Taylor and Maura Lee

Making Friends

2016-09-09T23:00:00.000-06:00

Fridays are Taylor's busiest day. The last few Fridays he has been in the office until 9:00 or 10:00. Tonight, Oliver took a really late nap and around 9:30 we were ready for dinner. I was hoping that Taylor was going to be off work soon so we decided to start walking to his office sans stroller to kill time and be able to eat dinner with him by the time we got there.

Being in the city there are people everywhere.

Being in TriBeCa, there are kids everywhere.

Oliver loves seeing all the cars, kids and people, he is constantly waving at them all. At night though, things quiet down and it's a lot more mellow in our area. As we were walking through a mini park near our apartment we saw a man, let's call him M, sitting on the sidewalk playing with his little boy, we'll call him L. It's quite rare to see a child out so late so I pointed out the "friend" to Oliver who got very excited. (Anyone his size is a "friend").

We said hello and gave our usual wave and were about to continue walking when Oliver spotted the toys that L was playing with. He stopped dead in his tracks, eyes on the toy ferry sitting on the ground. Meanwhile, M had been coaxing a very reluctant L to say hello. When he noticed Oliver staring he held out a little toy fish and asked if he wanted to play. Naturally Oliver ran over there and wanted in on all the action. They talked about the most recent 'voyage' that the ferry had been on and how it needed the little flowers to keep it safe. I asked L if he had ever ridden on a boat but didn't ever get a response. I could hear him talk to his dad under his breath, but with me, stranger danger was in full force.

I saw that L was a little timid and not feeling overly enthusiastic about the random child near his toys, however, as I was about to persuade Oliver to keep walking with me, M gave Oliver another toy and was trying to get L to share some more. I told him that Oliver really was fine, but when he said that he wanted L to learn how to share I figured we had no where to be so I sat down next to them and helped Oliver and L play. I told L that it was sometimes hard to share your toys, but that's alright, could he show Oliver how to play with the toy cars? L thought very carefully and then demonstrated how to push them along the ground. Oliver listened intently while L explained and then threw the car at the ferry. I jumped to apologize, when at the same time, M responded with "Yeah! Sometimes cars can fly too!" Which made me feel very relieved that Oliver's aggressive arm wasn't stressing him out.

I have mentioned it before, but I'll say it again, I am slightly awkward in social situations. Having a child has actually helped that a lot because it's very easy to talk to other children and by having my own, it's not creepy for me to talk to whoever he is playing with instead of dealing with adults all the time.

I asked L how old he was, immediately three fingers shot up in front of my face, but still no talking. I then asked him if he started preschool this year, he looked at his dad, seeming to wonder why this strange lady was asking him so many questions, but never answered me. M stepped in at this point and asked him what school he went to. He still didn't answer but just kept looking strangely at his dad and then back at me so I just dropped it and continued talking through Oliver.

M repeatedly tried to get L to share his toys, but made very little progress. Finally, L rolled a car over to Oliver, which helped him to figure out that he could roll it right back. He knew how this game worked, he played it with the ball all the time. From that point on, Oliver was crouched down with his arms ready to "catch" the car if L were to roll it to him. This was apparently not a part of L's plans though so Oliver spent a while just waiting patiently.

"Look, he's ready L!"

"Roll a car over to him!"

"C'mon.. You can share!"

The words of encouragement from M were endless, but did not lead to many results.

All of the sudden L looked up and began frantically grabbing all of his toys and stuffing them in to the ferry. "Good job cleaning up dude," I said. Which led to one of the only things he said to me all night, "I'm NOT cleaning up." Cleaning must be a heated topic at his house..

I said it was about time we let L and M get back to their play time and we had to get on our way to see dad. At this point Oliver had a death grip on the toy taxi and when I tried to get it back from him he lost his mind. The whole time he was screaming I could see M out of the corner of my eye, talking to L and trying to get L to let Oliver keep the taxi, but L was absolutely not having it. Why should he? It's his toy and he doesn't have to give it to the screaming banshee that just invaded on his territory.

I was able to distract Oliver with some dogs walking by and he forgot all about his little taxi tantrum. I told M that he really would be just fine, he has some toy cars at home and will survive. We didn't want to keep them out any later and were thankful for letting us share toys and play for a while.

As we were gathering things up I told M that his work was wonderful and he did an amazing job. He seemed slightly confused but thanked me for the compliment anyway. My guess is he probably wasn't sure that I had recognized him.

We began walking in the same direction so I kept trying for small talk to ease the awkward silence, but M didn't really know how to small talk and L was off in his own little world flying his ferry around. He finally responded and said that I was doing an amazing job with little Oliver. I laughed and said "Yeah.. We'll see about that in a few years!"

I've been told I have a very unique sense of humor and I am not sure that he caught on to that because he didn't even crack a smile; instead he responded immediately with how amazing moms are and how hard it is to be a mom. My respect for M grew a little bit more as he continued to talk about how much he admired moms. He said the fact that I was just raising him was quite an accomplishment,

I said it was hard and he was busy, being our first i had no idea how people did it with more than one child.

he told me that he and his wife have three kids and while it's challenging, you just do it.

I said you don't really have an option, you have to do it.

He liked that response and said how sad it was that some people do think they have an option.

