Life Lately: Fall Catch-up Edition

A lot a lot a lot(!!!) has happened since my last post. For that, I sincerely apologize! Now to business (For those of you that follow my Instagram, probably none of this will be news...hahaha!):

NUMBER ONE: I have a tiny female human living inside me, ready to burst out in approximately 3 months! And she's doing a happy dance right at this moment. Boy was it hard to concentrate on the lessons in church today! She's the Energizer Bunny! [[While we have a particular name picked out, we want to have a backup, just in case. This is most certainly an invitation to share your ideas if you're ok with the possibility of me using them. ;) ]]

#2. We spent the 7-week summer break in Arizona with our awesome families and had a blast! We went camping, hung out with awesome friends, ate at Joe's BBQ...everything we've been missing about home! My sweet sister-in-law got our moms together and the three of them put on a beautiful baby shower! They are the greatest!! We're home now, along with a bunch of storage stuff that we'd been missing desperately. (Welcome home, Pyrex Casserole Dish!!) Over the last week, we've scrubbed the place clean and organized everything. And I mean everything!! We knew that with school starting and baby coming, it was now or never. What a relief to have it done! (Sorry for my reveling, but housework really rocks when everything has its place!)

Numero Tres: I switched my major and career goals. While I loved music to death, I lack the confidence. And though I probably would've loved photography as more than a hobby, I realized my ultimate potential before that could take off. Sometime in the next few years, I will become a certified DVM! Animals have always been my passion, and I just know that being able to make them happy will make me really happy! With one child on her way, there are bound to be more, so I'm keeping my timeline ultra flexible. Right now, I'm focusing on finishing my Bachelor's degree, then I can play it by ear after that.

4) I'm an Auntie!!! My sister had her beautiful baby boy: Xander Kane! We were so happy we could be there for his birth. He is such a special little spirit! And how cool is it that he gets a little cousin so close to his age?? When we're back in Arizona, our little ones will have playdates galore!

#FIVE: Daniel and I celebrated our first anniversary this summer! We stayed a couple nights in Logan, UT, went to the temple to do sealings (and didn't make it through a whole one before I nearly passed out... -.-), and got to see my family for a little mini-reunion down in Cedar Hills! My mom took some incredible pictures for us up in the canyon. Yes, I just barely got around to editing them...hahaha!

(What a hunk!! Am I right??)

Well, I think that just about sums up what we've been up to for the past....5...months.... Gosh guys, I really am sorry! I'll do better, I promise!! I'm only taking one class this semester, so I should have plenty of time before the baby comes to make crafts and record memories and stuff. Speaking of crafts, if y'all have any ideas of something cute you'd like to see on here as a tutorial, tell me about it and--if it isn't too hard--I'll be happy to figure it out and post!
'Til next time! (Which won't be 5 months from now, I promise!)

The Tales of Dan and Sara

Life has changed far too quickly for my poor blog to catch up. If you've been following along on Instagram, probably none of this will be news for you. However, for the rest of you, whether you like it or not, the events of the past month are throwing up all over this post...in the form of short stories, to mix things up.

The Tale of Tony Tony Chopper
So as you already knew, we moved out of Colorado and off to Snowflake. Chopper spent a week there with me, playing with my in-laws' Rotty, before we headed to the valley to my parents' house. That night, he got out of the backyard. We couldn't find him, though I searched until past midnight. The next morning, we put up posters, and within an hour we got a call. I was so relieved that he was safe with such a caring, honest family. It was a mom, her three little boys, and her parents-in-law.
So he was back home with my parents, and I headed back to Snowflake to meet Daniel. Being in his teething stage, in my absence, he took to chewing up Hilde's (my parents' dog) bed. Foam. Everywhere. Every day. After a week, my dad asked me to find somewhere else for him to live. I was crushed, but I understood that that's a lot of hassle for a dog that isn't even yours. Obviously, taking him up to school with us was impossible. The only thing I could do was give him up. And the only person I could think of was the kind mother who took him in off the streets.
So I called her, knowing she would be the only person I'd feel OK about giving him to. And she said yes. A couple days later, I drove down to spend time with him and say goodbye. I was a mess, but my dear husband calmed me down. I still miss him terribly, but Valerie sends me pictures often.

