21

One week ago today I turned 21. I don't usually feel different on my birthdays. But this one I definitely felt different. I was finally an "adult." I couldn't help but thinking about how the next time I go on a cruise I won't need a chaperone. Or that my license will now read horizontal. I actually felt like an "adult" And I had a great day.

I went to school. Got a great parking spot. Got a 4 out of 4 on my quiz. Came home. Skipped work. Laid around on the couch watching tv. Took a nap. Woke up and went to Olive Garden with Amber and Warren and my hot husband. Then was surprised with a cake back at A&W's place.

At 10:00 we all went to Comedy Sports. I saw one of my BFF's Brittany. She was in line too. Practically made my night. We met up with Trevor and his date inside. I laughed my guts out and came home to bed. Saturday Cory took me birthday shopping! I got some cute skirts and some other things. Cory also allowed me to get a few girly movies from RedBox. I also got some good Mexican food that night. I had a great weekend. It was ideal.

I am so glad I am finally 21. I've looked forward to this day my whole life. Growing up, I couldn't wait to be 8. Then 12. Then all I cared about was being 16. Then 18. Now 21. The next big step is 25 so I can rent a car and a golf cart on Catalina Island. But really being 21 is a lot more fun than being 25. The best years of my life are right here. So I am going to live it up!

SAN DIEGO!

Cory and I spent the weekend in San Diego. Tyler and Ashley and Andrew were able to come with us. We all had so much fun! Cory and I left early Friday morning and stopped in Las Vegas on the way down. Cory's favorite TV show is Pawn Stars. So we decided to stop by the shop. It was so cool to actually go there. When we first arrived they were filming. So we had to wait outside in the 110 degree weather for an hour. But it was worth it! When we first walked in we saw Rick filming! It was so cool. Cory loved it! We got him a Gold and Silver T-Shirt and me a magnet of course. Cory recognized a few things from the show that they had in the store. It was really neat and definitely made Cory's day.

Friday night we stayed the night in Chula Vista at a really crappy Best Western. We will never again stay in a motel/hotel with doors facing the outside rather than the inside. We have learned our lesson. There were bugs. Lots of them. The air conditioning didn't work. The shower was clogged. It was humid and nasty. We have had bad experiences with these types of motels in the past. But this visit was especially bad.

Saturday morning we met up with Tyler and Ashley and Andrew and checked in to our hotel. We stayed at the Catamaran Resort and honestly loved every second there. They let us check in at 11:00am instead of 4:00pm! And they upgraded our room! We were all so thrilled! And the resort was beautiful. I loved it! The landscaping was spectacular! And they had parrots. Ha.
After we checked in we explored Coronado a bit. It was beautiful there. Then we went to Mission Beach and played in the sand. Then Cory and I went to the resort's beach on mission bay. We relaxed in the sun and spent some time alone. We had fun. :)

Sunday we spent most of the day at the San Diego Zoo. We walked a lot. And we were all tired. But it was a lot of fun. And I took plenty of pictures of the Koalas. Which is one of the reasons why I wanted to go. They had a lot more there than I had expected. And they were all so cute! I just wanted to pick them up and take them home with me so we could cuddle. I have always loved koalas. My whole life. But now I think they are officially on my top 3 lovable things. Number 1 is Cory of course. Number 2 is my Google phone. And number 3 are koalas.

That evening we took a ferry ride around the bay. The view was gorgeous! And it was relaxing, no matter how boring; we all kind of thought it was boring...Cory especially. :)

Monday we drove home. It was sad to leave. We had a lot of fun. And we loved playing with Andrew. He has such a cute personality. We are so glad Tyler and Ashley came with us! This was the best Labor day weekend of all time. Definitely beats canning peaches!

Sock

Last week during my twice a month visit to the laundry mat, I found something. I really hate doing laundry. And I especially hate doing laundry in a public place. But this specific day made the event a bit more enjoyable. Once all four loads were drying in the dryer, I happened to look up above the counter on a half wall behind the washers. I noticed something that looked familiar. A black sock. There are tons of black socks in the world. Really. There are. But it seems most people wear white socks. I only wear black socks. I do not know why I decided to pick the sock up to examine it. I usually try not to touch too many things at the laundry mat. But I did. And to my surprise, it happened to say "no nonsense" on it. Which is one of the same brands I have. I also happened to be missing one of my "no nonsense" socks. So I took it home with me! I know there is a chance it is not my sock. Which is why I am going to wash it thoroughly. But really? How could it not be my sock? It's definitely mine. And finding this sock brightened my day a little. Now only if I could find my little brown face towel I lost at the laundry mat...

Graduate from BYU.... CHECK!

I am so proud of Cory for graduating! He is one step closer to becoming a real adult. We had so much fun with Tyler & Ashley and baby Andrew in town. And Cory's mom Cathy got to be with us for her birthday! We all took her out to P.F Chang's for lunch and had birthday dinner and cake at Amber and Warren's. I hope she had a great birthday. We love her so much!

On Thursday I had my last final. I was so glad to be finished with school and to start my summer! Later we attended Cory's commencement and had dinner at Iggy's. 

