& Life is Complete..

 For probably as long as I have had a bucket list I have always wanted to go Ice Fishing.. 

& When it started to seem more real that we would probably be moving to somewhere without much of a winter I kept thinking that we HAD to go before we left or we probably never would get a chance..

And for our Valentines Date this year.. all of my wildest dreams came true!

[But really.. it was awe.some.]

& Easily the BEST thing about Rexburg is the fun/kind people that live here..

I love how many adventurous people there are here that have so many fun hobbies and are always wanting to get out and do something and are nice enough to let us tag along with them..

The whole time I was watching this drilling hole experience I was reminded of when my sister was really little and she told my Mom, "You're only a better scrap booker than me because you have better supplies".

That's what I was trying to convince Blake.. they are only better ice fishers than us because...

um they know what they are doing, they know where to drill the hole, what bait to use, how to even tie on those dang hooks.. 

They have better supplies. 

& Even though it felt like we had to be trained in absolutely everything.. 

We were HAPPY little campers..

Can you see our reflections in the water?

I think that I spent most of the day on my hands and knees leaning over our ice holes..

The COOLEST thing about ice fishing is that unlike any other kind of fishing you can completely just watch the fish as they try to decide to take your bait  

and when they actually bit it I think I started screaming every time..

Yup... one guess to who spilled their hot chocolate all over the white snow.. 

& got to sit in the brown puddle of shame..

& Then to MY excitement after we had been out a little while and it was getting a littttle cold.. 

The guys that we went with decided that we should probably get to sit in the warming hut.

And who was I to disagree with that.. haha

When you were inside of the little tent everything kind of lit up and you could see under the water really really well..

[We added this to the list of better supplies we would need to get before we could be serious ice fishers.]

By the end of the day Blake and I had HOOKED 3 different fish..

We may or may not have actually caught them however.. haha 

The first one we had out of the hole and one of the guys we came with was actually touching it but Blake and I's hooks got tangled together.. 

[oh & maybe because I was so excited I forgot to real I just kept backing up.. 

I obviously do well under pressure]

& The fish slipped back into the hole and swam away..

Where we were fishing it was catch and release anyway but I was just hoping to get to hold and take a picture with the fish before we had to throw it back. 

:)

But this was definitely one of my very favorite Rexburg Winter experiences EVER.. and a major check off of the Bucket List.

I'm constantly amazed at our beautiful world and all of the fun uplifting things there are to do.

I definitely think that doing things in nature also makes me feel closer to God and by getting me away from the loud busyness of the world helps me put into perspective the things that really matter.

Thank you Idaho for being awesome.. 

But.. I think my life is complete & I'm ready to move and actually remember what it's like to be warm again now.

:)

Oh Love Day

 

This probably is going to be kind of a short post..

[Lets see if I can ever keep my talking minimal enough for a "short post" :) ]

But I just couldn't help writing about it.. Even though everyone says that Valentines Day is a commercial holiday made for the candy companies and they talk about how they hate it and aren't going to celebrate it because you should show your love everyday and not just one day a year..

[I know everyone has had to have heard all of this a million times...]

Despite all of that... I just can't help but love it.

:)

 & This year Blake just completely blindsided me and I am still getting butterflies about it.

 

So this year I had to work pretty late on Valentines Day so we just talked about how we would celebrate later in the weekend..

& Blake always jokes with me when I tell him my middle name is fun.. and says that he thinks my middle name should be Responsibility.

[which doesn't sound as exciting as fun.. I think he is confused haha]

But I think it's partially because I am probably the most practical person gift reciever ever..

[& he can never believe I am being serious about it..]

 I love getting gifts that I will use everyday and make the most of our money.

So unfortunately flowers don't really fall under that category..[& don't get me wrong I LOVE flowers] But I always tell Blake maybe when we are older and have more money you can suprise me with flowers but you don't need to buy me them now..

 

& You guys all know when girls say things and don't really mean it.?

 Seriously this time did not feel like one of those times. I try to be pretty honest with Blake about what I want..

