Tender Tennessee Christmas (totally trying to catch up here)

Abram's largely wrapped present:

Cozy fire:

Poinsettas:

Non-stop Christmas snow:

My Paul couldn't come out- he had to work for Christmas:( :( But, luckily, we still got to bring our friend Paul Carlile over to hang on Christmas Day:

Ethan's pug time:

Chocolate Chocolate Cookies:

Nonstop IPad time:

:) :) :)

Costa Ricaaaaa

These are honeymoon pictures. Paul surprised me with Costa Rica. For those of you that were at our wedding, I'll have you know that I first guessed it was going to be Costa Rica. Then Paul tricked me into thinking it was Brazil in order to get me off track. So, just so you know, I was right. Mwa haha.

DAY 1: Hike to La Fortuna Waterfall (okay, this might be more than one day...)

First, we stayed in San José

Then we ate our first Costa Rican food:

Then we got to our hotel in La Fortuna. Thank you personal pool, pina colada, and view of the cloud-covered Arenal Volcano:

Then we hiked to the waterfall!

Then we saw this on our drive home:

DAY 2: Rio Celeste.

Neither Paul nor I speak more than 8 words in Spanish, but we somehow navigated the trails.

The river was cold, but there was a little alcove that was hot water heated from lava/volcanic rock.

The sulphur turned my silver CTR ring this color:

One of my favorite pics from the trip:

Then we explored La Fortuna. Here's the big Catholic church in the center of town:

This was too risqué for facebook, but here's what we did next:

DAY 3: Zip-lining over the rainforest canopy:

I may or may not have cried before my first zip line segment (there were 8 of them).

While zip-lining, we saw the top of Volcano Arenal for the first time!!!

DAY 4: Hanging Bridges, nature walk near our hotel.

LOOK CLOSELY! There's a monkey.

Paul's favorite part of the nature walk:

What a fun, adventure-filled trip. I'm so grateful I got to be with Paul for his first international experience- Pura Vida!

A little help from my friends...

Hello friends!

Questions:

1. Is there any way to change my blogspot address to reflect my new last name without having to redo the blog? Can I copy and paste the whole blog to a new address and keep adding posts?

2. If I switch the blog address and my google account to one with my new last name, do I have to get new invites from people with private blogs? (I am assuming this is a yes...)

I don't want to do a whole new blog and not have all my old posts!!!!!!! Haha, but I know I might have to.

If ANYONE knows ANYTHING about this let me know! I want to post some Costa Rica, Arizona birthday, and wedding pictures, but would rather wait if I have to start a new blog.

Happy Valentines Day! (almost...)

Stepping outside of....

Paul's birthday was yesterday. He is the big 32! It was such a fun day (at least for me- Paul had to be in class for 8 hours before we went to play.) :)

Paul and I agreed a while ago that we are not going to buy each other birthday presents this year (due to wedding, my unemployment, etc.). So, for his birthday, my present was stepping outside of my comfort zone. Paul has done several things during our dating that have been outside of his comfort zone, and I've GREATLY appreciated it! I really think it helps a relationship expand and be happier when each person is willing to "Feel the fear and do it anyway." We went ice skating:)

Tessa's history with ice skating: I have only been 3 times I think, and the last time was at the least 7 or 8 years ago. I HATE it every time I go because I just walk around the edge and try to skate. I compare myself to everyone else, and feel definitely very stupid because I can't skate. I get so discouraged that I almost cry. Pathetic... I know:(

But this time was different! I was headed in the Pathetic direction for about 30 minutes, but I all of a sudden got this burst of energy and skated back and forth on the same stretch of ice- over and over and over. And I started actually skating correctly! It was such a thrill and by the end of the evening, Paul and I were doing circles around the ice with all the other skaters. Oh, the joy that it brought to conquer the seemingly impossible! Cheesy but true haha!

We headed back to Paul's house for some homemade Gingerbread cake. Sorry Paul- I had to include this picture because it brings me such joy!!! I lol for about ten minutes everytime I look at it.

Happy birthday FH!

New Season

Ecclesiastes 3: "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven." New chapters always come with excitement and a little bit of grief. Did I ever think I would be sad to leave my single years? No. Did I ever think I would actually get married someday? No. Do I know the sting and grief involved with not having dreams realized in a time frame I envisioned? ABSOLUTELY. Do I feel guilty that I am getting married sometimes? Yes. Haha- TMI for a blog?

So here I find myself, 11 days from getting hitched. So before I fully embrace the excitement, joy, and blessing of joining my life with Paul's, indulge me in some memories of the last 11 years:

1. Roommates- I have had 54 roommates. I think I am the luckiest lady on earth because I always had fabulous roommates! And many became dear friends that I hope I keep in touch with forever and ever. Too bad digital pictures don't go that far back but here's a roommate sampling:

2. College: I LOVED college. I always played more than I studied. And I'm so glad I did! BYU will always have a special place in my heart. Go Cougars!

3. Traveling- I've been a lot of places in the last 10 years! Seeing the world is so fun, and some of my trips have really forced me out of my comfort zone, and I've had to grow and expand. Ireland, Mexico, England, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, France, Prince Edward Island, Kenya, and lots of places in the states: Washington state, New York, Washington DC, Florida, SoCal, Arizona, Texas, Nebraska, Kansas, Nevada, Colorado, and Idaho.

4. Center For Change- Since I had a break between undergraduate and graduate school, I got to work full time for several years. Now, I'm not sure if something is wrong with me, but I get teary-eyed every time I think about how much I loved working at CFC. This job was so fulfilling and meant the world to me. I LOVED the women with my whole heart. I loved the recovery process and I loved fighting eating disorders. I believe this job healed many of my wounds.

5. Dating- This was a large part of my last 10 years! I must say I didn't enjoy dating. I think every once in a while you find someone that enjoys first dates. I think those people are rare and I was NOT one of them haha! And I must admit that a big breakup put me in a tailspin for about two years. I am grateful that time and a new relationship have helped heal that! So let's talk about the dating that I have enjoyed:

Paul treated me well, WANTED to date me (??), got me flowers sometimes, and took the INITIATIVE! This was oh-so-exciting and still is!

Then, we fell in love with each other and wanted to marry each other?! Still doesn't feel real.

All I have ever prayed for is to find someone good to marry. I told God- I don't care if he's ugly, doesn't make much money, drives a crappy car etc. I just want him to be good! Paul happened to come with other perks such as handsomeness, but I had to date him long enough to love his testimony and to know that he is good and has such good desires. So, with both tears and smiles, dear new chapter of my life, here I come!