A Priday "no Moss"

At our wedding luncheon, my dad ended his toast saying that his youngest daughter would be "A Priday no Moss." We all chuckled at this pun on names...but this past week it was no laughing matter.

I finally changed my last name on my driver's license this past week from Priday to Moss. I am ashamed to say that this took me almost five months. This past week, though, I had a day off work to get over to the DMV and check it off my To-Do list. (I'm not totally awful-- my social security card was changed pretty promptly.) 

I admit that in this process, I may have shed a few tears. Pathetic, right?? Here are the reasons that I told myself this emotion was justified:

• I first had to get rid of my Kansas license and receive one from the state of Washington. Was it not enough to lose my beloved last name? There goes the last trace of my home state. 
• the DMV charged me an extra $70 dollars to change to make the above-mentioned process happen...Gross!
• I just really really love my last name. I always have. So many people have called me "Priday" or "KP" throughout my life. I attribute that to this Disney animated character:

Ladies... am I alone in feeling like a name change is a complete identity change? It certainly caught me off guard. 

I also have to point out, though, that it got me really excited. Once I properly mourned the death of my old last name, I could focus on the thrill of a new last name. Reasons I love my new last name:

• No one ever misspells or mispronounces it. 
• I get to hear little kids say "moss! moss!" everyday on nature hikes, and I smile a little bit because it reminds me of my wonderful husband. 
• It means we have officially officially started our lives together, and we are a team. That is so cheesy, I know...but true. 
• I get to hold onto my own family and also become a part of the fabulous Moss clan! How great is that??

That about wraps up my thoughts on the name-changing matter...but I'd love to hear what the process was like for anyone else! 

Valentine's Day Post (that has nothing to do with Valentine's Day)

Well, I thought I'd surprise Kristen this Valentine's Day and do the unthinkable - write my very own blog post. I can't say that I have too much experience in this area; I did have my own blog once, but it was very different from the picture-posting, love-expressing, memory-capturing prose that this blog is used to. Anyway, here it goes...

Things have been moving along as usual the past month, with the exception of Kristen working CRAZY hours. She usually gets up at 4:30am, and doesn't get back until 6:30pm. I don't know how she has time to keep me entertained, let alone be as sweet as she is when she gets home. She's my superhero (superhera?).

Oh, and we got food storage! I know it sounds lame, but I was all excited to go buy it. Something about now actually being a protector, provider, and preside-er just makes me feel good. I just feel like such a man when I buy food storage and put together 72-hr kits and mow the lawn and take out the trash and stuff. Well, maybe minus the mowing the lawn thing since we live in an apartment (I'll have to find someone's lawn to mow).

We LOVE it here. The town of Issaquah has everything we want - it's safe, it's pretty, and it has a Costco. And really, the greater Seattle area has been wonderful as well. We love the trees, the sky, the people, and the clean air. The weather isn't always perfect, but every once in a while we get days like this:  

That's the puget sound. What the heck is a sound you ask?? Well... I had no idea until I moved here (I'm embarrassed to say). But Mr. Webster defines a sound as: "A long surgical probe, typically with a curved, blunt end." Truth be told I still don't get it... 

Then there's the Salsa we made!! Thanks to my cousin Bryana Likes for providing the recipe. I don't have an ethnic bone in my body, but I do love food (and so does Kristen), so we gave it our best shot. And if I can brag for just a moment (let's be real, that's what blogs are for: brag+log=blog), let me just say that it was delicioso considering the combined whiteness of Kristen and me. We even made it two days in a row! The second time around we learned that it is even more tasty when you let it sit in the fridge for a while (and let the juices harmonize?). Needless to say, we'll definitely be making it again. As you can tell from the picture, we were so obsessed with the delicioso-ness that we didn't even think to snap a picture until it was almost too late. 

So there you have it... that's our update. That wasn't as hard as I thought. It might not be as good as Kristen's posts, but hey, I gave it my best shot. Now, if I can just convince Kristen to let us go back to this place:

(I seriously bring it up at least once a day) 

What's the deal with 2013??

Okay, guys. I know I haven't posted in awhile, and you are all worried sick. So much could have happened in several weeks months! (When did I last post??) Anyways, let me update you on what has been happening for the Moss family in this Brand New Year (I hope a certain someone picked up that reference). 

1. I want to adopt an Indian child.  

Scratch that. I want to adopt a dozen. Pleeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaasseeee?? I get to hang out with so many children from India at work, and they just melt my heart. Cutest, brightest children ever.

2. The Bachelor has returned to ABC. 

Yes, I know what you are thinking... TRASHY! And you would be absolutely right. But I can't help it....the drama, the group dates...it's like a bad accident. I can't look away. Am I alone on this? Props to  the husband for watching this with me. Bigger props for clearing away/ doing the dishes as I am glued to the screen. Isn't he the greatest??

3. Aforementioned husband continues to be wonderful. 

Exhibit A: 

And anyone who knows Paul at ALL can attest to his love for PB! Am I right??