Friday was the big day. Cory walked and received his diploma! After we headed to the bookstore to get him some BYU keepsakes. I got him a nice blanket. (Which I love) I also got him a BYU ornament and a BYU magnet to add to our collection.  But the biggest present Cory got was an alumni ring. He loves it! We also got mom the cutest hoodie that says, "BYU Mom" That afternoon we had a BBQ at the park across the street. We played a little horse shoes and had some tasty Brats.

Saturday we decided to go up to Salt Lake to stop by  "This is the Place" monument since none of us have really been there. Then we had dinner at The Old Spaghetti Factory and said goodbye to Tyler at the airport.

After church on Sunday, Me and Cory, Amber and Warren, and Mom took a drive through Nebo Loop. It was beautiful! None of us had done that before and it was a lot of fun.

Monday, Me and Cathy had the day to ourselves! We lounged around in the morning watching TV. Then we decided to ride the ski lifts at Sundance. It was SO much fun! When we first got there it was raining so we had to wait for the storm to pass. I am so glad it rained though because the smell of rain and woods... while sitting on a cabin deck... watching the rain fall...while having a great conversation was AMAZING. It was beautiful up there! And it was nice and cool by the time the storm passed. Afterwards we had lunch together at Subway and took GREAT naps on the couch.

When Amber and Warren and Cory got off work we all had FHE and Amber cooked us dinner. Then we spent the rest of the evening bowling! It was such a great day! We all had to say goodbye to Mom though because Tuesday morning I dropped her off at the airport to head back to NC. We love having Cory's family in town. They are THE best. We all had so much fun. We wished everyone could stay longer! And baby Andrew is so stinkin' cute!

Now we are enjoying our break from school. And it feels SO good to not have to study or do any homework. Having finals and graduation was a bit stressful. I'm a diligent list maker. And everything on my list must be crossed off by a certain time. I usually am very good at getting everything on my list checked off. But last week as I was studying for finals and trying to get everything in order before Cory's family came in, I got a little sick. I couldn't get up to do what I needed to do. And I was stressed out over not being able to complete everything on my list. Cory helped me understand that if there is something on my list that doesn't get done, it's not the end of the world. He helped me carry on and forget about the other things I wanted to do.

This time reminds me of the week before our wedding. It was the only time I have ever felt so stressed. I had finals, Cory's family to meet and host, no where to live, realize I was actually getting married, my wedding arrangements to get in order without any help from my family, and the emotional stress and problems my parents were throwing at me.  I have really been able to see the Lord's tender mercies. I do not see how I was able to emotionally handle all of that. I truly believe I would not have been able to physically or emotionally make it through my last week of being Celeste Jerome without the Lord, close friends, and Cory's loving family and my extended family. I not only made it through that week, but also did well in my classes and not once got sick or got a headache (which is a miracle for me). Amber gave me a place to stay for a few days and helped me tremendously with wedding plans. Maddison not only was my maid of honor, she also listened to me complain and did way more than she needed to.  Her family was even there for me. Her mom Michelle did my make-up for cryin' out loud!  They probably don't know this but that morning before I got married her whole family made me feel so much better. Even Meg who was getting ready for her Prom made me like a bride. I walked out of their house feeling reassured and ready to get married. My roommate Jaimie did my hair. All of Cory's family -whom I had never met- all reached out to me. They took care of me and helped me through those last days. Perris gave me a car to use. And she and Jimett were there for me and did everything they could to help me. They too made me feel so much better about myself. Cory was so patient and caring. He helped so much! He was there with me every step of the way. And the Lord. I never once felt like I couldn't do it all. I constantly was reassured of the decision I had made. I felt loved and comforted. I was handed loving people to support me. It was because of Him I didn't have an emotional breakdown or get a terrible migraine. I have come to understand this more this past week. I am very grateful for the people in my life who love and support me no matter what the circumstance may be.

And now Cory is graduated. He says he didn't deserve to graduate. But he did. He did work hard. School may come easier to him than others, but he definitely worked hard. I'm proud of him. REAL proud. In a few months he'll start all over. Another, "first day of school." Another four years. Another graduation.

Blessings

It has been almost 2 months since we moved from that little apartment to our new bigger apartment and about 14 months since we got married. When we first got married and moved into our small home we had basically nothing. If it weren't for the furnishings we wouldn't have a  table, couch,  bed (which was horrendous) or shelves. We did not have any sheets, plates, pots or pans, towels, rugs, food, a toaster, dish washer, dvd player, pillows, or a shower curtain. I think we had a few plastic knives and forks and had old blankets spread out on the bed. We were proud of our one possession-- an old tv. We bought it a month before we got married so we could watch General Conference. Looking back now, it feels like we had nothing. But then I was just so happy to meet my new family and be married to my sweet husband to be thinking of all the things I needed but didn't have. 



We gradually obtained all the things we needed for our apartment and we loved our new life together. We were so proud of our studio apartment not only because of our cute decorations, but because it was a symbol of us and our things and our new life together. It was home. It was such a peaceful and loving place where we knew the Spirit dwelt . We loved being, "at home."

