Bi-Polar Spring

The past few months I have slowly been getting busier and busier at work, and then the last two weeks…BAM! I've been super busy every single day, and I love it!  I recently received more responsibility within the company. I will now be over all our new families, both domestic and international. I handle all the intake calls and inquiries and I manage their case until they are matched with a birth mom. Once they are matched, the domestic families, are then transferred to Isabel and she handles their case from there on out. It’s really exciting to be more involved and to get more experience within the company. Also Premier recently was licensed in Kyrgyzstan which is near China and Kazakhstan. This will be a non-Hague country, so the adoptions are easier, cheaper and families can get younger children without special needs. We have a feeling this program will become very popular. I have so much to learn about this country and the adoption process, but I am super excited for this opportunity. I also get to go to Orlando in June for an adoption conference. I'm so excited! I have never been to Florida and it should be super exciting. I love my job and I am so grateful that I finally found something that I love to do and that makes a difference in the lives of couples and children. 

I did really well in my sociology class, I had a 95.6% in the class. I also did really well on my paper (see pictures at end). I finally finished the year book for my niece and nephew’s school, hopefully it turned out okay. I was getting ready to submit it earlier in the day (it was due at 11:30 that night) and asked our sales rep to take a look at it. Shortly after I send the email I get a phone call from her, Joan. She asks me why I didn't use all the pages. I told her I did, that they were all filled out. She then explained that I if go here and click here that it takes me to more pages. Needless to say we had completed 32 out of 54 pages! I about had a heart attack. I took the rest of the afternoon off from work so that Annette and I could frantically pull together more pages for the year book. This was a little difficult because we didn't have a whole lot of pictures to work with. In the end we completed 43 pages……not the entire 54 but hey I thought we did really well creating 11 pages in about 6 hours. Thankfully that project is done, and I will never volunteer for yearbook again. I learned my lesson.

Our yard keeps us pretty busy. With the warmer weather and little rain showers weeds are popping up everywhere! However with the warmer weather our garden is really starting to flourish! Its super exciting to see peas starting to grow, the onions and carrots getting taller, and harvesting our spinach and chard! I love gardens! I also love our chickens. They are so funny and quirky….they are seriously the best pets ever! I've included some pictures of our yard for all of you to see.

Brandon and I try to go to the temple once a month. I love going there, it’s always such an amazing experience. We also go on walks often and we always walk by the temple sometime during the walk. I recently went to the Las Vegas temple with Teresa. I really wanted to do a session, but I was on call for work that weekend and didn't want my phone to be off for too long. Instead we did endowments, but the spirit was so strong and I loved every minute of it. I can’t wait to go back and do a session! It was also so much fun to spend time with Teresa. I took a Friday off of work and spent Friday and Saturday with Teresa. We spent a lot of time talking and catching up. I was able to hear about her companions, the families she taught and grew to love. I was also able to hear about all the amazing experiences that she had. It was so nice to relax and just visit with each other. We also ate a lot of delicious food, shopped, and like I said went to the temple. It was a great trip! I can’t wait to do something similar with you once you return home!

Brandon and I have also agreed to let my niece/half-sister Lakeisha come and live with us. She wants to take con-current enrollment and AP classes her junior and senior year of high school. Vernal only offers 3 con-concurrent classes. So we agreed she could come live with us and go to school. Her goal is to take as many of these classes and then finish her associates at Dixie after high school. Our new house is about 5 blocks from Dixie High School, so it’d be perfect for her. It’ll be an adjustment and we will lose a little of our freedom and privacy, but we couldn't tell her no. In all honestly I’m a little excited to have a buddy/companion. I’m sure we will drive each other crazy sometime, but I think our relationship will become better. 

Well that's all for now!

Tomato plant in our garden. 

Picture of the temple on one of our walks. 

Top of Leopard Skin....a multi-pitch climb in Snow Canyon.

Kittens that were in our yard for a day. Now they are back in the neighbor's shed. We are trying to convince the neighbor to let us place the kittens with families. 

My position paper.....I was pretty excited!

View of the left side of the back yard. Brandon has really worked hard and make it look amazing. We have recently purchased some chairs and tiki torches. 

Blanket made for our newest nephew. Congratulations Jordan and Camille! The back is made out of minky material.....it was such a pain in the butt to work with!!!! But I did it!

