Thanksgiving 2013

As I'm getting older, I'm becoming less excited about the actual holidays as I am a break from work. I got almost a week off for Thanksgiving this year, and I needed it! It was so fun to be off work for almost a week. The downer - I started my period with HORRIBLE cramps and was literally on the couch with a heating pad for most the week. Sigh. Still effects from birth control. I'm hoping my body will regulate back to normal soon.

 

Sachi came over Wednesday after work so we could start watching Downton to prepare for season 5, which is coming out in January on DVD. We ended up talking straight till past 1am instead.

 

While we were talking, Trevor went to the grocery store to get our weeks worth of groceries and the stuff we needed for Thanksgiving. Then he went to basketball.

 

When he came home, he set up his gaming station in our bedroom - with a brilliant idea to hook his laptop to our TV so he use that screen. His eyes got big and sparkly when he told me this plan - like a kid on Christmas. Sadly for him, it didn't work well. Oh well.

 

So while Sachi and I talked, he had his man time. A bunch of his friends get on, and they play the game together and talk via Skype. So he had man time and I had Sachi time.

 

The next morning, Sachi and I actually watched some Downton. Trevor watched one episode with us and actually liked it.

 

After, Sachi made the best stuffing I have EVER had, while I made green bean casserole and carrot cheesecake (AMAZING! It was SO GOOD!)

 

Sachi went to her brothers' house for thanksgiving, while Taylor came over and we went to Trevor's parents house. All Trevor's siblings were there, and his grandparents (and Steve - who I got the pleasure of sitting next to. I always end up next to Steve). The best part of Thanksgiving was having Taylor there. I'm so glad he came.

 

We didn't do any Black Friday anything. We did go to RC Willey on Friday to see if they had any crazy deals on a couch.

 

Trevor couldn't find his sunglasses, so he wore the Pitch Perfect ones I got for him (they came with the movie). I found it hilarious that he's wearing Pitch Perfect sunglasses with his football hat and his Sons of Anarchy shirt.

 

 

 

Getting into the car after RC Willey, Trevor ripped his pants. I mean, RIPPED HIS PANTS.

 

The tear started at the top of the zipper and went clear down his leg. I have no idea how he did this.

 

I had some better pictures to illustrate just how enormous this tear was, but they didn't make the decency test.

 

Overall, awesome Thanksgiving. So glad I could spend it with Taylor and Sachi and Trevor's family.

 

Mostly, I'm grateful I got to spend it with this handsome dude.

 

 

Love,

Brittney

Weekend

Best weekend ever!

 

Lacey's mom was out of town this weekend, with her dying grandma, and asked if we would watch Lacey. We decided to make a weekend out of it, and invited Rozlyn to stay as well, and my brother came Friday night.

 

We got dinner at KFC, where we got on a joke telling tangent - and the girls started to make their own jokes which is always hilarious (and makes me think of Bobbie when she was little. She would start a joke and then tell you a story that NEVER ENDED. Every time).

 

Then we went to the nickelcade. We thought about Chuck E Cheese, but apparently the one by us is ghetto. Then Trev suggested Fat Cats. Then we decided the nickelcade would be our cheapest option - and funnest.

 

Trev and Taylor spent most their nickels on Terminator.

 

 

Lacey spent all her nickels on this jump rope simulating game. She won the jackpot. And then spent the rest of the time trying to get it again. She was sweating by the time we left.

 

 

Rozlyn got this as her prize from her tickets (As well as a bunch of other random stuff, some of which I found in my car this morning).

 

As the girls were excitedly showing us their necklace, I said to Trev, pretend pouting, "Where is my best friends necklace? Why didn't you get me one with your tickets!?"

 

Without skipping a beat he points to my wedding ring and says, "That. That is your best friends pendant."

 

 HAHAHA. Well played husband, well played.

 

 

This was our Saturday. The girls played Minecraft ALL DAY LONG. No joke. ALL DAY. It was freezing cold and raining, and we didn't want to spend money, and couldn't come up with an alternative activity. Plus this is all the girls wanted to do, rain or shine.

 

 

It was so much fun having the girls over. But now I feel like I need a real weekend. They didn't leave until Sunday afternoon, and then the rest of the day was completely booked. We didn't get to bed until after midnight.

 

Also, amazing having my brother over. He is one of my all-time favorite people to hang out with.

 

Love,

Brittney

Jordan River Temple

Trev and I went to the Jordan River Temple for date night this week. We've got Rozlyn and Lacey all weekend, so we made today our date night.

 

 

One of the best date nights we've had.

 

I'm so grateful to be sealed to this stud.

 

 

Love,

Brittney

Secret Combinations

Work has been weird lately.

There’s always been these aspects, but it’s been worse lately.

Cliquey

Gossipy

Backstabbing

Inappropriate romance

Dog-eat-dog

Espionage

Immaturity

Instigation

To mention a few. I mean – in the working world it’s unenviable, right? You get 1,000+ people in one building, everyone trying to make money/support their families and achieve some level of recognition/power.

Lately though, it’s been worse.

Like, a lot worse.

Different groups out for the same goal, willing to slander and take down anyone in their way.

Backstabbing in order to get ahead or avoid personal accountability for actions.

Gossip. GOSSIP!

And I’ve somehow managed to find myself smack dab in the center of the whole tornado.

I’m privy to enough conversations that I know much of the drama going on, but not high up enough to know all that’s going on. Just enough to know it’s trouble. And to watch.my.back.

One man, in his 40’s, is actually causing all kinds of drama. Gossiping, lying, deceit… I mean it’s INSANE. I want to sit him down and tell him to act like a man, not a 12 year old girl.

