Gang is Back Together

I can't even express how much I love my classmates. There are four of us in the program and I feel like with school back in session that the gang is back together. This is a group that I go to dinner with and enjoy all the times we have together. Class is filled with as much teasing and laughter as it is with learning. I love this group of people!!!!

Classes Have Started

Well it is that time of year again and classes have begun. I am really excited about this semester because I only have ASL based classes. It is so nice to only have one thing to focus on and I couldn't be happier. My classes are small but that is the way I like it. I get tons of time to ask questions and learn in an environment that is comfortable and welcoming. I think it will be a lot of work but learning about a topic you love never seems as much like work. Wish me luck!

Peeps

One night Melissa was cheering me up and talking about all our future travel plans. We were texting back and forth saying all of the places we want to see one day and Easter Island came up. Melissa said that she wanted to visit there and I said that I wanted to eat Easter candy there. I finished my conversation with Melissa and I was recapping to Marc that night. He, of course, wanted to join us on our amazing adventures and asked if he could come to Easter Island. I said that he couldn't come because he was a boy. He said that he would be the Easter candy for our trip. I said that he couldn't be the Easter candy because I wanted to eat Robin Eggs. He immediately curled into a tiny ball and started chirping like a Robin. I started laughing and said that now I wanted Peeps. He immediately froze with his hand by his mouth and his other arm bent into a wing. I really wanted a picture but he knew I would blog about it and didn't want any incriminating photos. I tried and tried to get a photo but had no success. He would become a Peep for .2 seconds and then move again before my phone could capture it. So I decided to cheat and switch it to video. Sure enough I caught him being a Peep and Marc was devastated that I had won. I knew it was bothering him because it came up several times over the next few days. Anyway, one day I realized that when I switch this blog to a book that the video wouldn't come along as well and I was really sad about it! I didn't want to lose that piece on the blog. Explaining my position I begged Marc to let me take his photo and if he did then the video wouldn't go up as well. He agreed and posed for me in his "Peep" position. The only problem was that he was a grumpy Peep and it took us a long time to get over that. The first two are the ones I caught originally trying to catch it before I used the video tactic. Enjoy our silly photos!

Dishwasher Safe... Again

Okay, so that one isn't really my fault! I have washed this in the dishwasher like 10 times before but I didn't realize that it was on the "pots and pans" setting. Apparently this water bottle doesn't qualify as a pot or pan and survived even worse than the first time! I really need to stop killing water bottles!

Computer Dying

It is official that my computer has died. It is never going to run again but luckily I got everything off of it before it died. This is a little bit of bummer because school is starting in a week. Luckily this is an in-person semester and so it won't be totally necessary but I will be looking for a replacement before my Master's program begins in the summer. I am just so grateful that I didn't lose my pictures and the rest can wait for a year. However, Marc's computer isn't as good for watching dance shows online so that has been a little bit of a challenge. I keep saying that I miss my computer and I totally mean it! However, it will be good to save up the money and do it the right way. But if my blogging starts to slack off then everyone will know why!

Running Week 3

Well we have survived another week. This week was harder and it was the first time that I had to run a day by myself but we made it. I am still feeling successful and happier. I am noticing my self-confidence improving and my posture as well. It has been so good for me. This is the week that I have started to say things like 10K or half-marathon or marathon. Those words should NEVER come out of my mouth but I find myself saying them. Zenlabs has a 10K free app as well and I am looking forward to get to that point one day. They also have a half-marathon and marathon that are $10 each but if this continues to work and I am successful then I am willing to continue on with the program. Part of me feels guilty that if I had more determination that I could make it without spending the money and then part of me realizes that $20 is still cheaper than a gym membership and being healthy is important. I want to continue forward and I am really hoping to make it there! However, I still haven't lost a pound and I am hoping it is coming soon!

House Sitting

Marc and I had the opportunity to volunteer at a camp over the weekend. It was so much fun! However, that meant that we needed someone to house sit. I have never had this type of situation before and I didn't realize how much it would stress me out to have my house THAT clean. It was a whole new level of clean because it wasn't just clean for a trip but for visitors. However, it was super nice to come home to my house being THAT clean. Our housesitters were awesome and I am so glad that it worked out for everyone. THANKS!

