another driver in the house

After nearly 2 years of no interest in driving, Ryan finally took his learner's permit test today.

He insisted we snap a pic and immediately
send it to his dad, lol.

I don't know if it's because of a lot of his friends are now getting their licenses, but he came to me about 2 weeks ago and announced he wanted to take the test. His best friend has been driving them around, but sometimes gets his driving privileges revoked, so I guess Ryan is supposed to be their back-up or something.

Ryan was actually supposed to take the test last Saturday, but came home from school the Friday before, sick and feeling under the weather. We rescheduled it for today, so he got an extra week of studying (apparently there's an app that gives practice test; that would've been nice when I was a teenager, lemme tell ya!).

He didn't pass it on the first try; I could tell because he had The Look on his face. Missed it by one question, apparently. So he took it a second time (you can take the test twice in one day, but the third attempt has to be on a different day and you have to be the fee again), and he only missed 2 questions that time.

I don't think I need to tell you he was all smiles when he came to get me in the waiting area.

So yes, we have another driver in the house. Of course, we now need to call the high school to change his second semester schedule to include drivers ed, and hopefully we can do it, but I'm excited for this new milestone. It'll help me out whenever my arm acts up and I can't drive; I now have a chauffeur.

Hopefully Ryan's enthusiasm won't fade each time I ask him to drive me somewhere, ha.

I love to see the temple

We spent most of our evening tonight here, touring this gorgeous building.

**Note: This picture is from a media outlet. Pictures were not allowed inside, so I left my iPhone
in my pocket. By the time we were outside and could take pictures, I totally forgot I had it!**

This is the Provo City Center Temple, rebuilt from the gutted remains of the Provo Tabernacle, which nearly burned down in 2010. I say nearly because despite everything inside being turned to ashes, the walls and parts of the roof survived. Amazing, considering the building was over a century old.

The construction took over five years, but I think everyone who's attended the open house would agree that it was worth the wait. There was beautiful wood floor, spiraling staircases, gorgeous glass-stained windows, it was just an amazing experience! And, I loved that my kids were right there with me, just in awe at this beautiful place. Jeff was really curious about everything, and asked quite a few questions, which I happily answered. The last temple open house we attended, he had been about 2 yrs. old, so I think this time around was more memorable for him.

It's a lot smaller than some of the other temples, but no less beautiful and sacred. This temple has an added history to it, considering what it used to be before its reconstruction. I wasn't born and raised here like Scott, so anytime I can learn anything about Utah, I love it; it's also my kids' history, which is important for them to know.

I really do hope that by touring these temples before they're dedicated makes my kids that much more determined to be worthy to enter these holy places when they're old enough. Temples are such special and sacred places to be and I hope and pray that they truly understand it and make it one of their goals.

resolutions

I like the thought of resolutions. There's nothing like the excitement of a brand new year to get you motivated to change things about yourself and your life that you've been putting off. There's hope at the beginning of the new year and inspiration to make you think that "This year will be different!"

I like the thought of resolutions, but that's about it; nothing really comes from it. But, I am a list maker, which sort of ties to making resolutions; I like making lists. Half the time, I either lose said list or I just ignore it. But, I'm really good at making them.

This year, after the calendar flipped from 2015 to 2016, I began making a list in my mind. Usually, I write it down on paper, but since I was deep in a bout of depression where my bed seemed to hold me prisoner (3 months, yikes!), I just laid there and thought.

Note to self: DO NOT MAKE RESOLUTIONS WHILE DEPRESSED.

Just don't.

Anyway, on the days that I was able to crawl out of bed and force myself to do something, I ended up baking or cooking. And, despite my inconsistency of being in the kitchen, I've come to realize that I'm pretty decent with food. I've had success with cooking dinner and baking breads and desserts that the kids always request, so it stands to reason that one of my tentative resolutions is to cook and bake more (still working on the housecleaning, but I'll get there...eventually).

Pinterest has been my ally. I am now the proud owner of at least 10 boards (I think I'm a bit OCD when it comes to Pinterest), all for different types of recipes and tips. Plus, I'm slowly in the process of putting together a binder full of mine and the kids' favorite recipes.

Everything is off to a good start, I think.

Hopefully, I can follow through and keep things going.

2016

Why does it always seem like the year changes just as I was getting into the groove of things for the previous year? Hmph. Oh well! Here comes the new year, whether I'm ready or not!

So here's to a brand new year, full of brand new experiences, fun times, and fulfilled dreams! Happy New Year!