Hard to Believe

• It's hard to believe that Brennen and I will both be walking in graduation in two days. It seemed like just yesterday I was in my first college class.
• It's also hard to believe I'll be quitting my awesome job at the plasma center in three weeks and start student teaching 2nd graders!  
• It's hard to believe we'll be leaving cold, icy, windy Rexburg for sunny, warm, beautiful Mesa in just 6 months!
• It's hard to believe that in 6 months I will no longer have to put up with this kitchen:

and I will soon have this kitchen:

Source

or something like unto it.

• It's hard to believe that in 6 month's we'll be graduating from our little, subsidized, 30-year-old apartment to a newer, cleaner, bigger townhouse.
• It's hard to believe this will be our last winter with snow (pffft).
• It's hard to believe when my children go to college, they'll say "I'm from Arizona"
• It's hard to believe that we're moving on and growing up so quickly.

But...

I'm excited to start this new adventure.

Excited to live somewhere new.

Work somewhere new.

I mean, look at this:

Source

And it's only 20 minutes away.
Hard to believe, I know.

Bringing Sexy Back

...To Idaho that is.

So, I know that it's been a while since I've ventured

back into the blogging world, but it's been a busy past few weeks.

Why, hello there handsome.

Sorry, not a ton of pictures of OKC, but

it was beautiful.

I was there November 20-22 and it was still

green

with leaves

and grass...

and warm too.

We headed over to the OKC zoo

which was free that day..

Most of the animals that were out were all 

animals that were native to Idaho...

Elk.

Buffalo.

White-tailed deer.

Then later that day, we went to the OKC Bombing Memorial.

Now, if you're anything like me

you don't know anything about the OKC Bombing.

Well, if you would like to learn a little about it,

you can go here.

I wish I could have live in OKC with Brennen.

We loved it there and didn't want to leave.

But, duty calls.

One day I thought I lost my camera, so no pictures from that day.

Turns out it was just in the glove box of the car.

We left Oklahoma on Thanksgiving,

just thinking that we could pick up some dinner at a restaurant.

Ha. Ya right.

NOTHING was open that didn't have a line

out the door and twice around the building.

So we stopped at a supermarket/fast food joint called Braums

and grabbed some chicken strips and french fries.

That first day we drove through Oklahoma

through the panhandle of Texas

and ended our night in Santa Fe, NM.

Where we did some Thanksgiving night shopping.

The next day we drove from Santa Fe to Salt Lake.

Taking the scenic route.

  We came up through Moab since I have never been there before.

It was so cool.  Not a ton of pictures because it got dark pretty fast.

Once we got to SLC, we did some shopping,

sleeping,

and came home the next day.

For once, I didn't want to come home.

So....Home.

Pfffttt.  Ya, welcome home.

Don't think me an awful person,

but it's been HARD adjusting to having him home.

But, it was hard adjusting to him leaving, so 

I guess it makes sense that it's been hard.

But will all that said, I'm glad he's home.

So that was our adventure. 

Our three month adventure.

And now...

I have presents under my tree :)

Two Days, Two Days, Two Days!!!

Hey there,

So, ya, not so many posts in the last few weeks.

But that's because all they would be

are countdowns until i get to 

fly to Oklahoma City to bring Brennen home.

And I figured you didn't want to read a weeks worth of that.

So here's one.

TWO DAYS!!!

I fly out on Tuesday morning.

So excited.

We're planning on spending two days in OKC

Then just driving straight home.

Oh, how fun.

Looking forward to you, 20 hour drive.

Not.

Oh well, at least i won't be alone :)

Oh, and in case you didn't hear,

WE'RE MOVING TO ARIZONA!

That's right. 

Touro University didn't want us, so our decision was made for us.

Say hello to the newest member of the

A.T. Still Physicians Assistant Program:

Haha, this picture is from Christmas 2010

We (I) are (am) so excited!  I'm actually not really sure

how Brennen feels about it.  He would have rather

gone to Touro because he will have a lot of family in that area,

but I think if the Lord wanted us to choose, he would have 

had us accepted.  And we weren't.  So, I think Arizona is where we're supposed to be.

He Popped the Question!

What's that, you say?

You already knew this?

Well, i just happen to be talking about a

DIFFERENT 

question.

Yes, Brennen popped THAT question 

2 years, 10 months, and 23 days ago, to be exact.

No, the question I'm talking about goes along the lines of

"When do you think we should get pregnant?"

...

That's right. Let's all take a moment for this to sink in.

...

My first thought:

Should I tell him what I really think so he can dash all my hopes and dreams?

Rewind to a year ago when I first hounded 

Brennen on starting a family.

He didn't feel like it was the right time (plus he'd seen a real, actual, natural 

childbirth and was really grossed out), and what was I going to do?