Thank You Dinner

Remember when my house and yard flooded in the beginning of the year? If you don't, then no worries, because it probably wasn't as traumatic to you as it was to me. Anyway, we were very blessed to have a plumber come and fix the pipe and restore water but it was all free of charge. This meant that we owed them a thank you dinner. However, they are super busy and so we haven't been able to properly thank them just yet. But it finally happened! We went to our favorite little Mexican restaurant and enjoyed a wonderful evening of laughter and fun. I can't wait to do it again but I am hoping this next time doesn't take my house/yard flooding to make it happen!

All Tuckerd Out and All Tucked In

Aurora is a silly cat in that she LOVES to be tucked into a blanket. She is always trying to figure out how to do it herself but nothing compares to when Marc will tuck her in. This is an example of her being tucked in and had Carmel not come to investigate a few minutes later she would have been all tuckered out and all tucked in. What a cutie!

Darn Runaway Dogs!!!

Kovu has been a LOT better at being behaved and listening and being calmer in the house but he still isn't perfect. One day I let my guard down when I took him out and I paid dearly for it. I had to run around the block (on a non-running day) trying to chase him down. Of course it had just rained and I was in sandals on this little run. I came home covered in mud and trying not to kill the poor puppy. However, he did help with an upper body workout as I carried him home like a sheep. I am happy to report that he hasn't run away since and I haven't had to have any unwanted mud-filled runs either!

Running Week 2

This week has felt a lot like the first week. I am still really excited to run and feeling strong and in control again. I was hoping to lose weight through this process but I haven't lost a pound yet. I keep telling myself to be patient but I am not very good at that. I am running NOW and so I would like to lose weight NOW. That isn't how it works though. Next weeks workout looks to be harder and I am a little worried about the transition but I figure I will just take it one day at a time and move on from here. I also love that this program recommends repeating a week if you aren't ready for the next week. I figure I will always try the next week but I do reserve the right to change my mind after that first week. Let's hope I won't have to do that just yet.

We FINALLY Have News!!!

The news came! Marc is on the hiring list of DPS now! We, well he, is ranked 43 and that puts him in the top 10% of all applicants. We now will move forward to background checks, polygraphs, and medical examinations. They will process the top 50 applicants at the same time and even though it is likely he would go to the February academy the top 25 will move on to the November academy. I know that whatever the plan is supposed to be that we will know soon and I can't wait to keep moving forward. I can't even wait!!!!!

Marc's Shooting Game

One of the things that has resulted from the new iPhone is the shooting game that Marc plays. He has to move the screen of his phone around to shoot the targets and it makes him look ridiculous! Honestly, it is absolutely ridiculous! I have tried to capture this ordeal on camera but he stops really quickly as soon as any recording object is found. This was one attempt where he quickly grabbed a book to cover up his silliness. One day I will catch him!

Carmel's Secret Identity

I had no idea that we had such a famous icon living in our house but Carmel finally let his secret identity slip this week. He is a NINJA TURTLE!!!!!

Doubles Day

As everyone knows I LOVE my holidays. I love them so much that I make them up. One of my famous holidays from last year was Doubles Day. We haven't really celebrated this one this year and I hadn't thought much about it but Marc brought it up the other day. He told me that he had missed Doubles Day and we should start celebrating them again. So we looked at the August calendar and found 8/8/12. This would have been the perfect opportunity but our day was a little booked with pedicures and ward BBQs and such. So Marc suggested 8/11 and said we could use it because it would be 11/11. I didn't even think twice about it and we moved forward with our plans. We had two of everything for dinner. It was a lovely evening and it took me a few times of saying 8/11/11 to realize that we are in the year 2012. Hmmm... so not only have I made up a holiday of Doubles Day but now I have started celebrating it on days that aren't even doubles! We will have to try harder next month!

