Winter Semester 2016

It's hard to believe that another semester has already flown by. I now officially only have one year left of school. I registered for my very last Fall semester a few weeks ago! When I first got here, I remember looking at the seniors and thinking that they were so old and mature. That's me now. And I do not feel old and mature! haha It's exciting to start doing grown up things like getting an internship that could lead into a career... and just thinking about the possibilities of life outside of Provo and BYU. It's especially exciting because I know I'll have my favorite person by my side through all of it.

Winter semester, as always, comes in so fast... moves so slow... and then is over in a flash! Jonny and I definitely remained busy and went on many adventures that I can't help but share. 

One of the first things we did this semester, was go to the Provo City Center Temple open house. It is absolutely stunning and I love being able to go back because I can!  #yayforbeingendowed

The semester also began with the loss of a beautiful woman, Teresa Watts. It was absolutely beautiful to see how these boys and so many others gathered together to lift up Greg, Zach and Abby. We love the Watts family as do many others. 

We definitely had our ups and downs. I feel like our marriage has grown so much over this semester as we have learned to understand each other better and better. We have learned that sometimes the best thing is to just take a break and snuggle to recenter on who we are and what we want to become together.

We then gathered together for a mini drama reunion to go see The Wiz at WXHS. I love having friends that I may not see everyday, but when you get together, everything is exactly as you left it.

And of course we had to top the night off with some VI, per tradition. We later were able to gather for some Laser Tagging and we're planning our next adventure. Finally everyone is home so we can party and I'm loving it!

We then celebrated by dad's 64th birthday! I love birthdays as they make you stop and think for an entire day - or weekend- about how much you truly appreciate and love that person. I sure love my dad!

And just like every other Provo couple, we had to go see the Midway Ice Castles. They look cool in pictures, but it is so much better in person. Jonny crawled through the little spaces that the kids were crawling through, we went down a slide and I had to refrain from singing Frozen the entire time so that Jonny wouldn't get after me.

This semester, I received the honor of being on the Dean's List of Honor Student's for the school of Fine Arts and Communications. 

One of the worst parts about Winter semester at BYU, is that there are only 2 days off... and they're both in the first 2 months of the semester. #nospringbreak But I am grateful for what we got. We were lucky enough to fill one of our 3-day weekends with St. George fun: playing with the boys, swimming, shooting, soccer, catch, golf for Jonny and a nice Spring run for me. 

This three-day weekend happened to fall across Valentine's Day. Jonny took me out to have our own date night and celebrate. We went to The Pizza Factory for dinner and ordered a Pina Colada. Why? Because we had Pina Colada's for every meal while we were on our honeymoon in Cancun. 

Okay now rewind about 5 years to my sophomore year, his senior year - when we first started dating. Jonny took me to the parking lot of our stake center, rolled down the windows of his car, turned up the volume and played 'Everything' by Lifehouse (which was our song at the time). He then took me by the hand and we danced to our song in the parking lot. 

Now fast forward back to February 14, 2016: Jonny took me to the parking lot of a park near their St. George home, rolled down the windows of the car, turned up the volume and played 'Still Fallin' by Hunter Hayes (which is our song and the song we danced to at our wedding reception). He then took me by the hand and again asked me to dance to our song in the parking lot. He is so romantic and still gives me butterflies!!! Our song is so true, "After all this time you'd think I'd be used to the pull of your gravity. After flying so high for so long, who would think I'm still learning, still burning, still fallin." 

Jonny just made me feel so loved and appreciated on Valentine's Day. He personally picked out two beautiful scarves that I love and he got me this infinity necklace. It is special because he has now given me three different necklaces at different stages of our relationship. The first necklace was a star. He gave this to me while we were still dating and figuring things out. He then gave me a heart necklace when we were talking about getting engaged and falling in love. And this Valentine's Day, he gave me an infinity necklace to represent that our love is for time and all eternity. I love it! Chances are that you are probably more likely to see me wearing it than not. I actually wear it almost every single day.

Jonny and I made a goal at the beginning of the semester to go to the temple every Thursday afternoon. We have not been perfect because projects and tests sometimes conflict with our schedule, but we go every week that we can. It has been so wonderful for our relationship to have that once-a-week reminder of how blessed we are to have the gospel in our lives. I love remembering the beauty of all of the gifts that we have been given, in particular the gift of having a constant life long and eternal companion.

(Is this what I would look like if I chopped my hair off..?)

One weekend, Jonny and I randomly decided to be adventurous and bake something we hadn't before. We decided to try out Funfetti cookies... they are the best thing I have ever eaten!!! If you have not tried Funfetti cookies, you must. Jonny and I literally went to three different groceries stores one night because we needed to get another box and the other two stores were out. We are addicted to them. They are so delicious and so easy. All you need is a box of Funfetti cake mix, 2 eggs and 1/3 cup of oil. You mix it all together, put them on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for about 10 minutes in a pre-heated oven at 375. Do it! (Or don't so the Funfetti cake mixes won't be sold out at every store. :) hehe)

Also snapchat added this disgustingly, creepy and yet hilarious filter: the face swap. It still cracks me up every single time! My face on Jonny makes him look like he's 10 years old... or younger. And I look like some surfer dude with long blonde hair. Oh man. We also did some face swaps with my parents, my dog and my grandpa. They are so creepy but so funny!

