Month in Review: March

Remember that time I said I would write at least 2 blog posts per month? Ya, that doesn't kick in until next month... ;) March was a fun month, but it seems like every month is fun when you are married to Matt! Here are some of the highlights:

Lent

This year, we decided to try out Lent. Matt and I are taking a "Survey of Christianity" calss this semester, which is fascinating! I think it is so important to have an understanding of other people and truly learn to appreciate differences and similarities. As Christians ourselves, it was so interesting to learn about the many different denominations. It has been one of my favorite classes at BYU! Anyways, Lent is a tradition mostly in the Catholic church (although I know Protestants who celebrate it as well) where you give up some sort of vice or bad habit for the 40 days before Easter. There is always a big party and day of "lasts" on day before Lent...ever heard of Mardi Gras? 

I think it's a really beautiful idea to try to purify and sanctify yourself in preparation for Easter. You give up some sort of guilty pleasure in order to become more like Christ. Matt decided to give up fast food (if you know his eating habits, you would know hard this was), and I decided to give up Netflix. I know, mine seems a little shallow, but I've really been wasting SO much time watching marathons of "How I Met Your Mother" and "Gossip Girl." I decided I could be doing so many more important things instead. Anyways, we started this month, and we'll see if we can last until Easter!

St. Patrick's Day

We had the most delicious dinner at the Dickson's for St. Patty's Day. Each of us Pelton girls tried our best to recreate our mom's delicious holiday meal. We are suckers for corned beef and cabbage... ok really we just like the delish mustard sauce that goes on top! It was Matt's first "traditional" St. Patrick's Day dinner, and he was surprised that he liked it! He has really only had corned beef from a can on his mission, and he did not like it. Needless to say he was a little wary of our corned beef! But now he has a new opinion. It was so nice to spend the holidy with my family!

School and Work

This isn't so much a highlight as it is a requisite report. Matt and I have been busy studying away! I can't believe the semester is almost over. Just two week in April then we're done with Winter Semester. We've also been busy with work. Matt is still at the MTC and I am a TA. I'm looking for a new job, though, to have during the summer and into the Fall. I will miss being a TA, but I just feel like it's time to move on from PoliSci 200. Let the job search begin! I've already gotten rejected for a book shelving job in the Harold B. Lee Library, so my prospects are really looking up right now. *sarcasm*

Next month's goal: take more pictures and write more posts! Happy March!

Month in Review: February

February was a flurry for the Greens!

Matt: He has stayed busy with school, ROTC, and especially BYU Rugby. The team has officially started the season! They had a pre-season tournament down in Mesquite, Nevada, which I was able to attend. It was about a 4-5 hour drive, so Matt's cousin Noke came with me. It was fun to get a little sunshine and watch the team dominate. Matt also went with the team to San Francisco to play St. Mary's. I was excited that he got to travel with the team (not every player does), but I did not like the fact that he was away for three days...and over Valentine's Day, too! Our first Valentine's Day as a married couple was not exactly how I imagined it. Luckily we have a few more years to get it right. Now, most of the Rugby games will be at BYU.

Me: I am still in love with school (big surprise). My linguistics classes are a dream, and I'm so happy to be back on campus. I always joke with Matt and my parents that I just want to be a professional student! If only they could pay me, instead of the other way around. I'm a Teaching Assistant for a political science writing and research class, which is time consuming but fun. I get to hold office hours and teach my own lab of 20 students. Because it's a writing class, though, all of the assignments are extremely lengthy papers... they take FOREVER to grade! It's all about time management, I guess. Matt and I both finished off the month with midterms (yay!).

Together: We both had "real" sushi for the first time! And we probably ate enough of it to last us another 20 years... but it was yummy. We also had a few fun dates night, both out in Provo and just staying in. We can both be homebodies when it comes to relaxing, so we always look forward to a Redbox and freshly popped popcorn!

Overall, February was pretty good second month of the year: busy, constantly changing, but at the same time, familiar. I was terrible at taking pictures, unfortunately, but nothing really big happened, either. We're both excited for March! It's sure to be a good one.

