Rewind and Then Bring Us Back

Sorry, I am still trying to get caught up on these. I have one more after this post that I really want to get done, but then I should be completely caught up! This post is pictures from before I graduated and some of the adventures I have had since. 

Its's just beautiful. Isn't it?  

This binder... This is my last project of my undergrad degree. Thirty-one pages, articles, and multiple PowerPoints later, I have made a parenting toolkit and my parenting philosophy. We will see if it actually works in the years to come. 

 So, I know this really cool girl named Janessa. Honestly, I absolutely loved her as a roommate. Some of these pictures are blurry, but it is just us. This was our last Sunday together. 

 She is just the cutest!

 I didn't want my mom and grandparents to be bored while they were waiting for my dad and brother to get to Utah so I took them to the new Bean Museum on campus. I loved the Packer exhibit, all of the butterflies, and of course the cougar!!

These are pictures from the last FHE I had with Jan. As you can see when you put us out in a duckpond with paddleboards and kayaks we try our darndest not to get wet, but sometimes it is not an easy task because we are laughing so hard. Oh the adventures!

 Jan and I also went out for a last meal together. We of course went to Spicy Thai. That girl ate all of her food and then took pictures of me while I was trying to eat my fortune cookie. What a bum. ;)

 Then graduation came! What a wonderful day! And, I have officially been awarded my degree! It is REAL!

 The Y on the mountain was lit just for me (well, me and all of the other grads)!

   Yeah, so then we got home. Savannah's baby had to be retired. She just looks so happy about it. 

 I went out with Courtney one day. We sat in Chick-fil-a for hours. It felt like a few minutes. My dad even called at one point because he was babysitting, and Vivien was being a stinker (which is normal when she is awake). I eventually came home!

 And just in case you aren't tired of my puppy yet, here are a few more pictures of her: comparing her to her namesake, showing how little she was and how much she has grown, her first ride in the convertible, her first encounter with a cat, and of course her showing off her BYU blue nails for the season opener.

 Today was pretty great too. I went to the DeSoto ward and saw a few people I love, but I got to see Sister Bergquist which just made my day. I love her, and somehow she got me kind of excited about going to the Single's Ward and some of their activities. After coming home Mom and I went to Grandma's to make fried pies. I mostly watched, but I loved it.

Boston Terror

Vivien Leigh Fairchild. Born on June 14, 2014. The runt of the litter. Two pink spots on her nose, and the white markings on her neck come to a V in the back (Coincidence? Probably, but I like to think not.). Big ears that were somewhat floppy at the tops when we got her but have since straightened out. And most importantly, the cutest little thing you ever did see. 

Before I really start this, let me set one thing straight. Nothing and no one will ever replace my best boy, Fenway. He was an American Gentleman that will never be forgotten. But, I do feel like Vivien has been the best thing for me since leaving Utah and all of my friends behind. Fenway was my American Gentleman, but Vivien is quickly becoming my Southern Belle. She isn't here to replace but just to love and be a companion for me in my new adventure.

Once cleaning for my last cleaning check, graduation ceremonies, and that dreadfully long car ride home were over, it was time to get my puppy. I was a little disappointed that we could not get her right away, but I kept busy and started to unpack. Little did I know this would be one of the last times I would have to actually get things done. In the car on the way back from Utah, dad asked me what the last word of the breed was. I said terrier. He said, "No. Terror." I blew it off as a joke, but it was just foreshadowing for what was about to happen in my life. So, our story begins back in the car an hour or two after I got home from Utah... 

I was trying my best to stay calm, but how do you do that when you're on your way to get your long awaited puppy? Longest. Drive. Of. My. Life. We pulled into the driveway of the little house, walked up to the door, and dad knocked. No one came. It felt like forever before someone came to the door. A little old man opened it, and his wife was a few steps behind him holding a tired looking puppy. She raised her up a little and, looking at me, asked if she was mine. I violently shook my head, and my arms went out before I even realized it. My little Vivien. Mine. She was so sleepy on the way home. Either that or she was acting shy with the camera being pointed at her. Hesitantly I let my mom and brother hold her in the car. I just wanted her all of the time. 

I thank heaven that the next two days she slept a lot. Who would have thought my little sleepy puppy would turn into something that we ever so lovingly refer to as "Beasty." My little snuggly baby quickly turned into a wiggly, rambunctious, hyper, and sassy puppy. She bites anything she can get to whether it is you or something of yours ranging from your nose to the knobs on the kitchen cabinets. The little one that didn't need a leash has turned into the one that wants to play so badly that sometimes she runs out in the street without knowing what she is doing. The little one that would sleep on her bed has already become the one that would much rather be on the couch with a blanket or on the bed with you. Best yet, the little one that Savannah paid no mind to at first is the one that always instigates play time when she is awake. My little puppy is growing all too fast. 

The day after we got her she had a vet appointment. How could something weighing in just under five pounds steal my heart so quickly? I may never understand. Being a mom has its challenges. Waking up at all hours of the night, being thrown up and peed on, cleaning up more poop than I like to admit, having to put her down when she doesn't want to be held and wants to do things on her own and in her own way, paying for vet bills, and having scrapes and scratches from little puppy teeth and claws make me wonder what I am doing sometimes. But, on the other hand, at night when she comes and lays her head on my neck and falls asleep beside me, the kisses she gives when I have been gone and come back, and the sweet looks she gives me make it all worth it. My little Beasty may have a little devil in her Angel Eyes, but I guess she just takes after me. I love my little Vivien Leigh more than I can explain. 

P.S. I will have her a BYU Cougars fan in no time. Don't worry. 

P.S.S. No matter how much mom and dad say they don't like her, don't let them fool you. Both have asked to play or snuggle with her, and they light up when she gives them kisses or does something funny. 

P.S.S.S. I have to hurry and finish this because my computer is currently being eaten by mentioned Beasty.