That awkward moment

when you have a cold and your nose whistles and you look around and remember you're at the public library.

Not your couch.

Cool.

(Or not...)

P.S. Here's Sardine Canyon for ya. 

Oh, what? 

You're coming up to visit on Sunday

 so that you can drive through the canyon 

and see all the pretty leaves? 

Okay, sure. 

I'll make you cookies.

Moving on

We have an announcement to make...

Dun dun dun duuunn!

We're moving.

No seriously though... that's my announcement.

Are you surprised? Because I sure am!

Mostly because it is 100%, completely and utterly out of the blue.

It went from "oh hey, let's go check out this complex"

to "okay, so like where am I going to put all my shoes?" 

and "hey, the future dog can sleep there!"

Things have weirdly fallen into place, and since it is in true Jake Mulford family fashion to just up and move with no forethought

--Need I remind you of the time when we found our first apartment just four (FOUR) days before we were married, or how the last time we moved, we decided to start looking and were in our current apartment within a week--

  we figured... why not?

But as the decision is starting to sink in, I'm beginning to realize... 

you never know what you've got until it's gone. 

I'll miss the way our sink has to be turned to the right for hot instead of cold, and how our light switches are upside down, and how the drawers in the fridge have to be propped up just right in order for everything not to come tumbling down.

But I don't think the AC, the dishwasher, the washer/dryer hook-ups, the back porch and the garage (which means no window scraping in the depths of Logan's snow) will have much of a problem winning me over pretty quick.

Not to mention the fact that I won't have to worry about ants crawling into my kitchen sink anymore.

Yeah. I really don't think I will miss that.

Okay, maybe a little.

Wait for it... 

nope.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, I'll miss our current home, but I'm excited to make new memories as we move on to this next little adventure in our lives.

Now...

Does anyone have a spare cardboard box? Or 5...

Home-making

Sometimes I obsess over the thought 

of a beautifully decorated home.

'One day' I remind myself.... One day....

And then I get to work, pinning all of my latest 

"must haves" 

that I find floating around in cyber space. 

(While wearing my make-believe shirt that says,

 "I loved Pinterest before it was cool...")

Something good did come out of my latest hankering to have 

a picture-perfect house, though... 

that is a little project we like to call "Dresser re-vamp 101." 

Okay, we don't like to call it that. 

In fact, we have never called it that. 

I just thought it would sound nicer than calling it our, 

"why-the-heck-did-we-decide-to-take-this-on-in-the-middle-of-september-rather-than-starting-in-june" project. 

But whatever. 

It'll all be worth it in the end.... right? 

(Those were my never-ending words to the husband (and myself) during our 2 hour sanding sesh yesterday.... especially at the point when it had, in fact, been 2 hours and we were not even close to being halfway done. hmm.)

If life goes perfectly, 

we will have a DIY'd dresser by next September. 

(As you can see, 

my perfect life includes plenty of room for procrastination...)

As for now, here's what yesterday looked like...

  {And I can just imagine the excitement you must be feeling 

as you look at this oh-so-exciting picture.

You're welcome.}

Aside from a new dresser, 

I am also currently obsessing over these things:

Just as soon as I find the perfect mirror, 

this little beauty will be the Mulford family's newest addition!

And you can bet your bottom I would have already bought this 

$25 (twenty-five. that's it!) distressed pitcher, 

If it weren't for the big fat 

"Sold Out" 

that I found plastered across it. 

*frown*

If you are looking to flatter me 

(you know, because imitation is the highest form of flattery...), 

you can purchase any of these items 

(except for the antiqued mirror, which can be found here)

 at One Kings Lane.

 Enjoy!

Noogie time

Sometimes I want a baby.

Like.... REAAAALLLYYY want a baby.

Then I remind myself of all the reasons 

I'm okay with being selfish right now, 

and I'm like "Yeah. It can wait."

Besides,

I have hilarious cousins who can fill in all the gaps 

for the time being.

*5-year-old Max running around giving everyone noogies* 

(Seriously though. What ever happened to "noogie time"??)

Jake: Hey Max, why don't you go give Grandpa a noogie?

Max: No! (with a look of disgust)

Jake: Why not??

Max: Cuz he's old....... and doesn't clean out his ears!

Jake: What? How do you know that?!

Max: Cuz I looked. And I saw them!

Childhood.

Back when honesty really was the best policy...

A future

Today I had to find a class to fill a SW elective.

I signed up for social gerontology...

Social.

Gerontology.

Oh, and did I mention that it is 3 hours long?

I almost fell asleep before I even finished adding the class.

Okay, that was uncalled for.

I love my grandparents.

I will give it a fighting chance.

Just don't say I didn't warn you

when you ask me to remember anything past 

"Students, welcome to class"...

On another note,

this afternoon as I was sitting at my desk at Up to 3 

(Yes, I have a desk. Woo-hoo.)

I had one of those "this is it" moments.

You know.

Those times when you think to yourself,

I'm where I'm supposed to be. 

I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing. 

And I'm loving it! 

And I felt grateful

--like reeaaallly grateful--

that things have worked out this way.

