I have felt like a poster child for millennials the past couple days. It hurts me to even admit that, because the term "millennial" has such a negative connotation.

I started working at Gordmans as a department manager last week. When I accepted the offer, I felt so good about it! I have always loved that department store, I hated being unemployed, and I was ready to work hard! Three days into working there, I received the official word that the company had filed for bankruptcy and liquidation. Of course the process takes awhile, and I suppose there is always a chance that things may turn around... however once the bankruptcy was announced, the store got insanely busy! I like being busy, I always come home feeling accomplished. The store is short staffed, so the work load is heavy for everyone who works there. I quickly remembered why I disliked retail so much! The pay doesn't always match the work load and the schedule is not consistent. Busy turned into what feels like a burden, and on my way home last night I hated myself for being so upset about being so tired and so frustrated. So many of my daily tasks cannot get done because I am needed in other places, and of course that puts my department behind schedule. I have no room to be upset or frustrated! God answered our prayers so quickly. I mean, I was unemployed for only 10 days! Even though we were behind in my department, we had escalated sales, and were able to help every guest who came to shop. After all, they are the highest priority, so I should feel accomplished... but I still came home feeling like such a brat. It has been difficult for me to stay positive, and again... I have no right to feel so ungrateful.

I know the news of the bankruptcy has skewed my perception a little bit. I pray all day to help me see things from His perspective.

This morning I had a working interview for an oral surgery assistant. I have wanted to work in an oral surgery office for years, and when I interviewed a month ago, I felt great about how it went! It took so long for them to get back to me after leaving them a few voicemails, so when I received the opportunity to come in for a working interview, I thought I was finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel! I have felt so unhappy about where I am in my career, I couldn't help but believe that this was the Lord pulling through.

I was there for maybe 5 minutes before the Doctor pulled me into his office. He said, "I know right away that this job will not work out for you because you aren't trustworthy. Your tattoo gives off that vibe and we cant have that here." I told him I understood, and thanked him for the opportunity. He handed me my bag, and as he opened his office door he said, "If you have your tattoo removed you can re-apply for the job."

I was pretty shocked. My tattoo was peaking out just a little bit. I know that tattoos are not always favored, especially when trying to find a job, however I never thought the back of my neck would be such a big deal. That isn't what shocked me though. It was the automatic judgement of my character, based off of the slight view of a flower. He was so rude about it. I left feeling so angry and sad. It is a "Millennial" thing to have tattoos. Its a "Millennial" thing to be on the defense when someone judges you for them. I know its not just my age group that has them, I've met plenty of people 30 years my senior with full body art.

I served an honorable mission. I am clean before the Lord. I am a daughter of God with a current temple recommend. I am trustworthy. For a few moments though, none of that mattered to me. I was angry that I wasn't good enough for this job. I am so insanely unhappy with my current job and I was angry that the Lord couldn't throw me a bone. I feel like I am at a dead stop with my progression. Ive spent most of my morning trying to understand why I am in the position that I am.

The obvious answer is that maybe the Lord did do me a favor. No one wants a job where they are treated so poorly. I'm obviously at the peak of my pride cycle. The Lord knew that I could not grow if I was not brought down. If its worth mentioning, I feel pretty small.

My life isn't bad. As a matter of fact, I am extremely blessed. This is why I feel like such a spoiled brat.

I have no idea what I am supposed to be doing right now. I know I am supposed to be at Gordmans, for a reason completely unbeknownst to me. I know God is in charge and He knows what is going on. He sees so much more than me. I am constantly learning what it actually means to be humble. I'm so far from it, and as I type this I realize that I have been praying for the wrong things.

I am sure my Dad will roll his eyes at this blog post. It is such a millennial thing to put your whole life on display via social media. I needed to publicly declare my defeat. I am not talking about my job either. I am admitting that I cant do this on my own. I cant do anything without the Lord. I cant truly follow Him if I stay so prideful. Whatever lesson I am supposed to be learning is for my benefit. Its for the good of my family.

The Lord hasn't left me to feel alone. I can feel Him helping me, even though I am being so stubborn. I can feel His love through Isaac, who works so hard. Not only with his job, but as a husband. He constantly strives to make me happy. The blessings of being sealed do not go unnoticed. We worked so hard to be sealed. All of those experiences have stood as a reminder to me that anything worth while needs to be earned. I know the right job wont come to me if I stand idly by with my arms crossed. As the hymn says, "Put your shoulder to the wheel", right?

