ok, so i am finally getting around to the valentine's post. but before i get to that, i want to thank everyone for their kind words in response to my last post. i survived my illness (somehow) and have finally been able to get up off the couch and be productive again. i was all sorts of worried that josh would get the flu-bug from me, but he didn't. instead he got a sinus infection. two very sick people living in a house together makes for one messy, germ infested living space. once i was able to move around a bit, my house was disinfected like it had never been done before and everything was spotless. let's hope those germs are gone gone gone!
ok, back to valentines day. it's one of my favorite holidays. i'm really not sure why. i love valentines candy, decorations, cards, etc. i love the idea of telling the people you love just how much you really do love them. it's a mushy, cheesy day but i love it. and josh knows it. so, this year valentines day was on his "to-do" list. and i told him i wanted it to be a surprise. josh hates surprises... i love them. i think the last time josh surprised me with anything was when he proposed to me. but alas, he came through for me this year. he had to work that morning but as soon as he got off we headed down to salt lake. we stopped off and visited with my family for a bit and then we headed to dinner. josh had made reservations at one of my favorite restaurants aristos. it is an amazing greek restaurant by the u and i couldn't have been more excited to eat there. for those who had reservations, they had a part of the restaurant set up with dim lights, candles everywhere, and rose petals on all the tables. it was definitely a romantic setting! they also had a special valentines day menu. at first i was a little disappointed because i usually get the same thing every time i go, but this forced me to be a little adventurous and i'm sure glad i tried something new! i got a fabulous rosemary chicken stuffed with feta cheese and red peppers and josh got some sort of braised lamb pasta thing. if you ever go there, make sure to try their pita bread... it is fantastic! when we paid the bill, the waitress brought out a long stem red rose for me. it made the dinner experience perfect!
josh had one more surprise for me after dinner. he had gotten us tickets to see romeo and juliet at the pioneer theater company. it was a fabulous performance and i was excited that he thought of something that i would enjoy so much (even though i think he got a little bored at the end). it was great to spend the day with my hunky husband and it was nice to tell him over and over again how much i love him without him thinking i was a weirdo. 
now i can back-track to some of the other things we've been doing. the weekend before valentines day my sister laura and our good friend kevin came up to visit. we decided to take them to a usu game because, well, we're awesome, and it was a great game! laura and kevin were laughing so hard at the things our fans were yelling at the other team, however they didn't appreciate all the signing that went on throughout the game. i guess you just to be an aggie to appreciate the school spirit. 
as mentioned in my earlier post, i've been doing a fitness bootcamp (or as i like to call it, booty camp) this whole month. there were 8 of us from my work that signed up for it together and it has been quite the adventure. we all wanted to get our butts worked into shape and i think it's safe to say that we're going to get our money's worth. we've been doing it since feb. 1st and finally this week i'm not sore after one of our classes. that may tell you how out of shape i was to begin with! all of the guys at our work had bets on who would quit first and i'm proud to say that 3 girls have pretty much dropped out, but i'm still going strong! my friend kendra and i are thinking about doing it again next month. hopefully all this work pays off when i'm in a swimsuit in costa rica. 
in other exciting news, one of my very best friends got engaged a few weeks ago. chana and zach have been dating for over a year and he finally popped the question on night while they were on a drive up the canyon. chana and i have been friends since our first day of college and were pretty much inseparable after that. we lived together for 4 years at usu, lived together for 2 summers in juneau alaska, co-managed the santa booth and easter bunny booth at the cache valley mall, co-managed del sol and alaska apparel in juneau, took a cross country road trip to tennessee, went on two cruises together (one to the mexican riviera, one to the western caribbean), been to vegas a few times, disneyland and six flags, took a fabulous trip to costa rica, been to all the surrounding states a few times (including our spring break trip to denver, and our exciting stop at bear world in idaho). she was the one i went to with all my guy problems and she even told me when josh and i weren't even talking to each other that i was going to marry him one day. she has been around me and my family so much that we pretty much consider her one of us. she is the one i share almost all of my crazy college stories and experiences with. we have done things together that most people only dream of- helicopter rides, dogsledding on glaciers, snorkeling in the caribbean, ziplining in through numerous rainforests in alaska and in costa rica, snowmobiling, white water rafting, 4 wheeling in mexico, visited buffalo bills' grave, and many more things that i don't have the time to mention. she has been a great example to me of what a loving and thoughtful friend should be and i'm grateful that she has finally met the man of her dreams and the guy she wants to spend her life with.
chana and zach are looking at getting married the end of the summer/early fall. we wish them the very best and are excited for them!
and to celebrate their engagement, our friends met at leatherby's in taylorsville for some fantastic ice cream (a favorite of mine and chana's). it's always fun to get together with our salt lake friends and catch up because we feel like we never see anyone anymore living up here in logan! if any of you haven't been to leatherby's, go! it isn't good for my diet, but it's good for my soul and that's how i justify it. 
of course we still watch every jazz game. it's pretty much what we do. too bad the jazz are on a downward spiral and can't win games consistently. 
krissey and i threw a double baby shower for andrea and michelle. we went with a valentines theme because they were both having baby girls. we had donuts and a little hot chocolate bar set up. 
and yes, those are chocolate dipped spoons rolled in peppermint... not suckers (it's ok girls, you gave us a good laugh!)
these two girls got some fabulous stuff and we were grateful for everyone who came. michelle had her baby girl rachel 3 days later and she sure is a beauty. andrea is due in about 3 1/2 weeks and we can't wait to see that little one!
for a creative arts assignment, josh had to attend the art museum on campus. we turned it into a day date and i was kind of excited about it. then it turned out to be a pretty boring experience so we tried to get josh's assignment done and out of there asap. this painting was super random.
this was the best part of the museum. this was called a klompen... it is a massive musical instrument made out of clogs from holland. they were hooked together by these cables and had little magnetic devices inside of them that would produce sound when activated. that's a pretty dreadful explanation of what it is- but basically you put a quarter in the machine and played 1 of 20 compositions. i think i spent $2 worth of quarters on this gizmo. 
we were able to find a night to attend a usu basketball game. i love going to the games- the student fans are ruthless and definitely give the other team a hard time. it's hilarious to watch and it's fun to be a part of. our team is 21-1 this year which is pretty awesome.
besides those few things, josh and i have spent the rest of our time studying and working. i know... super exciting. 
