Zoo Day!

Yesterday was a day of pure delight! Animals. Strollers. Kiddo's. Fun. You know, all the goodness that comes from a day at the zoo. It had been a few years since I had visited Utah's very own. The last time I had been to Hogle Zoo, it was on a slightly odd date haha. So whoosh! I'm glad to now have a new memory of this zoo.

And what a fun memory I have fresh in my mind. We had such a great time. I was able to go with some of Eric's family. Since three of us were educators, we can give all the credit to Spring Break for this little zoo trip. We can also give all the credit to Spring Break for the MASSIVE amounts of people there. I don't think I have ever seen so many strollers in one place before haha. But the ooh's, ahh's, and wide smiles that came from seeing the fascinating animals were so worth fighting the crowds. I seriously felt like one of the hundreds of giddy children roaming around. My camera was just a-flashin' all day long.

We saw some incredibly beautiful animals...

And some, well, not so beautiful animals...

We also came up with a theory that some of the zoo animals are literally insane. I mean, think about it: if you were caged up in a small little space either by yourself or with one other person and had absolutely nothing to do but just sit, walk, swim or play (in a very confined space), wouldn't you go nutso too? I sure would. My mother-in-law heard that for an ocean animal, like a seal or sea lion, to swim in one of the pools provided by the zoo, they feel like we would feel sitting in a bathtub. Ity bity living spaces... that's all I can say. Poor animals. Anyway, the reason that we believe this theory of mentally unstable animals living in the zoos is because of the following animals. Say hello to the pole-licking giraffe and the cardboard box-eating gorilla.

We watched the giraffes for a solid seven minutes, and this guy wouldn't stop licking the pole and tweaking his jaw the whole entire time. Iron deficiency? Possibly. Insanity? More than likely.

This big gorilla-friend was one of a few monkeys that were sprawled on their backs, eating cardboard. Who eats boxes all afternoon? A crazy gorilla! The poor thing had a crazed look in his eyes the whole time and would pick up a full cardboard box, rip a big hunk off of it, then tear it down to chewing size and begin the munching. Hungry? Maybe. Toothache? Slight chance. Psycho? I wouldn't doubt it.

But what was even more fun to see than neat-o animals was the sweet faces of our niece and nephews. Gosh, they are cuties! I couldn't have scored better in the cutest nieces and nephews category than I did when I married Eric. 

 Kimball

Zach

 Avery

 Taylor

We had such a fantastic trip to the zoo. By the time we left, we were all pretty ready to be done. How badly I wish that adults could ride around in strollers at the zoo. Now, that would be the life! This fun little trip got me even more excited for Disneyland with this crew in June. Woo hoo!

The only thing that could have made this day better would have been to have Eric along with us. He is in the middle of projects and finals and wrapping up another semester. I'm not going to lie, I do not miss that part of college. A "grown-up" job has it's own set of challenges, but the finals... yep, I'm glad that phase of my life is tucked away into the memory books. And our lovely zoo day will go into a special spot in those books as well!

One Simple Word.

Welcome one and all to Our Little Corner of Sunshine. On the wintry day of December 27, a beautiful marriage took place and a perfect wedding was marked in the history books. Ever since then, many things have been changing all around me, most of which stem from the change of one simple word. My. Before we were married, it was all about me and my. Suddenly, life is now all about we and us and our. Our. So it is only fitting that My Little Corner of Sunshine is no longer just mine, but it is now something that Eric and I share. It is Our Little Corner of Sunshine. Ah, what a fun thing it is to share your life with someone! And what a joyous way to share our experiences and sunshine than through blogging. So after this little blogging fast, we are back and ready to rock and roll.

So much has happened since we first got engaged. If only time would allow to catch up on all of the juicy details.... However, that would result in potential Carpal Tunnel from typing for hours and hours on my part, and possible migraines for those readers who would be staring at a computer screen for much too long. So to avoid any unnecessary discomfort, I will do my best to incorporate previous and important events of our lovely life into what is going on now. However, there are a few staple things to be mentioned...

Starting with a brief recap of our glorious wedding day. All I can say is that it was truly amazing. It was perfect for Eric and me. Thank you to all of our wonderful family and friends for the selflessness and service that was rendered. Here is a look into our big day. Thanks to Mekenzi Cornwell for taking such gorgeous pictures.

One of the highlights of the day was during the wedding luncheon. Eric is an incredible songwriter and has written many a love song for the lucky ladies in his past. But, he had never written one for me. And honestly, the thought of him writing one for me on our wedding hadn't even crossed my mind. So when this cute boy got up and walked over to the piano, it gave me an oh so pleasing shock. Just the other day, my dear friend texted me a copy of this video and I got to see it for the first time since the luncheon. He is the cutest... you will see. Just excuse the fuzzy quality.

Our honeymoon was wonderful! We went to St. George and thoroughly enjoyed our brief step away from the reality of life. Other than a few minor problems, like locking our keys in the car and having to get 4 brand-new tires, our honeymoon was so lovely!

We are now living life day to day, doing all that young couples have to do. Dishes, laundry, paying bills, and enjoying every minute that we have to be together. Eric is a full-time student at BYU. He's got a few more years studying Public Relations so we will be down in Provo for at least that long, if not longer. He is also finishing up another year performing with the Young Ambassadors. In fact, come April 27th, he will be traveling with the group to China for a whole month. Yes, I said China. And yes, I said a whole MONTH! If I wasn't so excited for him, I would probably go into separation withdrawals haha. No, it will be a little lonely being apart, but we are excited for the opportunity he has to go to China. He is one lucky duck!

I am currently living my dream of being a teacher and teaching 3rd grade. Wish come true? Yep, I'd say so! I still sometimes am in amazement of how I got to where I am today. Two weeks after we were married, we got word about a teaching position open up at an elementary school in Orem. The very same elementary school that Eric went to as a kid, believe it or not. So, I heard about it on a Monday, applied on a Tuesday, had an interview on a Thursday, and was offered the job on Friday morning. Let me tell you that starting as a first-year teacher mid-way through a school year is incredibly difficult. But, there is no question that the Lord had a hand in all of this. I know that this is where I am supposed to be right now and what an amazing blessing this job has been in our lives. And my cute kiddo's make all of the hard times so worth it. Aren't they darling?

Celebrating at our Biography Ice Cream Bash!

Wishing this little one well on her way to a new school. 

Our classroom rainforest we created during a habitat unit. Pretty fun, don't you think? 

 Being showered with gifts on Valentine's Day.

Life is good. It is so good. There are little bumps and even sometimes hills and mountains along the way. But knowing that we have each other to help us through those moments, makes the rides much much easier. And even more importantly, we have the Lord on our sides every step of the way. What a beautiful reassurance that gives. We all have the Lord as our best friend, our advocate, and our support. He is the one who truly brings the sunshine into our lives.

"Keep your face to the sunshine, and you cannot see a shadow."

-Hellen Keller