The good, the bad, and the ugly

The past couple weeks have been full of trials. If I said that we weren't struggling, I would be lying, however it is impressive to test the foundation we spent months building on before we got married.

On February 28th, I received word that my Aunt Lucy passed away. She was in a home for years, and dementia was really taking its toll. Other parts of her body began to fail, and for months my mom kept telling me that it wouldn't be too much longer. Although I knew that, it still was sad news. I had this nagging feeling a couple days prior to her death, that I should ask my mom to check on her. Mom visited often, so every time I had that thought I just felt like it was silly! Turns out, mom was planning on seeing her that day when she got off work, but was too late. The whole family feels some level of guilt. My mom was upset because the nursing home was supposed to call her when she turned, and they didn't. She didn't get to go, hold her hand, and tell her it was okay to go. As her sister and her care taker, that was a privilege that was robbed. Not everyone can do that with their loved ones, but my mom should have had the chance... My brother and I feel pretty awful too. Not only did I ignore those promptings, but I had the chance to see her when we were in Colorado for the wedding. When we first arrived, I was super sick, so I thought that visiting her would be a terrible idea. I got better quickly though, and I had the time-but I was so wrapped up in wedding details and visiting other family members I didn't take the opportunity. Aaron was so busy too, and wasn't able to see her while he was there. Now of course I cant go back for the funeral. I feel sad that I am missing it, and even worse that my mom is taking care of it on her own.

Isaac and I had been planning a temple trip for weeks, and it happened to fall on the night she passed through the veil. To go into detail about the revelation I received about my aunt would be despicable, however I can say this: While waiting in the chapel for the session to begin, I spent some time looking at a picture of the Savior. His body language showed that he was depicted having a conversation with someone. His face looked calm, and the painting managed to display so much of the affection I know Christ has. At that moment, I had a thought come to me. I knew that my Aunt was greeted with love and mercy when she passed. She spent her whole life following the Savior. I knew that when she got to his arms, the reunion was sweet. I knew she was reunited with her parents, and that in a years time I can return to the temple to complete her work. I needed to attend the temple for temporal reasons, but I left feeling at peace with all things spiritual, and my testimony was strengthened.

On Valentines day, I finished my time at Crest Financial and began a new job as a dental assistant. The office was a small general practice, and the staff was wonderful. Isaac and I had been preparing for me to switch jobs for quite a while now, and it was just about the right position, and the right time. It wasn't long after putting out resumes that I was asked to come in for an interview. I was hired on the spot, and I had to quit Crest without any notice. I didn't want to do that. Crest had been so good to me! I felt right about the choice I had to make, and Isaac did too. At the end of my first day, I was told that I was on a "trial run". The Doctor wanted me to work for two weeks to make sure I was a good fit for the office. I found that kind of strange, but I had just left the only job I had, and I couldn't say no! Plus, I was confident in my abilities, so I was not threatened at all to be under the scope. Turns out, the office was in a legal battle with a previous employee-I am not finding it my business to go into detail, however I finally understood why they wanted to make sure I was trustworthy!

At the end of my second week, the Doctor told me I was great, and that the patients loved me. He was impressed with me thus far, but for some reason he wouldn't let me assist. I was starting to get frustrated. The assistant I was about to replace was 6 months pregnant with twins. The job was getting difficult for her to keep up with, and it wouldn't be long until she had to take maternity leave. I needed to get to know how the Doctor liked things done during a procedure, but I couldn't do that if I was not welcomed. He asked me to do another week of trial, so he could be sure. That stressed me out big time! I needed a job, and this is what I wanted to do! I had no way of knowing if I would come home Thursday without a job, or if I would come home to enjoy the weekend before I went back.

On Wednesday the 29th, he called me into his office and said, "Angelena we think you are great, but we are going to have to pass." He handed me a check for my time there and explained that they couldn't give me full time hours, and that he was not in the position to train someone new to the office so they decided to let me go. He offered me a letter of recommendation, and tried to encourage me by saying, "You were fantastic! This is of no fault of your own." I managed to compose myself long enough to make it into the front seat of my car, before I started to cry. With my Aunts passing, the timing couldn't have been worse. I had no idea what I was going to do, because although Isaac has a great job, we could not afford to only live off of his income alone.

Needless to say, it hasn't been the happiest here at the Forsgren home.

I told Isaac I was about to wash the clean clothes we have in our closet so I had something to keep me occupied.

