10 things that make my happy

also, 10 things that happened over Labor Day weekend.
as described in pictures {of course}

10.  

Visiting my family. Sitting on my porch. Drinking in the sunshine.

 9.

Skipping lines to leave rides
and instead being lifted over the fence by uber strong uncle morgan.

 8.

watching my nephew tie his shoelaces. very distractedly.

 7.


funnel cakes at the fair.

 6.


taking a break from the heat/people watching/eating aforementioned funnel cake

 5.

Strong men.
honest to goodness my nephew joshua made him do this. hilarious.

 4.

family!

 3.

morgan pretending to be Captain Morgan.

 2.

little boys "putting their hands up" on the "rollercoaster"

 1.

Luaus on {the day before} Labor Day



1 YEAR!

Last Saturday Morgan and I celebrated our {approximate} 1 year anniversary!

Why approximate, you ask? Well you see, we really don't have any idea when we started dating or when our first date was - we sort of had this seamless transition from friends to more-than-friends and couldn't really pin down an exact date. So about 6ish months ago we were chatting about this predicament and Morgface decided to just choose a date - we knew it was in about the middle of September and so Morg suggested the 11th. This was our {approximate} conversation:

M: how about the 11th?

J: of September? Are you kidding me?! Doesnt that seem a little blasphemous or irreverent?

M: no! I think that while the rest of the country is mourning about loss, we can remember and celebrate our love at the same time!

J: you are insane.

M: no I'm not, yadda yadda yadda

Either way - he won.

So on Saturday, September 11th 2010 we celebrated the wonderful year we spent together. We started it with a run in Shelby Farms that morning, and when he came to pick me up he had my first surprise of the day - Gigi cupcakes! - after our run I took Morg to get a hair cut at his {and mine} hairdresser, Fred. - Don't ask why he wanted this, he loves getting his hair cut. - We planned on having a picnic for lunch, but by then it was so incredibly hot that we went back to my apartment, opened all the windows and had one in my living room :) I got my second surprise then - Seinfeld Seasons 1 & 2! - Afterwards we got ready and headed to Barnes & Nobles so I could browse, read, and get new books while Morgan wrote his talk for church and did some hw for school. We left after awhile to get changed for dinner and Morgan picked me up and we headed downtown. He took me to Texas de Brazil and I was in food heaven for the next 2 hours :) - On the way home I got me third surprise - Arrested Development Season 2! [obviously he has a knack for knowing exactly what I want :)] - So we went back home, ate my delish cupcakes and watched many many episodes of AD :) a perrrfect day!

{p.s. he did get surprises too - I made him [aka us] a calendar and used pictures from every month we've been together - and then also helped with his trip to FL for his triathalon in October :)}

At Texas de Brazil

I was being ridiculous waiting for the timed camera - and he took a picture instead.

my beautiful/delish cupcakes from Gigi's

As I look back on the year that Morgan and I spent together, I know we are extremely lucky to have exponentially more ups than those inevitable downs. Not only have we both grown on an individual level - but we have grown together - closer, wiser, emotionally, spiritually. We've taught each other and reveled in each other's accomplishments. We've listened, we've talked, we've discussed. We learned to love deeper than either of us have before and in the midst of everything we've laughed and made jokes and surprised one another. Every day he has made me a happier person and every day I find a fall in love with him just a little more.

I'm so excited for another year that we have together and so many more to come.

10 things that make me happy

as described in pictures [of course]

1. my love. on the lake. wearing goggles, having the cutest expression probably ever.
2. YoLo, my new fave place in memphis - with morg's mouth already stuffed with delishishness.

3. remembering my exact thoughts when morgan took this picture at the Shinedown concert. i won't share the thoughts, but you can use your imagination.


4. lovebirds.
and morg's mad picture taking skillz at the bird sancutary in the DR.

5. just. us.

6. capturing this moment in the DR, very accidentally.

7. hearing this woman, the future sister olenslager, be so excited about being called to serve on a full-time mish [yeah south dakota!]

8. kisses from my love on the fourth of ju-ly.

ok, kisses from him in general.

9. the temple.

10. my new running buddy. [us at one of my 5ks in June]

Adios, Memphis. Hola, Utah.

