24K Gold

 

I seriously have felt so overcome with gratitude this past week for so many people that reached out to me and sent kind words and birthday wishes.

It caused me to think about how grateful I am to have been born when I was and how it’s allowed me to live a life that has crossed paths with so many incredible people. I’m a firm believer that we’re here to help each other back to our heavenly home and I feel so much gratitude for so many people in my life in Utah, Tennessee, Louisiana and now Pennsylvania that have blessed and influenced me and shown me what Christlike love and compassion looks and feels like.

My birthday started out with a bunch of texts, phone calls and FaceTimes from friends and family and listening to Bruno Mars’ 24K Magic song on repeat. It was a fitting song because I turned 24 and also because so many people reached out and made me feel worth way more than 24K gold.

It makes me want to be even better at remembering people’s birthdays and taking time to reach out on both specific and random days because everyone should feel special and thought of.

After we got up and ready for the morning I opened a package from my parents that came in the mail complete with balloons (so I could make my own banner) and a handful of squirrels.

 

When I was in high school Bridger said my spirit animal was a flying squirrel because when he’d go with me to friends basketball games or hangouts he’d see me “scurry around” to groups with my arms stretched out wide apparently would always be like Ayyyy!!! I’m here let’s party!!!

Then when I was about to leave on my mission our stake president came to set me apart and asked each family member to say something they loved about me and why they thought I’d be a good missionary. Bridger literally shared that he thought my spirit animal was a squirrel and that because I was good at scurrying around and talking to people he knew I’d be a good missionary.

Needless to say it stuck and I became known as the squirrel in the family. I also had the chunkiest chipmunk cheeks as a baby and toddler so I guess it was meant to be from the beginning. My family thought it was hilarious when Jaden and I found our apartment in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood in Pittsburgh. So that’s the backstory behind the squirrels.

 

 

I signed on to work and my boss and his wife greeted me with a generous birthday gift of a ticket home whenever I choose to use it. Definitely brought tears to my eyes and was just about the most thoughtful gift!

I worked and then for lunch FaceTimed mom and we had a “birthday lunch” together. Bridger joined the call since it was his p-day which was fun to talk to him as well. When Jaden got home from school he asked me to get something out of his backpack for him and I found a bag from the CMU bookstore with my very own sweatshirt inside so now I can rep CMU too.

 

 

Jaden was right in the middle of midterms so we decided to postpone a date night out for the weekend which I was totally fine with. Why not extend the celebration into the weekend? I’m not opposed to a birthday week rather than a birthday day. As we ate dinner Jaden suspiciously had to go “check the mail…” I later learned that he had gone downstairs to let Amanda, Jenna & Keile inside so they could leave a cute balloon banner, popcorn, m&m’s and a sweet card and gift card for Millie’s ice cream for me. It was so thoughtful of them! I love our tradition of decorating each other’s door steps/stairwells on our birthdays. 

The rest of the week was full of school and work until Saturday Jaden and I went to dinner at a Japanese restaurant (I love Japanese food) my yaki-soba noodles were great, Jaden tried their signature dish which unfortunately wasn’t his fav. Then we came home and watched a movie together.

 

Before dinner we stopped by my ministering partner’s apartment and took her and her husband and mom egg dish and blueberry muffins for a Sunday breakfast the next morning. I got to meet her new baby boy who was so sweet and had a ton of hair. Made me realize it has been almost 3 months since I’ve last held a baby. So excited to go home and see our nieces and nephews and meet Sam & Kennedy’s baby. Also makes me excited for when Taylor and Keile have their baby out here, it will be so fun to snuggle a newborn.

Sunday we went to church and it was the primary program which I cried through the whole thing. Again made me miss our nieces and nephews so much! And our ward combined with the Spanish branch and there’s just something about “Love One Another” in Spanish that just pulls my heartstrings. In Sunday school we had a family history lesson and walked through some features of family search and we found some cool old pictures from Jaden’s side of the family. I love this one with his great grandma on his mom’s side on her horse with her cute hat.

 

After church we got ready to have dinner with the Carnegie crew. It was our turn to host so we made Nancy’s green pepper jelly with cream cheese and Ritz crackers as an appetizer and Amy’s enchiladas as a main course and enjoyed a meal together.

 

Right before everyone was coming over I found that my brand new sweatshirt from Jaden had a stain on it and when I went to sponge it out the letters started bleeding red all over the white sweatshirt. Of course when I had gone to get quarters the day before at the bank it was closed but Keile saved the day and brought some quarters over and I was able to do a quick load of wash and save the sweatshirt.
 

 

 

Even though we’re far away from our family and loved ones I’m so grateful for the technology that connects us and makes it possible to make someone’s day as fast as a quick text, phone call or FaceTime. I’m again so grateful for family and friends near and far and am excited for another year of adventures, peaches, pits and lessons learned.

 

Peaches

• Boys won their flag football game. Treat of the week this week was Gatorades and granola bars
• Sent letters to the nieces and nephews
• Purchased the rights to our company logo. It’s exciting to be so involved in the growth of our company, I’m so grateful for my job
• Found a new way to track notes at work so I can stay on top of my follow ups and to do lists
• Got my flight and room booked for the trade show in Vegas in January
• Listening to Christmas music 
• Jaden cracking me up singing Christmas songs in his Jim Carrey Grinch voice
  
• Feeling so loved and celebrated on my birthday
• Getting pics of a giant cardboard card from Casey and Amanda, the tradition continues! They even got Dempsey involved. I've don't know how I'm supposed to top it next year
  
• Turned 24!
• CMU sweatshirt from Jaden
• Decorated stairs
• Going to the Milkshake Factory with friends and getting a yummy s’mores shake
• Waterfront mall is decked out for Christmas 
• Watched Red Notice show on Netflix with friends, it was so funny 
• Experiencing major nostalgia with Taylor Swift's rerecorded RED album
  
• Going to my rescheduled ministering service project with Jenna, it was quite an adventure
  
• Meeting my ministering partner’s new baby and her mom who was so nice
• Primary program at church
• Recreating picture for mom from when I turned 19 five years later when I turned 24
• Yummy Sunday dinner with friends 

 

 

 

 

Pits

• Thought I ruined my new sweatshirt
• It’s really annoying that we have to pay to use the washer and dryer in the house but I probably should just be grateful I don’t have to go to a laundromat 
• Feeling bad Jaden got a gross meal at dinner
• Missing home and family

Lessons Learned

• I’m so loved and cared about
• Making someone’s day is as simple as remembering them and reaching out
• Washing a sweatshirt on cold with oxyclean can save it from ruin when the letters bleed 
• Don’t ever let your quarter supply run out in case you need to do another batch of laundry