It's not like I can make a baby by myself.

So I waited..

and bugged him nearly every day since.

Pause here.

Bearing children means something totally different to women

than it does to men.

I don't think men get how frustrating it is to see

85% percent of your ward (a staggering, but not surprising, statistic)

almost all of your high school (and college, for that matter) friends,

and even people who graduated 1 and 2 year

AFTER you, just poppin out cute, tiny, little humans (or preparing to).

And, women do 99.99999999999999999% of the work.

Play.

So due to our current situation (the one where we will have no jobs come January and are starting P.A. school in June) I suggested that the prime opportunity had passed, and logically

it'd be best if we waited another few years when we weren't

crushed by the debt of student loans and struggling to make ends meet.

His response?

"But by then, I'll be OLD"

(Emphasis and punctuation added)

Well, dear, with all this watching of "Say Yes to the Dress"

I've been doing, I've come to the conclusion that the majority of the people on this earth

are barely getting married by their late twenties, let alone having kids. 

So, you'll be fine.

He suggested a date much earlier than I suggested, and, well...

we'll just see if he still feels the same way when his proposed date approaches.

Say Yes to the Dress

Since Brennen has been gone, I have had a LOT of time to find some new

Netflix series to get serious about.

First it was Grey's Anatomy.  I hate to admit that I watched the first

season in 2 days.

I know, utterly pathetic.

But then one day I was at church and we were were

talking about giving things up so that we can grow closer to Christ,

and I realized that this show was DEFINITELY not going to 

bring me closer to Christ.  So I quit it cold turkey.

It wasn't easy because I was into all the drama and medical stuff, but I did it.

So now I've been completely obsessed with this show:

Minus the "Big Bliss" part..

Pretty much people spent insane amounts of money

on dresses for their wedding.

Well, this show got me to thinking...

What makes the dress so important?

It's not the end of the world if your dress isn't the most amazing thing

of the face of the planet.

I know that I definitely didn't LOVE my dress,

but that's not what mattered.

Most important things first, I say.

So what's more important? 

What you're wearing, or who you're marrying?

(and where (: )

An Epiphany

One day I was at the D.I. looking for jeans

(because I never shop for jeans and I needed a few more pairs.)

As I was looking through the racks, I had this epiphany.

In 6 months i'll be moving to a climate

where even the coldest summer will not be cooler than the 

warmest summer of

my dear home, Idaho.  

So why am i looking for dark, heavy, blue jeans?

*insert light bulb here*

SHORTS

And who in the world is buying shorts at this time of year?

No one.

Who us giving away shorts at this time of year?

Everyone.

Hello, genius.

Day Off

That's right.  I have a Thursday off.

Which is really weird because I usually have a Saturday or Monday off.

What do I do with my days off, you ask?

No classes on Thursdays, so I started my day with

volunteering at Upper Valley Industries.

Made. My. Day.

Basically I was supposed to be there from 9-11

but ended up staying til 12 because it was so great.

Basically we just played games all day! And let me tell you,

I got my trash kicked at just about every other game.

Then I stopped at the D.I. to drop off some clothes and shoes

that decided I didn't need anymore.  Among those donated were

my wedding shoes :( sad day indeed. Turns out

I've only worn them once--maybe twice--since our wedding 2.5 year ago.

and they were too small (that's why i never wore them.) 

Then I went shopping and found a few things.

It's always a good day when you find stuff at the D.I.

Then headed over to Wendy's for a #5 combo..

I won't tell you what that is, lest I be judged :)

But it was pretty delish.

Then I settled in to tackle the

2 question

100 point

test that is due tomorrow.

Got on my warm, fuzzy p.j.s and an over-size hoodie...ready to dominate!

I also found time to paint my nails festive-y fall colors.

THEN I remembered how much I LOVE my ring...

and thus: 

It's pretty much perfect for me. 

This ring and I have had our ups and downs, but since I quit 

pounding blenders, we haven't had any issues except 

that hand-sanitizer wears down the rhodium making it yellow. 

So after this deviation from working on my test,

I didn't really feel that great and decided to take a nap...

except now it's 4:30.

Don't get me wrong, I love me some naps.

The thing is, if I take a nap it 

takes me longer to get to sleep,

I don't sleep as well that night,

and It's harder to wake up in the morning.

Well, tomorrow I work at 6. Oh, that's not so bad, you say?

6 A.M. Ya.

So I decided a nap probably wasn't such a good idea after all

and here I sit writing you a boring blog post about my boring day.

I have to get back to my test now.

Very Exciting News!!!

Ok, so you all might not think that it's all that exciting.

But I think its marvelous.

Today I put in my time-off request for Nov 20-27 to

PICK BRENNEN UP AND BRING HIM HOME!

I can't even tell you how excited I am for this! 

