Nine

It's days like today that I feel as low as I can go, I just have to start counting my blessings and dreams. I have a dark black secret that I so badly want to share, but I know I shouldn't. So instead I'll tell you the little things that made me smile today.

1. dreaming of learning french. Someday when all this ridiculous high educated learning (college) is done, I will be able to do things like this. Someday.
2. planning on running two Ragnar race's in the next year. Las Vegas November 9-10 and Wasatch Back June 21-22. I'm glad to have something to train for.
3. starting work at Nordstrom Rack-which I love! Taking a break from CNA work is really nice and I suspect rather permanent. I'm grateful for my three years of being a nurse's aide but, it's time to move on.
4. friends. New friends at a new job that are overly willing to help and answer questions and give me fashion advice. Don't we all love new friends? It's like a fresh start each time, and as we get older each fresh start gets better.
5.  having an awesome VW Jetta TDI to drive and pass all the crazy mini-van drivers on my way to and from school. It's the little joys of passing cars and not getting pulled over. And still getting 45 MPG.
6. getting a back to school jacket that is quite stunningly cute. Thinking that my last fall semester at BYU begins within a month is just unfathomable. Even though I'm going to looking stunningly cute.
7.  finally learn Clair De Lune on my brand new-to me-piano. It's going to take quite a while to get that baby down pat, but I can do it.
8. having a husband and dogs who cuddle with me and give me loves and kisses when I need them. On days like today.
9. reading this blog, and loving everything she had to say about her dog. It gave me some ideas for my blog. Because with this dark blackness inside of me that I'm holding in and onto, I just can't bear to blog about the things I really want to say. Not yet. Just not now. But I can blog about my sweet puppies, because everyone loves life from the perspective of a dog. Especially our crazy ones.

so on a day that I'm feeling the blues, and I want to focus on the disappointments and sadness I feel, I can share at least nine good things. And I promise, I will try harder to not focus on the blackness. Remind myself of the things I love, and find new things to give attention to. And maybe someday let everybody in on this whole secrety thing I feel. Someday.

Life...

Our first big purchase

as a married couple was both exciting (we LOVE the car) and downright scary (car payment? ah!). Thank goodness we had a great salesman (go see Mike at SouthTowne VW) who talked us through the scared silly parts and got us to see that it was worth the purchase - and while I may have thought he was biased at the time - I now completely agree with him even though my heart hadn't been set on a Jetta TDI.

A little bit of background we knew for quite a few months before my parents came back from their mission that we would need to get another car because Jared was driving my parents only working vehicle while they were gone. We had discussed the need for getting a high fuel efficient car because we commute over 60 miles each day to school - yes we didn't really think that through - and we drive up to see our parents in North Salt Lake weekly as well.

So my heart was set upon a Prius which boasts 48/51 MPG and as far as I was concerned we could really use that to lower our gas costs. I did tons of research in the month leading up to my parents coming home and had found a suitable Prius with a good price. After watching Jeff Dunham's skit about Prius's - plus the fact that it isn't a manly car - Jared adamantly refused to drive it if we bought one. So I bargained I would drive it, and Jared could drive my Mazda.


Well needless to say we get to the dealership with the check in hand to pay for it, Jared test drives it and had a little bit of a freak out. I didn't understand until after test driving the Jetta TDI why he was so unhappy with the Prius. When he test drove the Prius in his mind all we would be paying for was the economic statement and an complicated battery and then besides that there was nothing special about this rather pricey car. When I stepped into the Jetta TDI I feel in love with the standard leather interior, seat warmers, automatic window controls on all the windows - not just the drivers, and tons of special safety features. And it still gets 45 MPG and even better the diesel engine is expected to go more than twice as far as a typical gas engine.

In the end I feel like we got a lot more for our money and are so happy with our choice. Even though it was really overwhelming to take on a car payment and become real adults, I wouldn't choose any other car to pay one on. Now every time we see a Prius on the road we laugh to each other that we were actually considering one.

P.S. The dogs love the new car too :)