#ShareTheGift

Christmas season always brings with it a special feeling of love and kindness to those around us. This year is no exception.

My parents are wonderful examples to me of service and love. They wanted to do something special for Christmas this year so they teamed up with another family from their ward to give service at a homeless shelter in downtown Salt Lake City. We spent last night prepping some sandwiches and treats, and then served them tonight.

I get emotional fairly easily, so I was worried that seeing people in such dire circumstances would be difficult for me. I was doing okay until my mom looked and saw that one of the women coming through the line was pregnant. I looked at my mom and we both started to cry. I couldn't stop the tears as I wondered what would happen to that little child. How difficult would life be for that family? Why had I been given such a wonderful life, when so many others push through daily struggles that are seemingly unbearable?

Although I don't have the answers to those questions, I find comfort in knowing that despite all the suffering that exists in the world, there is still so much good to be found. There is still love for others. There is still service. There is still gratitude and compassion and appreciation. Ultimately, Christ can still be found within so many.

This video shows the ultimate gift that Christmas brings to each of us: The gift of Christ. I am so grateful to have a loving Heavenly Father that sent His only perfect child, Jesus Christ, to this earth. Christmas truly is a celebration of Him, His life, His love and His gospel. I love my Savior and hope that I can be a reflection of His love, not just at Christmas, but each day. May we all share the gift and remember Him, today and always.

A So Cal Thanksgiving

This year for Thanksgiving, the Davis family decided to break away from the dreary Utah weather and party in southern California. Needless to say, Phil and I were happy to join in on the fun. 

My family headed down on Monday, and since I had to work, Phil and I drove down separately a day later. So while they were doing this:

Phil and I were doing this: 

We can't complain too much though. The drive was totally worth it. We got there on Tuesday evening, got dinner and then relaxed. Wednesday, however, meant that the party could really begin. We woke up and hung out by the pool. If I could pick a way to start every day, it would definitely look like this: 

#SoCalLiving

Our Uniform for the Week

The weather was gorgeous and Vera was a huge fan of the hot tub/pool combo. She had a blast. Josh made sure to capture it on the GoPro. 

How Can You Not Love That Face?

After hanging out by the pool and eating lunch, we headed over to Coronado Island. It's such a quaint spot. I loved the arts and crafts architecture of the homes there. I fell in love with this one. It's not a great photograph, since I had to take it from the car. 

Ignore the Trashcans

We loved the island though. The beach was fun and it was great to just hang out in the warm sun. We even spotted some sea lions as we were there.

Since we're awesome tourists, we couldn't resist taking some cliche beach pictures.

Sibling Love

My Darling Hubby

They Say We Look Alike

Coronado Island

Fresh Blooms in November

Phil's Reaction to Beach Day

Overall, Wednesday was a success. Thanksgiving day was no exception. There was more happy pool time and plenty of relaxation. Phil and Vera had some quality bonding time. 

Counting Golf Balls

 The boys had to have a football session on the golf course in the back yard. It was two on two though, since the girls refused to play.

Jake with His Bare Feet

Team Stripes (Oh Joshie) 

We didn't want to spend our vacation cooking a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, so we went easy and had grilled cheese for lunch and Hawaiian barbecue for dinner. I do have to say though, it was very tasty.

We all went to bed full and very happy. It was fun to do something different, but still talk about all the things we were grateful for in 2014. 

The next day, we skipped out on Black Friday and spent the day playing in Oceanside. We rented beach cruisers and had a blast peddling up and down the beach. 

Thugs

We Love Bikes! 

Those Palm Trees Though

The Afternoon Sun

GoPro Selfie

After riding bikes, we sat on the beach and chatted. I wasn't too excited about the cold water, but Phil had a fantastic time body surfing. He also paid tribute to all our friends that were freezing back in Utah. 

Sandy the "Snowman"

Oceanside was beautiful. Nothing like being at the beach at sunset.

Oh Vera

Dying 

Corinne even captured a cool moment with my mom, Joshie and me. We're trying to spot Phil amongst the other body surfers. I love seeing candid moments like this.

