Well, it’s officially been six months or so since we’ve posted anything here. Mostly because we’re busy, but not for lack of things to talk about. Over spring break, Jen and I got to travel to London for about 10 days (minus two days for travel) and we loved it. Believe me, London is not a sit-back-and-relax-on-the-beach kind of vacation, but rather a do-as-much-as-you-can-to-make-your-expense-and-time-worth-it kind of vacation. I’ve been writing about what we did, but only have the first three days finished. I will add more of the trip as I document it, and will also post pictures later.

Days 1 + 2 (Fri & Sat)

The Flight to London

We left for the airport a little later than expected. Luckily we arrived with enough time to notice that our 4:10 pm flight had been pushed up to 3:30, and we had 15 minutes to check in and go through security. Good news, we made it to London. On a side note, the Philly Cheesesteak subs from Quiznos are pretty good.

We had a connecting flight in Chicago, and the flight from there was about 7 hours. Jen had to get up and walk around often. We got there the next morning at 11:30 local time. We had decided to wait to tell Mom and Dad Robertson the gender of our baby in person, and this was the moment.

Mom finds out: It's a girl

Later we met up with James and Jenny, who were getting ready to leave London, for lunch at a Lebanese cafè by the tube station. After an amazing nap, we had dinner with Mom & Dad: homemade tacos, and strawberries and cream for dessert. Not bad for our first day in London.

Days 3 (Sun)

Underground Obstruction

We left about an hour and a half before church was to start, but were delayed and rerouted due to a suicide on the tracks. It took much longer than the normal route, and Mom and Dad repeatedly assured us that “this never happens”. We ended up riding a bus for the remaining leg of the trip to Ilford Street where the chapel was. And if you’ve ever seen the third Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Prisoner at Azkaban, every bus driver swerves and stops just as abruptly as the Knight Bus in the film.

A Sabbath Reclaimed

We arrived during the opening hymn. Dad teaches the Gospel Principles class. Today we talked about Adam and Eve and the Fall. Mom plays the piano for the Primary, and used to play for Sacrament meeting until another aspiring organist approached the bench. The members come from diverse areas, such as Jamaica, Ghana, Germany, Brazil, Uganda, the UK and more. Several of these members were delighted to meet us, although it was difficult to remember all of their names.

One in particular I remember was Eddie. Mom and Dad had told us on several occasions what a great guy he is, and how he just welcomes people so openly. We definitely felt that from him. There was another woman who spoke Cockney to us, where they use words to rhyme with what they want to say, but it’s pretty confusing. For example, for eyes, they say mince pies but then drop the final word, for just mince. “Nice mince” means pretty eyes.

Everyone was very nice and we enjoyed our Sunday there.

I guess we’ve been a little MIA lately, but that’s not for a lack of news or excitement. We went to California for Christmas, we moved into a house next to my aunt and uncle, Taylor had surgery, and we went to London to visit my parents. So yeah, a lot has been going on.

But the biggest news of all was a little Christmas gift that we got:

…my handsome, kind, thoughtful, sweet, fun husband, who is filled with goodness.

…temple covenants that allow me to be sealed to my sweetheart for eternity.

…parents who are dedicated to serving the Lord.

…parents-in-law who are loving and supportive.

…siblings with whom I can talk for hours.

…in-laws that are married to said siblings, who make our family complete.

..recently acquired siblings-in-law that have been so accepting, helpful, and kind.

…the sweet kids that call me “Aunt Jen”.

…the great girls that call me “Coach Jen”.

…the teenagers that call me “Mrs. Ralston”.

…friends that encourage me to be a better person simply by being who they are.

…close friends that I have had since high school, and continue to make my life brighter every time I see them.

…co-workers that are so awesome that I would stay two hours after work ends on a Friday just to chat with them.

…my almost 93-year-old grandma who is enduring great pain and difficulty with her chin up.

…Pinterest, a website that has inspired me to dust of my sewing machine, and use the skills my mother taught me.

…a mother that bought me a sewing machine for Christmas when I was a teenager, hoping that my ingratitude then would turn to gratitude later.

…sports heroes that are actually good examples to the kids that look up to them (and the fact that a certain sports hero was drafted by my husband’s hometown team).

…the United States of America, a land of opportunity and freedom.

…those who have sacrificed and still sacrifice so that the U.S. continues to be prosperous and free.

…a job that not only provides me money and benefits, but great fulfillment.

…technology that makes my life easier and the innovators that created it.

…the opportunity I had to acquire a quality education at a low cost.

…the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and living prophets that testify of Jesus Christ and teach me how to come closer to God.

I think that I can officially say that fall is my favorite time of year. Here’s a little list of the things I love about fall:

• The new school year
• Changing leaves
• Crisp autumn air
• Fall food flavors: pumpkin, apples, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, squash
• College football (especially my BYU Cougars)
• General Conference (including breakfast at M&T Merrill’s)
• Snuggling with my lover boy in a warm blanket

Here are a few of the happenings at the Ralston house this fall:

Taylor had a birthday. On his actual birthday I had a tennis match in Salt Lake, and he had a seminar, so we met up afterwards and ate at the Cheesecake Factory. We also had a birthday party with some friends a couple weeks later. He requested pie rather than cake, so I bought some at Winco. Overall, we were not super impressed with the pie (especially after having pie that my mom made). I definitely could have done better in the birthday department, but I’m just setting low expectations so he can be pleasantly surprised next year.

Pie for Taylor's birthday party

We took a trip to St. George for Fall Break. We found a breakfast place near my grandma’s condo. Taylor got a raspberry granola pancake and I got biscuits and gravy. The waitress automatically assumed that I got the pancake and he got the biscuits. Sometimes he and I don’t fit the gender stereotypes (I’m the bigger sports fan, for example).

Taylor and his raspberry granola pancake.

Me and my biscuits and gravy

We also got to attend the St. George Temple together for the first time.

I am trying my hand at home decor. I spent way too much money at the craft and fabric stores, but I’ve enjoyed the creativity. It’s so much fun to have my own space to decorate and beautify.

I made this wreath for our door.

I found this painting at Deseret Book 75% off. I love the slightly Catholic-looking halos around their heads.

I made these pillows for our couches.

I am also enjoying my third year of teaching and coaching at Westlake. I have particularly loved teaching a new subject, AP Human Geography. The class is almost entirely of smartie-pants freshmen, who are a delight to teach. My tennis girls are wonderful, as usual.

I have also been cooking some great fall food including Pumpkin Sausage Soup, Most Requested Chili (a Robertson Halloween tradition), Pumpkin Cinnamon Streusel Pancakes, pumpkin chocolate chip muffins, roasted asparagus and more. Look for some recipes/food posts in the future. It has been a fun fall!

Welcome to our new blog. First let me introduce ourselves. My name is Taylor and I have been married to the love of my life, Jen, for a few months now, and I love it! I’m from northern California, living in Utah going to school at Brigham Young University. I’m majoring in Chemical Engineering, and am interested in biomedical and biochemical research. I served a Spanish speaking mission in Nebraska, where I learned a lot about people and myself.

Jen is a hard working, fun loving girl with a good head on her shoulders. She was raised in a great family that taught her how to be part of a team, and to never compromise values. She loves learning new things, and finding new adventures around her. She served a mission in Bilbao, Spain where she came to love Spanish culture. She currently teaches high school here in Utah, and coaches boys and girls tennis.

We are so happy to be together, and are excited to have you with us. Stay tuned, great things to follow!

Jen and Taylor starting their adventure together.