I have a few interviews lined up. Unfortunately only one is full time, and none of them are dental assisting positions. That always bugs me a little bit, because I paid a lot of money and spent a lot of time getting certified. I also feel like I am just taking steps back words in my progression. At my age, I should be doing something much more permanent! Or at least that is how I feel. The interviews I have lined up are retail jobs, which I have had good experiences with in the past. However, I will have to work Sundays. I always promised myself that if I am in the place to not work on Sundays, I will find other work. We aren't in the position financially, but I cant help but think of all the work Isaac and I put into our spiritual lives. We worked so hard to get here, and to never have the chance to attend church together makes my heart hurt.

Of course, Isaac is nothing but patient and supportive. He always knows what to say, and he is learning when silence is better than words. He came home from work yesterday and told me he had a strong impression that we needed to get to the temple, so we have plans to go back tomorrow

Perhaps going back will give us further guidance. Neither of us knows what the right path is right now. We need His help.

The spiritual growth I have seen in my husband has been outstanding. He has surely stepped up to the responsibilities of being a husband, especially to me, I require so much of his heart.

He always reminds me that we are a team through the good, the bad, and the ugly. He reminds me that the day we knelt across from one another at the altar, was the day we need to remember in times of testing and trial. He is right. I love him more every day, and my appreciation and admiration for him grows with each passing moment.

Perhaps these trials are meant to do more than provide me opportunities to humble myself. Maybe they are stepping stones for us to strengthen our marriage, and learn to go to the Lord; together. It can be easy to get caught up being newlyweds, I wouldn't want to forget who got us here in the first place.

It certainly has been bad and ugly lately. However, I see so many wonderful things to be grateful for. I know that no matter what, things work out for the better. I know the Lord has our best interest in mind when he creates our individual plan. I know that if we didn't have the love, support, and prayers of our family right now, we would be knocked over every time the waves of life came.

I am constantly reminded of the Lords mercy and love. I know He hears every plea, and has every intention on blessing us according to our needs and righteous desires. I just know it!

Well, that's all for now. Do yourself a favor and go to the temple. There are answers for us there, and often that is the only place we can receive them.

XOXO-The Forsgrens

Catalina and Ensenada- Our Honeymoon!

So many people have been asking us about our honeymoon! It has taken us awhile to get settled in, so this is the first time we are seeing the pictures ourselves! It is fun to look back on our honeymoon. The time went by so fast! Isaac and I both felt like the time we spent on the cruise was long enough. Honestly, we were anxious to get back to our apartment, get a real shower, and settle into our new life as husband and wife.

Right after the reception, Isaac and I left to stay in a hotel about a mile away from our venue. We were there for two nights. The hotel had a king sized bed, along with a separate area with a little kitchen and living room! It was probably the nicest hotel either of us had every stayed in. The second night we decided not to go to sleep because we had to be at the airport by 3 am in order to catch our flight. To pass time, we washed the wedding stuff off of our car (that was sad. We missed people "honking for love") and saw a movie. If you haven't seen Split, we highly recommend it!

The day of the cruise Isaac and I wore these matching shirts. Mine said "Wifey" and Isaac's said "Hubby". Throughout the day people were congratulating us and wishing us well. We met a lot of people who were celebrating their anniversary. Some couples had even taken the same cruise 10 years prior, and were back to celebrate! It was really neat!

The very first thing we did when we were finally able to get onto the ship was EAT. We were starving! The price of the cruise includes the majority of the food. There were a couple things you had to pay for, like a few things on the room service menu, as well as the stake and lobster in the dining room. We got lucky though, because some of the best food we have ever had was FREE and UNLMITED. For a small price, soda and juice was also unlimited, so we were happy campers!

Our first stop was Catalina Island. This was our favorite part! We docked pretty close to the shore but not quite, so we had to get on a little boat that took us to the Island. We walked around for 3 or 4 hours going into all the tourist shops. Most of them had a lot of the same stuff, but every few stops we would run into some really unique things. The weather was beautiful, and it was so nice to enjoy

it.

When we got hungry we tried to find the most unique place we could. We settled with a restaurant called Luau Larry's. The establishment seemed pretty normal, until we rounded the corner to see a built in cave! Obviously, we had to take advantage of the spot and eat inside of it. Isaac tried a bison burger, and I had one of the most delicious plates of nachos I have ever had. I am not much of an adventurous eater. My sweet husband is though, and he was kind enough to pick a place that had food I would eat.

