Our New Home!!!

As promised here are pictures of Garett and I's new little home. Starting with our bathroom. Seen on the door is the most comfy, fluffy bathrobe. I'm pretty sure my mother-in-law is brilliant when it comes to knowing what is needed to survive in a very cold Idaho.

Loving our little bathroom cabinet and the deepest drawers ever.

 

Our room.

Our living room which I am in love with.
Still working on getting pictures up on the wall. Thanks to all those who helped us get settled in quickly and happily. I know the 3rd floor is not ideal for getting furniture into. 

 
And as promised a picture of our egg chair. Best $6 we ever spent!
It spins and rocks!
Sorry for the weird cover, I didn't like the original material.
(Looking up DIY reupholstering) 

Our bookshelf which is my other love.
Books, movies, games, FAMILY and two sweet German hummels. 

Behind that door is way too much snow.
But inside is our little Bonds home.

Looking from our living room into the dining room.

Our dining room and kitchen.      

 

 Where we cook daily.

Our fridge has the greatest mustache I have ever seen.
And our Menu organizer is so handy. Thanks Cathie!

And finally my most favorite gift.
Thank you Lizzy!
When I saw someone got this on our registry I was the happiest little baker ever!

Even more amazing they have hand and foot cutters.
What you would use them for....I have no clue.
But I will use them!
Maybe for a semi-creepy baby shower?

 That is our little home where this tiny Bonds family happily resides.
We are relearning to handle enjoy this frigid town.
Tomorrow the high is 9 degrees.
Here's to staying indoors tomorrow drinking hot cocoa, making muffins and probably having a Mentalist marathon. Anyone else want in on that?

Hoping where you 

are is MUCH warmer 

than here.

-Megan B.

Movie Critic 101

So I have been quite fortunate lately to see Wreck- It-Ralph and Skyfall in the past two weeks.

No worries. I won't give anything away but I will give my opinions of the movies without giving too much away.

First of all Wreck-It-Ralph was AWESOME and AMAZING!

Why? You'll have to go see for yourself to find out.

But for me, I thought it had a great mix for everyone.

It had the girly games, the battle games and the old school games, so no matter who you are, you can relate to this movie in one way or another.

Though it won't show you all the games, you will see lots of familiar characters such as Bowser, Sonic and Pac-man. 

 It makes you appreciate games in a way you never thought before.

It's funny, goofy and creative with a simple story that leads on a crazy adventure. 

I can honestly say I've never seen anything like it and it was wonderful.

I recommend EVERYONE go see it!  As it is, I am kinda picky about movies, so if I say it is great hopefully you can trust that it is. I know seeing movies in theaters can cost and arm and a leg nowadays but this is one movie that I would say is definitely worth it for the whole family.

Now Skyfall, I will have to admit was pretty good.

I haven't seen the other James Bonds movies (I know, I'm terrible) so I have nothing to compare it to. But it was a great action movie that was pretty intense with some gorgeous scenery.

 Also Judi Dench is M. 

I have to say she played the roll well, but lets face it. 

Judi Dench is awesome.

If you don't know who she is you should be ashamed.

 Anyway I thought the movie was good. 

Wish Bonds wasn't such a ladies man...could've lived without it. 

But other than that the story was awesome and intense and I LOVED the house (pictured above).

Wish I could've seen it in its glory.

If you took out his "love life" I would've given it 5/5 stars.

So maybe just wait until it comes out on Redbox and then see it. 

(Sorry, told you I am picky).

Anywho that's whats up. Take your pick.

But one I am looking forward to is The Hobbit! Anyone else up for that?

It's going to be AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!

In other news Garett and I are headed to Utah next week to see my family!

(YAYAYAYAYAYAY!!! Doing a little happy dance)

Can't wait to see everyone and eat LOTS and LOTS of PIE!

For now we are relaxing and Garett is recovering from possibly a mini cold and enjoying the fall weather here.

Random side note, it smelled like snow outside last night even though it was probably 60 degrees. Weird eh? (Don't hate me you Idahoans). 

Gah I am missing Bones! Bleh 

TTFN

Meg

Nothing Comes From Nothing

Nothing ever could,
So somewhere in my youth or childhood
I must have done something good.
(Love that song & movie. It was my favorite growing up, can anyone name it? I know my mom can!)

