South Bend-ness

Whenever I get a new job I always make myself wait two weeks before deciding whether I like it or not. You can't really know until a couple weeks have passed how you're going to fit in, if your boss was just having a good day, if the rain was really a bad omen, if you're incredibly under qualified or spectacularly overqualified for the job, or if the co-worker chemistry is going to be easy or if it will take some patience, etc. Well, I've made myself wait even longer to decide if I like South Bend. And while I still have much of South Bend to experience, I've made some preliminary judgements. So here's the breakdown on the pros and cons of South Bend:

Pros:
- Our apartment. I love our little place. It's just right for two newlyweds. It's quiet, clean, and has great kitchen counter space, which I am really excited about. I especially love the pond in our backyard.
-Our ward. Everyone seems very friendly and welcoming. I've enjoyed it so far. Mike and I recently got called to be primary teachers (CTR 5-6 class) and we like being with those cute kids every Sunday, even when they jump from the window sill and over 3 chairs, sprint accross the room and steal the chalk from you and then proceed to draw all over their clothes.
-We live walking distance from a library. This is a dream come true for me.
-Notre Dame. It's a beautiful campus and hosts some great football games. Thanks for making us a little smarter (by letting Mike into the law school) and a little richer (for employing me.)
-We're close to lots of fun things like Chicago, and this really cool Amish district not too far away.

Cons:
-Our fire alarm goes off almost every time we turn on the oven. Today it even went off when I was using just the stove. Annoying.
-Bugs. I hate bugs with all my soul. Really. I honestly cannot convey the depth of my loathing (though I made a good attempt at describing it here.) And there are a lot of them in South Bend. In fact, I killed the largest spider in Indiana the other day which was inconveniently in my living room. (Mike, rudely enough, was at school and thus wasn't home to do his duty of s-word massacring. This necessitated some very brave action on my part. It took all my courage to get that close to it, but after smooshing it with a shoe (Mike's), drowning it in poison, and vacuuming the remains, I think it's dead. I was very proud of myself. Mel- 1, Bugs- 0.)
-Notre Dame. Yeah yeah, I know, it's on the Pros list. But the sheer amount of time it demands from Mike to read assignment after assignment merits its place on the Cons list too.

Okay, I think that's a good enough list. In conclusion, South Bend is a good place to live. We're having fun being poor. Wish me luck against the bugs.

(PS- I just realized how parenthesis crazy I went in this post. Wow.)

New Status

EMPLOYED.

Yep, you're looking at (well, reading the ramblings of) Notre Dame's most recent hire: I am now the Assistant Finance Analyst of the ND grad school!!!

The Good News:
-Mike and I can commute together in the mornings.
-I have a super exclusive parking pass.
-All the other law school students wish their wives were this cool.
-I have a purpose in life other than doing laundry.

The Bad News:
-It's only 3 days a week. (So Don't Worry Bob, I'm still more than happy to do whatever you need me to do as well.)
-The job is only temporary. (1-3 months)
-I majored in English Literature. Hmmm.

I guess one could argue that I'm not technically "employed" if the job is only temporary and I am still applying for full time jobs, but it will keep me busy for now, provide us with some income, and give me an in at the university for other opportunities that come up in the future. Heck, we think it's worth celebrating- and we did, with smarties and kit kats.

Conclusion: I'm Awesome.

We Got Married.

Alrighty dokey folks, here it is. The Wedding Post. Enjoy.


It started out the day before with a fantastic dinner in the JSMB's Wasatch Room. These, alas, are the only pictures I have from it.
And then we got married. In no particular order, here are many photos from said event:

How cute are these girls?


Everyone:
My Hubby.
I was so happy that so many mission peeps came and rocked our party with us! I am so sad that I never got a picture with my mission pres and wife though. This pic will have to suffice as my mission picture.
Mike and his best men, Taylor and Landon.

Some of you may be aware of the lengths we all went through to get eight boys ages 5 and under to smile at the same time...

I loved my bouquet. Thanks for saving the day, Mom.
And here are a bunch of pics taken by our fabulous photographer, Janae Bingham:

I think Mike looks so cute here- but I'm hardly even smiling. Oops.
Our photographer was big on what I call "pensive pictures." Not sure how I feel about them yet.







Our totally awesome cupcake tower, courtesy of So Cupcake. Thanks again, Marse.




Again with the pensive thing...

Quite possibly my favorite photo of the whole she-bang. Love the silhouette shot.
Also up there with my top 5:
Can't decide between the color and the black and white...I love my dress.


Ahhhhhhh!!!!! No more pensive thing!!! The cheese factor is just too much for me.


Another fav:And there you go.

PS- Finally getting your wedding pictures is pretty great, but becoming an aunt/uncle for the 17th AND 18th time in ONE WEEK is even better. We're excited to meet you, little JJ (James Jr.) and Lucy!

Proof That I Love My Husband

I just spent 7 hours STRAIGHT watching football.

Go Irish.Go Cougars.Go us.

And now I am going to go help myself to an extra large oreo shake, thank you very much.