So I spent the whole day at work telling friends and coworkers that we weren't doing a whole lot for Valentines Day.. and we definitely weren't doing flowers because they cost a lot and we were trying to save for the move, house, car, etc..

 

 And by the end of the day [since I normally am ALL about celebrating any excuse to celebrate].. I was actually starting to feel a little sad that we were kind of skipping out on actual Valentines Day this year..

 

But.. of course because Blake seems to be able to read my mind even more than I can..

When I got home and walked in everything was absolutely spotless..

And there was my sweet husband with my favorite Artichoke Bacon Spinach Pizza trying to open Sparkling Cider with a can opener.. haha

Seriously I could have cried.

 

 

 

 

& Even more to my surprise Blake had bought me a DOZEN red roses along with my gift and despite the fact that it was late he had planned a date night out...

 

Oh I was completely blind sided, I couldn't stop saying

 "Oh my gosh.. you got me flowers."

& The whole night I kept thinking... everyone should probably get themselves a Blake.

He fills my life with so much love and seems to even know what I want/need before I even realize it. I just keep thinking you'd have to be absolutely selfless to be that aware of someone else's needs.

 

I'm sorry if this is SO mushy.. but this was just one of those life moments that I have a lot lately and want to remember.. where you look around and think how in the world did I get so lucky.

My Heavenly Father must really love me to let me have all of this..

 

I hope everyone had a good Valentines Day..

& Blakey thanks for being so good to me.. you are my greatest blessing.

I love you.

:)

A Little Bit of Life

 

Oh helloo everyone. :)

 

I know my blogging has become sad a little far and few between..

buttt I decided to take a few "personal days".

I have always loved blogging/journaling and feel like it's important to keep a history of life..

but it started to feel like something I felt like I needed to do.

& If you're like me when you HAVE to do something it's not impossible to love it, but it's definitely harder.

 

& Since I started this blog as something fun I wanted to do to share life and love with the sweet people in my life...

I decided I'm only going to blog when I have some extra time and am feeling excited about it.

 

So..

A little bit of catching up on life lately..

 

I had my first surgery/hospital experience..
That was quite the life event.. and can I just say that when we have our first child.. man am I going to appreciate them.

 

& I'm sure there is just a special place in heaven for Blake..

He missed part of one of his finals to come with me and after waited on me hand and foot..

AND fed me Chinese!

Talk about love..

 

Um obviously.. a million years ago.. we celebrated Christmas.

Blake had a secret work shop that I could not enter through the month of December.

:)

 

& He suprised me by BUILDING this book shelf I had been admiring on pinterest with books for shelves!

Oh boy. I'm. In. LOVE.

[with my husband AND this cute Christmas present}

 

We had gingerbread house building dates with some of our cute friends..

Can you tell I've been a little homesick the last couple of months?

This is our New Mexico house that mostly Blake and I constructed.

 

{I'm really good.. "instructing" Blake how he probably should be making our gingerbread house.. haha I'm sure he loves our projects together.}

Our Gingerbread houses from around the world...

[This is what happens when you make lots of friends at college that are from around the country.. you become so cultured.. haha you just have to get really good at long distance relationships when everyone moves so far away again.]

 

 

 

This was the first Christmas I have ever spent away from my family..

It was the year to stay with my sweet in laws.. so we woke up early to virtually open presents with my sister in cute pajamas and my wonderful parents.

 

Thank goodness for Face Time.. to ease the pains of growing up.

:)

 

 

Then Blake, my sweet Grandma, and I got to visit Farmington for a week ish after Christmas..

 

& My baby sista got her LICENSE.

 

 

& We got to spend the best new years with my loved ones.

I've thought a lot lately how funny it is when you are a senior in high school how ready you are to move far away and be on your own..

& Then 5 years later how exctited I have been to go back and how sad I am when I have to leave and be far away again.

 

I have always loved my family.. but being far away makes you really appreciate every day you get with them.