Chore List

Even though we didn't keep going after the dog house I still had this burning desire to have my house be clean. This has meant that we now have a chore list. It doesn't mean that Marc has set chores or that I do but we came up with a list that needs to be done each week and if not then we will spend Saturday working on our chores. It isn't a bad system and honestly our house has been much cleaner since then. I am loving it! It is another biproduct of running. Isn't this new system great?

Dog House

Marc is loving this whole running thing because it seems that I have never-ending energy. This Saturday I went for a run and came home to die on our floor. Seriously I was a little afraid that I would never move again. But within 20 minutes I was up and ready for more. I decided that some yard work was in order and off I went. Pretty soon I was ready to build a dog house and convinced Marc that this was a good idea! We spent all day building this GIANT box for the dogs. It took us ALL day. But it was really nice to work with Marc. It took us a lot of explaining and reexplaining so that we were finally building the same contraption. But by the end of the day it was really nice to work together and get it done. Marc was pretty beat from all of the yard work that came with building the box and I wasn't quite ready to finish just yet. I was ready to clean the house when were done. Marc kept wondering where the girl went who was dying on the floor because this girl was the energizer bunny! We ended up stopping after the dog house but it was such a wonderful day!

These are photos of the weeds we cleaned out, the new area, and the raised platform on which it rests now.

Then you can just picture a GIANT wooden box.  I mean the thing is 8 feet long.  I apparently never took a photo of it... OOPS!

Week 1 of Running

Well I have survived my first week of running. I don't like to follow trends, especially nutrition trends, because as soon as I start it seems that a new trend is better for you. Really I should follow the Word of Wisdom and that is it. But I needed some motivation for working out. I was finally feeling strong enough and I wanted to take advantage of that. I have now finished my first week of the C25K program (Couch to 5K) and I couldn't be happier. I was able to download an app to my phone, for free, and it tells me when to walk or run. Not only does it tell me but I seem to be unable to argue with her. Even if I say I don't want to run, she isn't going to change her mind because she is a program! Not only that but somehow after every run I want to go again. I have NEVER felt that way but I look forward to each run and am so grateful that Marc does it with me. Now, on to week 2!

Ward BBQ

At the beginning of each school year our ward has a BBQ. This is my favorite event that we do and I look forward to it! This year we invited our neighbors to go with us and we had a blast. It was very nice to sit at a park, enjoy good company, and eat good food! I mean is there a better way to spend an evening? I loved having our neighbors there with us and it afforded us the opportunity to explain a little about the church. I love being able to share my beliefs with those around me and yet not have to be totally preachy about it. I felt that it was a good experience for everyone and I am already looking forward to next year!!

Pedicures!

For my birthday I received a gift certificate for a pedicure. I haven't had a pedicure since my senior trip in 2007 and so I was SUPER excited. The gal who gifted me this was very pregnant at the time and couldn't go with me because they were afraid that they would induce labor. While she was okay with labor being induced, we waited a few months to go together. With school coming soon my work schedule had to change and that meant that I had my Wednesday afternoons free. It was the perfect time for a pedicure. So off we went to enjoy some relaxation. It was so nice to have some girl time and enjoy being pampered. I am hoping I won't wait another 5 years to go again!

My pedicure is the one with the green toes with the red flower and Megan's is the one with the red paint with the rhinestones. Aren't they cute?

School is DONE!!!!!!

It is official!!! I have finally finished my bachelor's degree from NAU. No more classes for me! It is such a relief to be done and to have that weight off of my shoulders. I am far from done with school as I am doing 14 credits this fall but I am done for the moment. In a few weeks they will mail me my diploma and I couldn't be more excited!!!

Pulling Weeds

I must be turning into my Mother but I have been pulling weeds all week. I go out for a little while and just listen to my music, pull weeds, and think. It has been a really nice way to find peace and quiet in this noisy world. It has afforded me the opportunity to be still and that is something I have never been very good at. The scriptures talk about being still and I am finally starting to understand the value of that and the peace that it affords. And not only has my weed pulling been good for me but it is great for our yard! However, I have decided that I will never finish at this rate and am looking forward to my family coming to visit me with their tools so that I can actually finish the yard.