Burp cloths....found a super easy and cute pattern. 

Another blanket that matches the burp cloths for our nephew. 

Hiking with Rex and Cyrstal in Red Cliffs Park. 

We bought a freezer and feel very grown up now. Thanks to Chet and Dottie we have fresh beef!

Here is a view of our spinach, chard, peas, and green beans. 

Here is snap shot of our chickens running to us because they think they are getting something and are spoiled rotten! Also the amazing retaining wall my husband made out of the chunks of concrete in the ugly pile of dirt. 

Our onions!!!

Brandon bought Frozen for me....for my birthday. :)

Our cherry tomato plant. 

              

New Year, New Things

Wow, it has been an extremely long time since I updated my blog. I think that last thing I updated everyone on was our anniversary. So I will try to recall all the important, life changing, and noteworthy experiences that happened since then.

#1.   Brandon and I went through the temple on November 30, 2013. We always planned on going through, but we were both excited when the day finally arrived. We decided to do it on the 30th because it was the Saturday right after Thanksgiving. This allowed for our families to make it without having to miss work and school, we are grateful we made that decision and that so many family members were there. I loved every minute of the temple and we both cherish the experience.

One year anniversary picture. 

#2. It snowed 6-8 inches here in St. George.....and stayed for several days. I have NEVER seen that much snow here. It snowed Saturday and because St. George doesn't even own a snow plow the entire county was advised not to drive on Sunday, unless you absolutely had to drive. So consequently church was canceled and it was an official snow day!

#3. We moved! The week before Christmas we moved into a quaint little home in downtown St. George. We acquired more space, a fire place, gorgeous wood floors, a nice backyard, and chickens (see #4 for more details)! We are loving being in a house. It was super overwhelming at first unpacking and trying to find a home for everything, but we are pretty much settled in.

Here is our living room....I  need to take pictures of the other rooms but haven't. 

#4. We have chickens!!! We spent a lot of time building a chicken coop for our chickens. The previous tenants asked if we'd like them and we said sure. We didn't know that they didn't have a coop or that they hadn't been taken care of properly. Despite all of that our chickens are in their new home that Brandon spent a lot of time, money, and effort on. They are well fed and happy, so happy that one of them has been leaving us an egg everyday for the last week! I didn't expect to like our chickens as much as I do. They are pretty much our pets. We have named each of them (there is Betty, Pepper, Duck and Ganja), they eat out of our hands, and they are always excited to see us. I'm pretty sure that is mainly because we give them treats.

Brandon working on the roof of the chicken coop. 

Our very first beautiful egg!

#5. We celebrated our 3rd Christmas and New Years together!

Thanks to Kathleen and Mark we had a Charlie Brown Christmas tree this year. 

#6. We bough furniture....new furniture from a store! We got a bed and a dresser as well as a new memory foam mattress!

#7. Ouray Ice Climbing Festival. Brandon has been talking about going to the climbing festival since I first met him. This is the first year that we had the time and the means to go. We left after work on Thursday and and spent that night in Grand Junction with our friends Adam and Tricia. We traveled the rest of the way on Friday and spent the rest of the day and Saturday climbing in Ouray. I had pretty much convinced myself that I wasn't going to climb, then I thought I might try it it, and finally I decided I would give it a go. I actually really enjoyed it. It was new and a lot fun. However it was just as hard as I expected it to be. My arms are still sore.

Entrance to the Ouray Ice Park. 

Brandon doing some splits. 

Gorgeous Colorado Mountains. 

This was just one section of the park. There were several other sections with just as many people. It was amazing!

I want to add that I also climbed this route, but my picture wasn't taken. I was a little peeved that Brandon didn't think to document my amazing skills. 

This was me trying ice climbing for the very first time. Brandon said I did really well :)

Made to the top!

Snap shot of Ouray

Well I think that pretty much sums up the major events in our life. Its hard to believe that a whole year has passed and a new one has already started. I feel like time is rushing by, but overall I have enjoyed everything this last year has brought. We both are still loving our jobs. Brandon is working on another project and is enjoying it. I have been busy with a few new families and we are also working on getting registered to do adoptions from Kyrgyzstan. We have been so blessed and we are looking forward to another year and all the adventures it will bring.

