Love, Life, & Games of Chelsea & James: January 2016

January 1

James and I spent the day together. We made a healthy grocery shopping trip and made potstickers (Chinese) and kimchi fried rice (Korean). Chinese food is our tradition. We Redboxed The Man From U.N.C.L.E. It was a pretty good movie! Happy New Year!

January 2

I babysat Brooke today!

She's so cute.

January 3

At church I taught the young women lesson about the nature of the Godhead. It was a great Sunday. We ate BBQ chicken with tomato and avocado with zucchini for dinner. The home teachers came over then I went to babysit Reed when James went to work. We have a student named Chelsea staying with us for 4 weeks as she rotates at the hospital. She is super nice, we have the same name, and we were born only a day apart!

January 4

I had a young women presidency meeting with Haidee today. Bri is on maternity leave :) It was a snow day! I talked with Chelsea and hung out with my James.

January 5

I did pilates then went to Remie's 3rd birthday party! I helped Brooke make her arts and crafts mask. While I was there I chatted with Andy, Brian, Ashley Miller, Kristie, Tami, Tiffany and Bobbie. It was so fun to celebrate with Remie and her friends! For our young women activity tonight the girls learned how to make no-bake cookies and they played dodgeball.

Bobbie making supergirl masks with the girls.

I got Remie a jar of pickles and a puzzle for her birthday.

She LOVES pickles!

Mckenna & Hannah play dodgeball

Julie, Haidee, & Elena play dodgeball.

January 6

Today I did laundry while watching Gilmore Girls! I made Yonanas too. James worked all day and then did his reading for didactics.

Snapchat of Paxton from Texas!

January 7

Today I was adventurous and made butternut squash mac and cheese. It turned out pretty good, but I couldn't eat too much of it because I got tired of it quickly. I read Women and the Priesthood for Book Club. When James got home we watched White Collar!

January 8

Today I made the BYU mint chocolate brownies for Book Club. We discussed Women and the Priesthood by Sheri Dew. The theme was "Mormon Culture" food. That's why I brought BYU brownies! For dinner I made us beef stew, then James and I watched White Collar again!

These BYU mint brownies turned out amazing!

January 9

I babysat Zoe and Logan and Zoe fell asleep on me standing up! Haha.

Zoe asleep standing up.

January 10

I went to church alone because James had to work. Haidee invited me over for dinner and we had BBQ pulled pork sandwiches! We made chocolate chip cookies for dessert and played games. I had an absolute blast with their family. I'm going to miss them so much when they move! James worked until 11pm and my throat started feeling kinda funny :(

This was the game we played and it was so funny!

January 11

I was feeling sick today (my throat). I talked with Nana on the phone and texted Pete. James came home after 8pm and he said the ICU was packed and 3 patients died. He did 3 intubations yesterday and I think more than one central line. He works hard and he's tired but he says he likes his ICU rotation.

January 12

James studied all day for the RISE exam. I went shopping and ran errands. For our young women activity we did team building for Personal Progress. It was really fun and the girls enjoyed it! James told me I might have strep throat.

Young Women Team Building

January 13

Today I babysat Zoe and Logan and made cookies.

Logan

Zoe's asleep

January 14

I'm pretty sure I have strep throat so I didn't babysit today. I worked around the house and made brownies because James ate the rest of the cookie dough and we watched White Collar then played HedBanz. It was so funny-at the last second I tried to make the "live long and prosper" sign for James to guess Star Trek and I couldn't make the sign with only 1 second on the clock so it looked like a messed up peace sign haha! But James guessed correctly!

The cookie dough is gone :(

January 15

I made spaghetti today and James and I watched Big Bang Theory. He went in to work at 7pm and I watched a chick flick. Here's what my throat looked like around 8pm. My throat was killing me to swallow!

Strep throat.

January 16

Today I wrote my talk for church about seeking to learn the gospel before preaching the gospel. James wrote his talk on every tongue and people. Saturday is the day we get ready for Sunday!