The One with the Fiesta
New Years Eve was very special. It was to be the party of the century in the Coley house. Daniel and I scoured the land for the finest ingredients to make Queso Carne. We each slaved over the kitchen, preparing for the feast. And what a fine feast it was! Authentic Mexican soda, chips and salsa, home cooked tortillas, Queso Carne, and Tres Leches cake! (I'm extremely proud of my cake)

The Accountant and the Music Major

So, we got into BYUI last minute. And I mean LAST minute. We left Snowflake on the Saturday before school started (less than a week ago), and arrived that Sunday to Idaho Falls. I met with a counselor on the first day of school, and enrolled in one religion class, and five music courses. FIVE! It's quite a rush, looking at your schedule and not dreading anything, but actually being excited to learn! It's pretty crazy. Daniel is an accounting major at the moment, testing it out to see if he likes it. He's actually rather enjoying his Macroeconomics class, so that's a good sign! We've so far been making good on our New Years Resolutions to study diligently. We'll see if our goals for exercise pan out ;)

The Nicest Lady and Her Dog

We just moved into our apartment last night. I know you're wondering, "Where have you guys been living all week??" Idaho Falls, my friends. A land of many wonders. One of them is the nicest lady in the world. She goes by "Carol", but I know she's an angel in disguise.... She is the grandmother of a very good friend of ours, and she so kindly let us stay with her from Sunday until Thursday. She'd make us dinner, feed us chocolate milk and ice-cream from her dairy, and let me play her gorgeous piano. And talking to her was such fun! And I haven't even mentioned Roxy! Roxy is the smartest, spunkiest Yorkie I've ever met. Seriously, being there was such a joy. And a life saver. We owe her one...thousand favors.

That concludes story time for today. I'll post more about our new place and school and stuff when I get the chance. :) Thanks for hang in in there, despite long absences through life changes. It's been a roller coaster so far!

Bits 'n Pieces: Moving

1. A couple weeks ago, Dan and I decided to start a work out routine. It was really fun...for the few days that it lasted. How about we start on New Year's?

2. This weekend was so fun!! I surprised my little sisters by coming down to watch their Nutcracker shows. It was such a blast, seeing how much they've grown and improved! I also got to go shopping with my big sissy, and help out backstage with my mom!

3. While I was away, Chopper was at a kennel, and boy did he have fun! When we brought him home, he was so exhausted from playing all day, he went to bed hours early and slept the whole night! I'm so glad he learned how to play with other dogs, because he's gonna have the time of his life with Mila next week!

4. I only have 4 more days in Colorado. That is so sad!

5. Daniel and I LOVE to go to the movies! Our most recent flick was "Penguins of Madagascar". If you have little ones, go see it! If you have grandchildren, go see it! If you're a kid at heart, go see it! It was adorable!

6. Last week, we decided to make this Christmas season more about service. Since it won't really be possible to officially do "12 Days of Christmas Service" like we'd hoped, we're going to do 12 random acts of kindness this month! As of now, we have 2 down, 10 to go. So far, it's really really fun! I'm so thankful that I have a husband who'd do this with me :)

7. Chopper and I went on a walk today! Like a real one, not just up the street and back. He was really skittish at first, but on our way home, he seemed relaxed and confident. He's such a good dog!

8. This weekend, I had 3 of my favorite foods: Apple pie, Nori maki, and Candy Cane Jo Jo's! YUM!

9. I just realized that, even if we weren't moving, it might just be time to take down the autumn wreath from the door...and the hanging ghost in the living room. #autumnlover

10. So ya. Things have been CRAZY! Sorry for the neglect, y'all. And I apologize in advance that I probably won't write again until...i don't know. Moving stinks! In the meantime, I'll be on instagram ( @xosaracxo )!

Family Fun

It's been a while since I've posted, because I was busy having a phenomenally fun time with my family last week! My mother-in-law, Clara, and Aunt Kim drove all the way up to deliver some of our things that we had had to leave behind in AZ. So sweet of them! Daniel was working quite a bit while they were here, so we had a Girls' Day on Friday! 

No Girls' Day is complete without a bunch of Halloween snacks! Candy corn carmel corn, Reese's pumpkins, fun-sized candy bars...the works.

Here's Kim, changing her life by trying a Halloween Oreo for the first time!

Clara taught me how to make carmel corn! 

Shout out to my sister-in-law, Crystal, for sending me two bags of my favorite peanut butter M&M's! You're the best!!

We played cards, ate junk food, and watched chick flicks all day! What a blast! Katherin came and joined the fun for a little while, and everyone just loved her. 

Daniel came home the next morning, so we all went out to breakfast before they had to leave. Dan and I drove out to Fort Collins for a few hours to shop--without much success--then caught the rest of General Conference. Oh, how I love Conference! Two days of spiritual edification. It was the perfect way to end this crazy awesome week!