Habits, Projects, and Improvement

NOTICE: This post will be full of venting.

Now that I have that out of the way I shall begin my rant. It all exploded yesterday. I realized how LAZY I have become. I have developed habits from when I was sick that haven't gone away. I go to bed around 10:30-11 p.m. However I do not wake up until 7:15-7:30......so I feel like I am over sleeping....yet I usually can take a nap around 2-3 pm everyday. Why? Second thing, I rarely prepare breakfast. If Brandon or I make a pot of oatmeal, mix together pan cake batter, or make french toast its a celebration at my house. Usually it's fend for yourself aka cold cereal. I then go to work. Thankfully I have been busy and when my tasks are complete I have found ways to educate myself and use my time wisely. I then try to go to the gym at least three days a week. I try to go for at least 45 minutes to an hour. This has been a huge accomplishment. Once I get home I make dinner or help with dinner and then I proceed to sit in front of the TV or read a book until bedtime. Now I do help with dishes and cleaning up after dinner. I sometimes even do a load of laundry.....but I still feel LAZY every single night. 

Also I hate cooking. I hate trying to find new recipes, trying to find something that I will like and that Brandon will like. I hate trying to find everything at the store. I do not enjoy all the effort that goes into preparing the meal. Most of all I HATE cleaning up after cooking. I like have a clean house, but I feel like I am ALWAYS doing dishes, laundry, and cleaning up after myself and Brandon. The worse part is I sometimes let things sit for two or three days.....and then I'm super stressed out and go on a cleaning spree. I guess I feel a little exasperated about being a good wife and mother. If I don't enjoy cooking now......what are we going to do when we have kids and I'm not working full time? I don't want to be the mom that feeds her kids pbj's and fish sticks all the time. I want to enjoy cooking. Like a 50's housewife (refer to the picture up and to the left).

 Part of my issue is that I really do not know how to cook. I wasn't allowed into the kitchen until I was about 14, then on top of that my mom didn't really cook. Tacos, spaghetti, tater tots, fish sticks, rice a roni, cheese toast and peaches were common meals at my house. My mom worked full time (more like 60 hours a week) and she had two kids she was raising while my dad worked out of town. By the time she got home at night she didn't want to cook and she definitely didn't have the patience to teach me. Saturdays we cleaned and it was basically fend for yourself. Sunday my mom would make two nice meals depending when church started. However she did most of the cooking herself because she didn't like have a lot of people in the way. She would let me help her cook the hamburger, or stir the noodles, cut veggies....simple things. But she didn't ever really teach me to cook. I don't think she really enjoyed cooking all that much.

 Now I'm not blaming my mom for my dislike of cooking, but I think my 

main issue is that I haven't had anyone really TEACH me to cook. My biggest frustration is not know what I am doing or know how to do something. Brandon does all the technically cooking. Heck I haven't even used our Kitchen Aid, food processor or blender! In fact I just recently learned how to use the rice cooker a few months ago. Pathetic I know. So far we have made do.....but I want to be an amazing wife. I want to cook yummy foods and treats that my husband brags about. I want to not feel so overwhelmed by cooking. I just do not even know where to begin. I've thought about going to some cooking classes....but my other problem is I'm kind of picky about what I eat. Also a lot of stuff I like Brandon doesn't. For example: I LOVE shepherds pie. Brandon will eat one serving out of obligation, but he doesn't like it. Example 2: Enchiladas. I like red sauce, Brandon likes white sauce.....so we don't have enchiladas. So there have been some......issues trying to agree upon meals. The other problem  is that I don't like weird, experimental, mixed together stuff. I like everything to have a place on the plate and to eat them separately....hence I struggle with casseroles and things cooked or covered in weird sauces. 

In all here is my plan. I'm going to force Brandon to sit down with me and plan out meals for a week. Just a week. That way I can get all the groceries we need at one time and I don't feel pressured to figure something out for dinner at 4:45 pm that day. I also need recipes. I need simple, yummy, easy recipes to try. So if you have any suggestions or recipes.....I'd love to have them!

