Christmas Break

I know it was a month ago..but here are some highlight from our Christmas season!

Paul's holiday work party. This was after the dance portion of the party, which explains why my hair is a little crazy.

We went to a house warming party for some of our friends who recently moved to Dallas. It was so fun and I won a tootsie pop the size of my head! (It was a plastic one filled with normal tootsie pops)

Paul started studying for the CPA exam and grew out a beard.

We went and saw our BYU Cougars play against the Baylor Bears down in Waco. It was a super fun night with my cousin and his family. 

Unfortunately due to an overturned semi, we got stuck on the freeway and it took about twice as long as it should have to get home. Good times.

We headed out to Utah on December 23. Our flight attendant turned out the cabin lights and had everyone push their call buttons so it looked like Christmas lights! I love when flight attendants are creative and fun :)

On Christmas Eve we were helping finish up a present for my dad. It was an awesome and slightly embarrassing music video we all put together for him. Unfortunately that will never be seen by the public as far as I'm aware. But somehow a Batman mask became involved..

Christmas day was filled with lots of family and delicious food. We got some clothes, Maverick's tickets, and a wheat grinder for Christmas (the present I really wanted!) among other fun things. It was a great Christmas, mostly because we got to hang out with family and play all week long!

The boys had a fun week. It was filled with Skylanders on the Wii, Foosball tournaments, and trying to beat each others' records on the new Pop-a-Shot they got for Christmas. I love seeing the boys have a good time together!

We once again got to use our connections back at BYU to see a game with the family. We got hooked up with court side seats! So much fun. It felt great to be back.

Another fun night was going to see the lights up at Temple Square.

Paul doesn't normally wear hats but I thought this one looked quite handsome on him. It was a freezing cold night. It snowed several times while we were there.

Favorite picture. Those of you who know all three of us Matheson sisters know that this picture is basically a description of each of our personalities. 

We went to another BYU basketball game at Energy Solutions Arena and spent some time with Paul's sister and her husband and dog. It was overall a very successful trip!

The trip home was a little more stressful with several delays and over 12 hours of travel that was originally supposed to be closer to 6. We finished two puzzles soon after getting home and are looking for some new great ones! 

Can you guess why this one has been my favorite? :)

Thanksgiving and Beyond.

I know this is a little late..but here are some pictures from Thanksgiving and things..

 My cute niece :)

Poor Paul was sick almost the whole time but was a good sport.

Cute nephew! He loved Paul.

New favorite snack: peanut butter and Ritz.

One day Paul only had to go to work for half a day so we played basketball when he got home. In our apartment.

Yes, there is tape on the floor outlining our basketball court. This is Paul's new favorite toy. He practices his basketball almost every day. It's cute :)

We kicked off the Christmas season with hot chocolate and watching the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting.

Paul has started studying for the CPA exam. He gets up early ever morning to study and it will begin taking up our weekends very soon I'm sure. He will be working on this sucker for the next year. Boo.

Thoughts on Paul's beard?

Luv, Lindsay

i made it.

I made it back from Utah.

60 whole days away from Texas and my hubby. It was rough, to say the least.

There will be another post soon about everything campaign, but here are some of the non-work related events from Utah.

My favorite thing was hanging out with my family. I got to see Will rock his solo in the Primary Program, McKay show his skills on the snare in marching band, and hear about all of Sarah's exciting adventures working as a CNA at an Alzheimer's Home (she has a pretty rough job sometimes.) Sarah and I had some awesome laughs..goodness gracious. Love that girl. Christmas is going to be wonderful.

I got to hang out with old roommates (congrats on the engagement, Holly!) and meet some great new friends. Reconnecting with old co workers and bosses is always fun, especially when you have a lot in common. Hanging out with your best friend since junior high is always great, too. Sleepovers, Cold Stone, long talks, football game, and food make for some great memories.

These fun times definitely made the time go by faster. Here are a few pics. See some more random pictures from Utah here.

BYU Game

 Love this girl. We had some fun times over those 60 long days.

New video boards at BYU are sweet!

After all of the time I spent here last year, it totally felt like coming home.

Love my family.

And the IMG family! These guys are the best..working with them is probably what I miss most about being at BYU. So many fun times. And they are my hook up to being on the field...

Love watching from the field!

 

 On Halloween we had a campaign event that had a theme of boots and jeans..so the logical thing to do was just be a cowgirl for Halloween, right?

 Notice the Romney/Ryan pumpkin. My talented mother carved it.

