Expectations and Miracles

Do you remember in Elementary School when they asked you what you wanted to be when you grew up?  Well, I always answered “A Mom” because that is all I ever wanted to be.  I saw family, friends, and neighbors get married, and then have kids.  I thought that is just what happened: you get married, and then you have kids.  So, this was my expectation.   When Clint and I got married almost 6 years ago, I never imagined it would take us this long to have children. 

When we first got married we were always asked the question, “So, when are going to have kids?”  I would answer back with, “not sure” or “soon, hopefully”, or “I already have one” and point to Clint ;)  Many of our friends started to have children.  Then they started to have their second and even third child, and we still didn't have our first. 

At first I was embarrassed by the fact that we didn't have kids.  I didn't want to tell anyone that we were struggling with infertility.  I thought we were the only ones!  I was a little naive back then.  I would quickly change the subject if it ever came up.  I know, very mature, but that is how I dealt with it at the time. I’m sure I offended more than one person, and I feel so bad about that now.  I was just immature about the whole situation and too stubborn to talk about it.

 We learned in January 2011 that I have endometriosis.  I had surgery to remove it and thought that this was it!  But, nothing happened.  Later that year, we went through 4 cycles of clomid (hate that drug!) and then did 2 cycles of Intrauterine Insemination (IUI, aka: artificial insemination).  By this point it had been a long year of medical stuff.  I was emotionally exhausted and drained.  I felt broken and unsure about my purpose in this life.  Each day was a struggle to get up and going.  I needed a break.  So, we took a much needed “break” for about 5 months.  It was so nice!   No doctors, no medicine, no crazy hormones (well, I should say no extra crazy hormones!), and not as much stress. 

A friend of mine told me about a specialist that she and her husband were going to go see (they were having infertility problems also).  When she told me about him, something sparked inside of me.  I know that sounds weird, but I can’t explain it any other way.  She gave me his number and I held onto it for about 5 months.  Clint and I had just decided to take a break from it all and I wasn't ready to meet with a specialist quite yet.  To be honest, I was so sure and stubborn that it would just happen and we wouldn't need a specialist’s help.  After about 5 months I finally got up the nerve to call for an appointment, and I am so glad I did.  The appointment was one of the best ones we have ever had.  Everything just seemed to click and make sense. 

We decided to try another IUI.  This round was so much better.  I was taking a different medication than the one I had taken before and my body handled it much better.  This whole process just felt better.  It felt right. 

On December 14, 2012 we found out that I am pregnant; a pure miracle.  I think back on the past 4.5 years, and I wouldn’t change a thing.  I am who I am because of the struggles I had to go through.  My marriage is stronger than I ever imagined it could be.  I love my husband more than I thought possible.  My testimony of the Gospel has never been challenged like it has been the past 4 years.  Everything that I believed, everything that I learned growing up, came into question.  There were nights that I cried for hours and days that I wanted to just give up and quit.  But, God wouldn’t let me.  Looking back, I can see that He put some people in my life to strengthen and uplift me; and others he put in my life for me to help so I would forget about myself.  There is something so valuable about service.  I could go off for hours on it, but I will spare you!

I never thought I would say this, but I am grateful for this trial.  There are people that have impacted my life forever that I never would have met or gotten to know if it wasn’t because of this.  I have learned so much about myself, about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and about the scriptures that I never thought was possible.  I know that God hears and answers our prayers.  Sometimes the answer is no (which is so frustrating!), but He never leaves us comfortless.  He knows each of us and what is best.  His timing is always the right timing.

Infertility is something that not very many people speak up about, and while I can understand why, I often wonder why there isn’t more that is said.  Does that make sense?  I had no clue how many people struggle with this!  I often think that maybe if I had, things would have gone a lot better in the beginning.  I am now more open about this whole experience and will gladly answer any questions.  It’s interesting that things don’t always happen the way we expect them to, but they always seem to happen the way they are supposed to.

If you have ever struggled with, or are struggling with, having children, I am truly sorry.  It doesn't matter if you've been dealing with it for 1 year or 15, it’s still hard.  I don’t think anyone deserves to go through something like that.  It is absolutely heart breaking, especially when you have a not-so-friendly reminder each month!  Just know that you are not alone.  You are never alone.  I have learned that it is ok to cry.  It is ok to be sad.  It is ok to feel emotions.  But, don’t dwell on them.  Find something that will help you keep going.  For me, it was my job.  I love teaching.  That is what honestly kept me going most days.  I know, a whole lot easier said than done!

