"Walkin' in a Winter Wonderlaaaaand!"

Recently Sam and I have been loving playing Christmas music at home. We even bought hot cocoas and cookies for dunking and "tim tam slams"! The holiday spirit has just been overflowing in my heart and I am so excited for Thanksgiving and Christmas! Yesterday it snowed ALL DAY LONG.... And this morning we opened up the windows and found the world a frosted haven for  entranced Californians and amused Utahns everywhere! We had so much fun shoveling the walkways and our other neighbors' driveways and stairs together with our upstairs neighbors. :)

Dancesport and Halušky made by Chef Sam!!

So yesterday was Dancesport! Sam and I competed in the 380 class level waltz together and had a blast! We were excited to make it to the quarterfinals! Before the quarterfinal round I was calling around like crazy to find someone to take part of my shift at work so we could go back to compete (I found someone!) and Sam was so kind and decided to whip up THIS delicious meal for dinner. It's an americanized version of a dish he loved on his mission in Slovakia. The noodle things are homemade and have pulverized potatoes in them! Mmmm!

My Country 'Tis of Thee...

We did our civic duty! Proud to be Americans. Praying for our president and exercising faith, come what may.

Happy Halloween!!!

Evil Dr. Doofenschmirtz & his nemesis Perry and Platypus detective!

Sam and I dressed up for a dance class party and then went to the ballroom social dance lab to waltz around the room as Doofenschmirtz and Perry! Sam was the genius mastermind behind my costume and actually MADE the hat, beak, and feet out of cardboard! I made the tail and sewed it to the sweats bottoms. Fabric at Walmart for 2 bucks plus leftover boxes = RAD COSTUME FOR SUPER CHEAP! We had so much fun!

Ten Reasons Why Being Married (to Sam) in college is fantastic!

1. I get to spend life with my best friend and true love! Even school!

2. Sometimes we run into each other in between classes both by accident and on purpose. I can't even tell you the joy I felt the first day walking to my Living Prophets class and hearing "Hey, well I'm gonna go say hi to my wife!" from behind me followed by someone sneakily slipping their toes under my heels every other step. I turned around thinking "Who in tarnation?!" then saw my handsome curly-haired husband beaming in front of me! It was like getting married all over again, remembering that YES I was at BYU again, and YES I was still married to Sam!! BEST. REALIZATION. EVER. 

3. We can help each other get our homework done and enjoy learning together.

4. We can distract each other and take fun dancing/eating/talking breaks.

5.We get to see our college friends. And we have married friends! That is so much fun, and even more so being married ourselves as well.

6. We get to talk about our days together and what we're learning. We share what intrigues us, what bores us, what confuses us, what we hope to learn, things we do and don't enjoy, funny experiences and people in class, future goals and dreams (not that we couldn't/didn't share those things before... but being married makes is that much greater!)... I love that we tell each other everything!

7. It's truly the best caring so much for someone and how they're doing, not only physically, spiritually, emotionally, mentally, but academically too! We love each other and want each other to be happy and fulfilled and successful, to feel enriched in life and to continue to learn and grow. Sam's thoughts, goals, dreams, worries, interests, etc are all so important to me. He both tells and shows me every day how much he cares about me, and is the most supportive and loving husband. I am so grateful!!!

8. Waking up in the morning for classes is hilarious. He always has the silliest funniest dreams that he relates to me over breakfast, making me laugh. We're both pretty funny sleepers. I love praying together and having our personal scripture studies and working on homework before class.

9. It's so fun to watch his enthusiasm for his classes! He's really so smart and creative. I wish my brain worked a little more like his sometimes! It's really cool. I like watching him work on his projects for Mechanical Engineering and hearing him talk about seminary and institute teaching and sociology lectures. I also love to tell him about the fascinating things I'm learning in ELANG, Living Prophets, and English 362.

10.Time in the afternoons to work on homework and cook meals and plan and do dishes together!

.......

Okay okay, here's one more: 11. Walking (speedily) to classes in the mornings, haha. I just have to say, those Brownings can MOVE! They are all highly accomplished speed walkers of un-matchable pace. I have to practically jog to keep up with him sometimes! 

La luna de miel!

Muir Woods was SO beautiful!

In SF we went to the Exploratorium! It was full of all kinds of interesting and fun hands-on  science experiments.

WINCHESTER MYSTERY HOUSE!

Even the door hinges were ornate. AMAZING mansion with such a crazy history!

Indeed. A literal door to nowhere. This lady was weird.

My new favorite restaurant: Cheesecake Factory! YUM! We split two meals and two pieces of cheesecake over two days. TWO THUMBS UP!

 We has such a great time on our California trip to Muir Woods/SF/San Jose! Also, if you're ever in the mood for fried rice and happen to be in Oakland go to Charlie Chan's! The most DELICIOUS fried rice in the world there. :)

A lovely beginning!

Natalie here! So I can't stand it anymore! I've been loving all these cute and fun blogs by my sisters and sisters-in-law and married friends, etc... I've decided to join the ranks. Sam's an author as well, so we'll see if he posts anything. You can be sure I'll be blogging away (it is quite fun and addicting, no?). It's a fun way to journal and keep updated with the fam! I figure, since it's the beginning of this blog, why not start with our own beginning to this new chapter on life: marriage!!!

 Sam and I were married July 28th, 2012 in the beautiful LDS temple in Sacramento, CA. It was the epitome of the fairytale wedding I'd always dreamed of! Our family and friends worked so hard and did so much to make this day as special and memorable as possible and BOY HOWDY did they succeed!!! :) It was so wonderful to all be together and feel the binding power of forever families and loving closeness of our Heavenly Father. As I walked out of the temple holding hands with my new husband it hit me--we are now sealed forever. Best friends and eternal loves. My heart will ever be filled with joy and gratitude to be the wife of Sam Browning!
(pictures in this post by seversonphoto.com)

Gettin' ready for the party!
Sam helped in the kitchen while I got pampered and dolled up by my mom and sis. They're all so great. Seriously.
(I honestly felt a little guilty!)

Newlywed Browning!

*Whistle Whistle!*

The reception was breathtakingly gorgeous (as was the open house a few weeks after in Ogden, UT)!

The whole gang!

This picture made me LAUGH! Two little boys stuffing their cheeks full of Jelly Beans under the table. So cute. :)
 It was such a blast to see how much fun the little kids all had eating and playing and dancing!

WEST COAST

The funny surprise our friends left for us to find as we got ready to leave... way to keep it classy guys!  ;)