ID to CO to UT

We have been in full moving mode lately! {Ugh.} And because I am somewhat of a sentimental person, I couldn't help but snap a few pictures of our second home together before we headed out. I'll admit, I was teary eyed. We were saying goodbye to not only our apartment, but Rexburg! A place we have both called home for the past couple years of our lives. The place we met and made SO many memories together. It was bittersweet, definitely.

Once we left Rexburg, we made our way to Colorado and moved in with my family for about a month while Jason job searched. He put SO much time towards this. He even went to some LDS business classes while we were there. Our first day in the ward, Jason was approached eight times by different people about potential job opportunities for him. {Shout-out to my dad for his many connections.} We felt blessed, but kept our options open.

 One weekend the fam took a trip down to Utah to celebrate Jason's 26th birthday and my dad's 50th birthday {more on that found here}. The timing couldn't have been more perfect because Jason had a couple of interviews lined up in Utah that same week. He felt confident and excited after his interviews, and that same day he was offered a job for a company called Packsize. We drove back to Colorado for a week, packed everything up once again, and moved to Utah so Jason could start work that next Monday.

My parents and grandparents have been angels for letting us live with them for a little while we save up and search for a more permanent home. We've been living in Utah for a little over a month now and we really are enjoying every minute. Jason loves his job, and I start working at Discover Financial Services next month! Is it weird that I'm super excited to start working? I've never worked for such a big corporation, so I'm looking forward to the experience!

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There are still so many things I could go on about! These past couple months have been packed full of blog-worthy events. I want to at least mention some things, or else I will probably forget they ever happened. SO I promise I'll be brief.

We celebrated our first Christmas together in Rexburg with Jason's mom and siblings! This was my first Christmas away from my home, so it took some getting used to. We still had lots of fun playing games, eating good food, and enjoying each others company. Even with our tight budget at the time, I convinced Jason that we needed a tree for our apartment. I originally was going to make a DIY tree with branches and ornaments, but we ended up finding a super steal deal on one. Definitely worth it.

We spent New Years Eve in Colorado with my familia! Our late night was full of delicious appetizers {that lasted us weeks afterwards}, tenzi/golf tournaments, sparkling cider, rowdy noise makers, new years kisses, and party hats. It was such a fun time!

I took a trip to the Denver temple one evening with my parents. I get so excited going through different temples for the first time! Each one is so, so beautiful. This particular trip was for an elderly lady in the ward. She was going through for the first time to be sealed to her deceased husband and son. I don't think I've ever seen someone so happy before. The spirit was overwhelming and it was the sweetest.

Grandpa Syddall got a smart phone! I know it doesn't seem like much, but it was a pretty big deal around here {especially because he said he would never get one}. It had to be documented haha.

January and February are theee birthday months in this fam. We've attended eight birthday parties in the past two months. Eight! That's a lot of cake and ice cream. {We are dying to get gym memberships.} I've actually loved it, though. Family get togethers are my absolute fav.

Super bowl Sunday was spent partying at Robyn's house. And even though this is old news now, THE DENVER BRONCOS WON! We were all pretty proud in our Broncos jammies {via Christmas Eve 2014}.

Our social life here consists of family pretty much, but we love it! Game nights at Taylor and Lynnea's has got to be our favorite way to spend Saturday nights. We can play King of Tokyo for hours and hours and never get bored. They are the funnest to be around!

We went on a sibling date with Britta, Austin, Scarlett, Taylor, and Lynnea. We ate dinner at Cafe Rio and then went to the Provo City Center temple open house. It was so gorgeous! {It may actually be my favorite temple... I can't decide.} Scarlett was making us all laugh as she applauded and YAYed when the temple introduction movie was over. She is too cute.

This last weekend my aunt Angela called me up asking if Jason and I would mind "babysitting" her kids while her and Matt went out on a date. We obviously didn't mind at all, but she went out of her way to turn it into a date for us as well. When we got there, all the kids were already in bed and they had a tub of movie theater popcorn, pizza, and soda all ready for us. They even had us pick out a movie to rent on Vidangel {which I highly suggest looking into because it is the greatest thing ever}. It was one of my favorite dates!

Phew! I think that'll do for now. All in all, life is awesome.

G r a d u a t i o n

Now, to catch up with life. {Can it just slow down a bit?} Jase and I graduated from BYU-Idaho in December! Gosh, that seems like so long ago. My parents and grandparents were able to make the trip down for it, despite the nasty weather. I absolutely loved having them all there! We had a family slumber party that night in our little one-bedroom apartment haha. So fun! I feel so lucky that I was able to walk in graduation with my boy. It made the day much more special.

After graduation we went to Applebee's {along with the rest of Rexburg} and got cuddly waiting for a table. Our graduation party consisted of Mom, Dad, Mauri, Debi, Ryan, Alisha, Tierra, Grandma & Grandpa Syddall, Grandma & Grandpa Goldsberry, and Jason and I. We loved feeling loved. I can't help but laugh watching this video. We were so squished!

We said our goodbyes to my family the next morning, and started packing/cleaning/selling everything right away. We moved out of Rexburg a couple days after Christmas, so we were busy bees that whole week. Isn't moving just the worst? I'm so ready to be settled!