Anyway for the last several weeks I have felt like I have been in limbo, homeless with no foreseeable ending to our travels. Trust me, living out of one suitcase for 8 weeks is NOT fun. Also just not being able to do anything gets tedious.

But I am happy to say we have things worked out now and we will be returning to the GLORIOUS California next week. Not that I don't adore my family here, I do I really do, but I am ready to be settled in for a bit and to see my in-laws. Trust me, if you had in-laws as awesome as mine you would want to hang out with them too.

In other news Garett grew out his beard for 2 1/2 weeks.

It was fun. Both him and my brother-in-law Jessie had beards together, it was pretty cool.

I have also gotten to play with my ADORABLE nephew Nikolai.

I think he is starting to get used to me. =]

Too bad he won't remember me when I come back in January.
But all the same, he's been a blast.
Watching him teethe , stand up and walk along the edge of the couch before falling over has been fun (well not so much the tooth thing).

And of course the great faces he makes and his ability to entertain himself with Garett's watch for ALL of church. Seriously $10 watch for a quiet baby for 3 hours? That's a fair trade!

 

All in all my visit with my family has been a blast. I love being with them and all the silly happenings that go on here. I have enjoyed being here and I can't wait to go to California and be able to start getting things done for my little family of two.

I have such a great man. Everyone tells me so, so it must be true right?
I have learned life is unpredictable and obnoxious but you have to go with the flow and enjoy it. There will be plenty of moments in life where we have no time to rest, sleep or get the things done that we need. So this has been a nice quiet start to our marriage, and it will be a fun crazy ride. =]

In and Out burgers are actually

the same size as on the picture!

Yes this is a new and thrilling 

finding of mine.

Don't judge my East Coast-ness =]

Megan

My 200th Post

Originally I wanted to do something cool or awesome for my 200th post. I thought of doing one about Rexburg and how I've grown to love it despite the snow and wind here. I thought of doing one on all my new cooking experiences. I thought of doing one on Garett since I am so fond of him. Even thought of doing one about Thanksgiving and my family. But looking through it all I could not decide so I came up with something else.

I like where I am in life. I am on my own. I am learning and growing academically as well as spiritually. I attend the temple weekly. I am learning to cook. I have a wonderful boyfriend that makes me happy beyond reason. I live in a cute little college town that Garett and I can explore to no end. I've discovered many cool things and places about my town. My family is close by whether around the corner or a state below.

I have not forgotten my friends and home back east though. North Carolina will forever hold a place in my heart. I have friends and memories there that I could not and will not forget, friends that have shaped me into the person I am today, friends I will love forever.

As I look toward the future  I see many blurred lines and colors. I have an idea of the future, a minimal outline, but I cannot see all the details no matter how much I try. I guess this post is not about trying to see the details of my life, but to see it as a whole. I chose the picture above for a reason. It is an overlook of the city of Provo, Utah at night, but without the details, you would never know, it would be just another city. But sometimes it is better to not see everything, enjoy looking at the colors of lights and how they merge and contrast with one another. You know there is something out there, you cannot quite see what everything is though.

Life is not about knowing all the details. Let us plan a little at a time, embrace the uncertainty and the adventures that lie ahead. Where I will be in a year, I have no clue, I have an idea, but I do not know. All the same, I am fine with where I am. I am content with the life given to me and as I make it my own, I'll become the woman I was meant to be.

-Meg

For the First Time In My Lifetime!

My parents are moving! Okay it's not technically the first time, they moved to their house in NC when I was one. But that house is the only house I can remember ever living in.

I'm excited for them; it will be a new adventure for sure.

Utah does have beautiful mountains, as well as NO humidity (Yay for not sweating always), and my family will be much closer. =]

But before I get too excited about having Thanksgiving with my parents AND my older brother for the first time in 6 years, let us take a little trip down memory lane:

Or down LC Road.

If I had a dollar for every time I drove down this road. Whether for school, going to a friends house, Sonic, the bank, any other place to eat, and about 90 million other places along the road.

But the place I will miss the most is where I spent most of my life.
Where my parents chose to raise their family, an enriching and loving home, where I always felt safe and knew I was cared for.