For those who have never had an infertility problem, be grateful and don’t ever be sorry about it!  If you have kids, go hug and kiss them right now.  They are each little miracles from our Heavenly Father. You may wonder what to say to someone who is going through something like this.  A simple “I’m sorry.  That must be hard” can go a long way.  And sometimes the best thing to say is nothing at all.  If you feel like you do need to say something, remember that less is more.

"Just when all seems to be going right, challenges often come in multiple does applied simultaneously.  When those trials are not consequences of your disobedience, they are evidence that the Lord feels you are prepared to grow more.  He therefore gives you experiences that stimulate growth, understanding, and compassion which polish you for your everlasting benefit.  To get you from where you are to where He wants you to be requires a lot of stretching, and that generally entails discomfort and pain."                                                                             --Richard G Scott

Happenings

Are you surprised that I'm posting?  I know I sure am!  I guess this is what happens when you have two weeks off of work (!!!!) and you just don't want to clean the house, again.
Clint and I have been having so much fun going to work, sleeping and the occasional trip to see family.  For Halloween we stayed home and handed out candy to our cute neighbors.  There were some pretty cute costumes!  I think my all time favorite was a family dressed up like the Incredibles (yes, I'm talking about you Patrice!).  Amazing...or should I say incredible? :)  Clint and I carved pumpkins, which I haven't done in ages!  Sure was fun, but oh so messy!

(Mine is the ghost...Clint found an Angry Bird pattern online that he just had to do!)

For the holidays we switch off whose family we go to each year.  However, our families live about 5 minutes away from each other, so really we are just switching off who we spend more time with (so far, it has worked very well!).  Well, this year was my family's turn to endure us for Thanksgiving!  My Grandma was able to be there, which was so nice.  It had been awhile since I had seen her.  We had turkey, stuffing, potatoes, gravy, jello (can't live in Utah and not have Jello!), rolls, corn, green beans, and red cabbage (it's a German thing?  Tastes a lot like pickles...).  Oh, and don't forget the pies...I think we had a pie for each person!  On Friday, Jessica and I braved the crowds and went shopping.  It actually wasn't that bad.  I think a lot of people had already gone the night before, so it was just like a busy Saturday.  That night we went up to Temple Square to see the lights.  Gorgeous as always.

(Clint really needed a hair cut in this picture!  Don't worry, he got one last week...)

On Saturday my Grandma taught us how to make Liebkuchen, which is a German honey cake.  I have been wanting to learn for years how to make this!  I'm glad my Dad was so persistent on us making it.  For those of you who haven't heard of it, it's very similar to gingerbread, but better.  I wish I would have taken pictures, but I was too busy helping Grandma!  I have already eaten all of ours.  Don't worry, I gave a few pieces to Clint.

Work is going great.  I love my schedule this year.  Because I'm only part time I only work in the mornings.  I have two classes each day, and I wouldn't have it any other way!  I am slowly getting the hang of my Chemistry class.  It's one thing to know the information and another to actually teach it.  The nice thing about it is I only have 17 kids in that class!  They are an awesome class.  I still love what I do, but I don't always like doing it.  Does that make sense? 

We will be with Clint's family for Christmas this year.  Christmas is one of my favorite holidays.  This year it has been harder to get into the Christmas spirit.  I don't know what it is, but it has just been harder.  I find that I have to remind myself that Christmas isn't about the presents or the house being decorated or treats being made (although, I made some pretty yummy ones this year!), it's really about remembering the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ.  I have always loved the story of Christ's birth.  So simple, yet so profound.  Before we could open presents on Christmas morning, my Dad would read the story to us from the Bible and remind us that even though we receive presents, to never forget the True Meaning of Christmas.  This is something that I have carried onto my own little family.  At first Clint thought it was weird, but now I think he secretly likes it.  I know our Savior lives and that He loves each one of us.

 

 I hope each one of you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

I Know, I Know...

I'm a slacker!  I haven't blogged in, oh, about a year :)  Wow, that was awhile ago, huh?  Well, let me update you on what has been going on in the past year....are you ready?  This might be a very l o n g post...