                        Our old studio

                Cory taking down our curtains

A couple of months ago we were blessed with the opportunity to move to a 2 bedroom 4-plex. With DOORS and a Dishwasher!!! And the kitchen is not in the living room!!! We were blessed enough to buy a couple of couches and a tv stand and a bookshelf right before we moved. We moved into the apartment knowing we probably wouldn't be able to have cable, or buy a few other furnishings for a while, and I would definitely have to work a little bit more. As we moved in and organized everything, we got the same feeling we did when we were moving into our first apartment. We loved arranging our home and making it ours.

                                  Old Kitchen....
     

                              New Kitchen...!


Since we moved in, we have received many small and big blessings. First, we were able to find a cheap microwave which we really needed. It is perfect. Cory loves it because it matches the other appliances in the kitchen. When we plugged in the tv, we noticed we had cable for some reason. As it turns out, the Comcast man probably didn't disconnect the cable properly with the previous tenants. So we got FREE cable for a couple of months.( Which of course we didn't "need").  A couple of weeks after living in our apartment Cory got a promotion! This was one of the biggest blessings which we are so thankful for. Because Cory got this job, we were able to buy a kitchen table, a dresser, two side tables, and a new tv of course. :) We also found a cheap vacuum! It was filthy when we bought it. Cory spend 2 hours cleaning it and now it is sparkly clean and works So So good! I love to vacuum! My phone has been falling apart the past few months, and we were able to buy new phones!  Cory also bought me a keyboard. I've been wanting one for quite some time but we didn't have anywhere to put it. But now we do!

                               New couches!

                             Our new table

Thinking about how far we have come since we first got married to now, we just feel so incredibly blessed. We have worked for everything we have. I am so thankful for my husband. He is such a blessing in my life. He always takes care of me when I'm not feeling well. I love how every morning after he wakes up he gives me a little massage. He is always there to talk to me. If I need advice, he gives it to me. I love how he must have everything in perfect order. I love that he likes to shop with me and pick things out for me. I love that he loves Twilight and wants to go see Eclipse with me. I love how yesterday he wore his t-shirt that says, "Real men read Twilight," all because the new movie came out. I love that he likes to match what I wear. I love that for holidays he will dress up in the appropriate colors with me. I love how he supports me in anything I want to do. Even if it's stupid. I love it when he laughs so hard during those bug commercials. I love him. I am so thankful we were married in the temple and have marriage covenants. He means everything to me. I am thankful we have received these blessings together and can enjoy them together.

2 Dozen Years Old

Cory turned 24 on Monday and boy was he surprised when he woke up to SNOW...??? Why did it have to snow on my honey's birthday? The rest of the day wasn't too bad except that he had to go to school. He was lucky enough not to go to work though! But he spent the whole day studying. But he did have time to take a few breaks.
His birthday celebration began a over week before his birthday. I bought him a few shirts that I was planning on giving to him on his birthday. But of course he wanted to go shopping to the exact places I had already gone to. So I just gave in and showed him his presents early. And of course after that we went shopping even more. But we had a lot of fun doing so. We went to Tucanos for dinner the following Monday and he LOVED it. I didn't think he would ever be done eating. He just kept going and going long after I was full. On Sunday night Amber and Warren stopped by to sing and give him some carrot cake. On Monday I bought him a cake instead of making one like last year... Unfortunately they spelled his name wrong even after I clearly verbally spelled out C-O-R-Y. oh well. It was still yummy.

(You can see the "e" that does not belong in his name)

I also gave him one of his favorite movies, Wolverine. That night we went to Cory's favorite restaurant Outback with Amber and Warren. That was fun too. But today, the big one came.  We bought a brand new tv with a Blu-ray player built in!!! This has got to be the best present he has ever gotten.

But Cory has more good news...

He got an amazing promotion at work. He has moved up in the world from lame Latin American sales to product support. This means no more Spanish speaking (even though he is fabulous at it), full time, normal hours (8:00-5:00), benefits, insurance, and a HUGE pay raise. WHOOPEE!  So, we will be staying in Provo forever and will be starting a family soon..... JK. That is so not true. The downside is we will be in Provo an extra 3 months than planned. We'll start Palmer in June instead of March. The upside, more money, we don't have to sell our contract, and maybe I'll have a chance finding a full time dental job once I'm done with school in December.  So my poor Cory has been juggling school and his new job. Things will mellow out in the next few weeks though and not be so stressful. We've had an eventful past few days. But Cory had a good birthday. Thanks to everyone who called and texted him!

fat.

I never understood what it was like to feel overweight... until now. I thought I would never gain weight. Ever. Then somewhere in the last few months, I began to feel my stomach jiggle while driving down University Ave. I am very surprised by my little pooch. (That's what she said) People who haven't seen me in awhile probably are surprised as well since I have only gained weight on my stomach it seems. And I can't help but wonder what these people think of me now that Cory and I have moved to a 2 bedroom apartment... I am just so thankful for my thoughtful husband who bought me all 3 Kim Kardashian workout DVDs for Mother's Day. I love him. I love Kim. Tony Horton, not so much. Now this way while Cory is doing his kenpo, I can be doing my Kim PO.