Sorry this is the only picture I could find of the front of the house. Blame it on me not being able to find the cord for my external hard drive (where I'm certain to have better pictures).

A rather crappy back view of the house (again, my apologies).
That tree in front is one of our 2 cherry trees where we spent late spring afternoons up in the branches picking cherries for my mother to later make into delicious pies and other good things.
I remember one spring we picked 3 huge bowls of cherries, enough to last for weeks.

When I came back this last time this tree had grown significantly. Given this picture is about 2 years old, but thriving and beautiful nonetheless. Where those grape vines are, we used to have a garden, or attempted thereof. As pretty as deer are, they make trying to have a garden, a pain.
But when I was younger, I remember we would grow squash, carrots and tomatoes (probably more good things, but my memory isn't that good). When I was little, I love carrots so much that I would pull them out of the ground and eat them dirt and all. No wonder my nails are so strong.

I will never forget walking down to that stop sign every morning in middle school. My mother and I would huddle on the front porch steps at 6:30 in the morning, wrapped up in a blanket, waiting for my bus to come. Despite being half asleep, I liked that time with my mom.

And this swing set. Gosh I could tell hundreds of stories about it. In the winter we would eat the icicles off of it and slide down the slide only to try to repack the snow on it, just to knock it down again. Yes we were silly for trying, but we tried nonetheless.

Our yard, it was just big enough to be whatever we wanted it to be and to explore it over and over and over again. I'll miss waking up to 15+ deer in our backyard, and watching those beautiful creatures taking advantage of our crab apple trees and other fruit trees.

This is a view of the fort from our willow tree. Only one of the most beautiful trees I could ever imagine. My sister and I would climb this tree and pretend we were in a club called the shoestring club. Do you remember that Catherine? With the Brunstetter sisters.

A better view of the tree. Beautiful huh? It was the perfect tree. Just tall enough that you had to actually work to get into the tree, but didn't need a chair. It had branches that were somehow perfect for sitting in and reading books. Another thing we liked to do was have one person stand under the branches, while another person shook the branches. The one standing underneath would spin around as the pedals fell down and it felt like a blizzard of flower pedals. I promise it was more magical than it sounds.

We used to have a tire swing on there, that we would spin around on until we made our friends sick, or everyone but me sick. I had a thing for speed even at a young age. If my skin didn't feel like it was being stretched, I wasn't going fast enough.

This hill was perfect for slip n' slide, sledding or rolling down. I am pretty sure there is a shoebox with a dead frog buried on that hill. That was the year that we got a horrible storm that flooded the bottom of the hill on our road.

But nonetheless, this house has been good to us. We even painted that fort once upon a time, with mud. I'm certain we were probably covered head to toe in NC's red clay, but we didn't care. We painted every last inch of that fort that we could reach. I am sure our mother was happy with us. But whether painting the fort, or it being our spaceship, ship, house, bakery, self catapult, library, secret hideout, magic lair, or whatever else we wanted it to be, it was good to us, and I will not forget it.

I could go on and on about the memories of the house itself. Our barbie/playroom, that old kitchen set, eating dog food/ants, Aaron screaming "choo choo" around the house, family scripture and prayer, all our fascinating missionary dinners, sliding around in our socks, camping out in the foyer, sliding down the banisters and much much more. I'll never forget that house. I'll always remember it fondly.

I hope you take time to think about the good times you've had wherever you have lived and appreciate them. A house isn't a home unless it is a place you make memories with your family and loved ones. A home is where your heart is, where the people you love are, and where you choose to make your own. At the end of the day, your home may be far or near, but the memories you had there will always be with you.

I know I won't forget, I hope you don't either. But with a new move, brings new adventures and new memories and I can't wait to get started!

Don't forget.
Meg

In the Silence of the Night

It's late and I should be in bed. I'm pretty tired, but I am taking a moment to enjoy the quiet. Rexburg nights are the best because most EVERYTHING is silent and cool. Though it is COLD if you're actually outside. Either way, the apartment cools down and is rather comfortable and Rexburg becomes ghost town. It's a ghost town during the day too currently thanks to it being the 7 week break. Speaking of which...