From there I transitioned the conversation to my inability to find my way around NYC, being a new resident and all. He didn't really respond to any of this small talk. As we hit the end of the street and parted ways he kept saying how nice it was to meet me and how nice it was to meet Oliver.

Museum of Ice Cream

2016-09-09T15:53:00.003-06:00

These were the best shots I could get. Right at the entrance we got little cups of ice cream that were delicious and all Oliver wanted to do was run up and down the ramp. It took a lot of coaxing for him to even enter the museum.. All of the people working there loved him though and were adorable with him. Because the tickets were timed it wasn't crowded at all and we weren't rushed through anything which was really nice with a toddler.

The guy made him a mini sugar balloon. But he wouldn't eat it.

He loved the cone lights and wanted the one with sprinkles.

One of the guides started dancing with him and he was blown away.

Started out a little unsure about the sprinkles pool. It was 3 feet deep and he couldn't figure out how to walk through it.

When he finally got the courage to stand on his own without me right beside him.

Once the guide showed him that throwing the sprinkles was an option he was in heaven.

Went straight for the ice cream sandwich swing.

It was surprisingly heavy so when it swung back and knocked him over he was a little shocked and respected it much more from that point on.

Cute employees there. They always were offering to take pictures. Don't mind the shoes/pants combo. I have no other options.

As soon as he discovered how the ice cream scoop see-saw worked.

This was the best grin I could get from him. He was far too distracted with everything else happening.

This is me trying to be artsy. Fail.

When LC Remembered

2013-02-26T12:57:00.000-07:00

I'm a fairly private person and don't exactly have the most "bubbly" personality. Sometimes I envy the warm personalities that draw others to them without any effort, it's easy to see how loved they are. However, I realized a long time ago that even though I'm not an outgoing extrovert, I have people that love me too. I am somewhat of a wall-builder, pardon the cliche, but it is not necessarily easy for people to get through those walls and into my life. It is possible, and those that have usually don't understand how important they are to me. One of which, will be known to the blog as LC.

When I first saw LC talking to my manager at the bank, I assumed they knew each other outside of the bank and didn't think much of it. However, as I watched LC interact with each of my coworkers with the same kindness and care I found that there wasn't anything outside of the bank, LC was just one of those rare people that took the time to really listen and care. It wasn't long before LC knew my name and began listening to my answers. I thought it was kind to take an interest in me when I was just doing my job. I didn't realize another person had broken down a few walls until a few weeks later, when LC remembered.

In passing we all ask "how are you?" because it's the polite thing to do, and the generic response of "I'm doing well thanks, you?" doesn't usually wait for a response. Once the niceties are through, we get down to business, or go our separate ways without thinking twice about the answers to those questions. To not only care about the answers but remember them for future reference is something I wish I did more often. I was surprised to find that LC's visits to the bank had become a significant event in my life. Going to school and working at the bank was wearing at times but I always looked forward to my chats with LC once or twice a month.

One day LC told me about the rare moments in life when one person's soul touches yours in a way that will not easily be forgotten. It's sometimes as simple as smiling at a stranger, but sometimes that's all it takes to make a difference in someone's life. Whether LC was asking about school and good books to read, discussing our beliefs, or stopping by with a treat to celebrate my promotion; I will be forever grateful for so many of those moments. From the outside looking in, no one will ever understand how much it meant when LC remembered.

Thumbs Up for Rock and Roll

2013-01-25T19:40:00.001-07:00

I am going through a YouTube phase.. This is an old one, but still just as good as the first time I saw it.

Keo's New Snow Boots

2013-01-18T18:50:00.002-07:00

Considering that this crazy snow is taller than my little dog, he hates going outside right now. This becomes quite a problem when he goes to the bathroom because for an hour after he comes back inside he limps around because his feet are too cold!

(Honestly, I am really impressed with his ability to "hold it." I am not sure that this is healthy for him, but fighting him to go outside is just not a battle I am up for).

He also just got a haircut and with it so short he does not have anything to keep his little body warm..

Hence, the duck boots. (he also has a sweater and a sock/scarf/beanie TM (this would be a fuzzy sock that has the toe cut off so that I put around his head, I am thinking of switching my career choice to canine fashion)

It took a minute of fighting him to put these babies on, and it didn't last long but I am sure that once he feels how toasty his little feet are out in the snow, he will learn to love them.

(Also, I apologize for how loud my voice is, this is definitely something I will have to remember for family videos in the future, yelling right by the camera speaker makes you seem REALLY EXCITED!)

My People vs. Those People

2013-01-07T19:10:00.003-07:00

I've written and rewritten my little rant about 374 times. It doesn't make much sense after that many edits but it's been weighing heavily on my mind for quite some time now, so I just have to get it out there.

No matter how old you get, there will always be "those" people.. The ones with words that cut straight to your heart. It doesn't matter how hard you have worked to distance yourself from them, those people are still out there, and despite all odds, they find a way to get under your skin.

They say it gets better after high school, and holy, does it ever! I absolutely love being at this point in my life with amazing husband, family and friends by my side, they are my people, and I wouldn't trade them for the world! However, even though high school is over and I've put those days behind me, those people are still people, and those people still talk.. I guess there really are some habits that just never die.