To try and feel less lazy I've joined the PTA to try and give me something to do other than read and watch TV. I'm also attending more church meetings......so I guess I am trying to break the habit. But it is so hard to get out of a rut...it takes a lot of work and sometimes its nice to have someone supporting you or encouraging you. So now that I've successfully dragged you into my pity party you can now say nice things and boost my self confidence. I'm thanking you ahead of time. I promise that was not my intention of this blog post. Honestly what I wouldn't mind are suggestions and advice. That and invitations to go out and do things. I tend to be a home body.....and to be honest I'm content being a home body, but I feel like I am wasting my talents and potential staying at home, tucked away from the world. I'm not saying I want to be busy everyday at every hour, but a few times a week would be nice. I do have a few projects I am working on. I have some quilts I need to do. I'm also planning on buying yarn and making scarfs and blankets. Not sure what I'm going to do with them.....but I'm sure something will come up. As you can see I'm not super creative....that's why I stick to blankets they are easy and to the point. I guess I wouldn't mind joining a Stampin Up group again...I did enjoy that. 

I'd love to make some seasonal wreaths!

Group crafting is always fun!

 Anyway I feel like I have successfully vomited my random thoughts and feelings. If you are confused and lost, it's okay I forgive you. I do that to Brandon all the time. If you can relate, my condolences and contact me about starting up a club. If you have suggestions or advice.....I can't want to hear! Also if you know of any cool cooking classes, hot yoga, craft night.....please invite me!!! Alright, goodbye for now!

First of Many More

Well folks I have successfully been married for a year. We made it!!! Friday Brandon and I celebrated our very first anniversary. We didn't do anything huge or amazing, but it was simple, together, and wonderful. I will admit I was a little grouchy and negative during the day because I wanted something bigger, better, somewhere else, but in the end I enjoyed every second of our night and day together. We both worked Friday, but once we were off we packed an overnight bag and headed to Springdale. For our open house we received a night at the Cliffrose Lodge and an gift card to Oscars, we decided this would be the perfect opportunity to use them. Springdale was busy! It was wonderful to arrive and to see all the "No Vacancy" signs and lines at the restaurants. We weren't sure how busy it was going to be because of the recent shut down, but it seemed that everyone else was just as excited as we were about getting out while Zion was open. We checked into our hotel (they had mini cookies from the Sugar Cookie.....I was in heaven and had three of them) and then went to dinner. Neither of us had ever eaten at Oscars and it was fun to trying something new and different. Brandon had ribs and I had an enchilada......the servings were huge! After dinner Brandon had to stop at Blondie's and get a slice of pie for dessert. We then enjoyed the rest of the evening in our room. Brandon did surprise me with a very thoughtful gift. He had done some research on anniversary gifts and found that the historical 1st anniversary gift was paper and the modern was a clock. So he purchased me a book (paper and I love reading) and a watch (I've been looking at a few watches the past little while). I was both surprised and touched at the time and effort he put into both items. The watch says "be happy, be you," something Brandon stresses to me often. Brandon's gift from me was a annual national parks pass, he usually gets one for his birthday, but the government decided to shut down that day so I improvised. Anyway Saturday we had breakfast at Mimi's Cafe and decided to do the Emerald Pools hike. I have never hiked up to the top pool so it was a fun experience and I enjoyed every minute of it. The weather was beautiful, we met friendly happy people along the way, and it was perfect! We returned home late that afternoon and enjoyed the rest of the weekend doing the normal weekend routine (aka laundry, cleaning, grocery shopping).

Other than that our lives have been pretty normal. We did go on an overnight camping trip with Cody and Carina to a place called Kodachrome Basin (it is east of Bryce Canyon) and a blast with them. We also celebrated Brandon's thirty something birthday :). I've included some pictures. Sorry this post is so short, I just don't have a whole lot to report. Enjoy the snapshots of our life!

Dinner at Oscars

There is a slot canyon that repels off part of this wall.....over towards the right. I want to do this canyon....there is a free fall repel into the top emerald pool. It looks epic.

If you look closely you can see the head of a snake....yes I saw it and didn't freak out! He was just chilling there until two Asian boys came running up the trail banging their light sabers.

My thoughtful amazing gifts from Brandon.

Water falling from the second pool to the third

I love Zion, I am constantly awed and amazed at the beauty of the sandstone cliffs. One of my favorite places. 

Part of Brandon's birthday celebration. I tied all of his favorite candies to the balloons. I was going to do it for our anniversary with candy and reasons why I love him, but I had to improvise something for his birthday.

Kodachrome Basin