Most of my friends are back home now in New York, Pennsylvania, Oregon, California, Colorado, Arkansas, Michigan, etc. I'm rather envious of them getting to see their families, but I can't complain because I shall be back in NC in a few days.

I'm wondering how it will feel to be back again. Last time I was there it felt weird, like I was a visitor/guest in someone else's home. I guess that's what happens when you grow up. Suddenly you have a new home, and as much as I would love to deny it, Rexburg is my home now and it feels rightly so. When I got back here in April it just felt right. Especially after being cramped up in Tyler's little Geo Prizm for 5 hours...

On a side note to that, isn't it funny how when you meet someone, you don't know the roll they will play in your life later on, whether big or small. You don't know when getting a ride to Rexburg, that you will become really good friends with the driver; that you'll go play at the park, slide down slides and climb buildings in the wee hours of the morning. You think, "oh just another person".

Like when I met Nikki, she was always with her old roommate and they were an interesting mix together. When I first moved in I didn't talk to either one of them, mostly because Janee was intimidating and as most may know, I am rather shy. But after Janee left, Nikki and I got along perfectly. Given, her and I are VERY different people and it's great. Together we kind of straighten each other out, keep each other sane. But when first meeting her, I had no idea that she would be my room-roommate and also one of my closest friends.

I guess the point of all of this is that I am homesick, but not for home, but for where the people I love reside. Funny, now I have people that I care about all across the country, heck even across the world. I miss you all, wherever you are. And whether I see you tomorrow, next week, in a couple of months, or in a few years, I love and miss you all.

I guess this is all part of life. Nothing stays the same for long, there is not much of a constant in your life. People come and go, classes change, moving around, relationships build or crash. You can only go with the flow and try to keep up.

Speaking of which, I can't wait to go canoeing again! I guess I should start working my arms out again so I don't kill myself on the New River.

Alright, I'm off to bed. Be safe and I wish you all the best. Sweet Dreams world!

I did NOT
fall off my bed today!
but I ate half the
food in the fridge.
Gym here I come
Meg

Video post, too lazy to type

I didn't feel like writing a long update so I just did a video. Enjoy!

Home Away From Home

Soooo apparently I put too long of posts and no one reads them anymore except Hannah because she is a fast reader; therefore, I will keep this short.

I am back in NC and sleep deprived from over cleaning this past week and packing as well as getting up at 5:30am, to take a bus ride and 2 plane rides to get home and not going to bed until 2am.

Currently I am not tired due to lovely jet-lag.

It's like I am home but not really. I have been warned of this feeling before, but I never fully understood it until now.

Suddenly my room seems childlish, my town seems strangely big, my ward at church seems loud and unfamiliar, and suddenly freedom and responsibility are reversed.

Do not get me wrong, I love being home. It is great to have my close friends nearby and my family around and I absolutely adore hugging people, but it is different. Part of me yearns to be back in Idaho because now part of my heart belongs there, but at the same time, I love the South. The South is amazing with it's culture and awesome food and hospitality that you cannot find anywhere else.

It is home, but not completely.

I will embrace it to the best of my ability but until then, I must learn to accept that home is where the people you care about reside. And now my heart resides with people all over the country, spreading from East to West with the friends I have made and the people I have met and grown to love.

"This is strangely involuntary." -Sarah
Meg

Quirks of Home

Being here in Rexburg for 2 months now, I have learned the in's and out's of my apartment, and most of them are quite easy to deal with. Such as:

The dishwasher is older and leaves water spots on the cups. Also all bowls, plates and utensils should be scrubbed of any caked on food because said dishwasher will not remove it.
RULE: Just scrub the dishes or rinse right after use.

The microwave, if the food of choice is not covered with a FULL sheet or two little half sheets, everything SPLATTERS ALL OVER. (Mother I now understand why you did this, not that our microwave needed it but this one does. Thank you)
RULE: Cover ALL food!

Like back home, our hallway squeaks and there are certain parts that if carefully noted, allow you to cross without sounding like your walking through a 90 year old home.
RULE: Walk in the center of the hallway slowly.

The door from the hallway to the living room squeaks like something awful just died. Therefore whenever anyone is napping in the living room, just leave the door open if you plan on coming back in.
RULE: Leave the door open and close your bedroom door.