It's easy to say it doesn't matter what other people think or say, you don't talk to them and haven't seen them in years so why do you care? The rumors are positively absurd. Anyone who knows you even a little bit can't help but laugh at how ridiculous they are and it really shouldn't matter. So you tell yourself, over and over, and over again, that it doesn't matter what those people say. Yet even after you've thoroughly convinced yourself that it really doesn't matter, your heart still aches from the scar those words left behind.

Initially, the pain masks itself quite well; beyond furious you begin to strategize a counter-attack and seeing red seems to make the confrontation play out quite well in your mind. Pointing out every reason their words are ridiculous and letting them know exactly what you think about them. Anger makes you brave, bold enough to stand up for yourself to anyone and everyone. An Oscar worthy showdown, you plan out the speech to be delivered at the perfect moment, putting those people in their place and setting the record straight. The slow-mo-walk-away that leaves them speechless and you.. never.. looking.. back..

However, as this masterplan is just about complete, the cool logic of reason takes a firmer hold on your thoughts. It's usually around the 8th or 9th rehearsal of your confrontational success that you realize, it isn't going to change a thing. What's done is done and a life altering speech from you isn't going to change who those people are. Even if you prove them wrong, those people will find something else to say, if not about you, about someone else.

During this realization, a little bit of the fury comes creeping back; but is quickly squashed with overwhelming defeat. There really isn't anything you can do or say to take back the words that are out there, nothing good will come from your anger. The only thing you can do is wait out the storm until someone else's misfortune overshadows your own.

Those people will move on and find other stories to tell, but until then, you've got some major damage control. While they were directed at you, those words have hurt your people as well. Letting the defeat consume you is appealing, but these are your people, and you've got to deal with the repercussions of these words.

Fortunately, your people love you and don't let a few nasty words change the relationship you have. Watching how many of your people rally around you is one of the best things that could have come from those words. Time goes on, and the pain lessens, but it never goes away. Next to time, listening as your people stand up for you against those people and their words is one of the best healers. Your people love you, and they don't want to see you hurt.

It's sad to think that there are some who may not have been able to overcome those words, and what started as a "harmless" story from those people could have caused much more permanent damage to someone else. Someone else might not have people to take care of them.

You never really know what obstacles others are facing in their lives. It's devastating to think that I may have been a facilitator in another instance without realizing the weight that my words carry. Sometimes words may seem truly harmless, but you really just never know.

I can't begin to explain how wonderful my people are, it's because of them that the words really don't matter as much anymore, I wouldn't be who I am without my people. I will be forever grateful for the parts that they all play in my life. Really though, when all is said and done..

Things That Make Me Laugh

2012-12-23T18:43:00.000-07:00

Sometimes Taylor and I have way too much fun looking at random pictures on the internet.

Starfish

2012-12-01T18:37:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.

One day as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up.

As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean.

He came closer still and called out: "Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?" The young man paused, looked up, and replied: "Throwing starfish back into the ocean."

"I must ask then, why are you throwing the starfish into the ocean?" To this, the young man replied: "The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die."

Upon hearing this, the wise man commented: "But young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish scattered all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference."

At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said: "It made a difference for that one."

I don't know where this story came from, but I found it a long time ago and it has taken up a little spot in my heart. I will never be able to save all of the starfish, and in the big scheme of things, I couldn't even make a dent in the amount of starfish that won't survive when the tide goes out, even if I try.

But this guy didn't let that discourage him, he didn't let the words of someone older and "wiser" keep him from doing what he could to save them. Sometimes it's easy to feel like the little things I can do don't really matter to the world, but even if they don't matter to the world, they matter to someone, even if that someone is a starfish.

Stylish

2012-11-23T18:16:00.000-07:00

My husband is very particular about the clothes that he wears. Sometimes though, being particular still doesn't make it alright.. It's a good thing I love him anyway!

Teton Springs

2012-10-20T16:59:00.000-06:00

School. Is. The. WORST!

Every one (literally, everyone: Jared, Elysia, Taylor, Me, Coulson and Emily) are all in school right now and so trying to get together for a little family vacation is rough. We have tried to plan something with Taylor's side of the family for so long and finally, during fall break, we made it to this gorgeous cabin at Teton Springs!

Because of all our crazy schedules we drove up in a few random clumps throughout the day I got lucky enough to ride up with this adorable thing! Taylor and Jared rode up front while Kennedy and I played in the backseat. She is the most delightful baby in the entire world! Honestly, driving for hours and she couldn't care less. We were the first to arrive so Taylor and Jared went to stock up on groceries while I got to hang out with Kennedy some more. I can't get over her, she laughs at everything and is such a happy baby!

Once everyone got there we just had a good time! We watched movies, hung out with Kennedy, went golfing, watched Kennedy sleep, drove over to Jackson, held Kennedy, played games, made Kennedy laugh, went hot tubbing, and played with Kennedy. It was a really relaxing weekend and if you can't tell, we all have a little crush on baby Kennedy.

Teton Springs is so beautiful, I almost put up all of the pictures of scenery that we took but then I realized that scrolling through 20 pictures of the mountains would be pretty boring.

Luckily these three had their awesome wives to pick out their wardrobes for golfing.

23 Easy Ways to Instantly Make Your Day Better

2012-09-27T18:21:00.000-06:00

Thank you BuzzFeed. After failing my test, this was just what I needed..

