Mission Call

Great news!  Jayden recieved his mission call on Wednesday!  He was called to the Vancouver Canada Mission, which is funny, because Jayden absolutely loves warm weather.  He keeps his bedroom at like 85 degrees, and I'm pretty sure it'll be cold in Canada, but I hear it's beautiful!  :)   His call came in the mail Wednesday afternoon and we had to wait until that night when everyone could get home. Jayden was so anxious, and couldn't get over the fact that whatever was typed after the "You have been called to serve in the..."  would determine where he would live for the next two years, and litterally change his life.  It never gets old to hear a missionary read that first paragraph...I'll have to post the little video we got.  It was pretty funny.  :)  All he kept saying was "like what do they eat there?  Bison?" lol.

His area is pretty big, and reaches as far North to border Alaska!  He leaves December 28th, (surprisingly soon!) We're just grateful he'll be with us for the holidays!  He'll be in the MTC for 3 weeks, and then off to Canada.  He's really excited and can't wait to say "eh" all the time ha ha.  I just love my kid brother...  He's the best, and I'm totally proud of him.  In the mean time I'll be searching with my mom for some crazy winter coats and lots of layers for the scrawny kid...

Park City

For our most recent date night, Jarom and I took a drive through the canyon and into Park City.  I wasn't quite sure where we were going, (I'm not 100% convinced that Jarom did either), but he insisted on going for a drive and that's where we ended up.  The leaves were amazing. I was glad we went, I was worried I wouldn't get the chance to see the leaves change before winter came.  I didn't get any pictures, wife fail....but hopefully one day when I get a nice smart phone, it'll have an amazing camera attached to it so I will always have it with me ;)  cough, cough.  Jarom and I drove up and down the Main Street looking at all the cute houses.  I love the quaint little houses up in Park City with the wood doors, and earth tone colors, some cabin style...if I wouldn't have to worry about the snow and commuting in it I would live there forever...maybe we'll retire in the woods one day ;)   We stopped at a few art galleries that were open on Main Street.  Jarom especially loves looking at the photography because so many of the photographs are taken in Zion National Park, and other famous nearby areas that Jarom can relate to since he grew up in Southern Utah.  This one photographer used all natural lighting, and his photographs were not edited.  They were amazing...some photos sold for up to $98,000 dollars!  Can you imagine...I about died.  After looking through some shops and stopping by Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory for my all time favorite chocolate dipped pretzels and a toffee carmel apple, we headed over to the Outlet Mall for some shopping which is always my favorite...not so much Jaroms, but he was a good sport.  We ate dinner at Ruby Tuesdays...their white cheddar mashed potatoes were to die for, and Jar ordered a blackberry lemonade which was a first, but it was so delicous!  I love going out, we had a great time.  I think having no plan and just going, makes for some of the best nights, (which is huge coming from me, since I'm such a crazy planner all of the time). Somedays I really stop and think how crazy different Jarom and I are, but it works, and I love it!

I love that fall is here...Nothing screams fall more than the color of changing leaves, having the fireplace on, smell good stuff, and great harvest bread (expensive, but so worth it, just had to throw that in there)  :)  I'm pretty sure I have zero decorations for this time of year, and so, on my list of things to do today is to stop by JoAnn's for what will hopefully be a good find, and on sale of course.  My fingers are crossed.  We need some pumpkins for the front porch too!  I also recently discovered a new love of mine, the "Leaves" scented candle at Bath and Body Works.  It is seriously amazing...try it, you will love it and trust me, you'll thank me later....

Dancing

Last week, Jarom told me he had a surprise for me that I had to wait until friday for.  For those of you that know me, I'm terrible with surprises...I was on him all day about it and wouldn't let it go, but he never caved, the good man.  Friday came, and by some miracle, I had forgotten entirely about it.  He told me to get dressed and that we were going out and he drove me out to west valley ish to a church (scary right), and then I realized what we were doing.  Jarom's Aunt and Uncle have invited us before to some dance lessons that they teach but I had never really pushed going because I didn' think Jarom would be into it, and instead he found out all about and surprised me.  Husband points! We were terrible, but we had so much fun.  This week we took on the Waltz, and Swing dancing.  We gave it an honest attempt, lol.  Also, I'm pretty sure I am the worst at following someone elses lead, and I am grateful for a husband who refuses to let me wear the pants because lets be honest, if he would allow it, I totally would.  Moral of the story, I'm glad I married me a man's man...becaues I'm a stubborn little thing, and who doesn't enjoy being taken care of?  I wish I would have gotten some pictures, I'm pretty sure we were definetly the youngest couple there.  But, if any of you are dying to have some free dance lessons let me know...It's the first Friday of every month, and it is definetly a good time....  :)

The Money Class

For my birthday back in April, Jarom bought me this book called "The Money Class" by Suze Orman.  I grew up listening to Suze Orman with my Mom and have grown to love her blatant honesty and advice when it comes down to what you can and cannot afford. With that being said, I was really anxious to get her new book, set some financial goals, and to educate myself.  Since then, I have been reading a little at a time, and have been setting some goals and making adjustments to our budget here and there.  The book starts out talking about defining yourself by who you are, not what you have.  I think this is particuarlly challenging for newlyweds who have grown up with a particular lifestyle and then expect a similar lifestyle "have what our parents have" mentality just shortly after being married.  It has been an adjustment, but it has been so much more rewarding to stick to our goals, be patient, and save up for a particular item when in reality we could have ran out and bought it right then if we had cut corners, cheated our budget, put it on the credit card or used our emergency savings.  Suze Orman also offers great advice on:


*Having an 8 month emergency savings fund
*Saving for big ticket items
*Retirment planning in your 20's and 30's
*Applying 15% of your total income towards retirement- starting now!
*401k's and Roth IRA's
*Maximizing employment benefits
*When to Own vs. Rent
*The rules of buying a new home (20% down, or you can't afford it)
*Student loans/repayment
*Everything you need to know about your credit score
*Investing
*The rules of using a debit card
*Living below your means
And it goes on and on...

You're probably thinking I am such a nerd, but I have really enjoyed learning more about financial freedom.  Don't get me wrong, I know all of these things may not be totally realistic, and are perhaps an ideal situation, but it gives you a basis to plan and work towards.  I realize we probably won't be able to put 20% down on a home when we are ready to buy, but by making it our goal, we'll probably have much more than we would have if we hadn't set the goal.  We may have to wait quite a bit longer than we would like to, but in the end it will be worth it.  My parents have been a great example to me and because they established good habits early on and lived below their means, they have been able to avoid debt and provide us (their kids) with a financially stable childhood/ and future for my siblings.  I want that for Jarom and I, and for our family.  Especially because of our large amounts of school loan debt.  I've learned it's not just going to go away, and that you have to take control of it, rather than let it take control of you.  :)   Wow, if that wasn't cheesball I don't know what is...

Also, I've really taken to heart the advice and counsel we've been given from our sweet Prophet, his Apostles, and our church leaders to work on our food storage supply.   I'm proud to say we are making improvements, despite our lack of storage space.  Before it seemed so overwhelming, but I'm actually really enjoying it, a little at a time.  I'm all signed up for the cannery this coming weekend...first-timer!  Should be a good time...

And to wrap it up, some insite from President Thomas S. Monson

"May I assure you, there is no shame in a couple having to scrimp and save. It is generally during these challenging times that you will grow closer together as you learn to sacrafice and to make difficult decisions."