I love Spring Break. It's usually short for our district, but it still allows me some time to relax with family and get enough motivation to return to school to battle the endless hours of state testing.

This also commemorates the week last year when Andrew came down to California to meet my family; now he is my family. Wow, it's amazing what can happen in just one year. 

We started our trip on Wednesday after work, and surprisingly we were able to drive all the way to California in one straight shot. That allowed us to spend all day Thursday just chilling with my family, doing errands with my mom, and napping after an exhausting trip.

On Friday, our grand plan was for us two to drive down to San Diego to go to the temple there. We were all dressed up in our church clothes, got up early to drive down, and we arrived there just before 10 am to find that it was CLOSED! Oh man, we would manage to choose one of the only weeks in the year the temple is closed for maintenance! Well, since we had driven all that way, we decided to spontaneously change our plans and go to Sea World instead. We changed in the car, bought tickets online, and started our Sea World adventure. Since I had only been planning on going to the beach after attending the temple, I had only brought a bathing suit coverup. I didn't feel comfortable going around Sea World in a coverup, so our first stop was the souvenir shop for some shorts and a shirt for me, and then naturally Andrew wanted a matching shirt :)  It turned out to be a really fun day. We saw all the shows and touched different animals like manta-rays and sharks in the tide-pool pools. By 3 pm, we had basically finished doing everything we wanted, so we drove to Coronado beach and laid in the sun for about an hour before driving to get some food and return home. 

Welcome to the official first day of spring! After going to the Provo City Temple dedication, we changed into our shorts and flip flops, opened up the patio door, and started grilling on our new BBQ. (Thanks to those generous souls who gifted us Target gift cards for our wedding). 

I loved witnessing the dedication of another Utah temple. The speakers were inspired, as many of them spoke of the horror they felt at finding out a fire had destroyed the Provo tabernacle over 5 years ago. On speaker explained, "In that moment, many people wondered, 'Why had God not stopped the fire before it destroyed everything?' He could have, but our limited minds/view could not imagine what God had planned for that building, and what he has planned for us. 5 years after the fire that destroyed its historic beauty, this building now stands as a beautiful and sacred temple."

It is hard to see the end from the beginning. When hard things happen (the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, a plan that has fallen through, financial struggles, complicated and unhappy relationships, illness, etc.), we often wonder, "Where was God? Why did he not stop this disaster and save me from this pain?" However, we often fail to see that God has bigger plans for us. Sometimes he has to burn the tabernacle to make way for a beautiful temple in us. 

I say that, and I BELIEVE that, but I also know that it is much easier said than done. But today I am especially grateful for my knowledge of the gospel and the hope and faith I can find through Jesus Christ. I can lean on him through the ups and downs of my mortal journey, and hopefully I will allow God mold me into the woman I should be.

This week, I had a goal to cook something delicious and new every night (unfortunately, I made it to Wednesday before caving for a sushi night outing). I really enjoy cooking, but I feel that sometimes I get stuck in a rut with my recipes. So these were the recipes we tried this week:

• Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches- these turned out really delicious. I learned a trick to cut meat thiner: put it in the freezer for 30-45 minutes. I added peppers, onions, and mushrooms to the meat, and then Andrew went to Moochies and bought their famous jalapeño spread. We let the hoagie rolls toast in the oven for a few minutes and put the provolone cheese on right before serving. It came together perfectly and was delicious. This is definitely a recipe I'd make for guests. (The only bad thing was that it didn't preserve well for lunches. The meat didn't keep it's good flavor when reheated)
• Swiss Chicken Bake- I found a recipe on Pinterest for this, and decided to try it out. I loved how easy it was: chicken in a pan, cover with swiss cheese, add a mixture of Cream of Chicken and Milk, and then cover with chicken/turkey stuffing. Serve it with rice and a salad, and you've got yourself a wonderful meal Andrew was a fan! We will be making this again some time.
• Lasagna Roll Ups- Eh, these were probably my least favorite meal of the week. I've made roll ups before, but I put different ingredients in them every time. This time, I tried a vegi mixture of spinach, mushrooms, and cheeses. It wasn't terrible, but I definitely prefer these with either more and tastier vegetable or Italian meat. 

Well, we also ate out a few times this week, and these are some gems we found:

• Zackby's Zalads- If you are looking for a good fast-food salad, definitely try Zackby's. I've tried their cobb salad before, and it is one of my favorites. This week I branched out and tried their buffalo, blue cheese salad. It was good, but it was also very spicy. I was sniffling up a storm after eating that salad.
• Itto Sushi in Midvale- We love this place. On Tuesday and Wednesday, they serve 1/2 price rolls. And on Groupon, they often sell $20 gift cards for $10. They have delicious, reasonably priced rolls. You should try it.
• Campfire Lounge in Sugarhouse- This was a new, little adventure. I had read about this place online about a year ago, and then it popped up again when we were trying to find a new place to eat. It's a bar, so they card you as you walk in, but it is a really cool atmosphere and experience. Go there when the weather is a little warmer so that you can sit on the porch by the campfires. The serve breakfast burritos, hobo dinners, tatter tots/fries, and s'mores and more. We recommend the bratwurst and vegetable  hobo dinner, the cheese tots (add Siracha sauce, yum!). The s'mores are delicious, too. Go with a group; it's more fun. We went with Jeremy and Stacey and had a great time.