1. First, say this slowly to yourself:

2. Try going outside:

3. But if you're stuck at work, imagine your dream job:

4. Do something new with your hair:

5. And take a brand new Facebook profile picture of it:

Now focus...

6. And imagine it's this day in Middle School:

7. And that your fridge looks like this:

8. And that Michael Cera's mustache never happened:

9. Imagine Justin Timberlake made this song a reality:

10. And that NASCAR was more like Mario Kart:

Not doing it for you?

11. QUICK! Look at this giant stack of pancakes:

12. QUICK! Look at these pictures of Kim Kardashian crying:

13. Quick! Look at Snoop Dogg and his long lost brother:

14. Quick! Look at these pandas on a slide!!!

PHEW! Now relax...

...and think about all the things you have to be thankful for:

15. Be thankful this isn't happening in your hometown:

16. Or this in your backyard:

17. Be thankful that your bubble bath didn't overflow:

18. And no one put bread on your head:

...Yet.

19. Be thankful you aren't stuck in a swing right now:

20. And that a picture of Eminem making nachos exists:

21. Now look at this picture:

22. Return your angers:

23. And smile like a dog wearing a sombrero:

Because your day just got better.

Once Upon a Time

2012-09-07T13:25:00.004-06:00

Once upon a time, I lived in Provo with Casey and Liz. If anyone knows us I do not think that they would ever put us in the same house, our parents all came to help us move in that very first day and one-by-one we hugged them goodbye and retreated to our rooms for a night of mourning. The morning we all sauntered into the kitchen tired and puffy-eyed from crying. Once we admitted that we had all had a sob fest the night before, our friendship truly began. Going back a little bit further..

Liz and I met when we were in 3rd grade and became fast friends. Our mothers being friends and living just a street away from each other was quite convenient. We had the same teachers all through elementary school, locker partners in 7th grade, and then Liz decided to up and move to Japan. But she would come back during the summer and it was then that we first discovered BYU while attending EFY. From day one we were thoroughly amazed at the many possibilities that Provo offered. It was here that Liz took care of me as I suffered from a broken collar bone in 2005, blow drying my hair and helping me get dressed brought us quite close! Luckily it wasn't until the next summer that she discovered that if she talked to me while I was still sleeping, I would apparently talk back. Our conversations were quite interesting when I found out about them later that day.

Casey and I had many mutual friends throughout high school but we were never close. We decided on a whim to be roommates as we were the only ones going to BYU and I didn't think twice about it. We both came from families of all sisters so in theory, it was foolproof. I had the impression that roommates meant that we would occupy the same living space. To me it didn't make much difference if we were friends or not. However, I think that Casey had a little bit of a different idea as quite frequently I would lock my bedroom door (a very clear indication of "do not disturb"), yet Casey would somehow find a way to break in and demand I drive her to school this instant! (3 blocks away). At first it was a shock to realize that she expected us to actually "live" together, but time went on, we have been able to stay close throughout the years and I don't know what I would do without her!

Liz came to BYU because.. Well.. She actually had realistic plans. She planned to get her generals done at BYU and then apply for the dental hygiene program in Orem and while getting married wasn't one of her main goals, she made time for dates and had a lot of fun. Unlike Casey and myself, Liz knew how to study and got awesome final grades, all the time.

Casey came to BYU to find her husband, she was very forthcoming about this even when we teased her. Her plans were to find this prince charming and sweep him away as she went to a different school to complete her nursing degree. She also felt that BYU would be similar to Davis High and it made me feel a lot better when her final grades looked a lot like mine. (Hers were a teensy tiny bit better, but that is besides the point).

Throughout the year we had a lot of fun together. APX was kind enough to leave us with this poster/whiteboard and so began our career as comedians. We all came from very different backgrounds and had different goals and plans but it worked really well for us.

Liz was quite the Wii sport pro, and thank goodness Casey was quick with the camera. I came across this gem the other day and felt the need to share..

Liz honestly has a super healthy lifestyle, she always went to bed early and was not to be disturbed, she attended the gym religiously, (this drove Casey and I to purchase a 12-month gym pass that we used about 3 times), and she was always cooking something new! Even if she didn't have the tools that she needed, she would find a way to make it work.

After that first year out there I discovered my perfect match and decided to head on out and get hitched. (mind you, marriage was the last thing on my mind at this point). I left Liz and Casey and their new asian roommate to fend for themselves and apparently Casey took on wrestling in order to defend herself from the Provo creepers.

That first year was hard to keep in touch living so far away, but we did alright and before you know it, Liz met KJ! Casey kept me updated on their dating stories and it wasn't long before he proposed!

Casey wasn't too happy that both of her roommates were married before her, so by this time she got serious! She went out with Skyler right before he left for summer sales and after 11 days of in-person-dating, he popped the question and she said yes!

On August 19, 2010 Liz and KJ made it official! It was so much fun to be a part of their special day! Even though Liz was mortified when her brother displayed the self portrait she drew in jr. high, Casey and I got a good laugh and had a lot of fun being able to see her so happy with her husband. (the self-portrait mentioned above can now be found on Casey's facebook, love you Liz!)

Soon after on October 8, 2010 Casey and Skyler sealed the deal (even though their marriage license got stuck in the temple for about 45 minutes and everyone started thinking they were going to call it off) they really did get married! Liz and I were stoked to see that all of Casey's husband hunting down at BYU had finally paid off!