I started teaching high school science last August.  I have to be honest, I didn't love it at first; I didn't even like it.  I had a very challenging class full of freshmen.  All they wanted to do was talk, complain, and talk some more.  It was a hard first few months.  Thankfully, I got a Christmas Break :)  That energized me and the second half of the year was a LOT better!  My challenging class and I got to know each other better and we came to an agreement.  They would let me teach, and I would let them talk the last 10 minutes of class.  It worked about 85% of the time, which I was so grateful for!  At least they were progressing!  By the fourth quarter I loved teaching.  I felt like it was where I belonged and needed to be (which I had my doubts at the first).  I will be teaching again this next year and I will teach Chemistry and Earth Systems.  I will miss teaching Biology.  I don't feel as confident teaching Chemistry or Earth Systems, but Biology is where I know the most and feel the most comfortable.  I will for sure be stepping out of my comfort zone this next school year!  I'm very grateful that I work with some amazing teachers that help me so much.  I don't think I would have survived this past year without them.

Clint still works at the bank, and is loving it!  At least, that is what he tells me :)  I think it's kind of weird that we both have 'grown-up' jobs.  I still feel like I should be in college going to school!  I don't feel 'grown-up' at all!

I have been really bad about taking pictures this past year.  I don't even have any from Christmas or Thanksgiving!  I sure hope someone has a picture of us somewhere during those times :)

My family always goes up to Temple Square in SLC around Thanksgiving time.  This year, we did it the day after Thanksgiving.  There were a LOT of people there, but it was so pretty!  It had been a long time since I've been there to see the lights.  There's just something about seeing Christmas lights on trees that makes me smile :)  I did get pictures of this event, so not all is lost! 

As you can see from the picture, my brothers are crazy!  They like to wear shorts in the winter...  We were only missing two people: Chloe (Jer and McCall's daughter) and Jared.

In March we went with some of my family to St. George and visited some historical sites (my Dad is big on historical sites and has always wanted to see the ones in St. George).  We went to the Temple where we saw many couples that had just gotten married (so cute!).  Then we went to the Tabernacle and listened to an Organ Concert.  It was so cool!  It's amazing what you can do with an Organ.  Then we went to Brigham Young's house and took a tour.  It's a small, but quite cute house! 

In April we decided to be adventurous and hike Angel's Landing in Zions National Park.  Our friends had done it earlier that month and Jenny and Josh (Clint's sister and her husband) had done it the month before so we were feeling a little left out :)  They kept telling us how pretty it was and I think we just wanted to see it for ourselves.  That is one HARD hike!  The sign right before the trail head says something like if you are scared of heights and are out of shape to not do this hike; we didn't listen to this advice.  We didn't think we were THAT out of shape.  Boy, were we wrong!  I could barely make it through one switchback without having to stop and catch my breath.  But, as soon as you reach the top, it's so worth it. 

The view is spectacular.  This picture doesn't do it justice.

We made the mistake of going on a free pass day, so there were a lot of people there.  Note to self: always know when free pass days are and don't go on that day!  I'm not sure if I would ever do that hike again.  Maybe in a few years when I have forgotten how much pain my knees were in the next day.

We made it to the top!

In June Clint and I went to Disneyland!  I hadn't been since I was 6 and Clint hadn't been since he was about 12.  I have always wanted to go again (I don't remember a thing from when I was 6) and we had been talking about going since we got married.  This year, everything just fell into place so we went!  I love Disneyland!  It's amazing what they have done with the place.  My favorite ride was Space Mountain and I loved the 3D show It's tough to be a bug.  But, I think my most favorite part was the Jedi Training show that they do.  It is awesome!  I loved it and I wasn't even apart of it!  They pick kids from the crowd and they get to 'train' to be a Jedi.  Once they have 'trained' Darth Vader, Darth Maul and Storm Troopers come from out of the ground.  Each kid gets to 'fight' Darth Vader.  There was this little girl about 4 and she went right up to him and wasn't scared one bit.  I would have been scared!  It was so neat!  Ok, so maybe I'm a little bit of a nerd, but they did awesome on the costumes and voices.