I don't know if it will help get me through the next month

or make it go by super slowly, but in any case,

it's awesome.

I still have to buy my plane tickets and all, but this is a step

in the right direction.  One of the best parts is that I'll only be missing

one day of class because my trip will be over Thanksgiving vacation.

Sad that we won't be spending it with family this year,

but I'd definitely rather be with my hubby.

We have a huge trip planned out--if the Malibu will make it. 

Details to come once everything is bought and paid for.

Originally I was only going to go out for a weekend

(because Brennen works nights Tues-Fri)

but had a super hard time justifying paying that much for 

plane tickets and a hotel

(I can't sleep at his apt because technically it's single men's housing)

And then he told me he'd be done just before Thanksgiving.

There have been so many blessing lined up to make this all happen.

1. Thanksgiving break is Wednesday-Friday, so I'll only miss one day of class

2. My parents have offered to pay for my flight (both ways if I so choose) as a Christmas present

3. I had the feeling I should start putting a portion of each paycheck into savings, and now I have saved over $800!

So I can pay to stay in a hotel for a week.

4. This blessing is totally unrelated, but I just had to give a shout-out to my ward...they are the best.

Seriously.  I am so, so sad that I'll have to leave them next year.  My home- and visiting-teachers are

the bomb dot com, and everyone else is great too.

Yesterday my ward fed me. I was invited over for meals for both lunch and dinner.

They take such good care of me.  And I SO appreciate it.

So happy!

A Quick Note

Hi there.

It's me.

Here's the dealio..

I don't want to clean. 

I mean, I REALLY don't want to clean.

Don't tell Brennen this, but the apartment is a mess.

Turns out I really only clean up after myself when he's here

so I can get on his case about not cleaning up after himself.

Whoops.

So, as soon as I'm done procrastinating I will

Clean the kitchen,

Clean the dining room,

Clean the bedroom, 

and then maybe break out the Journal Jar if there's time.

Yes, that's how messy my home is.

There might not even be time for journaling...

And I would like to add to this post a random conversation I had with

my hubs last night...er...this morning:

 4:39 am Him: I have to work late

4:40 am Him: Can you talk?

4:40 am Him: I love you!

4:41 am Him: I'm on a conference call

4:42 am Me: Oh really? A conference call before 6?

4:43 am Him: The meeting has ended

4:44 am Me: I see. You know it's 4 here, right?

4:46 am Him: 446 to be exact...i didn't think i would wake you

4:48 am Me: You know how I always look at my phone right before you text/call? Apparently it's true for the wee hours of the morning too.

4:52 am Him: Uh o. Well i better not text at the wee hours anymore.

4:53 am Me: I'll text you in 1.5 hours when i should be awake.

Why is he texting me at 4 in the morning, you ask?

Because now he's on the night shift.  Which sucks.

He works 7:30 pm to 7:30 am

and then sleeps from 8 am-5 pm

I have yet to ask him what this was all about.

He was either extremely bored or very loopy.

What you do when you have nothing to do.

Since the hubs has been gone, I have had lots of time to sit and reflect on life.

As well as get a few projects out of the way.  

Namely one, but I'll start with the Journal Jar first.

Have you ever heard of a journal jar?

I had one once when I was in Young Womens. 

I didn't do a lot with it, and don't know what ever happened to it.  

But at this journaling class, we got a Journal Jar:

This is mine.  Inside are tiny slips of paper with suggestions of things to write about in your journal.

What a genius idea for someone like me, that has nothing interesting to write about?

Well, with a cute Journal Jar, i needed a cute journal, right?

So, about this next project.

My dad is an EXCELLENT woodsman (?)

Not sure if that is even a word...

He has a knack for finding things around the house (made of wood)

that are starting to get old and rickety, or that we just don't need anymore

and turns it into something awesome.

A few years ago, he made me this headboard out of some old BUNKBEDS we had:

Seriously people, that headboard used to be a bunkbed.
Like i said, amazing.
It's white and made of pine.

Pine tends to yellow a little, so I wanted to paint it.

At first I had all sorts of visions of what color i wanted, designs, etc.

And then I kept putting it off and putting it off because

1. I'm busy

2. I can't lift that by myself

3. I'm cheap.

So what happened, is: One day I decided I was going to do it.

I went to Wal-Mart and got some paint.

Then I asked the Beardsley's if they would help me move it.

Ta-Da!

Ignore that little sploch up there, that's where I tested my paint.

And so, I set to work.  It was about a 3 week process

where i didn't buy the right kind of paint, so it required lots of 

coats and drying, plus I was studying for 2 big tests and working full time.

I love it already.  It makes the room so much warmer and gives it more color.  Also makes it not look so big.

And here is something silly that I did:

Did you know that you can get these wallplates at Wal-Mart for $0.37? each?