Life Lately

2012-08-31T22:46:00.001-06:00

A month ago I realized I had been terrible at updating the blog.. Yet, here we are, another month later and I haven't gotten any better! I am hoping that this will change, but I make no promises!

The following 12 Updates for 2012 are in no particular order, (minus the last 3 are the most important and ordered chronologically).

Update #1 - I succumbed to Instagram, at this point I am about as good with uploading pictures as I am at updating my blog. However, I might need to start taking pictures so that I actually have something to upload.. therein lies my dilemma.

Update #2 - Taylor and I began watching the first season of The Office. It's still funny.

Update #3 - Four days after I posted my many complaints for the summer, a young girl "kinda stopped" at the stop sign and proceeded to t-bone our car. (this just happened to occur on the day of Dane and Laci's wedding as well as Emily going through the temple). We are very grateful that no one was hurt and luckily we were able to still make it to the temple on time, thanks to Jared's NASCAR driving skills.

Update #4 - My facebook changed to timeline a few months ago and I have been royally pissed ever since.

Update #5 - I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Graduation is getting nearer and I have to start looking for internships! Recruiting started last week at the U and it's been fairly intimidating! But I'm keeping my fingers crossed.. and I got my very first "suit" for interviews so that has to be good luck.

Update #6 - Every summer Taylor and I buy the big box of otter pops from Costco. Taylor loves how cheap they are and eats them by the handful when he is hot, so this works quite well for our budget. However, I discovered skinny cow ice cream sandwiches this summer.. and they are fabulous.

Update #7 - Casey and I started an informal book club, so far we have 2 members: Casey, and myself. I will admit though, it is very irritating when she reads a book faster than I do because I like to know the ending first. My average hours of sleep per night has decreased substantially since this began.

Update #8 - My numbers genius husband began working as a campus rep for Apple as a techie. Seeing as technology is not his forte, this is not going as well as he had hoped. The language of the techies goes in one ear and right out the other, leaving him very overwhelmed.

Update #9 - I finally got new makeup brushes! I have been waiting for my brushes to fall apart and then.. they did. I was so excited to get brand new ones that I don't even know what to do with all of them, but I'm sure I will figure it out.

Update #10 - Baby Kennedy Marie was born!!! Jared and Elysia made this adorable little girl and on July 4th she was born! Taylor had to keep me from moving into the hospital with them because I am so in love with her! Actually, everyone in our family can't get enough of this little angel, she is just the most delightful little baby in the world. I don't know what we would do without her!

Update #11 - Dane and Laci got married! We are so glad that we got to share their special day with them. Being the only newly weds at our family get togethers was getting a little old, not to mention they moved into our neighborhood! Even though we rarely see each other with how busy we all are, living close is going to be so much fun!

Update #12 - Coulson and Emily got married! Despite Taylor and Jared's attempts to scare him off, Coulson just loves this little lady too much! We all love him too and are excited that he and Emily are finally married, they really are perfect for each other! It did add one more to the competition for Kennedy's favorite, but I will learn to deal.

MIA - Control Freak

2012-07-30T21:46:00.000-06:00

I have made it through all of July totally and completely ignoring blogging.. But, I really do like blogging, so this is not an accomplishment that I am very fond of. I blame my absence on school. Summer semester has kicked. my. butt. BIG TIME! Not to mention all of the other things we have going on, Taylor and I have barely had time to breathe and I hit my wits end about a week ago..

The trees outside our lovely 14th century apartment decided it would be a good time to grow roots in our pipes and therefore flood our laundry room and hallway. Naturally we made a "rugdoctor date night" out of it as I watched Taylor suck gallons of water out of the floor. What fun we had splashing to the bathroom for the next few days until it was finally dry. Luckily our lovely home is upholstered with the antiquated "puce-speckle" carpet from Davis High School (pre 2004 remodel), and remained unharmed throughout this process.

Days later the sweet neighborhood ruffian decided it would be a good time to shatter our car window in order to steal the 5 year old iPod housed within.. I hope the $10 you got was worth it, if you were lucky, someone might have paid you $20. After finding glass shards in all the wrong places for the weeks following, we now leave our car doors unlocked so feel free to check the handle before shattering anymore glass. Our only hopes are to make things easier for you.

Taylor seems to adjust to these unexpected adventures quite well, however, I do not. I am kind of a control freak and I like to know what curve balls life plans on throwing my way, if you plan on upsetting my plans, please let me know in advance and I will adjust accordingly. I found this little poem thingy though about being able to let things go, and I really liked it.

To let go does not mean to stop caring, it means I can't do it for someone else.

To let go is not to cut myself off, it's the realization that I can't control another.

To let go is not to enable, but to allow learning from natural consequences.

To let go is to admit powerlessness, which means the outcome is not in my hands.

To let go is not to try to change or blame another, it's to make the most of myself.

To let go is not to care for, but to care about.To let go is not to fix, but to be supportive.

To let go is not to judge, but to allow another to be a human being.

To let go is not to be in the middle of arranging all the outcomes, but to allow others to affect their own destinies.

To let go is not to be protective, it's to permit another to face reality.

To let go is not to criticize, or regulate anyone, but to try to become what I dream I can do.

To let go is to fear less, and to love more.

I need to remember to let it go more often.. It may come in handy when our dear ruffian comes calling again..