Even though it got pretty chilly in the evenings, we decided to stop for ice cream. There was a darling sweet shop/ice cream parlor about five minutes from the beach. 

Can't Go Wrong with Birthday Cake Flavor

So Adorable Right?

Right on the Wharf

As if the ice cream weren't enough, we had the most amazing Mexican food for dinner that night. It was a great family restaurant slash cantina. The chips and salsa were heavenly. The tamales were delish too. 

What Food in Heaven Will be Like...

I felt like I could've rolled out of the restaurant. So yummy. 

Saturday was a very special day as well, but for different reasons. Phil's extended family live in the San Diego area so we wanted to make sure we got to see them during our time there. We went that morning to see Grandpa Phil and Grandma Pat. Grandpa Phil lives in a treatment facility because he has Alzheimer's. I was so nervous that Grandpa wouldn't recognize Phil, but Grandma Pat had done a great job prepping him for our visit. He looked so surprised to see Phil there, but so happy. We sat and chatted for a few hours. Nicole and Isis showed up as well, which was so fun. On of my favorite parts was looking at some of Grandpa's old pictures from his bike trip to Vietnam. I loved this one:

Grandpa Kickin' It with the Locals

It made me sad that I didn't get to know Grandpa Phil before he got sick because looking at these pictures and hearing stories made me realize what an incredible man he is. I felt so privileged to meet him. Even just sitting at the table, holding his hand, and looking at him made me feel so proud to be a Crepeau. I can't describe it, but I felt such a strong surge of love for him and a sense of peace to know that I'll get to know him in the next life. Truly God loves us because he allows us to be with our families forever.

After chatting, Phil got to feed Grandpa Phil lunch and then we, unfortunately, had to leave. It was such a sacred experience to meet one of the men for whom Phil was named. 

The Philip Crepeaus. 

After we left, we spent some time with my Aunt Brenda and Uncle Paolo in Del Mar. We had lunch at a delectable Italian restaurant, Il Fornaio. Gorgeous views of the ocean, family, and wonderful Italian food make for a great combo.

The Crew (Minus Corinne and Vera)

After lunch, we headed to San Diego, to visit the Mormon Battalion Visitors' Center. We even got to see the temple along the way. 

A Californian Castle

The Visitors' Center was a little cheesy, but so fun. The Sister missionaries did a great job with the tour. 

Our Souvenir Picture

Phil's a Cutie

That night, Grandma was nice enough to let Phil spend the night with her, since he was going to the airport the next day to fly out for an interview in Ohio. I headed back with my family for one last night of relaxation. The vacation time passed much too quickly. 

California was so good to us and we made memories that will last a lifetime. I'm so grateful to my wonderful parents for our special Californian Thanksgiving. 

The Wife of a (Future) MD

One thing I've learned is that being married to a pre-med student is not the same thing as being married to a doctor.

It's been a tough couple of months getting Phil's applications submitted, waiting for secondary applications, submitting secondary applications, waiting for interview invitations, doing practice interviews, buying plane tickets, booking hotel rooms, reserving rental cars, waiting for acceptance/rejection letters, etc. Phil and I have both required some serious pep talks on multiple occasions. 

However, I can't see us doing anything any differently. We're working hard to make my husband's dreams come true and he's so passionate about medicine... It's just a perfect fit. Phil works incredibly hard in school, in his job and in his lab. It's nice to get interview invitations because it shows me that other people see just a glimpse of how wonderful he is. 

Speaking of interviews, our December calendar is already very busy. Here's a peek at the next few weeks:

November 25th-30th: Family vacation/Thanksgiving

December 1st: Interview at Ohio State

December 5th: Interview at the University of Colorado

December 12th: Interview at the University of Minnesota

December 19th: Interview at the University of Nevada

December 22nd: Fly to Idaho for a Crepeau Christmas

All that will be compounded with Christmas preparation, final exams, etc. Basically, Phil amazes me daily with how much he's able to keep on his plate. I'm so proud of my hubby.

I've learned that the road to becoming a doctor feels like the equivalent of riding down an unpaved road on the back of an uncooperative donkey. It's frustrating, funny, bumpy, and a long journey. Here's hoping that the destination makes it all worthwhile.  

