Life in Dallas

I apologize to the few people who actually follow my blog. It's been far too long since I last posted but I am finally returning from my blogging hiatus!

After two long weeks of me and Keith living apart, one trip to California, and two long drives from Utah to Texas, we are both FINALLY settled here in Dallas. We are loving our new living situation! It has been quite the upgrade from our one bedroom apartment in Midvale! Chipper has especially loved having a backyard to play in and so many different rooms to eplore/destroy. His new favorite past-time is bugging Rowdy, my in-law's 13 year old bichon. (I'll post a video sometime soon.) Rowdy has not been pleased with his new house guest.

Here's Chip playing in the backyard.

 Yes, that is a toy chick-fil-a cow.

We had a great Christmas with Keith's family! I'll admit, I was a little sad because this was my first Christmas without my own family but Russ and Suzanne did an excellent job of making me feel at home (as they always do). It was really nice having Christmas on Sunday this year. Going to church on Christmas was a great way to put the focus on the true reason for the holiday: the birth of our savior.

Suzanne made a delicious Christmas Eve dinner!

On Christmas morning, we tried to have Chipper unwrap some presents but he wasn't very interested. It might be because we just wrapped up his old toys...Sorry Chip, times are tough.

Like I said, its been a rough couple of weeks for Rowdy all around...

Today we went to the Armed Forces Bowl and got to see BYU play and BEAT Tulsa! It was really fun and the weather was gorgeous!

Keith's uncle Jim and cousin Riley came out from California for the game too.

Overall things are going really well. I will hopefully be starting a new job soon and Keith is getting ready to begin his internship with FC Dallas, the professional soccer team here. We are so grateful to have such amazing and supportive family around as we anxiously wait to hear from more law schools!

Sorry this "quick update" wasn't really that quick. I'll try not to wait so long for my next post so I don't have to fit in a month's worth of updates!

Good news, bad news

The good news: We have officially sold all of our furniture! 

The bad news: We still have to live in our apartment for another week...without a bed.

Here's what our current set up looks like:

We may not have a couch, but at least we still have our patio furniture!

Note: Memory foam mattress toppers are not nearly as comfortable without the mattress.

Our Almost Anniversary

Keith and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary yesterday. I know, pretty exciting...but hold off on the congratulations. You see, our actual anniversary is November 27th. So why did we celebrate it yesterday?

Well, after we drive out to Texas, Keith has to fly back out to Utah to finish school/finals so we will be apart for 2 weeks. Being the romantic, wonderful wife I am, I of course booked his flight for (yes, you guessed it) November 27th. And even worse, his flight leaves early that morning. Oops. So we'll get to celebrate our anniversary by waking up early and saying goodbye for 2 weeks. With all the craziness of moving and getting ready to leave, we just decided to celebrate our anniversary early. 

We weren't really planning on celebrating it THIS early but since we are both such amazing gift givers, we couldn't wait to give each other our presents. Keith got me a wedding band for my ring because I have just had my engagement ring since we got married. (I guess he decided he wants to stay married to me after all.) It turned out so beautiful! I'm glad I have such a romantic, thoughtful husband.

I got Keith a watch that he has been wanting and some cologne. He was happier about it than he looks in this picture.

Here are some photos of our anniversary bling:

Can't believe it has already been 1 year! (Well, almost.)

Happy Halloween!

For halloween, Keith and I (okay mostly I) planned our outfits around Chipper's halloween costume. I got this cute little cow costume for Chipper, so Keith and I dressed as a cowboy and cowgirl. 

Don't we look cute?

On Saturday, we had our ward "trunk or treat." When I signed up to do the trunk or treat, I assumed our ward party would be at night. So of course I bought glow in the dark spider webs, orange lights and a little tombstone that glowed red inside to decorate our trunk. Weelll....turns out our party was at 2pm in broad daylight. Here's how the trunk turned out. Definitely might have been better had it been dark outside...

Here is Keith passing out candy to the kiddos. He refused to wear his cowboy hat. Although I have to admit, it was pretty flamboyant. It looked a lot more country music star than cowboy.

For the actual night of Halloween, I made a classic halloween dinner: homemade chili, cornbread, salad and "witches' cofee" (a Jensen family favorite). And no, witches' coffee does not contain any actual coffee, just Rootbeer and dry ice. Apparently that's just what Keith's little brother Tyler called it and the name stuck.

Hope you all had a happy Halloween!

Saying Goodbye

Yesterday was officially my LAST day at ThomasARTS! Although I've done my fair share of complaining about work, it was actually pretty sad to say goodbye. It may not have been the ideal job, but it was still my first REAL job, you know, that wasn't an internship or didn't involve wearing a candy striper dress (Oh the joys of working at Rubys!) In the last year, I've probably spent about as much time with my coworkers as I have with my own husband! A lot of them became really good friends that I know I'll keep in touch with for a long time.