We spent three days there going between Disneyland and California Adventure.  It was the perfect amount of time.  We did EVERYTHING that we wanted to do, and then some more.  It was so nice to get away from everything and just have some time to ourselves.  It was nice that we didn't have to worry about anyone else, and we could just do what we wanted to do.  Clint was so good at going on rides that were more for little kids than for us.  But, you are in Disneyland, you have to go on them!  (Like It's a Small World, etc.)

Classic picture front of the Castle.  It was cloudy and kind of cold in the mornings.

My favorite Disney movie is Peter Pan, so of course we had to go on the ride!  Don't I look so excited!  I think this was the best one in Fantasy Land

This summer we have had something going on each weekend whether it is hiking, camping, or family stuff.  It sure has been fun, but it makes the summer go by a lot faster!  And it makes it a little harder to put in our front yard.

We hiked Kanaraville Falls with our ward.  You walk up a river through a slot canyon.  The water was FREEZING but it was fun to get out and do something!  Plus, it was absolutely beautiful which makes it worth it.

And, of course, summer isn't summer without a trip to Bryce Canyon :)  I still love it and marvel at how beautiful it is.  We didn't get there until about 7pm and went on a short hike.  It was the perfect temperature and not a lot of people were there.  We camped at 'our spot', which is still gorgeous as ever.  Good times!

Well, we planted a garden again this year, and it is doing a lot better than it was last year!  Our corn is actually growing and doesn't look sickly.  It's still not perfect, but we are learning something new each time so hopefully each year will get better than the previous ones :)  Clint and his Dad are going to put in our sprinkler system this weekend so that we can finally start on our front yard :)  I am so excited to have grass instead of dirt and weeds!  Other than that, our life is pretty dull!

I promise I won't wait another year to update what has been going on with us, but I can't promise when it will be!

Just the Two of Us

Not including our Honeymoon, Clint and I have never taken a vacation all by ourselves. We have always been with either friends or family. Don't get me wrong, I love our family and friends and love to go on vacation with them. But, this year I wanted to do something with just Clint; no one else. Clint has to take 5 days off in a row, so we decided to go to Bryce Canyon, Grand Canyon and Zions National Parks. Mostly because Clint has never been to any of them, or if he has he doesn't remember them, and also because I had to write a report on a national park for the class I took this summer (all done!). Just a disclaimer: Because it was just the two of us on this trip, most, if not all, of the pictures on this post will be of Clint and me. :)

First stop: Bryce Canyon National Park! This is my favorite National Park in Utah (I haven't been to any outside of Utah, so I can't say). It wasn't too hot, which was oh so nice! In fact, it didn't get over 85 degrees while we were there. I think that's almost perfect! If you ever want to go somewhere out of the country, but don’t want to spend a lot of money, go to Bryce Canyon. There were so many people from out of the country that at times I felt like I was in Europe or Asia! Everyone was speaking anything but English.

Clint and Me

(It was a little bit of a challenge at times to get a good picture of us with no one else to take it.)

The one thing I really wanted to do was to go down into Bryce Canyon and hike among the red, orange, and white rock. I LOVED it! I wished we could have done it all day, but my feet hurt after awhile. Wow it's been a long time since I've actually hike!

(A very nice man, who barely spoke English, took our picture after seeing us struggle to take it ourselves!)

Clint gathering firewood like a real man!

We didn't want to camp in the campgrounds and we happened to see a friend of ours who is a Park Ranger, so she told us of a nice road to go on to find a spot to camp. It was PERFECT!! I think this was my favorite part of the entire trip! Although there wasn't a bathroom, the view and secludedness made up for it. We would just sit on our camping chairs and look around listening to the crickets in the trees (not sure what they were, but we called them 'our bugs'. They sounded a lot like crickets, but faster). We stayed here two nights because it was so nice. We were kind of sad to leave (kind of because I wanted a real bathroom!)

The view from our camping spot.  Georgeous!

Next stop, the Grand Canyon! So, I've been to the Grand Canyon on the North side, and I wasn't all that impressed. This is how it went my first time there: 'Oh cool! That is really far down. WOW! Ok, let's go.'  I told Clint this, but he still wanted to see it. I don't think he really believed me. He sure did when we got there! He said: 'This is it? I mean it's cool and all, but I thought it would be better.'

