Playing Catch Up: June (Plumb Family Vaca)

Easter & General Conference

I love this time of year!  Easter is one of my favorite holidays because it's a reminder of Christ's sacrifice and what he did for me.  Because of Him, I am sealed to Shawn forever. Because of Him, I get to see my Grandpa again.  Because of Him, I can have eternal life and live with my family forever! It's perfect that Easter is right at the beginning of Spring.  It brings new life and the sun begins to shine again.  This year it was the perfect weekend.  Between Boston being slammed with snow this winter and Shawn and I being so far away from family, Easter weekend was much needed!  The sun was shining, General Conference was on, and the Easter holiday was here. Shawn and I had such a fun, uplifting, relaxing weekend.  He didn't have to study and I didn't have to work.  We just spent time with each other and had some much needed down time. 

We are usually with family in Utah every Easter, but obviously this year (and the next three) would be different. Both of our families have awesome Easter traditions and this year we were able to participate from a distance. Shawn's family members wanted us to feel included in their festivities, so they sent us some packages with lots of goodies!  There were kites and a waterproof picnic blanket, perfect for a day at the beach!  They also sent egg dying kits, plastic easter eggs, games, candy, and more! 

So on Saturday we slept in since General Conference doesn't start until noon out here! We watched Conference and dyed hard boiled eggs.  Shawn is so sweet.  We didn't have enough vinegar to make all of the dye colors so he ran to the store.  He came back with a lot more than vinegar! He seriously spoils me!  And he knows me so well...my favorite candy, the cutest scarf, and tulips! He's a keeper :)

After dying eggs, we stuffed plastic easter eggs and got ready for a hunt in our little apartment!  Hiding them was a challenge not only because of the size of our place, but also because we would see our own when hiding each others haha! Oh the problems of two people and a small apartment at Easter time.  But we made it work and it was a blast! We raced to see who found all their eggs first, and of course Shawn won.  Even when we do it with all his family back in Utah I'm the last one.  I swear there is always one tricky egg that is cursed and I can't find.  Last year it took the whole family looking for one of my eggs because not even my in-laws (who hid them) could find them!

I really do have the best husband ever and he works SO hard! Dental school is no easy task and he's handling it so well.  And he still manages to find time to go on dates and spend time with me!  I wanted him to know how much I love and appreciate him so I decided to do something special for his Easter basket this year.  I put together a jar of "50 Reasons Why I Love You"...a reason on every Mini Reese's Cup (except I forgot the word "Reasons" on the jar haha). This gift was so fun to do because it helped me reminisce and remember what I love most about Shawn.  I also made him "love coupons" that he good redeem from me.  They said things like "good for one chore done by me", "good for one guy's night out", "good for a date night of your choice", etc.  I remembered that he wanted a silicone keyboard cover for his laptop awhile back, so I got him a cool blue one. He'll have to watch out or I just might take it for my computer! I also got him a packet of salt scrub for a soothing foot soak. I made him a t-shirt from his favorite TV show "Big Bang Theory" and threw in some candy and he was one happy camper!

While Shawn went with the guys to Priesthood Session, I got together with a few girlfriends.  We dyed some more eggs, ate candy, watched funny YouTube videos, and just talked. I'm so grateful for amazing friends and that I have people who are "dental school widows" with me!  I get lonely sometimes when Shawn is gone at school and studying all the time, so I'm definitely grateful to spend time with friends.

On Sunday we went over to some friends for a big Crepe brunch.  Yum!  Then we came back and watched the first session of Conference and I made sugar cookies to decorate with friends that night.  It was so hard to not eat all the dough! Sugar cookie dough is so delicious!  But I showed some discipline and made cute little Easter cookies before I could down all the dough.  They turned out so good and the cookies are definitely as good as the dough...well worth the wait!

Growing up, my family always had a big ham dinner for Easter.  I thought to myself, "Self, even though you've never bought or cooked a ham before, you should give it a shot!" I decided what the heck it can't be that hard.  Just a little shoutout, Costco has the best hams ever!  Shawn made some amazing deviled eggs and we tackled the mashed potatoes together.  Our friends brought rolls, corn, and salad so it was quite the feast!

I really enjoyed our fun weekend and I'm so glad that General Conference fell on the same weekend this year.  The talks are always great, but this time I feel like they were exactly what I needed to hear.  Listening to Conference really brought the Spirit into our home and I enjoyed every minute of it!  I'm so grateful for the Savior and that he died for me and was resurrected. He knows me, He loves me, and He lives!