Snowflake looks terrified, and I look like a freaking yetti. hahaha

I love this one, not because of my face on Jonny... but because of Jonny's face in the picture. He looks like Gru from Despicable Me when he's dressed up like the princess fairy! hahahaha it cracks me up every time! 

Here's another face swap but with Katie and I. The funniest part about this picture is it truly shows our skin tone differences. I am so pale and Katie is so much tanner than me - even in the winter! 

This year was Leap Year! We decided to start a new tradition that hopefully we will remember every four years. Since hopping is the closest thing we could come up with to leaping... we went to IHOP for dinner! I want to be able to continue our family traditions, but also be able to create our own together. That's what the first year of marriage is all about, right? 

Then we got to go back to the Provo City Center Temple open house, but this time as volunteer ushers. Our ward is a part of the stake that feeds to the new temple so they asked for help. We took an entire afternoon to usher people through the temple. It was fun to be able to see quite a few people that we know too! Serving is always wonderful, but it was extra special to be able to serve in the temple with my Jonny.

Before we began ushering, we were trained on the procedures in the Nuskin building. We had the most gorgeous view of the temple, so obviously I had to snap a picture.

As normal, the weather has been absolutely unpredictable. One day it would be so beautiful and sunny, making us want to lay out on the grass... and the next day it would snow. One of the sunny days, we found the three of us laying in the same spot in basically the same clothes as we were last year. 

Here is last year's...

And this year's..!

Then my birthday came around! I got spoiled. Well, the day actually started off with my very first cavity fill.. so that wasn't as fun. I was so scared and then it ended up not being bad at all! I didn't even have to get numbed. So after the dentist, we went to Kneaders for breakfast. My biggest birthday wish was to be able to pet a puppy. So after breakfast, we headed over to Bird World to pet some puppies. Sadly, they no longer sell puppies... but I got to pet some very soft rabbits and look at all of the other animals in the store! 

Later, we went to Color Me Mine in SLC. Katie and Matt were also there, but sadly they left before we captured this picture. I love Color Me Mine! It is a lot of fun. My parents made two stove trivets, Katie and Matt painted a gnome together and Jonny and I made...

Mickey and Minnie mugs! They turned out SO adorable. I have them out for display rather than in our kitchen cupboard. Because why would you stow those away??

After Color Me Mine, we went to dinner at Olive Garden, delicious as always. The best part was that the waiter ended up giving us an entire take-home box full of their mint chocolates! 

Then on Sunday, we had my Grandpa over to celebrate too. It is always fun to be with the family! 

And I struggled at blowing out 21 candles... and 21 isn't even that many. Does that mean I'll never have my birthday wishes come true anymore?

Then we got to go see Cole Davis perform as Judah in Hale Center Theater Orem's production of Joseph! It was such a good show! The high energy of that show made me remember how fun musicals are and made me really crave doing it again.

And in the same week, we also got to go see Jonny Byrne in Beauty and the Beast at Centerpointe. It is so fun having friends do shows because it gives us an excuse to go see them all of the time!

Then my parents randomly decided that they missed us and came down to Provo to take us to dinner. It was fun to gather the family together and get some delicious food together!

Jonny went to Zach Watt's bachelor party and I didn't have anywhere or anything to do. So Katie brought me along on a double date... so I was the awkward fifth wheel. Luckily, the other couple was Amanda Horrocks (Katie's best pal and my best pal's sister) so that made it a little better... but still so awkward! I thought that when I got married I was signing a contract that I would never have to third wheel it again..! haha

We then got to go see Danielle dance in the DancEnsemble performance! She did beautiful dancing and I loved being able to see her choreography. She is such an incredible dancer that she made the BYU Contemporary Dance Theater team starting next year. She has been working towards this since I met her. No one deserves it more than she does and I am so happy and excited for her!!! I love Danielle and I miss her so much, so she needs to keep dancing so have an excuse to come see her all of the time!! (And also to bless this world with beautiful dancing)

We then had the amazing opportunity to witness the sealing of two wonderful people: Zach and Sarah Watts. It was the first live sealing that Jonny and I had been to after our own &&& it was in the same sealing room that we were sealed in. The spirit was very strong and tender there, knowing that Teresa's spirit was very present.

My sexy husband was a groomsman. All these guys look great, but I just can't seem to take my eyes off my hubby.

We had fun behind the scenes of the wedding with all of these shenanigans. It was a happy day for everyone!

After the sealing and a little shopping for Sarah ;);) we headed down to Pleasant Grove to celebrate Liam's second birthday! Staci threw a Lorax themed party, complete with cotton candy trees, Lorax oranges, a Lorax piñata and so many other cute details. I will always admire Staci for the attention to detail she has and the work she puts into her gatherings. They always turn out so adorable! I hope to be half as cute of a mom as she is.