If you are going to make food while someone is napping...DON'T. There is NO nice way to get dishes out quietly.
RULE: Eat cereal until they wake up.

The right sink in the bathroom, unknown to those poor unfortunate souls that are oblivious of the dangers while trying to wash their hands, will spaz suddenly when turned on (if not careful) and spray water 5 feet in all directions. Oh those poor children...
RULE: Turn on SLOWLY if not familiar with the appliance.

Once again, like home, the ground has shifted and the doors tend to be crooked and don't always close right. Mother always taught us how to get in and out of rooms quietly, thank you again!
RULE: GENTLY turn the handle while slowly opening or closing the door, don't make any sudden movements. Some people just swing doors left and right even when you are clearly napping.....I love that so much......

Not all food should be microwaved
RULE: Don't make a baked potato in the microwave, especially at night when it's cold outside and you can't air out the apartment.....this happened tonight. =/

You do not know who previously owned this apartment and don't know what they spilled all over the stove. There will probably be unpleasant smells.
RULE: Don't use the top left burner unless you want the apartment to smell like something died, or that you made a baked potato in the microwave.

Rexburg water smells bad.
RULE: While showering or washing dishes, don't put your face near the water unless you hold your breathe first.

Lastly, and my favorite.....the shower. now observe the lovely pictures I have drawn to explain the situation.

Here is a normal shower temperture range:

Note the nice range from Icy to Hot in a reasonable order. Oh what a lovely temperature range!


Now our shower on the other hand decided that it did not like this norm. It refused to be confined by society to this boring, ordinary ideal. It decided to flip flop, spin itself side ways and upside down just to keep you guessing what kind of shower you'll be taking today. No the norm is not acceptable for my shower, it has its own special personality.


Note:
See what I mean? First off, there is no "luke warm" unless the shower decides so. (I will explain more in a second) There isn't even a cold. There is just ranges of freezing, kind of like Rexburg, there's 30 degrees freezing, along with 10, 0, -10, and -20. Then I think the hot side just got jealous that it wasn't on the left side so it continued to pose itself like it should be on the left side in hopes the icy side would give up its spot. But it won't.

But that is not the end of the craziness. You are probably saying "Why not just keep it all the way to the left?"

Yes we already do this, but sometimes I think the shower just has a cruel sense of humor because sometimes "perfect" decides to go on vacation and "luke warm" decides to substitute for the whole Hot side, so you keep turning it left in hopes it will get warmer, but it doesn't until you are so frustrated that you forget, and keep turning it left until you hit icy....that is always fun... But then other days "scalding" likes to take the place of "perfect" but keep in mind, the temperature still does not go down when you turn it left, it gets hotter, if that is possible!

But 60% to 65% of the time it is perfect. If you shower before midnight though, bless your soul, it is an even 33.33% each way of what you might get.

So here's to you normal showers! I miss you! However if you would like to take a break from the norm, I'm sure my shower would love to show you the way to creativity, in a cruel sort of manor of course.

Count your blessings
Now you have a blessing to add to your list
ICE CREAM
Meg

Home Sweet Home!

As promised I am posting pictures of my new apartment and home for the next 4 months. I already love my roommates and can't wait to get to know them all better...after we find a good shower curtain. They were all sold out. =/ Anyway, here is our little home in Idaho.

Rachel and I's room, bet you can't guess which one is my bed...

And it looks crowded but trust me it was MUCH worse!

All Rachel's stuff, she thought of EVERYTHING, she is pretty much brilliant!

My side, looks pretty much like my room back home =]

Our closet with our gazillions of clothes! Yay for fashioneestas!

The more conservative ones, Cacia and Alisa. Not quite so insane but always so sweet.

Our mile long counter which we need, with 2 showers and 2 toilets, though we need a good shower curtain.

Our little living room, Rachel and I have not taken over it yet...=]

The view from the front door...

Yay for tv and movies!

Our kitchen! Which finally feels homely due to ALL the cabinets filled with food and having all the works when it comes to cooking tools. Out home teachers will love us. =]

Sadly our fridge is naked and has no decorations yet, but we will fix it. We are working on a way to brighten up the rooms.

Until next time!

Hot cocoa and cookies are the way to go,
Sweet dreams world,
Meg