So long, BYU-Idaho! Thanks for the memories... and for introducing me to the love of my life.

Dear Heaven,

Recently you've welcomed two new faces-- Jana Brown and Brian Syddall. I'll admit, we're all a little jealous, and maybe even a little bitter, that they are there and not here with us. Our family is very close, you know. Since they've left things haven't been the same. There is a feeling of emptiness at every family gathering and I've never seen so many tears fall from loved ones eyes. I just wanted to reach out to let you know why you're lucky to have them and why we miss them so much down here.

Let me start with aunt J. Jana is the sweetest. I still have fond memories of her longgg piggy back rides she would give me and my siblings when we were kids. Or the times she would take us to the local supermarket so we could pick out our favorite drink to take with us to the park. She would spin us and spin us on the metal merry-go-round and play lava monster with us for hours it seemed. We all loved Aunt Jana. I remember thinking that she looked so beautiful on her wedding day. She wasn't one to dress up much {I can so relate}, so I loved seeing her all dolled up! Jana and Jon were married and sealed in the beautiful Bountiful temple-- just like Jason and I. I cannot even begin to explain how grateful I am that she was there to support me for my big day. I had no idea that would be the last time I would get to hug her and talk to her. She gave me compliment after compliment and now I only wish that I reciprocated those same words to her. Shortly after my wedding, Jana was diagnosed with breast cancer. I don't know all the details, but I do know that her health was declining fast. Her body was filled with infection and failing organs. On October 12th, Jana passed away. It was hard news that no one wanted to accept. I bawled, along with many others. I can only hope that she knows the impact she's made on our lives. She is so, so loved.

Now let me tell you about my uncle Brian. Brian is hilarious. He knows how to lighten the mood and put a smile on anyone's face. He's a smart man with a big heart and he was always willing to help where he could. Ever since I was little, I've loved going over to Brian's house for parties, football games, holidays, and family get-togethers {I even had my bridal shower over there}. Playing knock out with everyone in his backyard has got to be one of my all time favorite things. One of my more vivid memories with Brian was on a Lagoon trip with the family. Shilo and I wanted to go on the rattlesnake rapids ride over and over again. Some of the group opted out to avoid being uncomfortably wet afterwards, but Brian was more than willing to accompany us! I remember having the best time ever that day. That memory specifically has stuck with me for years. {Side note: I didn't realize until I saw some pictures that Jana was with us that same day at Lagoon! Kind of crazy considering Jana and Brian are on different sides of our family.} Brian and his family were also at my wedding, which I am so, so grateful for. The morning of November 30th, only seven weeks after Jana's passing, Brian was killed in a car accident while driving to work. It was so unexpected and hearing the news absolutely broke my heart. I was still grieving over the loss of Jana, and then, like cutting into an already open wound, I found myself hurting more than ever before. I bawled. We all did. We all still do.

You know, it's really hard having to experience the loss of someone close. Jana was a wife, a daughter, a sister, an aunt. Brian was a husband, a dad, a son, a brother, an uncle. We wish we had more days with them and we wish we were able to give them a proper good-bye, but we know that, in time, we will be able to see them again. Let them know that they are so loved, and give them the biggest hug from us all.

Sending so much love your way,

     Lexee

P.S. Can you let Brian know that Robyn received his anniversary flowers?

More posts {from my sweet mama's blog} about Jana and Brian are found here and here.

I {heart} Utah

Oh boy, oh boy. I reeeally need to be better at this whole blogging thing. Too much has happened lately! I can't keep up with it all. This post has been sitting in my drafts for forever it seems. I've debated on completely throwing it out and starting fresh with life as of now, but I hate thinking that I might be leaving holes in my attempt to document life and family and marriage. And I'm not kidding when I say that sooo much has happened in these past couple months. I almost feel obligated to write about every little thing {for my own personal reasons}. Ugh... well, I better get blogging.


Now, to finish what I started months ago.


I simply adore Utah. It tends to be the meeting place for pretty much anything celebratory {weddings, anniversaries, temple endowments, holidays, parties, camping, baby blessings, etc} on both sides of the family. Jason and I will seriously use any excuse to make a trip down, and recently we've had a lot of reasons to.

While we were still living in Texas, I got a call from my aunt Angela asking if Jason and I could fly down for my Syddall grandparent's 50th anniversary surprise party. Obviously we didn't want to miss it, but plane tickets from Texas are pricey, pricey. She really wanted the whole family to be there for it, so she offered to help pay for our tickets, along with some other family members. SO sweet of them! We got there just in time to help set up which we were more than happy about. It was the least we could do! When my grandparents walked in the room, you could just tell that they were SO HAPPY and surprised to see all of their family together. It's not very often that happens. It was the best time and I'm so glad we could be there for it! My mama captured the party perfectly in her blog post which you can find here. :) But here are some of my favorite pictures from that day!

I have so much love for this family of mine!