Enjoy the before and after photos!

Still Waiting

So when Marc was waiting for the email about his DPS Physical test I was checking his email like every two seconds. Now that we are waiting for a mailed piece of paper he is checking our mail (only once a day) but as soon as he possibly can every day. I think he realizes that the mailman only comes once and so checking it more than that won’t help him. I am about ready to give up on it ever coming, which if the record holds true means that we should have it any day now! Let the waiting continue…..

Cleaning the Yard

Doing that workout on Monday was such a good idea. I got finished and decided that I wanted to go pull weeds in my yard. I don’t know that I have ever WANTED to go pull weeds before but I figured that I could listen to music start on a small section for like a half hour and then do another half hour tomorrow. In like a month my yard will be weed free! So off I went and pulled weeds in my yard. I have a music playlist for Mikkel from his Eagle that I was playing on my phone and it is a random group of songs. I was listening to the new pop song that talks about how beautiful this girl is and she doesn’t even know it. I keep trying get in the mindset that I can be that girl. I am beautiful and I just have to realize that. I was dancing away and convincing myself that I was beautiful when the next song came on. It was the EFY rendition of As Sisters in Zion/Army of Helaman. It was out in my yard pulling weeds that I realized that I need to be beautiful inside and out. It was a really special moment and I am not sure words do it justice but I realized that in order to do that that there are “weeds” in my life that I need to get rid off and it gave me the courage to do that. This is one of the things that I was so grateful that AZTI taught me. It taught me that quiet moments are okay and should be sought after. I now don’t try to fill my life completely with noise but try to let those quiet moments happen. I realize that I was listening to music while I pulled weeds but it was the attitude and the reflection that happened while I was pulling weeds. I hope to have more moments like that in the future and am hoping that maybe I will have another tomorrow while I pull weeds.

Working Out

I worked out for the first time in months today. I have been really nervous to get back into anything since the new medicine because there are so many ups and downs. I decided though that I wanted to start slow and get back into it. I have now started the couch to 5 K program and have finished my first workout successfully. I used the C25K app on my phone and it tells me when I need to do whatever it is that I need to be doing. I felt so good today after running and was grateful that the cramping that followed wasn’t as devastating as it used to be. It was such a nice thing and I was glad that Marc came with me even though it is a little below his current workout routine. I am excited for Wednesday to run again. But I knew that I would have to blog tonight about it because I will probably be sore tomorrow and not think this was such a great idea. But today I am loving it!

Popcorn

Ever since Mikkel’s Eagle Court of Honor I have been addicted to popcorn. Aunt Gerry made an awesome tasting popcorn and I have been trying desperately to mimic it in my home and that means eating the popcorn I make! I have thoroughly enjoyed my new snack until Sunday night. About 6 months ago I cut corn out of my diet. It was an easy thing to do and I usually don’t miss it but my body was just not tolerating it at all. So I stopped eating it. I will eat a little bit here and there if it cooked into something but I don’t use it at all in my home or in my cooking. Well silly me didn’t notice that last week while I was eating the popcorn that I wasn’t feeling great. I figured that my body was trying to have a period or something and didn’t pay much attention to it. I finally started feeling better on Sunday and by Sunday night I was just sore. I made some popcorn and Marc and I ate some while we played Monopoly. Suddenly the cramping started again and I made a connection. “Marc, how much corn do you think is in popCORN?” He told me that since it was in the title it probably had quite a bit. Sure enough I can’t eat popcorn anymore either. I am now desperately trying to find a substitute for my popcorn cravings. If you have any ideas PLEASE share them but until then I will just sit and wonder how it took me this long to figure out that A) popcorn was making me sick and B) that it is popped CORN. I mean really?

Dishwasher Safe

I bought a new water bottle for my drinks in the morning off of the clearance rack and I swear I checked to see if it was dishwasher safe. However, I am going to venture that it probably wasn’t… the poor thing couldn’t even stand after that little incident.