Halloween and Celebrations

Let me start out by saying that Halloween is one of my least favorite holidays. My family was never super into it growing up, and I've never understood the purpose. I think little children getting dressed up is totally adorable, however, I don't like anything haunted, possessed or scary. Hence my Halloween aversion. 

That being said, I actually dressed up this year. My department at Certiport gets really into it. Plus one of my great work friends, Kiley, said she wouldn't talk to me if I didn't dress up. I wasn't willing to spend any money on a costume, but luckily my mom had all of her trek clothes still in the basement. FREE COSTUME!!!

At work, we spent the entire day on Halloween decorating for a company contest. I wish I had pictures of how our cube area turned out, but we blacked out the windows (legit right?) so none of my pictures turned out very well. Everyone looked great though!

The Three Mississippi Rednecks 

Certiport Marketing 

Cleopatra Meets Pioneer

After work, we went up to my parents' house for trick or treating with the Munch. Since we haven't dressed up in years, we decided to document it all. Our theme was "The American West". I think we turned out pretty nicely. I think almost every costume was made with little to no financial investment. We got creative.

From L to R: Mexican, Native American, Cat, Sheriff, Chinese Immigrant, Rabbit, 49er, Pioneer, and Fisherman. 

Family Photos Can Be Tough.. My Favorite One Though

Free Costume Alert

My Attempted Straight Pioneer Face. Fail. 

Trick or treating was fun. Vera only wanted to hit a few houses. We went to the Parduhns and Dave was dressed as a gorilla with the candy sitting in his lap. Jake knew that Vera would freak out if he moved, so he went to grab the candy for her. Well, long story short, Dave didn't see Vera at all so he moved and yelled "Boo!" and Vera about had a heart attack/panic attack/freak out! She ran away screaming and crying and it took us forever to calm her down. Kayla had Dave even take off his mask and kept saying, "It's grandpa!" That helped a little but she still seemed pretty upset. We couldn't stop laughing because she seemed so mad. I knew she was okay when we walked to the Owens' and she yelled, "Bye-bye Scary! Bye-bye grandpa!" Don't worry Parduhn family, she recovered nicely.

We came home after about 30 minutes and enjoyed Mom's sweet potato chili, salad and bread together. I love fall food. Overall, Halloween was a success. Plus, the weather was beautiful!

Alpine Sunsets

In addition to celebrating Halloween, Phil and I wanted to celebrate the fact that we got engaged a year ago on October 30th. It's hard to believe it's already been a year. Time has gone so quickly. I feel so blessed to have such an amazing, tolerant husband. He's always doing little things for me. He even surprised me with these. He said he thought about getting a fall bouquet, but he knows that white roses are my favorite.

Favorite Flowers

We had a great day planned. Unfortunately, Phil is working three jobs right now (one with Kaplan, one with BYU Independent Study, and one in a lab on campus) so he had to do some Kaplan lesson prep yesterday. I cleaned the apartment and ran errands while he worked. By the time we got to about 3:00, we were ready to play. We got ready and snuggled for a bit. 

After primping, we headed out to Cubby's, which is where we ate the night we got engaged. We even sat at the same table. 

Isn't My Hubby Adorable? 

After Cubby's, we headed up to the HFAC for the main event of the evening. We had gotten tickets to the Royal Cambodian Ballet. I would say that everyone should go see it, but they were only here for one night. The performance was amazing and the costumes were fabulous! I thought Americans knew how to bling out clothing and jewelry, but we have nothing on the Cambodians. So sparkly! Phil and I were amazed at how graceful and beautiful the dances were. They move slowly and do a lot with their hands. I wish I could describe it better but you should probably just Google it.

Look at Their Crowns!

Pre-Show Selfie

After the ballet, we came home and made treats and watched this 90s classic:

Favorite!

If you haven't seen this movie, you definitely need to. Such a winner.

I feel so lucky to have such amazing family, and such a wonderful husband. It's times like this weekend that remind me just how blessed I am. Now on to making more memories. Happy November everyone!