We did a short little hike, sat in the shade and watched people marvel at the Grand Canyon, took some pictures, and then we left. It sure is amazing! (but Bryce Canyon is better).

Yep!  Sure is Grand!

We were going to camp in a campground near Grand Canyon, but as we drove around it, we still couldn't get over how secluded it was at our last spot and how close together everyone was at this campground (no privacy at all!), so we didn't. We drove back to Kanab and stayed in a small campground just outside of the Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park. There were people there, but they were on the other side of the campground and there were lots of trees, so it was nice. I think I only saw one person the whole time we were there. Plus, it was only $5!

And last, but not least, Zion National Park. It was so HOT!! But, I thought it was beautiful! One hike (it was really a walk) went right next to the river and ended at the river so you could get in and play. At first I didn't know this and I saw people with their swim suits on and I thought to myself: That is not good hiking attire! I was so confused, until we reached the end. The river was nice and refreshing! We took our socks and shoes off and waded in the freezing cold water. I sat down in it and I was dry by the time we got back to the shuttle bus; that is how hot it was! I would love to go back when it's not so hot and when I'm not so ready to take a shower!  Four days is a little too long for me to not take a shower.

(It took us awhile to get this picture!  Fourth time's the charm!)

The water was so cold and so nice!

I have to be honest; I was a little worried to go on a trip all by ourselves for this long. What if I didn’t like being with him for so long? Or what if we got sick of each other? But, I am happy to say, we didn’t. It was so nice to get away from TV, work, the internet, cell phones and especially the Xbox. I had Clint all to myself for 4 whole days, and it was so nice! Sometimes I wish we could do this every day. I guess if we did, it wouldn’t be called a vacation.

Gross!

We have bugs in our garden.  Our zucchini and squash plants have those zucchini bugs (I think that's what they are called) so I have been spraying the plant with a mixture of water and dish soap because we heard that it would kill the bugs when they ate the plant.  Plus it is easy and cheap.  I don't think it's been working.  They seem to multiply by 20 each time I go out there!  I try and kill the ones that I can see when I'm out there, but there are eggs all over the leaves.  It's really disgusting!

And then, while we were watering the other day, we found this big caterpillar/warm thing inching around our tomatoe plants.  Clint wanted me to kill it.  I think he was a little scared to kill it, but so was I!  That thing was HUGE! 

So, we finally gave in and bought some bug-killer stuff (don't remember what it's called) to get rid of them.  We put it on Friday, so we will see if it works.  Sure hope so!  At least they aren't in our house!  I don't think I could handle that.  Oh the things you learn when you plant a garden :)  Bytheway, we now know to plant marigolds near our tomato plants.  If you know of any other trick, let me know.

The tomato worm. 

I don't know why they are called worms when they are so big!  This one was as fat at my thumb.

Easy Banana Cream Pie

I love, love, LOVE Banana Cream Pie!  On Sunday I really wanted one, so I figured I could just make one without a recipe and with whatever I had on hand.  It actually turned out really good!  Here is what I did:

1 package Banana pudding

1/2 of 8oz cool whip

1 graham cracker pie crust

1 3/4 c Milk

2 bananas (more if you want!)

Cut bananas into pieces and place on bottom of pie crust.  I bought my pie crust at the store because it was more convenient, but you can easily make your own with graham crackers and butter or with vanilla wafers.  Wisk banana pudding and milk together for about 1 min, just to get it all mixed.  Mix in cool whip.  Pour mixture onto pie crust and chill for at least an hour. 

Clint LOVED this pie, and actually asked me to make another one for later that night!  I would have taken a picture, but I was enjoying it way too much and by the time I thought about taking a picture, it was all gone.  Oh, well...  Let me know if you have a better recipe; I am always up for a good piece of Banana Cream Pie!

Everything and Anything

This past month or so has been quite busy for Clint and me!  I guess I will start with the sad stuff and move onto the more happy stuff.  I have to warn you this post is a little long!  But, atleast there are pictures :)

My Mom's Mom, Barbara LaRue Zwhalen Lambert, passed away on June 5, 2010.  It was a little expected, but still very hard.  She was staying with my parents the past 6 weeks or so, so that is where she passed away.  She was born on January 18, 1922 so she lived a long and productive life.  She served in the Marines as the head cook and married my Grandpa who was in the Navy at the time.  Together they had 9 kids with 8 of them still living.  This made for some very fun and very large family get togethers!

