Last weekend.

Last weekend was wonderful! I had so much fun.

Met my dad for lunch downtown on Friday. He's the best.

Saturday was all about basketball. A couple of friends & I went to watch C1's game at 8am, because if they won they would play us at 10:30. Our semi game was at 9 (which we won, obv) and then we had a little break before the championship. The final game came down to C1 v. C2, which we were hoping for all season, because of how entertaining it would be. It was a GREAT game, really fun to watch friends play against friends. In the end our boys pulled out a victory! So happy. Back to back champs! Yessss. Also, Britt was in town visiting for the weekend so we were able to catch up on life! Love her.

That night, I went to go watch Potomac's boys basketball team play Wakefield for the regional championship. It brought back A LOT of memories-cheering for yet another undefeated team from my dear high school. We didn't always have a lot to be proud of at Potomac, but we always had basketball. Unfortunately, they lost, but are still headed to the state tournament, so i'm hoping they can get their magic back! This shirt killed me...

Saw Tu Uyen while waiting in line and was able to sit by her and her brother! So fun.

I was soooo bummed the game wasn't at Potomac-I'm absolutely positive they would have won if it was. But it was nice not having to drive far.

Dragged this guy with me since no one else loves basketball as much as him.

Had a really good time-if only they had won!

Sunday night was the Oscars, so we had a little gathering at our house to watch. Our enjoyment increased when one by one we all started finding out work was cancelled for Monday because of an impending snow storm. Sunday nights are SO much better when you know you don't have work Monday...

And finally, on Monday we went on a little 3 mile (roundtrip) walk to 7-11 for snow day necessities (hot choco for H and Whit, Coke Zero fountain for me). 

"What is a weekend?" to answer your question Dowager Countess, its the most amazing thing in the entire world.

[recently]

It may be winter but that doesn't mean there's a lack of things happening in these parts.

The night that I got back from South Carolina, we were in the middle of a polar vortex. Literally, that's what they called it. With the wind chill, temperatures were as low as -20, aka i'd rather be dead. I was at the boys house watching the BCS Championship game when I got a text from Whitney that the wind had knocked our power out. So I headed home to investigate and this is what I found...my roommates bundled up on the couch and candles aglow. The next day I went out to my car and the cup of water I had left there the night before was frozen solid. Normal.

Went and saw "Lone Survivor" with Whitney, T, Trent, and Spencer. Such a powerful book, and even more powerful movie.

Went to Denise's baby shower! Heyyyy! So happy for this girl...we've been friends for almost 13 years, since we first met at girls camp. No one can make me laugh like her. 

Hit up Cafe Rio for $1 burritos! Holla!!! They actually did this promotion a couple of times. We went and got 2 burritos (the limit), got back in line after eating 1 and got 2 more. We had burritos in our freezer for weeks. It was awesome.

CAITY GOT ENGAGED! The morning it happened, I had actually gone over to her house to chat while she was baking for the Super Bowl, and we had talked about how she thought it wouldn't happen for a couple weeks. Then we went to the boys basketball game where we took this picture, and a few hours later she texted me a picture of her ring!!! So, so happy for her.

8am church calls for mandatory Sunday afternoon naps. Here are all my roommates curled on the couch sleeping. No room for me, so I retreated to my room.

For the Super Bowl, we decided to have a "Super Party Bowl" and celebrate T's and David's birthdays at the same celebration as the big game. Caity made David a Boston sports cake (Red Sox, Celtics, Bruins) and I made T an ice cream cake. They both ended up really well and there was a great turn out!

Braved the snow and ice to go to the temple. Always a good decision. Love this place.

"HOUSE OF CARDS" RETURNED.

i'm ready, are you??? #winterhater

my whole family was in Arizona together for Ryan's ordination. wish I could have been with them! but they saved me a spot next to Ryan and Gavyn :)

#thestruggle.

"SCANDAL" CAME BACK. oh how i missed this. and these two. how precious are they?

life with raja in a picture.

and a little quote for yall that i love and is always relevant:

"We don't always know the details of our future. We do not know what lies ahead. We live in a time of uncertainty. We are surrounded by challenges on all sides. Occasionally discouragement may sneak into our day; frustration may invite itself into our thinking; doubt might enter about the value of our work. In these dark moments Satan whispers in our ears that we will never be able to succeed, that the price isn't worth the effort, and that our small part will never make a difference. He, the father of all lies, will try to prevent us from seeing the end from the beginning." -President Uchtdorf

New job.

I was lucky enough to find a new job pretty soon after the Maloneys moved to Nashville. I was looking to branch out of the nanny business, but wasn't having much success and then was presented with a great opportunity I couldn't pass up.

I'm now the nanny for a 5 year old girl! At first, I was kind of nervous because I've only really ever nannied boys, I only have nephews, and I generally just like boys more in general. But the perks of the job were so good, I knew I could make it work. So far, there have been a few challenging moments, but I think its going to be good. Its definitely different taking care of a little girl, but its been fun too. Now I can play with pink, princessy things! I can tell this job is going to be really good for me...It's going to give me the opportunity to grow and learn.

Okay and the perks. Guys. Its great. First, I'm making more money than I was at my last job (always a plus). Second, I have a ton of PTO (YAY!). Three, I HAVE FRIDAYS OFF...which is amazing as it sounds. Four, Natalie goes to preschool every day and when shes at school I have free time to do whatever! So I usually go to the gym and then relax for a while, do laundry or errands. Its pretty amazing. And, the family lives in North Arlington, so i'm only 15 minutes from work. Its fabulous. I'm excited for when summer comes, things will be great. There's so much to do in our area and it will be nice to be outside for a lot of the time.

I feel very lucky to have this opportunity. Very, very lucky.

On one of our outings, Nat and I went to the Air and Space Museum downtown and ended up taking a lot of silly pictures.

Then a couple weeks ago, we were supposed to get a huge snow storm (and it delievered-almost a foot of a snow!), so Anne and David asked me to stay over night at their house so I would for sure be at work the next day and wouldn't be stuck at home. Obviously her school/dance class was cancelled so we had the whole day to keep busy. Luckily, it went by fast. We played in the snow and I enlisted Nat and her little friends Scarlett and Sebastian to help me dig out my car so I would be able to go home that night (#childlabor). We also made sugar cookies.

srsly, so blessed.

Temple Time.

When I decided to go through the temple, I knew immediately I wanted to do it in South Carolina. The temple in Columbia lies about 2 miles down the road from the house my mother grew up in and that my grandparents owned for 40+ years. We visited my grandparents so much while I was growing up, that this little area was as familiar to me as any place I've ever lived. And when the temple was announced in 1998, we were all overjoyed, as there aren't that many members of the church in the area. It was something a lot of members in the area thought they would never live long enough to see. It is one of the small temples that looks like many of the others of the "President Hinckley boom period" and isn't as grand as my Washington DC Temple, but it is very special to me. And I was pretty excited to have my first temple time there.

Mom, Dad, and I drove down the first weekend in January and had a peaceful Saturday morning in the temple with some of my moms cousins and close friends. I had such a wonderful time.

I was also able to see my grandpa's headstone for the first time. Missing them, always!