How do I love thee?

I must say that February the 14th is infinitely more enjoyable now that I have a permanent Valentine of my own. I can't begin to express how much I love this boy. We decided to stay home and avoid the Valentine's crowd. Robb bought me flowers and I got him a fishing license (hence the origami fish)...romantic, huh?

Dinner was amazing, but dessert was life-changing...not even joking. I used this recipe, if you're interested in having your life altered as well.

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of everyday's
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with a passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints, --- I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! --- and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Doughnut Falls

I love snow. I feel like I'm in minority here as people clamor for signs of spring, but I love the way it transforms the ordinary grey and drab landscapes of winter and makes everything dazzle. We live in a wonderful world, my friends.

Robb skived off homework to go snowshoeing with me up to Doughnut Falls (over time water carved a hole in the rock face, hence the name). We brought water bladders with us to keep hydrated, forgetting that with arctic temperatures the water would probably freeze in the tubing...which it did (at least in mine...Robb managed to keep his flowing the entire hike. Don't worry, he shared with me :) ).

The end of the trail brought us to this point. After standing dangerously close to the edge for this shot, I was prepared to head back, when a fellow hiker encouraged us to crawl through an incredibly shifty looking tunnel dug into the side of the snowbank and see the falls from below. He promised that within three feet the tunnel opened up into a solid cave and the likelihood of dying in an avalanche was minimal...so we crawled on down and found this:

Breathtaking.

Daily Life and How to Chop Onions

I have a file folder for all my January pictures entitled, "Random" (creative, right?)...but that seems to describe life at the moment, lots of random (and amazing) things going down in Provo.

Julianne Dana left on Wednesday to enter the Missionary Training Center. She'll be serving in the Washington D.C. mission and speaking Spanish. I met her my sophomore year at BYU and we've been good friends ever since. I'm going to miss her...a lot, but she'll be such an amazing missionary. Hurrah for Israel!!!

Robb and I went on date to a packed Chili's. There weren't any tables free for the next 45 minutes, but there were two spots available at the bar. I've never sat at a bar before, but the hostess promised we didn't need to buy anything alcoholic, so we went for it. Cons of the seating arrangement: you are really, really close to the bartender/your fellow diners and you might be mistaken for a closet drinker. Pros: eavesdropping on the drunk man telling his life story to his date and watching two middle aged women play the field was immensely entertaining; twirly barstools are always fun; and the bartender kept our water glasses well filled.

Robb bought me a tripod for my birthday and it is wonderful to get pictures of us without having to bug innocent bystanders or resort to the huddle-and-try-to-aim-the-camera technique. These are a couple of pictures taken before our date (our smiles aren't completely candid because it was FREEZING outside).

And I made a revolutionary discovery this week. I was chopping onions for dinner and had to run to our bedroom for minute to relieve my streaming eyes, when I realized I had the means of protecting myself from the fiery vapors...my swimming goggles. The experiment worked, but it did require the loss of some dignity on my part and Robb may have started laughing so hard that he cried.

Further experimentation may be needed to see if benefits outweigh the risks :)

Robb Hays: Intramural Basketball player and Rocket Scientist

Robb started playing intramural basketball this semester with some guys from the ward. At 6 feet, 1 inch, Robb was our tallest player (by a long shot...we have a short, but speedy team :) ). He made a couple 3's and was the go-to guy on defense. Sadly, we didn't win, but there's always next time.

For Robb's capstone project, he (and his team) are entering a rocket in a NASA competition. The Frozen Finger's Launch was a practice run for the big day (and they weren't kidding about the frozen digits). The rocket went up great, but broke in half when the parachute ejected...so back to the drawing board. And that's what Robb Christopher Hays is doing these days!

Reader's Digest Version of December

I love the beginning of a new year. I get to take out all my good intentions that bottled up over the past twelve months and transform them into goals. Some will have to be recycled for a time when I possess more gumption and go-getter-ness, but on the whole I end up a better, more well rounded person from the process.

Anyway, in the year 2011 I, Lakin Marie Hays, will be a better blogger.

But I have to catch up on the past month first...

I got older (aka I'm now 23). Robb spoiled me rotten and my work party happened to fall on the same day. Woot for free parties!

We journeyed to Darby, MT to do some pre-Christmas celebrating with the Hays clan. We went sledding, ate amazing food, played board games, and got to soak up all of the wonderfulness of the season. I love family.

Unfortunately, we had to come back to Provo so I could work my scheduled holiday shifts. Someone has to be in the hospital on Christmas. I did get Christmas Eve off though and we decided to observe Christmas then. We got a pretty little tree, hung our stockings on Robb's pull-up bar, and cooked up a feast to share with Robb's brother, Brett, and his wife, Megan. It was Christmas on a smaller scale than I'm used to, but I think it helped me appreciate the blessings in my life more. I have a wonderful family and husband and we are all sealed together for time and eternity because of Christ's ultimate gift. And really, is there anything more important than that?

I managed to finagle four days off the next week to see my wonderful friend (or sister, she's pretty much part of the family), Erin, marry Nik Sorensen in the Medford, Temple (that, my friends, is why it's so important to be nice to the person in charge of your schedule). She looked gorgeous and absolutely full to the brim with happiness. It was so good to see old friends and family too. Medford will always be one of my favorite places in the world.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

Thanksgiving

I'm grateful for my wonderful parents who are always there for me; an amazing brother serving a mission in India; for the green slime they squirt on planes, allowing them to fly in icy-cold conditions; and that I married a man who, in addition to all his other sterling qualities, knows how to extract birds from beneath fridges.

I guess there's a hole in the siding of my parents' house that the landlord thought he patched up. After we took care of Fenton (bird #1) and released him back in the wilderness of Seattle, Gertrude (Bird #2) and Gabby (Bird #3) made an appearance in my parent's bedroom. We opened a few windows and they left after some hand waving action and pleas to stay far away from the females of the house. Barry (bird #4) came later the next day. By that time we were bird releasing experts and Dad and Robb had him out in ten minutes. I made a movie of our adventures with Fenton and I think Robb has a future on animal planet if Mechanical Engineering doesn't pan out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zc33iTM3E8I

The rest of holiday was much calmer. Mom made us a wonderful turkey dinner. We went and saw the much awaited Harry Potter movie and we visited Boeing's Museum of Flight. Robb was in heaven. He wants to design airplanes after he graduates and walking around the museum with him was like having your own personal tour guide. There were exhibits from WWI, WWII, an airplane car from the fifties, and modern aircraft. It really is an amazing museum (I posted a picture of my favorite plane...look for the tiger jumping on a deer with Hitler's face :) ).

It was an amazing holiday and like always, the hardest part was coming back.