I love my Grandma very much.  She taught me to always be kind to others, love everyone, stay faithful in the gospel and to work hard.  She would always ask how I was and what I was up to and she would listen even though at times I'm sure it was kind of boring! 

 

My Grandma was very beautiful, I think, even when she got older.  I think that this picture is from right before my Grandpa and her got married.

My Grandma and me. 

My Mom and Dad were in school and going to work right after I was born and so my Grandma took care of me often, even when she broke both of her ankles!  She was amazing!

My Grandma and Grandpa

It's a little hard having so many deaths in my family in such a short time.  I feel like everytime I turn around someone else is getting old and starting to die.  I don't like dealth; I never have.  I especially don't like funerals and I wish that I could never go to another funeral again.  It's not that they are horrible, it's just that I tend to remember each and every funeral I have ever been to and the feelings that I felt at each one.  I also tend to cry when I see or hear someone else crying and I don't like crying.  My eyes get red and puffy, my nose runs and I talk funny.
  One Sunday in Relief Society we were talking about the Plan of Salvation and one sister commented on how she loves how she can go to funerals and be happy because she knows that there is life after death.  I wanted to comment and almost disagree with her, but I didn't because I didn't think it would have been appropriate.  Yes I know that I will see my Grandma, Grandpas and Aunt again, but that doesn't make it any easier for me to have them pass away.  I am happy that they are healthy, but I'm sad because I don't get to see them for what feels like a long time.  Death is never easy, no matter how much you know or how strong your testimony of the gospel is.  I know this sounds a little selfish and very childish, but it's just how I feel. 

Anyway, now onto something much more happier!  Clint graduated and now has his MBA!  I am so proud of him!  It feels so nice to finally be done with school and have him home at night.  The only problem is that now that he's home at night, I have to actually cook something for dinner...

Clint with his Master's hood.  I was so jealous!  Someday I want to get my PhD.  I love school and Clint doesn't really care, so it's kind of funny that he is the one to get his Master's and I'm not.  But, someday, when we have more money, hopefully I will.

My sister, Jessica, graduated from High School! 

This makes me feel so OLD!  I remember when she was born and when we hated each other.  Now, she is one of my best friends.  I think my parents were smart to have us share a room when we were younger, although at the time I wanted to runaway!  We would stay up late talking and just being goofy.  I am so proud of who she has become and everything that she does.

My youngest brother and sister have graduated from Elementary school. 

They are so ready to move onto Jr. High!  This makes me feel even older.  I remember my Mom telling me she was pregnant and going to the doctor and learning that my Mom was going to have twins!  I am so glad they are my brother and sister!  Spencer is so funny he cracks me up every time I talk to him.  And Emily is so nice and good with animals.  If you ever want to know what kind of dog is what, Emily will know.  She loves animals; anything and everything about them!

Clint decided to play Soft Ball with the bank on a city league and has liked it so far.  The only down part to it is that they haven't won a game :(  Although, they have been close twice!  But, he has fun doing it.

We put in a garden!  This picture is of our raspberry plants.  Clint LOVES raspberries and so when a lady at his work offered us her raspberries plants (she can't take care of them anymore) Clint was so excited!  He talked about it for weeks!  We were a little nervous that they wouldn't make it because of the shock of them being transplanted, but out of the 50 plants we got (yes, 50...) about 47 of them are starting to come alive!  We don't think we will get raspberries this year, but next year we will have a TON. 

My sisters and brother came down over Memorial weekend and helped us put in our garden and to have some fun.  I haven't taken a picture of it yet, but it is a lot bigger than I expected!  We planted corn, tomatoes, onions, zuchinni, and squash.  We really hope something will grow and we get atleast one tomato!  This is our first time planting a garden, and we sure are learning a lot.  Don't worry, we didn't make my siblings work the entire weekend.  We also went shotgun shooting, had a Bar-B-Q, played games, and visited the cemetary (my family does that every year so we had to).  We loved having them here.  It was nice to have a full house for once.