Today I'm headed to hook up with these beautiful ladies....

for 3 days full of laughter, smeeses, smiles, pictures, sleeping bags, stories, and love.

p.s. this was our happy 4th taking in summer at the redbirds game.

p.s.s. i miss him already.

p.s.s.s. my lovely, rachael, inspired me to start my own tumblr. so here it is... CLICK THIS!

mailbag

dear thursday,
i'm glad you're here. especially when you're really my friday - it makes you even more sweeter.
love, sleepy girl who is tired of work this week

dear etsy, modcloth, and all other shopping websites,
i love you. my bank account doesn't. i'm trying to go... no i'm actually going... to the dominican republic in a month and you keep taking my money and sending me super cute stuff. its a love/hate relationship, but one of us has to initiate the break up. so hurry up and do it
love, addicted shopper of super adorable things

dear ZMA (aka zinc monomethionine aspartate),
thanks for helping me sleep better. even though you give me really crazy dreams (well more than my normal crazy dreams) i really love falling asleep fast, staying asleep, and waking up easy. oh, and the extra amount of energy and vitamins don't hurt either.
love, the girl who sleeps way better now.

dear twitter,
i think you are stupid. i'm pretty sure there is no real use to you, or the people that use you.
love, fb user

dear honey mustard,
thank you for tasting so freakin yummy with chicken tenders AND fries. its like you are the stand-in fry sauce for the south. i don't know what i would do without you - i'd have to eat something healthier or something
love, unhealthy eater julie

dear utah,
i don't really like you. but in 2 weeks i'm going to LOVE YOU. because i get to see my best friends in the whole wide world (minus my handsome morgman) and be reunited so wonderfully for 3 days. thanks for bringing us all together
love, the unusual mormon girl

dear memphis summer,
though you are stinkin hott and humid and ridiculous, you are kinda awesome. that is all.
love, a wanna be southern-ish girl

dear diet coke,
i have so much to say, but not enough time. you are awesome and i want you right now. thank you for only costing 65 cents instead of 75 like at the bank i was working at last week, you are a dollface. p.s. thanks for being my notsosecret treat, every day.
love, liquid heaven lover

dear morgan,
well you know.
love, me.

remember that little rant about etsy? well thats where morg and i got this. the whole inscription is "te sigo para siempre" which means "i'll be with you forever" i'm in love. with him, and this.

Muy Bueno

Welcome to my 'Muy Bueno!" update!

First up: SAINT LOUEY!!

my handsome bf, though he has been to this lovely city before had never been to the arch, or up to the tippy top, so I so graciously let him take me up for the first time since my childhood. you're welcome Morg.

Oh, I mean, see? he looks so happy.

and ByTheWay have you noticed how freakin cute we are. because we are.

Segundo!

I ran the Harbortown 5k with some friends. 26.40. boo ya.

Meredith and I before the race that was so ridiculously hot and humid.

the love of my vida comes to lend his moral support every race I run :) yes. I know I'm lucky.

the memphis 3rd branch representin' harbortown! boo ya.

TRES:

I got a promotion!!! That's right. A year under my belt at the Federal Reserve has paid off (quite literally) and the coworks (thats slang for coworkers if you were wondering) went to go celebrar!

FOURTH!:

The Morgster and I set out on our first vacay of the summer by way of NC thanks to my brother (barely) graduating. No I have no pictures from that, yes it was ridiculously boring, and yes we peaced out and went to the beach the very next day. :)

ahhhh, summer.

my lobster and his shark.

remember how I said we're really cute? we'll we are. see?

Sometimes I don't sleep

Sometimes, like tonight (I mean, like this morning) I don't go to sleep when I'm supposed to.

Ok it's not like I'm supposed to per se
I live alone and I don't have someone telling me to go to sleep
but let's say I don't even try to climb into bed and lay my pretty head on one of my billions of pillows and fall asleep when it is socially acceptable to do so.

Instead, I do some, or all, of the following:
* watch t.v. online (oh how I wish I still had DVR)
(and curse too much during ALL of the Grey's finale as I thoroughly freaked out - WHO SAW ANY OF THAT COMING?!?!)
* buy MC (Morgan Canfield. man I'm getting creative.) a present.
(for our, ahem, 9 month anniversary coming up. well that's my excuse anyways, I just like buying him things)
* buy me (that's Julie Bennett) a present.
(I like to make things fair. scratch that, I just wanted to buy something.)
* pay bills. yes. pay bills. ugh.
* facebook. duh, that's a given.
* avoid peeing.
(If anyone knows me they know how much I pee. They also know how much I think it is a waste of time. therefore: avoiding it.)
* blogstalk. a little something I like to call: wasting time.
* facials.
(when Morg opens the gym the next day {like tomorrow} he leaves to go sleepybye a little earlier...
so I like to slather honey and yogurt on my face and look like a monster. my face loves me for it.)

since all of those things have been done, I believe it might be time for me to hit the hay.

but before that, here's a gem from MC & I's trip to Ryan & Lara's wedding last weekend:
ok nite.