps us put things into perspective and give us the strength to get us through the trials we face individually and as a family.  I've loved being able to learn things and grow spiritually by going to the temple every month, and I look forward to visiting more temples in the years to come. On Sunday, we were able to go to church in Logan.  Kurt went to Young Mens with Ryan, and I went to Nursery for 2 hours with Kaylynn (and Dallin!).  I'll be honest, I didn't know what to expect.  But I had a great time, and it's fun seeing how the young kids interact with each other.  It's been a while since I've played with play dough and sung primary songs, so it was fun experiencing all of that again.  Overall, church was a very a very enjoyable and positive experience, as it always is.
This week, Kurt and I will be going to a FUN concert, and then leaving for Santa Barbara this weekend.  We are so excited to go home and visit friends and family.  Although Kurt still has to go to work, it'll be fun to have a change of scenery.

Things I Have Learned (and Relearned) Over The Past Month

1) Daily scripture study helps you do better in school.
2) I am terrible at any game involving cards.
3) Kurt is more creative than I am.
4) Going to the temple brings blessings.
5) Paying your tithing is more than giving up money.
6) I'm a better cook than I initially anticipated.
7) Regularly participating in physical activities gives you more energy rather than making you more tired.
8) A clean home is a happy home.
9) Cleaning out your closet gives you a great sense of accomplishment.
10) One man's trash is another man's treasure.
11) Developing positive relationships with family members has tremendous eternal blessings.
12) True sacrifice will bring you true happiness.

Summer Vacation

Last Wednesday I finished my last final, which means that I officially finished my 2nd semester of Dental Hygiene school! I am so happy that I finally get a break.  During the last break, I went home and got married (best break from school of my life, but not necessarily relaxing), but this break I get to just relax.  Okay...not really.  The week after school starts, I have an End of the Year exam, which is a comprehensive test with almost all of the subjects I have studied from my 1st and 2nd semesters of dental hygiene school.  So, I need to study during my break.  It's not going to be fun, but it will be worth it when I pass that test!
So, to celebrate being done with school for 2 and a half weeks, Kurt and I decided to spend the weekend with family.  We went up to Logan this past weekend to stay with Kurt's brother Ryan, his wife Kaylynn, and their son, Dallin.  First, we went to Lagoon on Friday with Ryan & Kaylynn.  I was a little nervous to go, because I get SO motion sick (I would get motion sick driving when I first got my permit; it's that bad.), but I ended up getting through the day quite well.  We had so much fun! Kurt absolutely LOVES rollercoasters, so I know he enjoyed himself.  Then on Saturday, we went to the Logan Temple.  It is absolutely beautiful!  Kurt and I have a goal of going to a new temple every month (within reason; fortunately, there are many temples around us within a couple hour radius) and we've been able to do that.  I love going to the temple with Kurt. We have a wonderful time when we go, and it definitely helps us put things into perspective and give us the strength to get us through the trials we face individually and as a family.  I've loved being able to learn things and grow spiritually by going to the temple every month, and I look forward to visiting more temples in the years to come. On Sunday, we were able to go to church in Logan.  Kurt went to Young Mens with Ryan, and I went to Nursery for 2 hours with Kaylynn (and Dallin!).  I'll be honest, I didn't know what to expect.  But I had a great time, and it's fun seeing how the young kids interact with each other.  It's been a while since I've played with play dough and sung primary songs, so it was fun experiencing all of that again.  Overall, church was a very a very enjoyable and positive experience, as it always is.
This week, Kurt and I will be going to a FUN concert, and then leaving for Santa Barbara this weekend.  We are so excited to go home and visit friends and family.  Although Kurt still has to go to work, it'll be fun to have a change of scenery.

Things I Have Learned (and Relearned) Over The Past Month

1) Daily scripture study helps you do better in school.
2) I am terrible at any game involving cards.
3) Kurt is more creative than I am.
4) Going to the temple brings blessings.
5) Paying your tithing is more than giving up money.
6) I'm a better cook than I initially anticipated.
7) Regularly participating in physical activities gives you more energy rather than making you more tired.
8) A clean home is a happy home.
9) Cleaning out your closet gives you a great sense of accomplishment.
10) One man's trash is another man's treasure.
11) Developing positive relationships with family members has tremendous eternal blessings.
12) True sacrifice will bring you true happiness.