We were just missing my wild missionary brother Mitchell.. who was really busy in Argentina this Christmas.

[One Christmas down.. and just ONE MORE to go until he comes home!! We sure love and miss you Hermano Woods]

& Ask how spoiled we are when we come to New Mexico..
Blake gained 5 lbs while we were down there! & I... may or may not have purposefully nooot weighed myself.. because weight gain just doesn't quite have the same excitement for me as it does for Blakey poo.. haha

 

 








Oh how I loooove and miss these cute people.
:)

 

I wish I would have snuck a few pictures of my cute Grandma while we were down there too..

[lets be honest my picture taking has been better.. Marah actually took the above cute pictures haha]

But Grandma we were soooo happy to have you with us through the trip it made everything so much more fun. We sure love you.

 

 

& Then of course.. we got bribed..

[ I don't think they had to beg toooo hard]
To stay until the very last minute and spend an extra day skiing.. oh best. decision.




Have I mentioned we were spoiled to death?

{Mm evidently my dad probably grow up in the take pictures while you are doing everything era..
 I think the selfie over load may have been overwhelming him. But don't be fooled he was secretly thrilled to be skiing too..}

 

We had the best New Mexico trip..  it was a sad day when we finally had to head back up to our Winter Wonderland home... to school and work and responsibility.

But we have been trying to make the most of our last wintery January and February before we move to Texas and have had our own little Rexburg bucket list that we have been marking off.

 

I hope everyone has had a wonderful last couple of months.. I'm sorry again for my lonnnng absence and promise to update you on our last hooorah in Idaho.

 

Love you all.

Thanks for still caring about our life..

[& for my little text reminders, momma , that I need to update my blog]

:)

 

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year..

 

Oh I love Christmas.

 

& I am not ready for it to be here.. because I am not ready for it to be over yet..

 



I love Christ... & Service..

 

& Family.. & Christmas Traditions..

 

& I love the Music, & the Laughter, & Love..

 

& I really lovvve giving gifts.

 

This year for our neighbor gifts Blake & I made

Christmas Stove Top Potpourri/Cider..

Oh it smells so much like Christmas and Home.. it's heavenly.

 

Christmas Stove Top Potpourri

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup fresh cranberries
• 1/2 orange (sliced)
• 2 cinnamon sticks (broken in half)
•  1 ½ tsp cloves
• 1/16 tsp nutmeg
• 1 ½-2  cups water [or 2 cups Cranberry Juice and 3 cups of Apple Juice for Cider]

Combine ingredients in a small pot and simmer over low heat for as long as desired. Add more water if it gets low. Enjoy the holiday scent.

You'll have to try it.. my Christmas Eve gift to you.

[Wait what.. I'm blogging about Christmas Eve ON Christmas Eve.. don't worry I'm shocked too]

 

Merry Christmas Eve my loved ones..

This year I don't get to spend it in Farmington and it definitely feels different. No one tells you when you are moving off to college that you definitely took for granted having most of your loved ones in one place.

 

But for those of you I don't get to see for a few more days I sure love you you all..

 you're always in my heart.

The Quarter of a Century

 

Blake turned the big 2-5 this year.

 

What is the weirdest to me is that when we started dating he was 21.

How are we getting so old so fast?

 

But anyway this year.. unlike last.. thank goodness his birthday was not on Thanksgiving so we got to celebrate HIM allll day.

So the highlight of the day.. definitely for both of us.. was that I had a big surprise for Blake with his presents.

:)

He had been wanting a bow [like a bow and arrow.. bow] for probably the last year. The only problem is that they are kind of expensive..

 

But he has been dyyying to have one [as in he talked about it daily.. seriously dyying] and I have really been wanting to get it for him. So I think back in July I put it on layaway.

 

So I just made payments on it when I could and finalllly a couple of days before Blake's birthday I got to pick it up and I was bursting with excitement to give it to him.

 

 

SO what we had talked about with his gifts is that I would mostly give him money

(& a couple of other little things to open) so that we could go and put his bow on layaway on his birthday and maybe get it around Christmas.