4 Reasons Why I Love School

After taking a year-long break from school, I could not be happier to be back this semester. It feels like coming home. I felt like a nervous freshie again, anticipating the first day of class and making sure I knew where all my classrooms were. To my surprise, school is better than I remembered.

At school, you know what is expected of you. Where else is every expectation and formula for success laid out in a syllabus? For a stresser like me, syllabi are heavenly.

At school, you can ask whatever questions you want. The (possibly) even better part is that people can usually provide answers. This can of course lead to some "dumb" questions, but hey, get them out in the world. Ask away, my curious friend.

At school, you have a purpose. It's not some abstract concept or lost wandering--you know exactly where you're going and what you're doing. I know what classes I'm taking, and I even know what I'll be taking next semester. I'm getting a degree. I'm networking with professors. I know what's up.

At school, you get to learn everyday. Ok, I realize that there are opportunities to learn everyday without being in school, but it's a little harder. I learned a lot when I was a professional blogger (oh yes, I was a blog writer for a company this last Fall) because I had to write about unfamiliar topics. But otherwise, it's hard to consciously learn things. I love to learn, though, so I love school. It's a given.

These are just a few of my musings about school. Maybe I'll add more later. Stay tuned!

Goal Keepers

I like to wait until at least one full week into the New Year to decide how I feel about it. It's just not fair to judge a whole year when you're just first getting acquainted. Luckily, I have decided that 2014 is going to be a fantastic year. The last year had a lot of ups and downs, turns in the road, tears and laughter, and questions and answers. I hope 2014 has more ups, laughs, and answers. And with M by my side, how could it not?!

We Greens have been trying really hard to set smart and achievable goals to better ourselves and our marriage. M and I are big "goal people"--we both like setting them and believe in the power of of a written goal (even if we sometimes have trouble on the follow-through). Fitzhugh Dodson said:

Without goals, and plans to reach them, you are like a ship that has set sail with no destination.

It's been very fulfilling to work together on deciding what we each could work on and determining how to be better spouses for each other. While we're not even finished writing them all out yet, I can already tell a difference in our home.

Along with more serious and self-reflective goals, I've also made some "fun" ones that I thought I would share! Maybe if I share them publicly, I'll feel a little more accountable... :)

1. Read (and enjoy) a non-fiction book. I have just never been into non-fiction, and I don't know why. For some reason, it just doesn't grab me. This is probably a sad result of my Harry Potter-dominated reading preferences haha. But this is the year for non-fiction. I already have a few lined up: Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, and I am Malala by Malala Yousafzai. I'll do I review when I finish them.
2. Write at least 2 blog posts per month. I realize this is kind of a sad goal, but looking at my track record, it's still an improvement! Hopefully I can work up to 3 or 4.
3. Begin learning Arabic again. After one semester, I loved the language but wasn't able to take more classes. I hope to review my materials to re-learn the basics and hopefully take a class during the summer!
4. Become a conscientious gift-giver. I truly admire those people who always seem to give the perfect gift for birthdays or anniversaries--something with meaning, that brings happiness to the receiver. I want to be one of those people. 
5. Write more Thank You notes. I can't believe I'm saying this after all the cards I wrote from our wedding! But, I want to write more Thank You's. I think there is great love in a written note, especially in one of thanks for the simplest of actions. 

I think I'll just share 5 for now. After all, I don't want to get too overwhelmed! What are some goals (serious or fun) that you've made for 2014?

Welcome, New Year

M and I had a fun time ringing in the New Years with friends. We stayed up playing lots of games, eating treats, and laughing (the best way to start anything is with a laugh, right?!). I'm convinced, though, that M and I are actually 3 times our actual age--midnight was about as late as we could last. Nonetheless, it was all good fun.

Traditions I'd like to keep to celebrate New Years:

1. Eating Chinese Food on New Year's Eve (I know M wouldn't mind...)
2. Playing Games
3. Toasting with Martinelli's
4. A New Year's Kiss... of course!

I think I need to figure out some new traditions to add... my list is embarrassingly lacking. Any suggestions?