My close coworker, who is also stuck in the middle of this chaos, was telling her sister about how messed up all this stuff is.

Her sister said, “seems like lots of secret combinations.”

And it hit me. That is EXACTLY what this whole mess is – secret combinations. Lots of them. Each out for themselves, at the sacrifice of anyone in their path.

It made me think about the people I surround myself with at work, the things that come out of my mouth. Could anyone construe me as being  part of a secret combination here?

What about my personal life? Do I act like I’m in a secret combination in my personal life? Am I surrounding myself with a certain group of people, what are we talking about?

(I told Trevor this and we decided we’re in a secret combination together. But a good one. Not the bad kind.)

It made me evaluate the way I conduct myself and the things I share with people around me. What are my motives for saying what I’m saying?

Gossiping is so hurtful – to both the gossiper and gossipee (I just made that word up but I love it) - am I partaking in activities like this?

It seriously has changed my perspective on the people I chose to be with and the words I chose to say.

I don’t think most people start out displaying the characters I listed above.

It’s when you are upset about something or want to spread rumors or want to feel camaraderie – that people begin to draw together likeminded people. And then it boils from there, until it’s out of hand. And that affects people like me, who just want to sit at work and do my job, uninterrupted, until I get to go home and see Trevor.

As this whole mess has been evolving around me, I’ve found coworkers I can talk to about how CRAZY things are getting all up in here! We’d talk about what we were hearing and rumors  and our speculations on what was going on and what would result. Our intent was to figure out this mess and understand what was going on, and to stay the heck out of it. But the more we’d talk, the more riled up I’d get. The more I’d get frustrated at the people causing this mess and their secret combinations, the people I knew were secretly involved.

And then I realized – my intent in talking about all this with a couple of close coworkers (who were in the middle of this as well) was purely trying to survive this mess. But it was creating a secret combination in us. We were angry at what had been transpiring and were trying to deduce all the missing pieces.

Ugh! It made me cringe. I AM NOT LIKE THEM! But I was beginning to for my own secret combination, with the best of intentions, but it could have easily transpired from there.

Things have happened in my personal life (cue Jr. High school) where similar groups have formed. Wanting to be on the inside, I’ve participated in language and actions that I regret.

I’m seriously reevaluating my words – and the purposes behind what I’m speaking and who I am speaking to.

 For some insight into secret combinations.

Love,

 

Brittney

Fall Sunday

Didn't have to wear a coat to church.

Lessons were all good.

Sat by someone I knew in RS - say whaat? I am actually starting to get to know people.

Trev cuddled me all sacrament meeting. I love that best.

(Still can't stop staring at my ring...)

Surprise date night

Trev took me on a surprise date night.

 

Dinner at my favorite place, My Thai.

 

(So, in the past he'd take me to my favorite places, because, they are my favorite places. Now he's starting to love them too, so it's not just for me, he wants to go there to. SUCCESS!)

 

After dinner, he took me to The Leonardo. It is a hands on type museum. It's really cool - I took Lacey there last year. They are under construction due to preparing for their new exhibit - the Dead Sea Scrolls (AWESOME! We will be going back for that) so we got in for $10 total. Lots of things were shut down due to the construction, but there was enough there it was well worth our $10.

 

We spent a good chunk of time making this house:

 

 

We also make a stop action movie.

 

Plot as follows:

 

Chewbaca climbs a castle to save the beautiful one eyed My Little Pony with flowing (uh, knotted) purple hair.

 

Chewbaca grabs the damsel in distress and scales down the castle with her, only to be attacked by some weird pig creature from The Green Lantern - who proceeds to mercilessly take out Chewbaca and My Little Pony.

 

Then he is attacked by a Tyrannosaurus Rex. After an epic battle, the gross pig guy wins.

 

EPIC.

 

 

Date nights with this guy rock.

 

Love,

Brittney

Toilet paper

This is what it looks like when Trevor runs out of toilet paper:

 

 

I love when this happens. I make deals. I'll give him some toilet paper if he does - whatever it is I want! Bahaha!

 

Love,

Brittney

Angry Uterus

So, when we got married, I realized Trevor knew NOTHING about pregnancy, periods, women’s reproductive system, etc.

We’ve had lots of fun talks about fertility, ovulation and periods.

I explained multiple times, but the guy just wasn’t quite getting it.

Sachi and I were cramping and angry at the same time one month, and were sending each other funny period/cramp/angry women comics.

I sent a couple of the best ones to Trevor, which is what finally got home to him just how uncomfortable periods (mainly cramps) are and why.

Here is how he understands cramps/periods:

I’m fertile – I ovulate

My uterus prepares for a baby

I don’t get pregnant

My uterus sheds its preparations and is ANGRY there is no baby

 

It punishes me brutally for the lack of baby

This makes sense in his head.

So now he doesn’t ask how my period is or my cramps.

He says,

“how is your angry uterus?”

My cramps have been EXPONENTIALLY more PAINFUL and last LONGER than they ever did.

What’s to thank for that?

You guessed it,

BIRTH CONTROL.

CURSE YOU, BIRTH CONTROL!

One day this last round when I was really hurtin’ badly at work, I get this Snapchat from Trevor:

 

Thanks, babe. I'll do my best.

 

Love,

Brittney

4 months married!

Went to a new Greek place downtown on our anniversary date night, then walked around.

 

 

Interesting fact - as we took this picture, Trevor's ex-girlfriend awkwardly walked by with a girlfriend. Trevor says after they've passed, "I think that was my ex-girlfriend."

 

He thinks. He's like, 90% sure. Haha. Cracks me up. Glad Trev's ex-girlfriend could witness our 4 month married date night picture. 

 

Love,

Brittney