Dreamers v. Realists

2012-06-27T00:45:00.001-06:00

I always considered myself to be a realist, even though I come from a family of dreamer's, I am a fairly logical person. However, since Taylor and I started dating long, long ago, I have come to find that I am more and more the dreamer and he is more and more the realist.

Deep down I am a hopeless romantic. I always wanted a classic love story marriage with all the hearts and flowers. All of my books have painted an extremely unrealistic picture of what "love" is all about. But even though real love is having bad morning breath and fighting for space in the bed, eating cereal in a mixing bowl and living without A/C, real love is pretty hard to beat.

When Taylor and I were engaged my wonderful friends asked him to write me a letter to read at my bridal shower. A couple years later I came across this same letter and was amazed at how much Taylor and I have grown since we started dating, as I read through this letter I was surprised that I didn't notice the dreamer v. realist sooner!

I couldn't help but share a little bit from his realistic-love letter..

"I’ve never been one to believe in “love at first sight”. However, with you something definitely happened at “first sight”. Was it the “L word”? No, that’d be way too early. But I could see something in you that I just loved and wanted to be with."

"I thought it long before I said it. The “L word”, that is. Even when I finally did blurt it all out, I kind of shocked myself. I had to pause and think, “Wait, are you sure about that?” Absolutely. After letting you know how I felt, I was thrilled to hear in return, “thanks”. Not quite the response I was looking for, but I didn’t get slapped so I considered it a victory."

I won't lie, being the hopeless romantic that I am, sitting in the driveway, emotions going haywire while I'm trying to find a way to explain that our fast-track relationship was truly terrifying for me.. was not the way I pictured him telling me he loved me. But, I have to admit, it was the best way for me, even though I just thanked him, he didn't give up on me, and that was the part of true love that I needed to know he really meant it!

"Time passed and nothing changed. However, one day, you blindsided me. “I love you” slid right out of your mouth. I could tell you felt like I did. The “Ooops, did-I-just-say-that-out-loud-face” said it all. I smiled so big it was probably ugly."

(He says that, but it wasn't ugly, he is my prince charming, and prince charming's can't be ugly). I always used to dream about living in far off places and having such an exotic life once we were able to really go out in the world on our own. But Taylor always had a way to bring me back down to earth. Disheartening at times it is what I love about him. He signed this cute letter with the nickname I had almost forgotten..

-Your “dreamkilling” fiancé,

Taylor

But even though some of my dreams of a carefree lifestyle were shot down quite mercilessly.. I wouldn't trade a thing. We don't have quite as much time as we used to have for ourselves, and as we continue to learn how to live with each other we keep discovering how we are so different.

Dealing with a dilemma:
Maura: I need to process. I need to make a list, a list for my list, and then I need to process some more. Once I have successfully processed everything internally, I will come to a conclusion. It will take time.
Taylor: I need to talk it out. I need to get everything off my chest and just bask in the glory of conversation. If I can explain it to someone else and get their feedback I can make a decision.

Ideal weekend:

Maura: Chocolate? Check. Comfy clothes? Check. Book/TV/Game? Check.
Taylor: Going out on the town! Seeing tons of people! Go, go, go!

After a long day at work:

Maura: All I need is to sit down and read a book or watch a show. Do not talk to me. I have been talking to people all day long and my social limit has been reached.
Taylor: Let's just talk about it, I have millions of stories and random "fun-facts" that I just have to tell you and get it all out there, right! now!

There are thinkers and there are talkers..
There are type A's and there are type B's..
There are introverts and there are extroverts..
and..

"There are dreamers, and there are realists in this world.."

Dreamers v. Realists

I've been a bit obsessed with this little saying.. It might have had me in tears at the time, but only because it's real life. Real life and real love, is that even though we are all different, we have each other for a reason. We balance each other out and without each other we wouldn't be as great as we are together.

More Marital Woes

2012-06-05T12:45:00.002-06:00

Taylor and I have a queen size bed. Ideally, someday we will own a California King, but at this point in time we are finding ways to make our bed work.

Taylor insists on sleeping on his back, arms folded on top of him. Freaks me out every time I come to bed cause he looks like a dead guy. I like sleeping on my stomach, with one foot just barely off the edge of the bed (the bottom edge) and the other leg bent up closer to my body (not as weird as it sounds). But I don't like my arms or legs touching each other as I sleep. I need my space to stretch out!

We have had many debates about the correct way to share the bed and finally he found this map that is entirely accurate! I am just glad that he finally sees the error of his ways. :)

Things That Make Me Laugh

2012-05-31T21:17:00.001-06:00

Random Pictures = Hours of Entertainment

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?

2012-05-16T02:04:00.003-06:00

Someday I will write a book. I have always been an avid journal writer, really slacking off lately, but that's besides the point, I am working on it.

Recently, I read Mindy Kaling's biography, "Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?"

Can I just say, Mindy wrote a great biography and I actually enjoyed reading! It wasn't an "I'm so wonderful, here, you can read about all my fabulous success" but rather "I'm a real person too, if you want, you can read about my real-ness" I feel as though we are great friends now, first-name basis, you know..