I'm all grown up

Since I have been done Student Teaching I have been looking at teaching jobs and because I live in a kind of small town, there aren't too many Science Teaching positions open.  There were a couple at the Middle School here, but I didn't catch them in time, and, to be honest, I really don't like teaching Middle School aged kids!  I've tried and they are a little too immature for me!  Anyway, I had given up all hope when I happened to look last Wednesday and there was a position open and it was EXACTLY what I was looking for!  Part time, science, at a High School.  Perfect!  So, I ran around that day getting everything that I needed to apply for it and the next day I went and turned in my application. 

I didn't think I would get an interview until the next Wednesday or so, but they called up on Monday and set up an interview for that afternoon.  I was so nervous!  I spent the rest of the morning brushing up on my teaching skills and philosophy and looking up interview questions that they may ask.  There are some tough questions out there!  The interview went well.  Thankfully they didn't ask the tough questions that I was dreading.  I actually Student Taught with one of the interviewers, which made me even more nervous (not that I didn't like her, but that I knew her and she was helping interviewing me!).  I walked out feeling ok, but over analyzing everything that I had said (that is just what I do).  I called Clint and told him a play-by-play of how the interview went.  Clint told me to stop worrying and that I did great (he really is the best husband ever!).  So, I made up my mind that I didn't get the job and to stop worrying about it (for me, this is the only way to stop thinking about something). 

Well, this morning one of the interviewers called and asked some questions on specific classes I had taken and then told me that I only needed one more class and I would be qualified to teach Earth Systems (which was one of the classes they needed a teacher for) and asked if I would be willing to take that class this summer if it meant I would get the job.  I said yes, and she said thanks, we will let you know our decision.  That made me so nervous!  I was fine until that phone call!!  Anyway, I went to the library to look up that one class to see if it was offered this summer at the University and it is.  But, I didn't want to sign up for it if I wasn't going to get the job.

And then I got a phone call from the principal at the High School and she offered me the job on condition that I take that class, of course.  AHHHH!!!!  I said I accepted it and I would take that class this summer.  I was shaking so hard I could hardly hold the phone.  I know this is a very long story, but I need to ramble to someone, and Clint is at work and I have talked his ear off enough these past few days while he has been at work (hopefully he doesn't get in trouble!). 

So, I am officially a high school science teacher!  It feels good to have gone to school for so long and work so hard for something and have it finally pay off.  One of my dreams is finally coming true.  And, yes, I know it's weird to dream about being a science teacher, but that's just me.  I am a nerd and proud of it!

Circle of Life

My sister-in-law, McCall, had her baby. She is one of the cutest little babies I have ever seen, but I may be a little biased. She came a month early, but both Mother and baby are doing great.

Chloe
(How adorable is she?)

My Grandpa Walgren passed away on March 29, 2010. It was a long time coming, but still very hard. Each time I saw him I always told Clint: "This will probably be the last time I get to see him" and I've been saying that since before we got married three years ago. He had diabetes and the past 4 or so years the disease starting getting to him.

My Grandpa was a very special man to me. I always looked up to him and he was my favorite

person to talk to because he would always make me laugh. One thing that has stood out to me about my Grandpa was that he paid attention to details. My family and my Grandparents were all hiking and we would take frequent stops (mostly because of me...my face goes really red when I do practically anything and they were worried that I would get overheated). Each time we stopped, Grandpa would point out little things like a pretty little flower amidst weeds or a squirle or something like that. At first I was so amazed that he saw those things! But, then I started looking for them and I had so much fun showing him all the things that I saw. He taught me to slow down and enjoy the things around me because you may see something beautiful that you may have missed.

I love this picture of him. For some reason, it reminds me of President Hinckley. My Grandpa was very knowledgeable when it came to the gospel. I remember whenever he and my Grandma would come to visit we would all sit around the kitchen table and just talk. My Grandpa wasn't a very loud person, so when he spoke, you listened.

Me and Grandpa!

He was making a funny face, but my Mom took too long taking the picture...oh well.

I LOVE this picture of him!
This is exactly who my Grandpa was. Always pulling a funny face whenever he could.

Uncle David, Auntie Sheri, My Dad, Grandma, and Auntie Shelly all doing my Grandpa's favorite expression. Love it!
I love my family very much. I have gotten to know my extended family a little bit more these past 6 months and I can honestly say that I have the best family in the world! I wish we all lived closer so we could do things together more often.
My testimony of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has increased tremendously. We believe that there is life after this one here on earth and that we will see those who have passed on once again. I know that someday I will see my Grandpa and my Auntie Wendy again. I still miss them, but I know that they are finally home and are healthy once again.