So this is campaign related but I got to go on the set of 101.5 The Eagle! Love that radio station. Definitely miss the Stubbs Show in Texas.

I had a countdown going to when my plane would arrive in Dallas. 

Heart beat going crazy at this point!

It was a busy 60 days, but I had some great fun. Stay tuned for campaign stories and pictures...

Luv, Lindsay

absence makes the heart grow fonder..

WARNING: Sappy post about missing my husband. But with a few tips on being apart..

Guess what folks..


HALF WAY!

I can't believe I've been gone for a month..and while there is only a month left..there is still a month left.

There is no one harder to be away from than your husband. Marriage has a way of heightening any feelings of longing you may have had being away from a boyfriend or fiance. So much worse.

I would suggest that you avoid, at all costs, living in a different place than your spouse. Avoid it like the plague. It's rough, my friends. My aunt gave me the advice to never live in separate houses before I got married..how did I forget that?

Here are some things that have made the separation easier and some suggestions should you ever find yourself in this unfortunate situation:

• Talk daily. Daily communication helps you stay sane.
• Have goals. Paul and I decided that we would work out every day. Even if I get home at 11pm, I still work out. Every day. We check up on each other and see how we are progressing. He is my motivation to keep going and no matter how the day goes, I can always have accomplished something great. 
• Have pictures of each other on your phone or by your bed to bring a smile to your face.
• Keep your spiritual life moving. Read your scriptures, go to church, pray. Pray for your spouse. It helps you remember all of the wonderful things about your spouse that you get to come home to.
• Spontaneous texts. Nothing brightens my day like a sweet, spontaneous text from Paul. 
• Don't count the days. Looking at longer periods of time helps the time seem to go by faster. Think, "only 2 home BYU games!" instead of "I have to wake up 28 more times alone...goodness gracious.."
• Stay busy. The less idle time you have to dwell on your sorrows, the worse off you'll be. Get involved in something (politics?) and get out of the house.
• Remember that it is totally okay to miss them! Don't let yourself get miserable but it's okay to have a few sad moments. Eventually these turn in to happy moments and butterflies thinking about seeing them again. :D

Those are just a few things I've found helpful. 

I love this boy.

Luv, Lindsay

P.S. If you haven't registered to vote, TODAY IS THE LAST DAY.

where's lindsay?...there she is!

I'm still alive! It has been a crazy month since I posted last.

About a month a go I got a phone call that was almost a joke but turned into reality. I hadn't been able to find a job in Dallas that I felt good about so I accepted this temporary position...in Utah. Yes, my friends. I am back in Utah. I actually have been for a month now. I am working on Mayor Mia Love's Congressional Campaign until the election (November 6).

I am a member of the branding and communications team. It has been a good space for me. I'm learning a whole heap.

It has been a crazy month with a crazy month ahead, but we have made some excellent progress and things are definitely looking up coming down the home stretch.

Things I have learned from the campaign:

1. Politics are mean.
2. The media never sleeps, meaning those who run the campaign shouldn't either.
3. There are more rules in campaigning than anyone could ever count.
4. I don't think I'll be working in politics for my career.

Just to name a few. Since being here I've been able to go to a Romney fundraising lunch, seen TV interviews, live debates, been in lots of meetings, written a LOT for and on behalf of people, etc. I can't get into too many specifics but it's a whole lot of awesome. 

It has been a great experience working on this campaign and I truly believe that the principles that Mia Love stands for are ones that can help heal and propel our country forward in the best way possible. Whatever your political affiliation, get involved and make sure you vote!

I hardly told anyone I was coming because people get funny ideas when you tell them you left your husband who is working in Texas to come work in Utah..but we are still madly in love, no worries. Paul has starting his full-time work at Ernst & Young and is doing great. I definitely have it easier than he does. I'm living with my family and he's all alone. :( (Dallas friends - thank you to those who have fed and entertained him while I've been gone! Keep up the good work :D)

It's been fun having my awesome sister as a roommate and seeing my siblings succeed in their activities. It's probably the last time I'll really have that opportunity. I love my family.

Especially proud of my brother on the American Fork Drum Line! They are amazing.

But..

I miss this guy :(

There are not too many things harder than being away from your husband..and being away for 2 months is basically torture. Good news? We are almost half way..

And I have my ticket purchased to come home November 8.

It is going to be a glorious day. And this separation will never be allowed to happen again.

Luv, Lindsay