She didn't have some glamorous childhood and she didn't even have a glamorous start to her career, but even though she had a lot going against her, she knew what she wanted and she fought to make it happen! She has made mistakes along the way, and all the little stories that she writes about are only evidence to what a down-to-earth person she really is. Everyone has tried to fit in at one point or another, everyone has insecurities, and you can either let it consume you, or you can learn to live with it and be okay with who you are.

Whenever I contemplate writing a book I can't ever think of what to write about. Wizards, vampires, death games and minority comebacks are all out for me. They've been done before and anything I write would just be a remake of something that is already wonderful. I never feel like my life is important enough to write a book about. I don't have any real tragedies or miraculous events that just astound people, but neither does Mindy.

Therefore, my flame of inspiration to write a book has been reignited after reading her biography!

Someday.. I will do it..

Living for the Heartbreaks

2012-05-14T18:32:00.000-06:00

Disclaimer: This is long. I have been absent from blogging lately with finals and as I finished my last paper for the Spring semester I sat down and began writing, anything that I felt like.. This is one of the results. Deal with it.

I have realized something.. Prior to falling head over heels for my one in a million, extremely patient, random-fact-filled, amazing husband, marrying him, laughing with him, disagreeing loudly with him, and living our own strange version of happily ever after..

I lived for the heartbreaks.

No, I thrived off of them.

This is not at all how I felt at the time, during my dating years I felt as though I would find this great guy (I am going to brag a little bit right now, but I dated awesome guys. Seriously, they will make some lucky lady very happy), but just as I was seeing this greatness and getting attached and really starting to feel something for him.. I found myself driving home listening to "What Hurts the Most" or "How to Save a Life" and never understanding where it all went wrong..

Fighting the tears I would listen to any song out there and find a way to apply it to my predicament. I’d obsess over romance books like twilight and "totally connect" with Bella when Edward leaves her on her own.. Staring at the phone I’d analyze every call, text, or lack thereof.. Finding minuscule reminders of him everywhere: a pair of my shoes he complimented, a sweatshirt he left behind, or driving on the street where he taught me how to drive, I was sure that my whole life would be filled with the reminders of his absence. Then I’d get mad, just to fall apart again when getting mad didn’t fix it.. Staring at the ceiling became quite the pastime while I mulled over everything

Whether he was moving away, dating another girl, "not wanting to get serious," or just fading out of my life, I was sure I would never find someone as wonderful as him.

When I had to face the world again, I felt pretty good about not letting on to how much I was hurting. I'd withdraw into my safe place, stay away from large crowds, and go about my life like any other day.. Most people didn't know me very well and couldn't tell the difference, seeing as I'd never been big on the social scene. McKell knew when to drag me to parties, but she was also one of the very few that knew when I just needed a quiet night at home with some chocolate and a good book. Together, she and I battled our many different heartbreak’s, and in the end, we came out on top.

Looking back I see a pattern:

Maura meets guy. Becomes intrigued. Gets to know him.

Slowly he begins breaking down the walls (very well built walls, mind you).

So.. I'd withdraw, slowly, killing any chance of a real relationship.

After my last relationship ended I buried myself in books, living at BYU I was determined to stay away from the crazy dating people and just focus on school. I was going to be a career woman. I wanted two bachelors, a masters, a dog, and to move out of state and become a major player in a huge business! I was okay to be on my own; I didn’t need someone else to define my life, I could do that just fine. But once I finally came to terms with that, the big man upstairs just had to put me back in my place.

My plan and dating pattern was still in affect when I met my dear Taylor, and after a few short months, I began to see him breaking down my walls.. Naturally, I got scared, we were spending nearly every waking moment together and things were going pretty fast. On the night that I began to pull away from him, he decided to drop the L-bomb, and didn't let me! He dismissed my silly excuses of being unsure and moving so quickly and he just kept working at it. I didn't really know how to handle that, so I just went with it and the next thing you know, we made it official!

It's been hard work, anyone who is married will tell you it's one of the hardest things I have ever done, but when you have your best friend to work through the tough times with you, it is definitely worth the heartbreaks it took to get me here.

However, as I have been married I have begun to notice a few changes in my habits..

My music listening has lessened dramatically.. Those sad love songs that once used to rule my life just don't have the emotional attachment that they once did. I can listen to them and feel for the people in the song rather than make it all about me. Some still bring back memories, but that’s all they are, memories. I have so much more to live for now and back then, I never thought it could be this great.

I can still feel that heartache when I read my silly dramatic romances. That tightening in your chest, the chills as your breath catches, you realize that you have to remind your lungs to breath as your heart plumets to your stomach. But rather than connecting with my fictional beings during their break ups, I now can have that moment of heartbreak, and then it leads to the craving for when they find each other again. Now I can feel the heart-wrenching love that they have for each other, and it's a whole lot better, and a whole lot stronger, than the heartache.

Even when I do see a reminder of a guy from the past, I get to see how it took those little things to get me where I am. That note we passed in the hall is adorable, our world seemed so small back then. Those shoes were kind of cute, but let’s be honest, I wouldn’t be caught dead in those today! That road where he taught me to drive, wow, I am really lucky we came out of that alive!

I'll admit, there are still a few times that I am quite perturbed by the way that things ended, but its not because of old feelings, I realize its because I have insecurities! I want to believe Taylor when he tells me that I am the best thing ever, but if I was, then what was it that made it end? Why wouldn't someone want to be with me?