For my last day, my department took me out to lunch at Arella Pizzeria which was actually pretty good. Of course I waited until my LAST day to find one of the few good places to eat up there. Hailey also got me a little going away gift, some halloween baking supplies (cookie cutters, cupcake wrappers and decorations). It was really sweet of her and I'm pretty excited to use them since I actually have time now to do things like that! 

Also, somehow I completely FORGOT to take a picture with my department before I left! Which means I managed to work at ThomasARTS for 12 months without taking a single picture with any of my coworkers. (Not to mention, this blog post will now be pretty boring because I have no pictures.)

I don't want to get too sentimental here though. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't extremely relieved to be done and excited to have some time off. Keith and I are both ready to move on to the next thing, especially since we've got some pretty exciting things ahead of us: applying to law schools, packing up our apt, and heading off to Dallas!

So goodbye ThomasARTS, hello Texas!

Bathtub

The other day, I heard a loud "thud" and ran into the bathroom. Little did I know, it was the sound of my tiny dog hurling his body over the side of the tub.

The strange thing about this is that Chipper doesn't like baths at all. As soon as he gets wet, he tries to make a quick getaway. So I turned on the water, to see what he would do. He walked over curiously and then got a nice refreshing drink.

Apparently he likes being in there because he has jumped in several times since.

Painkillers and Pizza

Keith had his ACL surgery on Monday. Here is a play-by-play of our conversation as he woke up from his surgery:

Keith: Motions for me to lean in and whispers, "I have to tell you something..."

Well this should be interesting..

Keith: "It's about the nurses."

Me: "Oh yeah? What happened?"

Keith: "This nurse's sister cheated on her husband. But they all were saying they hate him and think he's mean. I just don't understand."

Me: "Hm..that's weird."

(I loved how he was really invested in the nurse drama at the hospital. Apparently as they wheeled him into the recovery room he said drowsily, "I hope everything works out for your sister.")

Keith: Again motions for me to lean in and whispers in my ear, "I want pizza."

Me: "Okay honey. We'll get you some later."

Keith: "I love you."

Me: "I love you too hun."

Keith: Waves for me to lean in again, "Can we order pizza?"

Me: (Trying not to laugh) "Yes, we can order pizza."

Two things were definitely confirmed during this convo:

1. Keith loves me

2. Keith really loves pizza

Also, in case you were wondering, I did order pizza. Did anyone else know that Pizza Hut is currently offering ANY size pizza with ANY toppings for $10? I was pretty impressed. Just saying.

LSAT

Keith is taking the LSAT.

Right NOW.

I'm kind of freaking out.

Good thing I can distract myself by watching general conference this morning.

We didn't exactly have the best start to the day. This morning, I drove Keith down to UVU to take his test and traffic on I-15 south was closed down to ONE lane!! I don't understand Utah construction. They weren't even doing ANYTHING! (Really, do they ever actually do construction?) So obviously, Keith had a minor panic attack and I was secretly panicking but trying to appear calm. Luckily, we still got there in plenty of time and Keith was able to relax for a minute before going in.

Today should actually be pretty great because 1) Keith will be done with the LSAT, 2) Kasey and I are having a girls night during priesthood session, and 3) I get to give Keith his "congrats, you're done with the LSAT" gift!

Hopefully I don't regret this...

A stroke of bad luck.

I'm not sure which one of us walked under a ladder, broke a mirror, or picked up a tails-side-up penny, but Keith and I have not had the best luck lately.

Example A: Two Saturdays ago, Keith, Chipper and I were all enjoying a nice morning at West Jordan middle school. Keith was playing in a city football league while Chipper and I were relaxing on the sideline. All of the sudden, with one wrong step, *POP* went Keith's ACL.

The remainder of our day was spent at the ER. Turns out it was a full grade-3 acl tear, a miniscal tear AND possible bone damage! Poor guy! Not to mention that Chipper is terrified of Keith's crutches and cowers in a corner anytime Keith uses them. Oh and did I mention that Keith is supposed to take the LSAT in two weeks? Fantastic timing.

Example B: I baked these BYU football helmet sugar cookies for my office (which is comprised of mostly Utah fans) AND proudly sported all of my BYU apparel to work on Friday.

BIG mistake. I think we all witnessed the embarrassment that occurred at Lavell Edwards stadium last weekend. To give you an idea of how excited I was to go to work today, here is an example of the email responses I received at work for bringing the cookies on Friday.

I realize at this point I'm probably starting to sound really whiny and pitiful so I think I need to post some looking-on-the-bright-side-ish thoughts.

Well here they are...

1. I have an amazing mother-in-law. Keith's mom flew all the way out from Texas to help drive Keith to the doctor, take him to his classes, etc. She was a HUGE help.

2. Two words: handicap parking. I'm going to be honest, it's amazing.

3. Those sugar cookies were delicious. And pretty cute, if I may say so myself.

4. People were actually pretty nice and tried not to rub in Utah's win. They kept the obnoxious emails to a minimum.

So we're crossing our fingers that we've seen the worst and things will only go up from here.

Fatties

Our weekend has been fabulous. This can probably be attributed to the fact that about 80% of our activities revolved around eating.