I got this brown one thinking it would go along with the new headboard, but it 

just looks kind of ridiculous.  So I will be getting a new one that

matches the color of the switch unless i can think of something creative.  

There was a Pinterest thing of painting/stenciling them to make them

unique.  I don't know if I'll have time to even think about doing that.

 Well, that is all for my projects as of late.

A Bit on Journals and Sunday Thoughts

So lately, I've had this feeling to start journaling.

You know, so your posterity can read it and be amazed at the life you lived.

HA.

The reason I haven't started a journal is because this is all it would say:

"October 19, 2012...

Today I got up and went to work at 8.  Then I went to school after work.

Then I went home to do homework and eat dinner.

Then I went to bed.  The end."

[REPEAT]

I've told Brennen that there is no one on the face of the planet that would ever want to read a years worth of that stuff.

Then I went to a 'Super Saturday' with my mom.  Together we took a class on journaling.

And you know what? It actually got me excited to write.

It gave me a few ideas of what to do, 

but first here 10 tips of how to keep a record of yourself:

1. Find what type of journal medium is right for you.

Do pen and paper work best for me? or do I type faster than I write?

Do I enjoy writer's cramp?

2. Decide what kind of journal you'd like to keep.

There are lots of different kinds of journals.  I know when I was 8, my grandma gave me a thankful journal.

3. Find the perfect place (or places) for writing

Where am I going to write that's comfortable and conducive to the thought process?  Where will I keep my journal so that I REMEMBER to write?

4. Find a time that's right for you

For me, this is the easiest.  At night.  Because i'm most coherent then.

5. Relax 

Because journaling isn't supposed to be stressful.

6.Find sources of inspiration

For me, this is music.  I find that the Mormon Tabernacle Choir station on Pandora is great and I listen to it when I'm doing homework or anything that requires my full attention.

7.Use your journal to work through the hard stuff

This I love because I always put my thoughts together better on paper (or computer) than i do in speaking.  It allows me to completely express my feelings

8. Fill your journal with whatever you like (don't forget the spiritual)

I heard today that there is an apostle, i forget which, that keeps a seperate journal for all his spiritual experiences and it's just for him to reflect on.

9. Reflect over what you've written now and then

Speaking of which, what a great way to track progress and growth.

10. Keep your journal safe.

Keep it in a safe place, out of places where it might be ruined.

More later on my Journal Jar.  

And now for my Sunday Thoughts

1. Obey the Word of Wisdom, and great blessings will come.

2. "If this law [the Word of Wisdom], that is adapted to the capacity of the weakest of us, is obeyed, it will be a foundation upon which may be added many great blessings that our Father will be pleased to bestow, that otherwise we would not be entitled to and could not receive   How can any of us feel justified in ignoring a simple law of God that He, by His own voice, has said any of us can obey?  Can we expect to be able to keep a higher law, and be able to attain great exaltation, if we fail to keep this simple requirement?" (Teaching of the Presidents of the Church: George Albert Smith, pg 208)

3. What things in my life do I need to give up to become as a little child and grow closer to Christ?

4. Something that I remembered our Elder's Quorum President said in a talk before he and his family moved out of our ward that really struck me: When the Savior was in the Garden of Gethsemane, he was praying to the Father.  His disciples were outside the garden--the Savior had asked them to tarry there.  He returned to his disciples who had fallen asleep--twice.  He asked them if they could not stay with him but one hour.  The Savior was doing the single most important act known to mankind, and the could not even stay awake for him?  The sacrament is a similitude of the atonement.  Can WE not tarry one hour?

Halves

I would like to blog about two significant halves.  Normally, two halves would make a whole.  

But. I'm blogging about one half of two separate things. 

Half No. 1: Today is October 14th, which means that Brennen is HALF way through his internship.

Hallelujah.

Have you ever had those months that drag by so slowly, yet fly by so quickly?

That has been my plight since September 2.
Thanks to my incredible friends the Beardsley's for letting me use their
Internet so that I can Skype him.

Ok, this isn't a real-time skype picture.  I actually took it when I was in
Iowa and he was in Pennsylvania.
and there wasn't very good internet so it was all choppy.
But still.  Thanks to my awesome friends.

Half No. 2:
Tuesday, October 16th marks my half-iversary.  Which means
Brennen and I have been married for 5 half years.
In real terms, that 2.5 years.
At least, that's what a pessimist would say.
An optimist would say
"We have eternity left."
With that in mind, I dedicate this next picture to my husband of 2.5 years:

He can have the other half in April.

5 Things that I think are Awesome

1. Super Long Nibs

Super super delicious

2. One sweep eyeshadow

Hello, genius.

3. Halloween Egg Nog

Again, super delicious.

4. Deseret Industries

I love thrift shopping.

5. This Boy

He is my hero.