It's hard to dwell on those things though because whatever it was, I have grown quite a bit since then, and Taylor really does think the sun rises and sets around me. Not to mention it’s a good thing it ended when it did because even though it sucked, I get the end result now, and he is mighty fine, if I do say so myself :)

During the heartbreaks I never thought I would find my prince charming, but throughout the years together, I have found more and more to reinforce how perfect Taylor is for me.

He puts up with my attempts at angel food cake for a cheap, homemade birthday (first and last time this was attempted).

He even acts excited when he sees it!

He poses for pictures with Asian tourists, because he can.

He saves me from floods and overcomes any obstacle for a simple glass of water..

Even though he loves to wakeboard, he doesn't care that I don't, he lets me be the boring wife and ride in the boat the entire time without complaint.

He is always looking for ways to make me laugh.

He is game for ridiculous pictures of my kind of awesomeness, even in a blizzard.

He surprises me with candlelit dinners after I fail a test.

He humors me with an annual coloring of Easter eggs, pre-children.

He does everything he can to avoid bandaids, but after cutting his head, he eventually lets me put some Neosporin and a band-aid on it, even if he is asleep the whole time.

He lets me keep the pictures I take when I need to capture how adorable he is.

He tests out his ski helmet for me at home so I can know he will be safe while skiing.

He loves my little sisters.

He labels my gifts "my beautiful bride" even though its been years since we got marred.

He lets me come between him and his best friend, and we all still love each other!

He lets me paint his toenails so I can practice with my left hand.

He hates to admit that I have a little bit of "gamer" in me, but he plays with me anyway.

He dutifully cleans all of my hair out of our drain on a regular basis, and even though he threatens to make me do it, he always comes through.

He lets Keo ride on his lap in the car on a regular basis, and after the rough history these two have had, this is a very big deal!

Oh, and he loves me!

“Imagine yourself as a living house, God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of – throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.”

-C.S. Lewis

I believe in reason. Even though it may take years to find out the reason to why, the longer the wait, the better the reason. I believe that while I may have lived for heartbreak and felt as my world was collapsing, it was just a wall coming out, preparing for the grand ballroom of my life. (Yes, I will have a ballroom, and a two-story library, not one, two). I believe that life is like an hourglass, just when you think you’ve hit rock bottom and it can’t get any worse, it does, but be patient, all it takes is waiting for someone to turn everything back around.

Congratulations.. You made it through the whole thing in one piece :)

Things That Make Me Laugh

2012-05-11T04:22:00.000-06:00

Taylor showed me this new website today.. It is FULL of pictures of random things and I have been entertained for hours now! So I figured I would share a few..

Look again... There it is..

Taylor is going to leave this for me someday!

Survival of the Fittest

2012-05-07T22:41:00.002-06:00

Sometimes it takes a while for our survival instincts to kick in.. But when they do.. I hope mine are something like this little guy..

Life is too Precious

2012-04-29T16:47:00.001-06:00

I was reading through some of the blogs that I follow and I came across this adorable video of a little baby named Lila. As I watched this video it became apparent that there was something special about this sweet angel. So I decided to do a little digging and I came upon the story about little baby Lila.

I can't even begin to describe how touched I was to read this story. Before Lila was diagnosed you could tell that their family was very discouraged and the many hospital visits were wearing on everyone. A lot of times it becomes very easy for families to place blame on one another but as I have read more and more about Quinn and Kristi, (Lila's parents), I am so touched by their devotion to each other and how they have pushed through this together. Kristi is a role model to me, her positive attitude about life is amazing and I have loved reading their story, I hope that I can have just a little of her strength for the things that come our way.

My Favorite Lila Story is a simple one, but it really touched my heart. My prayers go out to this family, they are truly inspirational.

Married Couple Entertainment

2012-03-30T00:47:00.000-06:00

Sometimes I like to lounge on my couch while I pinterest my life away.. Keo, my faithful lazy day companion, enjoys when I lounge around because he likes to lounge around as well, usually on top of me..

Now, this may not seem that funny, but.. as I was laying on my stomach perusing the regular internet nonsense he made himself comfortable and I was convinced to get a picture for the blog.

It also might help to know that this was picture 23.. I just couldn’t get a good shot of him, he really is not photogenic, and I mean this in the kindest way. It was also hard getting myself out of the picture, so please excuse the "it’s way past my bedtime” look I’ve got going..

Taylor and I have been in a book frenzy this week, both reading great books and most of our free time was spent together on our couch reading. We got a good laugh because Keo was in an extra cuddly mood and just kept finding the smallest space to lay on top of me, regardless of how I was sitting, he makes himself fit.. usually long enough for me to take 23 pictures..

We may sound like quite the boring married couple, reading in our free time between work and school, but I really like our simple little lifestyle and every once in a while I come across something like this..

and I remember that we may seem pretty boring, but give us the classic photobooth on a mac and we definitely know how to entertain ourselves.

Yawning

2012-03-27T20:25:00.002-06:00

Everytime I feel a yawn coming on, I feel like I gain twenty pounds.. Way bugged that with yawning comes a double chin and squinty eyes.. I really wish there was a way around that but.. I have come to find that no matter what..

No one looks attractive while yawning anyway..

The Ladies Man

2012-03-21T20:00:00.006-06:00

This child is my hero. Someday when I have kids I will seek him out for an arranged marriage.