All in one

Just a warning, there are quite a few pictures on this posting! But, I guess that makes up for not posting in a while. Ok, so it's been a long time. Anyway, lots has happened.
First of all, our house is DONE! We are all moved in (well, our stuff is all in our house, wether we we have put it all away yet is the question) and we LOOOOVE it! We have no idea how we fit so much stuff into a one bedroom apartment. The only thing that I am not happy about is our rock on the front of our house. That is NOT the kind we picked out! But, whatcanyado? The only time I remember that I don't like it is when I leave and come home. So, that's not too bad.

The front of our house.

Front entry and our shoes : )

Living room, dining room, kitchen and stairs.
This was before they cleaned up so that is why there is dirt on our floors.

Hallway. Our one and only one!
You can kind of see the guest bathroom and a closet (love it!)

These are my absolute favorite things about our house! No more going to the laundry mat or to my in-laws to do laundry. I have my very own washer and dryer! And a room to stuff all our dirty clothes into :) The dryer in the picture isn't ours. They ordered the wrong kind, so we had to wait for 2 weeks before we got "ours". It was nice of them to let us borrow one they had.

Just to let you know, they are MASSIVE! I don't know if I was just used to tiny washer and dryers, but I can put a whole load in plus more! It's like heaven.

Sheep Festival

Every year, my best friend, Lori, comes down to watch the Sheep parade. We love it! It's a fun tradition. But, this year, the parade just wasn't as good. One year, the sheep got away and started going down one of the busiest roads here in our town. Funny! But, not this year. So, we are re-thinking our annual sheep festival tradition. We just weren't impressed. Allwell, it was still fun to get together like old times!

Me and Lori.
(Her aunt calls us chocolate and vanilla)

The sheep.
I think it's so funny how a town has a parade where they herd sheep down main street and that I actually go and watch it!

Volleyball

My sister plays for her high school volleyball team, and they won State! It was a good game! They played Lone Peak, which is their biggest rivalry, so it was even more intense. My sister called me Saturday morning and told me that she was playing later that night and if we could come. How could I say no? So, we drove and watch them win! It was well worth the drive.

They even had their mascot there (Go Vikings!).
What's funny about this is that this is the exact same costume they had for the mascot when I was in High School, which has been almost 6 years, and it was way old then.

Ready to play!

Auntie Wendy

My Aunt has been battling Breast Cancer for the past 8 years, and it finally caught up to her. She passed away the end of September. My family and I went to California for her funeral. Even though I knew she didn't have much longer, it was still hard. She fought hard. I had the opportunity to go with my Grandma, aunts and cousins to help dress her into her clothes. At first I was a little scared to do so, because I don't do so well with dead people that I have known (I don't know anyone who really does). Anyway, it was the most spiritual experience I have ever had. I know that we are here on Earth for a reason and that there is life after death. I know that I will see my aunt again someday.

Although the circumstance wasn't that great, it was nice to see the family that I rarely get to see. I have the most amazing family and I wish I lived closer to them.

Me, Jess, Auntie Siggy (my grandma's sis), and my Grandma Tia

"The Pink Ladies"

We all had pink scarves and worse pink ribbons to honor my Aunt. I have never been so proud to wear pink in my life. (For those of you who know me, I'm not a huge fan of pink, but now I am)

Me, Cole (doesn't he look like Edward from Twilght??), Jess, Jared, and Keenan is in front.

My Dad, his brother and Sisters and my Grandparents.
(It's wierd not seeing my Auntie Wendy in that picture.)

This is the only picture I have on my computer of her. Isn't she beautiful? Even though we didn't talk very often, I still miss her. She seemed to always be laughing and having a good time no matter what.

Well, that is all the pictures for now. I will be done student teaching on Tuesday (yay!) and then it's time for me to start look for a job (boo). This year for Thanksgiving, we are going to my parents'. Each year, we go to Temple Square in Salt Lake the day before Thanksgiving. I am excited! I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving and eats lots of Turkey and yummy food! I know I sure am ;)