Cheers to futures unfolding!

I am.

I am a wife.

I am a daughter.

I am a sister.

I am a friend.

I am a realist.

I am a college student.

I am a lover of learning.

I am a pianist.

I am a (closet) singer.

I am a cook.

I am a reader.

I am a writer.

And I'm a Mormon.

 

Ha. I've been watching too many of those Mormon ads, 

or something!

But seriously... today I feel as if belting those words 

from the rooftops... "I am a Mormon!"

Because I feel so proud of the fact 

and am happy to have that blessing in my life!!

I often wonder where I would be if I didn't have the direction of the gospel to guide me through this journey we call life. Jake and I were talking about this the other day with some of our friends, and the conversation went a little something like this...

Friends: We'd be wine connoisseurs--traveling the world, 

and drinking the best of wines.

Steph: Me too... mostly because I love cheese. :)

Jake: Yeah... not gonna lie... If I wasn't LDS, I'd be one of those chubby guys that is at every college party who wears the stupid beer hat with the straws coming out of it and says really inappropriate things!

Ha ha! Can you picture it? Hilarious.

And we joke about these things, but when it comes right down to it, I would rather be nobody else, than a member of 

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

I am grateful to know that on the day that my husband and I decided to officially tie the knot, we were not given the assurance, "til death do you part" but were instead promised that we would live together forever, however long that may be. 

A handsome dude who constantly makes me laugh, 

stuck to my side forever? 

I'm in!

And I also love the fact that the day when I get to hold a tiny little baby in my arms and look down at it, knowing it's mine, that I can also know that it is mine, even after we die. 

I look forward to this day with so much excitement! 

I can't even wait! 

(No, this is not an announcement.)

Of all the truths of the gospel, the knowledge that I will live together with my family and with God forever, in a beautiful place (I'm picturing 75 degrees with orangeish/reddish sunsets every single night!) is the one that brings the most peace to my mind.

I am forever grateful for the blessings of the gospel in my life and I wish that every single person could feel the joy I feel, 

knowing that there is a God and that he loves us 

and knows who we are and what we need.

 

I am a wife,

a friend,

a cook,

a writer,

and a Mormon.

Who are you?

In case you wanted to know...

I feel like I want to do an update.

(And since my email is currently un-useable (again!), which means I can't do stuff for my job, and in the spirit of "soaking up every last bit of summer before school starts again" I am not even going to allow myself to feel one bit guilty about doing two consecutive posts on the blog.)

So here goes:

I FINALLY quit DownEast.

I say finally, because... it is time.

Those of you who have ever worked retail for longer than a year

(but really more like 2 years or more) can understand what I mean.

It has been weird to really be done, since I have worked there longer than any other job.

And there are a few things I am really going to miss...

Cleaning out dressing rooms that look like dorm-room closets

Picking up beverages left on top of rounders, 

suckers stuck to children's clothing,

or diapers propped outside bathroom doors.

Folding things. Especially these types of things!

Answering the same question over.

and over.

and over, again.

Sweeping and mopping this floor

Walking in to work 

(or even better, church, only I can't find the picture at the moment!) 

only to find that a co-worker is wearing the exact same thing!

Being yelled at because "my" exchange policy sucks.

Feeling sorry for my co-workers who got to 

clean up the barf on the drinking fountain. 

Giving band-aids to children after begin screamed at by parents

because "my child almost cut their eye open on that glass shelf!"

And so many other wonderful things!

Okay, let's be honest, I probably won't miss any of these things, 

but I will miss my peeps at DE.

That place has definitely brought some great friends into my life!

And really, the job wasn't that bad.

I mean... at least I've never had to pick up pig ovaries...

I am excited to be done, and ready for my next adventure to start, which is my practicum that will begin this fall at Up to 3, 

an organization on campus that works with families who have children with developmental disorders.

Currently I am still working on campus doing all sorts of things 

that are hard to explain in a nutshell.

The gist of it, is that I do research, create websites 

and encourage people to get involved in mentoring.

I like it.

 

I also just recently got a new calling at church 

to be the primary pianist.

I'm loving the kids already!

As for Jake, he is enjoying his new job.

He's working for Wasatch Properties Management where he takes phone calls from people who are calling in about apartment complexes managed by Wasatch.

I am also enjoying this new job, 

because not only does he no longer have to work late in to the night, 

we also got to upgrade gyms, 

and our new gym has a swimming pool!

Let's just say that I have been one happy woman 

during this blazing hot summer!

Jake, as of late, 

has also been working on creating a website with a buddy of his.

aggiewelcomewagon.com

Check it out and let me know what you think!

And the most exciting thing that has happened recently is that my brother-in-law returned home from his LDS mission in Tahiti!!

On the way to the airport... we were all a little excited...

My husband looks pretty good as a Tahitian woman :)

He's home!

Jake practicing on his new ukelele

Taylor is great, not only because he was always someone that I could talk to when Jake was on his mission, but also because he just has a way of making everyone happy.

I love the kid and am so happy he's home!

With just one week left 

until I start my VERY LAST YEAR of school....

Life is good!