Blurry, but you get the idea

Carnival Inspiration- Our ship from the Island

Isaac and I spent a lot of time that night wondering the ship and looking at all the activities they had available. We decided that we would try out one of the comedy shows, and that was well worth it! The Comedians they had on board were hilarious! Too bad we can't remember their names!

The next stop was Ensenada. We were SO excited to have a beach day, so we made sure we woke up early, ate some breakfast, and were ready to go as soon as they started to let groups of people off the ship. When we got up to the main deck we were pretty disappointed. Ensenada looked nothing like Catalina. When we docked in Catalina, we could see the Island and the shops, and the view was beautiful, no matter which way we looked. Ensenada? Not so much... We docked in what looked like a construction site. There were cranes and huge dump trucks everywhere. Turns out, there were no excursions that allowed us to simply go to the beach and hang out for a few hours. That is all we really wanted to do, so we decided not to purchase any excursions. We just assumed we would be on the beach. We were very wrong! Isaac saved the day though, and as soon we realized there was no sandy shore in sight, he went down to guest services and found out what we had to do to get to the beach. One super sketchy bus ride later, we were finally at the beach. It wasn't the Bahamas, but it was still fun to go.

Not pictured: the horrible pictures of me in my swimsuit haha

 That night and through the next day, we were at sea. We spent most of our time at the pool and eating everything that was available to us. We did take time to nap, which was much needed. We felt like we had to take advantage of every possible thing there was to do, and that wasn't very relaxing. Most of the activities were geared towards drinkers. We found plenty to do of course, but we stayed out of the casinos and away from the party activities.

Up until this point, neither of us had felt sea sick. We were well prepared for it to occur, but it didn't-until our last night. I think it was because we were always asleep when the ship was moving, we hardly noticed any movement. It got pretty bad, but we tried to tough it out and enjoy all we could!

The whole time we were on the ship, we chose to eat at the buffet or a couple of the restaurants they have on deck. The last night we decided to go to the fancy dining room. We didn't even realize it was there! Everything was included in the cruise cost, so we decided to splurge and order steak and lobster with our appetizers and drinks. IT WAS SO YUMMY! Unfortunately, the dining room was at the front of the ship, and our table was right by a window. We got all of the movement, and it made the dinner much less appetizing then we had hoped. The staff was so wonderful though, and let us pack up our leftovers to take to our room for later-it wasn't as rocky in our stateroom. We stayed long enough to enjoy some delicious bread pudding-which was also free. Before we left to call it a night, the whole staff performed for us! It was so fun! Cruise ships are great vacation options if you want entertainment!

As I am typing this I realize all I am really telling you about, is the food... Ill be honest- I have waited so long to write this post, my memory seems a little shaded.

We got back to Long Beach at about 7 in the morning, and we were lucky to get off right away. Carnival is awesome about making sure your shuttle is at the port at on time, so we were at LAX by 8:30. We were really looking forward to being in Los Angeles. Our flight didn't leave until about 9 pm, so we had the whole day to wonder around! We planned on taking an Uber to some tourist sites, but I was raining the whole day, and we didn't realize we couldn't check our luggage until 4. So, we decided to catch a ride to a near by ihop and have some breakfast.

We had so much time to kill, we went to the movies and saw La La Land. That is another movie worth the time if you are interested in musicals!

After the movie, we hauled our luggage down the street and picked this really weird Mediterranean place to eat. I don't remember what it is called, and I am not really sure where it is located, but the food wasn't the greatest-it was close though, and we didn't want to walk around LA with all of our luggage.

Hunch back of LA?

I would probably bore everyone to death if I continued on, or added more details to our trip! We ate a lot of food, soaked up the sun, and enjoyed each other. I could have gone anywhere and I could have done anything. It was the uninterrupted time with my husband that made the trip everything we wanted! It was so nice to have a break from work and from reality for a while!

A lot has happened over the last week, so I look forward to the chance I have to sit down and tell everyone about it. Married life is fun!

xoxo- The Forsgrens

The Honeymoon Stage

I have not written a blog post in months, and with my recent dive into marriage I thought it was necessary! I was given council a long time ago to write in my journal every day. While on my mission, that didn't seem like too much of a problem. I've slacked tremendously though, and I have no written record of all the exciting things that have happened in my life over the last 9 months! It is funny how important words on a blank page (or in my case now, a computer screen) can mean so much to so many. I express my emotions best through words, and I have missed the outlet blogging has given me!