Laying out my outfit for Sunday

January 17

Today at church Haidee was released as the Young Women President because she and her family are moving to England at the end of the month. I was called and sustained as the new Young Women President! So exciting and nerve-wracking! Haidee bore her testimony in sacrament meeting, then I gave my talk, then Haidee and her husband Randy sang a beautiful musical number acappella. Then James gave his talk and he got emotional when bearing his testimony about his mission in Korea. Haidee taught her last young women lesson, which was "why is Jesus Christ important in my life?" James and I went home teaching to the Wall family and we talked about cruises for 2 hours! We want to go on a cruise again so bad! We had taco salad for dinner, played HedBanz, then watched the old version of Disney's Freaky Friday with Jodie Foster. It was James' first time watching it and we had some laughs. We watched the snow fall and cuddled!

The beautiful Haidee Storms

Love this movie!

January 18

James is back in the emergency department for his rotation this next month! Happy Birthday to Haidee Storms and Bielka Welles, my new young women second counselor! Tami Ferrell is the first counselor and Bri Bergeson is the secretary. I babysat Reed and James came with me this time! So fun!

Flirting with me.

Reed baby.

Asleep on me.

Asleep on James.

January 19

I babysat Brooke today. For our young women activity we decorated cookies at my house and delivered them to neighbors. I also threw a surprise going away party for Haidee & her daughter Elena. It was so much fun! The missionaries stopped by and chatted with James.

Brooke knew where my mom lived! Haha!

Brooke REALLY wanted us to do yoga so I obliged haha.

Going away party for Haidee & Elena included chips and queso, Elena's favorite!

Map bunting.

James made chocolate chip cookies for the occasion, Haidee's favorite dessert!

Hannah helped me fold these tissue paper pom poms!

The young women decorating cookies for the neighbors.

Amber & her friend, Tami, Bri, Haidee, Elena (mother & daughter), Hannah, Chels, Bielka, Kaylee (they are mother and daughter)

January 20

James took the RISE exam and I held my first Young Women Presidency meeting as the Young Women President at my house. I was nervous so I accidentally wore two different earrings haha! I made cauliflower pizza crust and James went to the RISE exam retreat with his emergency medicine program people. I watched the youth LDS Face2Face with Elder Rasband, Sister Oscarson, and Elder Owen and took notes for the young women.

Emergency medicine resident interns Jamie, Joe, Bryn, James, Matt, and Reece at the RISE exam retreat.

January 21

I went to the library and started reading the next book for Book Club! I did my visiting teaching by meeting Robin Escobar at Shayna's cafe in Wickford. We had a grand time chatting! I love the brownie I had there!

Reading at the North Kingstown Library

Shayna's Place in Wickford

January 22

Prepped for the storm.

January 23

Snow day!

January 24

We survived the blizzard! James worked in the ER from 10pm-7am and he shoveled our driveway like the amazing husband that he is. Our church meetings were cancelled except sacrament meeting was delayed until noon. I got to spend time with hubby until he had to go in to work at 10pm. We got 8+ inches of snow! I made chicken tortilla soup and homemade bread! We watched the LDS devotional with President Russell M. Nelson on this bright, sunny, winter wonderland of a Sunday!

Our backyard.

James shoveling.

Our snowy house.

Homemade bread.

President Nelson speaking at the devotional.

Chocolate chip cookies.

January 25

James worked overnight again.

January 26

James worked overnight again.

January 27

James worked overnight again.

January 28

James worked overnight again.

January 29

James worked overnight again.

January 30

James had the day off! I went to our combined young women/young men activity which was a planning breakfast at the Stoklosa's house. I introduced the 2016 mutual theme which is Press Forward with a Steadfastness in Christ (2 Nephi 31:20). I went to a goodbye dinner for Haidee at Shogun Steak & Seafood House with a bunch of ladies from book club. We went to Tami's house for dessert afterward.