my life in instagram

so we are still alive. we have had an incredibly busy month. 

i second shot a wedding. 

the next day we left for utah, with 3 hours of sleep.

we stopped in vegas for tyler's interview. 

he got a job offer. 

he signed the deal. 

we spent new years in utah with family & friends. 

we drove home to so cal on new years day. 

we drove back to vegas a few days later to look for a place to live. 

we drove back to california. 

we got approved to rent a condo in summerlin. 

we packed up what seemed like a million boxes. 

loaded a 26' truck. 

said goodbye to our friends and family. 

drove to las vegas. 

unloaded the truck. 

now we are here. our bed is up and so is our sofa. oh and also our internet and cable. we pay attention to the necessities around here. it's nice to be here. tyler's parents and sister came to help us so it has felt like home having them here with us. it will be strange when they leave. but it will also be nice to establish a new life here and a new routine. tyler is really excited for his new job as a territory manager for ecolab and i am excited for my retirement before we become parents. no, i'm not making an announcement, that's just what is next for us. 

sorry i've been absent, but moving stinks! i'll be updating the blog with all of our adventures from the past month or so in between un packing boxes and getting organized.  

my life in instagram

 

just a few photos from instagram of life lately. 

there is a lot going on. every morning i wake up feeling anxious about the days or weeks ahead. a lot is uncertain. there is a lot of fun things though, too. it's very strange. i guess i am just having a hard time adjusting to the upcoming changes, the demands on my time and the possibility of new opportunities coming our way. but i really want to want to be more excited as opposed to nervous. 

the planner in me is sick of being disappointed. the hippie in me is getting sick of the planner always bringing us down when things don't go according to plan. i think that life as of late has been teaching me to let go and just let life take me where it wants me to go. there is no use in getting all fussy about things that i really cannot control anyhow. but i also need to take control of things that are dependent upon me. instead of waiting for things to happen, i just want to make things happen for myself. oh, this tug of war inside my head.

this month has been really fun though. lots of memories made and fun times had with friends and family. we are so blessed to have such great people in our lives. we have kind of slacked on our advent calendar, so planner amy is feeling guilty, but hippie amy is just fine. i think hippie wins this round. christmas time isn't about how many holiday activities i do. it's about spending time on things and people that matter most. so that is what i am doing. something's gotta give.

my instagram username: @amyrexphoto

my life in instagram

i hope you all have a very happy and safe thanksgiving. i have much to be grateful for. i seem to get so worried about the troubles that come my way that i lose track of what really matters. there is goodness all around me. at the end of the day, if i have nothing in terms of things, i always have tyler in my heart and by my side. he really is my rock. 

i'm working on my attitude and trying to make the choice each day to be happy. it is my choice to do something good and productive or sit in front of the television wasting time. there are so many things that i can actually control that will help me to be happier. i need to start there. 

you might not be hearing from me for a few days. we will be spending quality time together with loved ones. and come friday my transformation into a christmas elf will be complete. the apartment will be plastered with christmas decor and i will be resisting the urge to buy my christmas tree before december arrives. 

oh, tyler couldn't be more excited. ;)

my life in instagram; tips on how to survive when your husband is away

here are a few photos from my iphone of life lately. today mr. rex gets home from his trip to colorado. sleeping in our california king bed for five nights all alone was weird. can't wait to have his warm cuddly body lying next to me tonight instead of a stack of pillows. yes, i laid pillows all long his side of the bed so as to trick myself into thinking i wasn't so alone. 

all in all having him gone for so long wasn't nearly as terrible as we both suspected. 

here are some tips for how to survive when your husband is gone...

1. keep yourself busy! make lists and plans and stick to them. 

2. try to get out of the house. i tried to make plans that required me to leave the apartment, the place where we normally hang out. this helped a ton. 

3. lay pillows all along his side of the bed. this way you don't feel like you're all alone in that big bed. you can also sleep right there in the middle. i enjoy doing that sometimes, even when tyler is in the bed. 

4. when you are at home, put on your favorite pandora station or tv show. that always helps the house feel a little less empty. 

5. make sure to lock your doors! don't forget to be safe when you are alone in the house. 

hope this tips help you. they definitely helped me stay sane for the last 5 days. it wasn't easy, but staying busy, having work during the day and a phone call from tyler every once in a while really helped. 

what will i be doing tonight??? smothering that cute man of mine. caaaaan't waaaaiiiit!!!

my life in instagram

here are some snapshots from the lovely app we like to call instagram. 

life is full. tough. happy. good. bad. 

sometimes i am super positive. 

sometimes (like at this particular moment) i feel discouraged. 

that's just the way life is. 

i am trying really hard to think about the good things. 

i read this last night. 

i needed to read that. 

a few of my favorite thoughts: 

"None of us is without sin. Every one of us makes mistakes, including you and me. 

We have all been wounded. We all have wounded others."

"God will help us to be more forgiving, to be more willing to walk the second mile, to be first to apologize even if something wasn’t our fault, to lay aside old grudges 

and nurture them no more."

"In the end, happiness does not spring from perfection but from applying divine principles, even in small steps."

so i'll keep on keepin' on. trying to do those little things that seem so easy to forget, but upon which my happens depends. i'll read. i'll pray. i'll try to forgive more easily. i'll go to the temple. i'll keep teaching those crazy primary kids. i'll do my visiting teaching.

i'll do it all. 

and i'll do it because i know that when i do, i'm happier. simple as that.