Since this is the most personal blog I have made, I figured an introductory post wasn't too necessary. My mother will read this because she is my mom, and my husband will read this because he loves me. Anyone else who stumbles upon my blog has the potential to increase my views, and share in the joys and craziness of my life!
So, there's that.


Isaac and I have been married coming up on two weeks now. I know what you are thinking... barf. Who counts how many weeks you have been married? I dont feel like two weeks is any sort of recognizable accomplishment. Especially when I consider the fact that my grandparents have been married for 60 years. Now, that is an accomplishment! When Isaac and I visited with them a couple days before the wedding, my grandmother pulled out a piece of paper that said, "I love and adore you. Have a good day!" My grandma had written a little note for my grandpa to find when he woke up for work. On the bottom of the paper, was a response from him that said, "Right back at ya, baby!"
My heart turned into a puddle of love. Perhaps that doesn't seem like much. However I saw a small glimpse of what I hope Isaac and I can have 60 years down the road. Small acts of kindness and appreciation go a long way-especially in marriage. Life gets tough. Can you imagine what couples go through during 60 years of marriage?! My grandpa still looks at his wife with stars in his eyes. Every phone conversation I have with my grandma I hear the words, "Your grandpa is so patient and hard working. He takes such great care of me." They both have spent the majority of their life building their family on principles of love and admiration for each other and their children.

As I mentioned above, its amazing what a few little words can do! Their example has meant a lot to me over the years, but has become ever present as I step into the new role as Mrs. Forsgren. I hope I never take Isaac's love and patience for granted. I hope we can always appreciate the foundation we worked so hard to build. Heaven forbid I loose my mind, point me back to this blog post, and remind me of the important lesson my grandparents taught us that day.

As expected, my life is pretty surreal right now. To answer the question so many have asked me: No, marriage doesn't feel any different. To be honest, it doesn't even feel real that we are married. Perhaps I can thank my mission. I had 7 companions and 4 areas. I was use to different living situations, and well prepared for change. Something I have noticed though, is that your honey moon can set up false expectations for what life will be like when you return. I mean think about it. You start out your marriage with this huge party. You dress up, dance like crazy, and get sent on your way with a few hundred bucks in your pocket. You sleep in a bed you never have to make, use towels you never have to wash, and your day job is far from your mind. If you are blessed like us, you spend 4 days on this huge yacht. Food and drinks are unlimited, the hot tub is the perfect temperature, and you spend hours with your toes in the sand soaking up the sun. Who knows when the two of us will ever have a vacation like this again! Someone told us at the end of our reception, "Remember, this is only the beginning." What wise words!


  I am still convinced that Isaac and I work well together, so this transition has gone pretty smoothly. All of the traveling did give us both a pretty nasty head cold. Both of us take turns waking up the other because of coughing fits. And of course, Tuesday morning came too quickly. We both returned to the adult responsibilities we left behind two weeks ago. It is fun to come home to my best friend.  He is so patient with my need to put all of these girly decorations all over the house. Every time we make something look cute, I thank him for letting me set it up! We do it together, and its been a good experience to finally make something ours. If you ask me, we have quite the system. I do the laundry, while he takes the trash out and takes care of the things that I cant reach. Marriage is about teamwork, right?

We are both learning more about each other's families, especially since he has officially met all of mine. Isaac comes from a very tight knit, large family. I come from a small family, and they are all back home in Colorado. It is weird that I have "In Laws" now. I am still not use to being apart of a family so large, so my quest to develop personal relationships with all of them will continue. I will be excited to have Isaac strengthen his relationship with my family. Having our families come together for the wedding stood as a reminder for me, that as imperfect as all of us are, families are eternal. I think Isaac and I got lucky to have the family that we do, because they have been nothing but supportive and loving since day one.

I am looking forward to the blog post i will make about our honeymoon! It is way over due, and we have some fun pictures to share. I know our parents are anxiously waiting to hear all about it. Mostly because all they have heard is, "It was a blast and we are exhausted." Haha sorry Mom and Dad!

Well, before I bore you to death, let me end with this: Marriage is wonderful. Anything ordained of God and deemed as sacred shouldn't be anything less. I would probably be rolling my eyes if I saw a whole blog dedicated to someones marriage and family, but I am starting to see things a little bit more clear. Family life is eternal life, and I am not ashamed to share the love I have for my own family.


Until next time!

XOXO- The Forsgrens