Then to the reception we went. Jonny passed on the famous axe and they got their brothers picture. It's crazy to think that Zach will not hold onto that axe very long because it will be handed off to Chase in just a few short months!

And another wedding happened that we did not anticipate! Cole asked Bishop Davies (the old Presiding Bishop of the church - Sarah's grandpa) to marry him and his date. Bishop Davies said all of the words (except the ones that made it official) and he then told Cole to kiss the bride... we all got to witness Cole and Abby's very first kiss... and marriage! haha! It was pretty funny.

We then went to our first BYU Baseball game! (Well my first..) and it was a very lucky game! Matt, Katie's boyfriend, emceed the game and he had Jonny come down to answer trivia questions for a prize... and of course he won because he knows everything about baseball! But the luck didn't stop there! Jonny saved my life by catching this foul ball. He has kept it in the crevice of his steering wheel ever since. 

We spent Easter with the Stuarts at the Smith's. Dinner was delicious and the boys were crazy. Jonny, Jeffrey and Jarom took the kids little car toys for a ride down the steep roads by their house. Every time we visit the Smith's, I'm reminded that little boys just don't ever really grow up... ;) 

Then my BEST friend came home from her mission!!! Holy cow. Her mission felt like an eternity and I missed her so much. I was so glad that I was able to be at the airport with her family and give her that ginormous hug I've been waiting for. I waited another eternity for her to get a phone about 24 hours later, but now she can't stay away from me! ;)

And this picture because Cami is seriously my sister... and in this picture we actually look it. 

Then Callie came home from NYC for the weekend!!! So we got together for lunch and just talked the afternoon away. It ended way too quickly. I love these girls so much and I love that although we are all in different stages and have lived/live in different places, our friendship is still the same. 

For Cole Davis' birthday, we celebrated at The Westerner. It was the first time I went to a 21+ exclusive place... in other words it was the first time I went to a bar. It was not necessarily the type of atmosphere that I'm used to, so it took some adjusting! We had a lot of fun with karaoke and then dancing until the bar closed at 2 am.

And we couldn't end the celebrations there. After we left The Westerner, we went to VI for food. In other words, we didn't get home until around 4 am which was a struggle. I'm seriously an old lady and I never stay up past midnight, maybe very latest: 1 am. It was fun but I struggled and then I struggled even more during conference the next day! haha

Last year, after the final session of conference, Jonny took me on a hike to Sunset Peak and asked me to marry him. After conference, we took a hike in the same clothes to Sunset Peak and reminisced about the perfect day. I really am so grateful that he asked and then that I said yes. Jonny is the greatest gift that God has ever given me and Jonny has showed me that every single day since I met him. I knew I wanted to marry Jonny since I was 16 years old, so April 5, 2015 was a day that all of my teenage dreams and wishes came true. 

Then we got to go see Cole Davis in Joseph AGAIN! And it was fabulous, AGAIN! It was actually even better because this crew creates one hot audience.

And we finally went to the Puppy Barn! My birthday wish to pet some puppies finally came true. It was the greatest... except I pitied the puppies there. The first puppy we held was SO tiny and he was so sleepy. Jonny held him in one hand and he quickly fell asleep like this on him. It was so sweet!

Jonny was so sweet with the dogs. I already want a dog way bad, but seeing how cute he is with them makes me want one even more!!

This was probably my favorite puppy that we got to hold. He was beautiful and so sweet.

And this puppy was Jonny's favorite. Sadly, I didn't get a picture of him with it. But it was so adorable! It was just this huge fluff ball of love!

And all of a sudden I had my very last voice recital. I have had the same teacher, Brooklyn Gabbitas, throughout my entire time at BYU. She has been an incredible teacher. She helped me develop and strengthen my mix and classical voices, and she taught me how to belt! I was able to finish off my last recital singing a belt song, which was a perfect way to finish out because it took me the entire time I was studying under Brooklyn to learn belt. I am so grateful for how she pushed me so that I can now sing fairly confidently in a belt voice. She has helped me expand my range of styles and confidence. Brooklyn became a friend that I looked forward to seeing every week. In fact, she was one of the first to know that Jonny and I were thinking of getting married! This recital was also her last because she is having a baby in just a few weeks! I am very excited for her family to grow and to see where life takes her, but I sure am going to miss her. Thank you Brooklyn! <3 

In other words, this semester was busy and we went on a lot of adventures. We made mistakes, but we grew from them. We tried new things and learned more about ourselves. Being married to Jonny is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. I find that I learn so much while I'm at school, but I learn more about the important parts of life when I return home to him. 

Once again, I can't believe that this semester has come to a close already. I am relieved that the semester is over and that we are entering the Summer... and I'm very excited to start my new internship. The summer has many exciting possibilities ahead! 

xoxo,

Angela Stuart