4. I entered the tech-savvy universe! And I couldn't be happier. This iPhone and I were made for each other. The flipside of this, though, is that Paul no longer has 2 iPhones. Haha :) 

5. In other news, I saw this rooster in the Staples parking lot. TWICE! On different days! What the heck? I guess the farm fowl just wanted to make me feel I'm not THAT far from Kansas...

Side Rant: for so long I despised Kansas jokes. I've heard them all...most deal with either tornadoes or The Wizard of Oz. They just feel so hokey, and do not at all resonate with the place I am from. Maybe in the future I will devote an entire post to the worst-ever Kansas jokes...

Well, Ladies, Sean, that was the final rose blog post tonight. Stay tuned for more fun and games.

Fiestas and Furniture

So...we bought a couch. Who knew what life was like without anywhere to put your bum?? Kind of difficult. And having company over? Awkward. "Here, come on in, have a ..... actually just stay where you are." Needless to say, we mourned over those good ol' days where BYU-Approved Apartments furnished everything you would ever need.

This happened like, a month and a half ago. But still. Ta-da! Our couch! :)

Best part? We bought it at a VIP Event that we had no idea was happening...we left the store with a killer deal, free shipping, a carnation flower (random), popcorn, and cookies! Score.

Sometimes Always we eat food here at the Moss house. Here's a peek into what we've been eating, in case your finals/work parties/gift-wrapping/house decorating activities aren't keeping you busy enough.

We call it "Fiesta"

The dish that we have about 4x a week (I kid you not) is called "La Fiesta." We made that up. It was inspired by a meal Paul ate with his sister Julie...and it is so scrumptious! The ingredients:

fresh tomatoes
fresh avocados
bit of lime juice
coarse salt
uncooked tortillas
cheese

We mix together the items (as seen above). Next, you cook the tortillas and fill them with the yummy goodness, and top it with shredded cheese. You will think you have died and gone to Disneyland.

I guess I'll leave you with those little updates today. Hope everyone is having a wonderful Christmas season and enjoying getting ready for your Holidays wherever they may be!

Some Sunday Sap

Just feeling especially lucky to be married to this guy. :)

Happy Sunday, All!

Winter Joy

Ummm.....keeping up with a blog proves to be a difficult task for me! Let's be honest...if it is between reading or blogging, I will choose reading. If it is between baking or blogging....I won't even finish that.

BUT! Life has been great lately. I'll share a few important updates:

1. We are alive. If we weren't, it would be difficult for people to find out. I mean, we are kind of up in the mountains here! And we rarely have good reception. All can attest to this (SORRY!)

2. Les Miserables comes out THIS MONTH! Les Mis is hands down the best musical to ever enter the universe. I am not even kidding. Words cannot express how excited I am (but trust me when I say I have rambled and rambled trying to find words.) Two videos that I think every good human should watch in order to prepare themselves for this movie premier:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEq7QRqNMyg -- one of the official trailers. WATCH IT. Now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9IWAxSpgKA -- Nick Pitera singing the entire thing by himself. You know the drill.

3. Oops...we did it again. I know we were just there...but we can't stay away!

Yeah. That's California Adventure...part of the Disneyland Resort. The castle was all decorated, and it even fake-snowed. It was incredible and magical. No, those are not our children. :) (But we sure do love them!)

We were so excited to be able to visit Arizona and California for Thanksgiving break! The weather was warm and beautiful, and the time with family was perfect and much-needed.

Hope everyone is having a great time enjoying the beginning of the Christmas season. We are looking forward to Christmas in KC in just a few weeks!

P.S. maybe I can't stop listening to this CD.

Embarrassing, I know. It's just too catchy. I can't say no.

Don't Accept Food from Strangers! Unless...

I like food for so many reasons...dessert especially. Anybody who knows anything will attest to this. However, this November I not only like food, but am grateful! Without it, how would have I met Paul?? (He insists we would have anyways, but I am not so sure).

Paul and I met January of 2011. We were both enrolled in Fluhman's American Christianity class at BYU (Such a great class...highly recommend it). Oh, and Jimmer was enrolled too.

Right?? We were excited too.

So, one morning while waiting for class to start, my stomach was growling. No, roaring. It was super loud. Luckily, a kind soul (enter: husband) sitting next to me reached down into his backpack and pulled out some chocolate Teddy Grahams. Whether he was just trying to shut me up so the class could focus or strike up conversation (he insists the latter), it made me laugh. Who does that?

Despite being taught to the contrary all my life, I accepted food from a stranger. But come on, it's BYU. And it's chocolate. And he not only looked safe, but looked like someone I may want to talk to a little bit more. Turns out I was right: he was super witty, but I probably wasn't his type. For whatever reason, I thought this was his type.

(Well...like that, but not crazy. Just hipster.)

(There. Much better.)

Anyways, conversation was great. We decided that next class period it was my turn to bring the snack. (FYI, I brought the snack that smiles back.) It was awhile before we would date, but teddy graham boy had made an impression on me. That night he made it into both my Facebook status and girl talk with the roommates.

My apologies for anyone who already read this at our reception. And if you are reading this blog, you were probably there. Oops. :)

 And that, boys and girls, is the beginning of our story!