 

So Blake opened his small gifts and then in the bag that was supposed to have his money was a note that said..

"Okay... I lied I'm not giving you money. But maybe I can do you one better. Check the office for one last present."

 

& He starts yelling "WHAT".. "What is going on".. with big eyes like he doesn't want to get too excited yet..

 

Then he runs out into the living room with his big box and rips open the paper and the gift as fast as he can. haha I don't know the last time I've seen him so excited.

[Probably when I told him I would marry him.. :) ]

 

Oh I wish I could freeze the moment forever. I looove surprises.

 

& Blake was so in love with his bow he just wanted to sit there and stare at it.. he had to have it next to him when we played games and on the night stand next to us when we went to sleep.

I think he was afraid it was going to disappear and be a joke.

Then the rest of the day.. even though he was on cloud 9 I think from his surprise gift.. and we probably could have just stopped the day there.. we just celebrated my sweet Blake.

 

We ate donuts, took his bow to Idaho Falls so he could shoot it for houuuurs, saw the cute inlaws, ate Mexican food, & went on a double date to the first day of Catching Fire..

 

I sure love Birthdays and reasons to celebrate..

 

 And Blake Bingham I can't believe how much I love you.

I must have done something realllly right to get you..

:)

Happy Birthday Babe!



The Great Outdoors..

 

If anyone asked me what I loved about Idaho.. I of course would first say that it's close to my sweet in laws and all of our awesome friends here..

But thennn I would tell them that there is sooo much to do outdoors..

 

 

oh. seriously.. it's breathtaking.

 

So this Fall we had the chance to go real rock climbing for Blake's first time ever..

[We have been indoor rock climbing plenty.. Blake loooves it.. so I was pretty excited for this trip actually because I knew he would be in heaven]

 

& Luckily we got to go with a group of people who actually knew what they were doing..

They would lead climb for us,

[without a harness or anyone balleying them so they could set the climb up for everyone else..]

& thankfully knew all of the place that were fun to climb..

 

& This sweet man with his long arms and legs and crazy self discipline.. is such a natural. He really was built to rock climb.. so it's lucky that he loves it so much.

 

And of course since I have such long limbs too..

[For those of you who may not actually recall... although its probably up for debate, it's possible that I'm not the biggest/longest person in the world]

I was prettt.ty. impressive.

 

Especially at these cool climbs you had to shimmy up the crack without hand/foot holds..

Hopefully I have to do that to save my life one day..

that would end really well. haha

[For who ever was chasing me that is..]

 

Just kidding.. even though I have to admit I didn't make this intense climbing thing look quite as graceful as Blakey over here.. it was really fun.

 

& I really enjoy being pushed every once in a while, I think if it's not a challenge you won't learn anything new.

 

 

Unfortunately Blake was always balleying me when I was climbing [& sometimes doesn't quite feel the burning need to document our life like I do..]

 

So we didn't get any pictures of my climbing.. I was a little bit bummed..

but I guess that just means we will have to go again.

:)

 

 

 

& The best part about being spending the day out in nature was all of the natural life we got to see..

There were two bald eagles, lots of lizards..

 

 

The prettiest fall leaves..

 

&& For the grannnd finnalllee..

  

 A MOOSE.

Completely made my day life...

A real live moose spotting has been something that has been on my life bucket list, and after rock climbing we were walking to the car with our friends and out of the river popped this beauty.

 

Even though I have to admit that in my bucket list mind/moose plan we weren't exactly just outside walking next to the moose..

This one actually started charging us when it saw us and as we all ran for the car
[& I'm running backwards so that I can get a picture.. as you can tell I usually think things through]
it changed it's mind and ran the other way thank goodness.

 

But oh it was beautiful. It's amazing how many beautiful things are in our lives and so close around us everyday..

I know that I am guilty of thinking I'm too busy and not always appreciating them like I should.

We are so blessed.

& Oh Idaho.. my pretty outdoorsy state.. I am going to miss you.