Celebrating Another Month of Eternal Happiness

Exactly 3 months ago, I married an amazing man.  He was a combination of the following: my best friend, the funniest person I knew,  the silliest person I had ever met, the most athletic man I had ever seen, someone who always treated me with kindness, the man with the biggest heart in the world, the most obedient son of our Heavenly Father that I had ever known, and the love of my life.  I have had the honor of being married to this wonderful person for the past 3 months, and I fall more in love with him everyday.
I have learned quite a lot in these last 3 months about being in a relationship/marriage than I ever have in my entire life.  Let me share with you some of the profound things I have learned (that you may possibly know already, but bare with me. I'm a slow learner).

1.  The wife is not always right, even though she is the wife. -- Many people have given us the advice, "She's always right, and don't bother arguing with it."  Personally, I think that's quite possibly some of the worst advice a person can give.  As much as I would like to be right all the time, that is not the case.  And if I don't recognize that I can be, and most often am, wrong, how will I possibly learn what is right?  I hate admitting that I'm wrong. HATE it.  But, in all honesty, admitting that I'm wrong is quite a humbling experience, and a necessary experience as well.  Kurt and I have grown so much closer because we are honest with each other when one is right and one is wrong.
(Moment of truth: half the time, both of you are actually right...)

2. Paying your tithing brings blessings. -- As you all know, I am in school.  This school happens to be a very expensive  school.  And I don't have a job, which means my wonderful husband (who graduated 2 years ago) gets the opportunity to work full time and pay for my schooling.  But regardless of how much we have to pay for our schooling and our living expenses, we are diligent in paying tithing and fast offerings.  I have seen so many blessings in being obedient and paying tithing: things last longer than what you had planned, financial situations seem to work to our advantage, money literally shows up in places where you didn't think you had it, opportunities to save money reveal themselves (which helps fix that tight financial situation of ours), etc.  I am so grateful to be married to someone who is obedient and willing to follow the commandments of God.  He's a keeper.

3. Weekly Date Night is VERY important. -- I am at school pretty much all day, and Kurt is at work all day.  It's nearly impossible to leave work at work, and school at school.  We love getting out and participating in activities together.  Kurt and I have gotten quite good at minigolf.  Today we went to Seven Peaks (a water park in Provo, UT).  Sometimes we go out to dinner, other times we stay in and play board games.  But date night gives us the opportunity to forget about the challenges that come with work and school, and focus on building our eternal relationship.  I am so thankful that I get to spend so much time with my husband.  We have had so many opporunities to learn more about one another and grow closer together.

4. Take time to cook dinner, and eat it together.. -- I was a terrible cook when we first got married.  I could pretty much only cook pasta, and microwave the spaghetti sauce.  I was so bad, I would cook my own dinner, and Kurt would cook his own dinner, and then we'd just eat it together.  Now, I'm a guacamole-making, salad-tossing, salmon-grilling, taco-stuffing, garlic bread-baking Chef.  I am quite proud of myself.  Not only did I develop a new talent (which is still in need of a lot more work), I have a very happy husband.  We both love food, and we both grew up eating with our families every day.  It was difficult trying to eat together when we were both preparing different dinners and then trying to eat them together.  I would usually finish cooking and eating before he had really even started making his dinner.  So, I finally made some effort to cook for two, and make meals that BOTH of us enjoyed.  Then it became a lot easier to eat together.  And we enjoyed it because we were eating good food. Overall, it's a win win situation.

5.  Take pictures and hang them in your home. -- I used to take pictures all the time, and I've now gotten lazy.  I'm one of those people who feels bad asking someone else to take a picture.  But then I look back and realize that there are so many experiences that I wish I had documented!  My first goal with pictures is to take as many as I possibly can within our first year of marriage.
I have thousands and thousands of them on my computer and many that are printed, but unfortunately we haven't gotten around to hanging any of them.  My next goal is to hang pictures in our home before summer ends.  What I love about many of the pictures we have is that they're pretty much all family portraits.  Since there's only Kurt and me, every picture is a picture of our family.  That's given me more motivation to take more pictures, and hopefully hang some soon!  I think it will bring more of the Spirit into our home if we show that we have a family-centered and gospel-centered home.


As much as I have learned these past 3 months, I have much more to learn.  There is so much to know about being a wife, that I sometimes feel sad that I don't know much.  But I have eternity to learn.  Not that I will put off learning because I have so much time to learn, but I will definitely stop beating myself up for not knowing everything within the first three months of being a new wife.
I am so grateful for such a kind and loving husband, who takes time to understand me and get to know more about me everyday.  He's my best friend, and has sacrificed so much for me already, and it's only been a couple months!  I look forward to the eternity of happiness that I get to spend with my Sweetheart!