Our next visit to Utah was for the Salt Lake City Comic Con. Jason's all-time favorite author, R.A. Salvatore, was going to be there and Jason did not want to pass up an opportunity to meet him. {For those of you who don't know, Jason has written and published a book called Twin Legends and R.A. Salvatore's novels are what inspired him to do so.} We drove down from Idaho one Friday evening and stayed the night at my Syddall grandparents. They treated us to dinner & ice cream at Leatherby's and then we all stayed up chatting in the living room until 2 am. I love the fact that Jason adores my grandparents as much as I do. The next morning I dropped Jason off at the convention center and {assuming he would be occupied for a couple of hours} started driving toward Eagle Mountain to help Britta and Austin with their move. But only about 30 minutes after I dropped him off, he called saying he was ready for me to come get him. He literally got in, met Salvatore, and got out-- that was all he wanted. I turned the car around, picked up my babe, and we started our way back to Rexburg. Jason was extremely happy which made our spur-of-the-moment trip completely worth it.

We made yet another trip down to Bountiful one weekend because my mom was watching Scarlett while Britta and Austin were in Hawaii {so jealous}. I was in absolute heaven with that girl! Within the first thirty minutes, she was clinging to me like I was her temporary mama. I didn't mind it one bit! That sweet babe has no idea how much she's loved.

Little did we know at the time that we'd be making a few unexpected visits shortly after. My Aunt Jana and Uncle Brian passed away only weeks apart from each other.  It's been a whirlwind of emotions for our family and it still makes me incredibly sad whenever I think about it, so I think I'll save that post for another day.

Back in the 'Burg

I've been in a blogging mood lately and today's my day off, so I'm going to take full advantage of it and knock out another post. Plus, it's just one of those stay in bed, don't get ready kind of days. So far this entire blog has been one huge catch-up and it makes me happy to know that I'm getting closer to posting about much more present events/thoughts/ideas/feelings etc. This post, however, is dedicated to the past couple of months we've lived here in Rexburg.

Right now we're living at Stone Brook apartments and we loveee it. It's located on the outskirts of campus right by all the cute little neighborhoods in town. {Sometimes we go on evening walks and pick out our favorite houses in the neighborhood.} We're in the sweetest young married ward and our church building is within walking distance... along with like three other churches and that gorgeous temple of ours. Our apartment is the perfect little space for us, and the best part... no bugs! If there were actually some decent jobs in this tiny town then I wouldn't mind settling here a bit longer, but since there aren't any, we'll be moving out right after graduation.

I'd have to say one of my favorite things about living here, though, is the hot tub.
Hot tubs & pools are rare in Rexburg, so having one that's open to us 24/7 is such a bonus. Our favorite time to go is when it's lightly raining, super late, or softly snowing out. Most people don't think to go hot tubing at those times, so we usually know when we can get it to ourselves. ;) It's also superrr nice after a tough workout session or a stressful night of work.



I don't take many {posed} pictures when it's just me and Jason around, but I always, always take {and save} snapchats. So here's a Rexburg rundown - snapchat style!

 I would say that these pictures sum up our life here pretty darn well. We love going to the gym, reading for hours straight {well, Jason does}, Taco Bell picnics, road trips to Utah, baking cookies, having furniture to call our own, trying new crock pot recipes, soaking in hot bubble baths, late night drives to nowhere, G's Dairy grilled cheeses, cuddling in bed until noon, Cocoa Lodge hot chocolate runs, temple visits, flowers for the kitchen table, evening walks, and Sunday dinners at Jason's mama's house.


{Okay, I can't have a snapchat post and not share these lovelies! The snapchats I get from my family kill me hahaha.}

 Also, I'm obsessed with my new wedding band! It just came in this week, so I'm still ogling over it. For part of my birthday present we went and picked out a band for me. We had a $1000 gift certificate to Jensen's Jewelers since my engagement ring was extremely delayed coming in and it turned out that the band I loved most was $999.99, so the only thing we had to pay for was tax! I could not stop smiling when we left the store. It was a birthday blessing!

So, so sparkly!

I don't want to forget to mention some of our more recent festivities! Jase and I started off hallo-week {hallo-month really} by going to a straw maze with a group of married friends. The maze was dizzying and it took us over an hour to find our way out, but everyone had the best time. We came across some huge tires as we were leaving and the guys couldn't resist rolling around in them haha.

 I love haunted houses and being spooked for some reason, so I told Jason that we had to go to one this year. {I want to make it a tradition to go to a haunted house every halloween. So far we're 2 for 2!} We made a date out of it and went to the Haunted Forest late one night. Once we made it through the line, they drove us out to the forest on the back of a trailer and sent us off with just the group we came with {so just Jason and I}. All the freaky-looking forest actors ganged up on me because I was obviously the most scared. I was actually getting stomach cramps from screaming so much! As for Jason, nothing scares him. He just laughed and tried pointing out all the places they would jump out from. So, so fun!

We kept it simple Halloween night. We went to a married friend's apartment to carve pumpkins, eat goodies, and hang out. This was Jason's first time carving a pumpkin which I thought was just crazy. He's almost 26 and he's never carved a pumpkin in his life! What?! It was cute seeing how proud he was of his end result though. I love him so much.

And that just about sums up our lives as of now. Now excuse me while I go relax in the hot tub with my babe.

XOXO