WARNING: Do not continue reading this post if you are fasting, dieting or just hungry. You may find yourself immediately driving to the nearest mexican restaurant and/or taco truck.

Anyways, on Friday we went to the Festival Latinoamericana in Provo. I had been the last two years and had never been disappointed. This year was no different--the food was AMAZING. There was also music, dancing, carnival rides, lucho libre (keiths favorite), games AND it was free admission! (Meaning, we had all the more money to spend on food.)

We probably ate enough to feed a small (or large) family. First, we had Carne Asada Gorditas, which were delicious.

Next we went for the tacos (Top: carne asada, Bottom: pollo)

Me, posing with my tacos like the true fatty that I am. 

If you have never had Elote, you are seriously missing out. It is basically Mexican corn on the cob smothered in butter, mayo, cotija cheese, lime and chili powder. I know it may sound like a weird combo but it is one of the most delicious things you will ever eat. 

While at the festival, we met up with Brittany and Hector Perez from our ward, who told us that they make Elote at home all the time. Best news all weekend. (Brittany, if you read this, just know that we are fully expecting to be invited over next time this happens.)

More of me posing with food. (Elote)

Last but not least, we got fresh smoothies (Mine: Pina Colada, Keith's: Some concoction of peaches, mangos and stawberries). They were delish.

Okay, so for those of you who are still reading and aren't on your way to Beto's...

On Saturday, we had all of Keith's college buddies over for their fantasy draft. This is something I don't really understand but have decided to accept. My role in the draft was preparing waffles, eggs, bacon, sausage and hashbrowns for everyone. (I really wasn't kidding when I said 80% of activities were food-related.) Kevin, thanks again for utilizing your waffle committee skills--the waffles were perfect.

Notice the intense concentration as the boys drafted their players...

Everyone hanging out before the football games started.

Watching the BYU game. (Go Cougs!) You may or may not have Keith and I to thank for BYU's win. Late in the third quarter, we figured our BYU attire was bad luck and changed shirts. BYU went on to score 14 points to win the game. (Coincidence? You decide.)

The lack of seating in our apartment may be a problem. Nate and Romney ended up kneeling behind the couch through most of the game. Sorry!

Oh, and did I mention there was more food? I made pulled pork sandwiches for lunch. They were SO good and so easy to make. Click HERE for the recipe. :)

We topped them with Famous Dave's BBQ sauce, which is about the best you're going to find in Utah.

Okay, this picture is kind of irrelevant to this post but Chipper just looks so cute. 

And the BEST part of the weekend? 

It's not over! Hurray for Labor Day!

Falling For Fall...

I have to admit, I've never been a huge fan of Fall.

The fact that Fall brings an end to Summer was always reason enough for me to dislike the season. Keep in mind, this was back when I actually had a summer. Now that I've reached the unfortunate stage of adulthood, I have a job and "responsibilities" and can't spend my entire summer staying up late, sleeping in, tanning at the beach and basically doing a whole lot of nothing.

So as my love for summer has simmered down, I've found myself falling more and more in love with Fall. I've anxiously been waiting for the leaves to start changing colors, the hot weather to cool off and for friends to be back in town for the start of school. I'm even kind of excited that college football is starting. (Excited doesn't even begin to describe Keith's feelings about this). Oh, and how can I forget being able to wear modest clothes that are still cute? (This means not having to wear a shade shirt and leggings underneath EVERYTHING and looking super Utah-Mormon most of the time.)

Well, here is a little Fall tribute I made on Pinterest today...

Bring on the boots, scarves, tailgate parties and pumpkiny goodness!

The final stretch!

Looks like things are coming to an end. Hurricane Irene has died down, the season finale of Pretty Little Liars is on tonight (can they just tell us who "A" is already?), and...

Keith started his LAST semester at BYU this week!

I'm so proud of him! He has worked SO hard in school while studying for the LSAT and being an amazing housewife...err...I mean, husband. But seriously, Keith does all of the laundry, washes the dishes, takes care of Chip--it's pretty much a one man show in the Jensen household. I decided it was my turn to do something nice for him. So on Monday, I woke up early and made him breakfast to celebrate his LAST first day of class (well at least during his undergraduate degree).

DISCLAIMER: Before you judge the artistic masterpiece below, please note that I made this card in about 5 minutes at 6AM while cooking breakfast AND getting ready for work. With that said, I made Keith this card along with some (much more appealing) waffles and bacon.

I think we are both just ready for Keith to take the LSAT, apply for law schools, etc., so we can know where we will be living for the next three years of our lives! But as much as I would love to fast forward a few months, I'm really trying to enjoy the time we have here in Utah. I know I complain about it, okay I complain about it a lot, but I'm sure there will be some things I'll miss. (Um, did I just say that?)

Anyways, we are almost there and I couldn't be more proud of Keith! I know he is (not so) secretly planning to skip out on graduation--he apparently doesn't care about it? But I am personally taking the responsibility of making sure that he walks across that stage and that I take a very classy photo of him riding the cougar in cap and gown in front of LaVell Edwards stadium. Can't wait.