Monday, September 27, 2010

sooo much to say


Wow. A lot has happened since I last blogged. Where to start . . .

two weekends ago
On Friday, Ben and I went to BYU's World of Dance. It was so fabulous. The ballerinas were beautiful and the ballroom dances were so fun, but the funniest dance was performed by dancEnsemble, the modern company. The boys came out in tuxedos and the girls in red dresses . . . except the girls were dolls attached to razor scooters and all of the dancing was actually scooting. The audience was rolling. How I love BYU.

On Saturday, Ben and I had a 3 month anniversary breakfast of muffins, scrambled eggs, and fruit smoothies! Then, we hosted Blue & Sami, Tigger & Jackie, DJ, Laurel, & Kipp for the BYU game and popcorn. The boys enjoyed halftime football in the mud while the girls chatted inside. Unfortunately, we lost and all the girls fell asleep during the 4th quarter.

last week
Last week was so busy!
On Tuesday, Ben had a recruiting dinner with PricewaterhouseCoopers, a.k.a. PWC, and I was invited to attend as a spouse. How exciting. We got all dressed up in our "business casual" (whatever that means) gear and headed over to the Hinckley building, a.k.a. where we got engaged. From 5:45-6:15, it was networking - standing around feeling awkward and occasionally talking to someone. From 6:15-7:30 there were breakout sessions; Ben went to the Financial Instruments and Credit Group info meeting, and I attended the "spouse panel!" All of the wives got to ask questions of PWC wives for an hour - things like "How often will I really see my husband?" or "What are your maternity benefits?" haha. Then we met back in the Assembly Hall, the Myers Family sitting at Table 28 and had a September Thanksgiving feast, complete with turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie! We participated in lots of chatting and lots of schmoozing and called it a night at 9! The next day Ben had his interview and we will hear back soon.
On Thursday, Ben had another recruiting dinner, this time with Ernst & Young. It was in the Grand Ballroom of the Provo Marriott and it was a lot more laid back. When we first arrived, all of the girls were handed a yellow rose and the boys were presented with a brand new, all-in-one tool set! Haha. Then we took our seats at Table 51, played some sort of get-to-know the company game, and then munched on a half yummy, half weird dinner. (Bacon-wrapped steak and shrimp on a stick? Gross.) We participated in lots more chatting and lots more
schmoozing at came home promptly at 8! Ben, again, had another interview the next day. He has been working so hard on preparing for these interviews. I am so proud of him!

Here we are after the first dinner with our name tags!

Oh, I forgot, Wednesday night, Da Ducks had their second flag football game, this time, finishing with a win! Wa-hoo! Ben, as always, looked fabulous. At least to me. :)

last weekend
What a fun and busy weekend! Friday afternoon, Ben & I took a trip to the wondrous world known as Ikea to purchase some wood picture frames I'm going to paint for our apartment. We dined on yummy pizza at The Pie and then drove the rest of the way to SLC for a Paris reunion at the Patterson's. It was so fun to see Kate, Andrew, James, and Allison and her husband. While we were there, the Patterson's niece painted a French fleur de lis on my toes! Check it out!

On Saturday, Ben & I met Mom & G-ma Karen at Kneaders for a very filling brunch. That afternoon, Mom, G-ma, Peggy, Kelly, and I went to Salt Lake for the General Relief Society Meeting. Of course, before the broadcast, we had dinner at my favorite French restaurant, Gourmandise. I was a happy camper when they had all three of my favorite desserts - Chocolate Raspberry Mousse Cake, Pain au Chocolat, and French Macarons! No doubt, I got all three. :)




(We wanted to keep them fresh for Sunday breakfast, but they didn't both fit in one container. Haha!)



Mom came to our ward on Sunday and I taught Relief Society! I am going to love my new calling as Relief Society Instructor. I have all of the "Teachings For Our Times" Sundays and this month we talked about "Using Good Judgment & Not Judging Others" and "When the Lord Commands." It went great! Then we treated Mom to our favorite homemade dish - Parmesan Chicken - and took her to the airport!

my bicep
I also need to point out this picture. I was looking through our wedding photos the other day and check out my left bicep! I guess all of my pre-wedding work outs actually worked!


the moth
I also need to tell you about the moth because I think it's hilarious. The first week that Ben & I were in this new apartment, there was this huge, nasty fly buzzing around. One night as I was washing my face, I felt something on my head. I looked up and into the mirror and saw something big and black. I let out the most blood-curdling scream anyone has ever heard (Seriously, Dad.); it hurt my throat and my heart. Ben came rushing in and I meekly said "There was a fly . . ." as it flew away. Well, our pantry is big and dark and it kind of freaks me out. Usually I turn on the light inside before I even open the door. One night last week, I went in just to grab a water bottle and I didn't pre-turn on the light. When I opened the door, something big and dark flew (fluttered) around and then flew straight at me! Again, a blood-curdling scream. This time it was a meek "There was a moth . . ." Well, the little booger was un-smashable and he plagued our house with his nastiness for several days. Every time we saw him I would tell Ben to try to kill him or I would try to shew him out the door. Every time, unsuccessful. Well, a couple of nights ago, I was sitting in bed and I reached over to put my chapstick back in the drawer and guess who was sitting right in the middle of my night stand?! Mr. Booger Moth! Ben squashed him and he is now resting peacefully in the trash can. :)

Until next time, folks . . . have a great day! :)

Saturday, September 11, 2010

apartment & etc.

Have we fallen off the blogging world?! Yes. But we're back!

Check out our new apartment in BYU Student Family Housing!

Living Room: Before


Living Room: After
(Thanks for the TV Daddy Myers!)


Dining Area: Before


Dining Area: After


Kitchen: Before


Kitchen: After


Pantry: Before = Sad


Pantry: After = Happy
(Thanks Daddy Rowan!)


Bathroom: Before


Bathroom: After


Study/Storage: Before


Study/Storage: After


Ben's Side:


My Side:


Bedroom: Before


Bedroom: After
(Thanks Grandma Karen for the perfect quilt!)


Last night we had a triple-header! First was a reunion for my freshman ward. I was most excited to see my freshman roommate, Kyra, who also got married this summer.

This is us on our first day at BYU.


And here we are now.


And with husbands!


Second was "Da Ducks" first flag football game. Here are Sami and I on the sidelines, bundled up like it's winter already! What's up, September?!


Lastly, the three Ben's and the wives gathered for chips, salsa, queso, bean dip, kool-aid, and peanut M&Ms. Tell me this is not a happy scene!
(Thanks Heavenly Father for wonderful friends!)

Friday, September 3, 2010

anniversary

No, not ours . . . Grandma & Grandpa Rowan's 61st!

Grandpa said it was their 62nd, Grandma said it was their 61st, and Grandpa said, "Well it feels like the 62nd!" Hahaha! Humor never grows older.

Uncle Rick and Aunt Deb put together a surprise party for Grandma & Grandpa at the new Magleby's in Springville. 19 of us "Rowans" were
there! How fun is that?!

Before Grandma & Grandpa got there, we all hung out downstairs with the place to ourselves. When they came down the stairs and saw all of us, they were so surprised! It was so precious.



We ate a scrumptious dinner - Ben had steak and I had chicken & pasta. But, somehow my order got lost and it came out about 15-20 minutes late. Unfortunate . . . but I got a free Magleby's cake! My favorite! No complaints here. :)


Here is Grandpa with his new iPhone (with an iPod!). I think he took a picture of everyone there on his phone.


Then he stood to give a speech. What love we all feel from Grandpa & Grandma!!


A happy, happy evening!! :)

For more pictures, see Anne Marie's blog.