The Drive of the Century

For those of you who have drive the Rexburg to Provo straight you know it takes about 4- 4 1/2 hours. Take a 45min lunch and gas break and continue on to St. George for another 3 1/2-4 hours. Making a total of about 8 1/2 hours. We did that no problem on our way down for Thanksgiving. It was a piece of cake. And Thanksgiving was full of tasty food and bulging stomachs. My baby niece, Delilah, was SO CUTE! After her baby blessing in church on sunday we took off to head home to Rexburg. We left about 11am, which means we should have gotten home by 7:30pm. WRONG! We didn't get home until 1:40am! And if we do the math here that equals 14 hours and 40 min. Why, might you ask? Well, I'll tell you why. SNOW!!! SNOW. SNOW. SNOW. It snowed ALL DAY all over Utah and Idaho. It took us 8 hours alone to get form St. George to Provo. It was terrifying and absolutely ridiculous! I couldn't believe it! Ryan's sister and her boyfriend slid off the road and along with them so did 50 other people along the way. There was an exciting accident near Parawan. A Semi pulling two gas tanks behind it slid off the road and the second gas tank flipped over and slid into the first tank- sticking out into the highway. It was kind of cool to see. We must of gotten there right when it happened because we learned later that they detoured traffic 20 miles around highway so that they could transfer all the gas from one truck to another. There were all sorts of craziness going on along the highway. It was such a long day. We will never forget that trip- that's for sure. I think next time we'll leave an extra day in between when we leave and when we have to be back for work and school. eh heh.

Adventures in Southern Utah

THUD!.. That's what I woke up to this morning. The sound of a snowball hitting our window. I thought we had left the wintery wonderland. St. George area is supposed to be warm- but no. Last night a storm blew through and it was cold enough in the night to turn it to snow! So Ryan's dad went out and threw snowballs at our window haha. Of course, he had to scrounge around to find enough snow to make a snowball, but he did it! And THUD, I woke up.
This week has been fun so far. On Monday we went rock climbing at Chuckwalla Wall in St. George, UT. It was awesome! We met some hardcore climbers there. A couple from Sweden came to the USA to climb for 7 weeks. Just climb! Ryan was super jealous haha. We also met these two American girls that are mountain guides in France! Craziness!
Yesterday we took a trip to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon! It was kind of a long drive, but a very pretty one- from what I could tell while I was awake. Does anyone else fall asleep immediately to the humdrum of the car engine and the lull and sway of the fast moving car?! To me, it's useless to try to keep my eyes open in a car for too long. It puts me to sleep... every time. But the canyon was awesome! It was beautiful and surprisingly... covered in snow! It was freezing way up there, but the view was amazing! Unfortunately I have a slight aversion to heights. Okay, maybe that is an understatement- but I believe my fear is heightened due to my daredevil husband and his daredevil sister!

But when I was able to stand solid and look around, the view was breathtaking! No really, the wind and altitude made it harder to breath! Haha. I'll have to go back some day when my limbs aren't numb and the ice paths and lack of railing along the paths aren't threatening my life! :)

Raspberries and Cleaners

Today was busy! Today we had a pie contest at work! So I made a family favorite- Mom's famous Raspberry Cheesecake! Mom would make it every Thanksgiving and Christmas (my two favorite Holidays) Ohhh, my mouth is watering just thinking about it! A tasty crumbly, buttery graham cracker crust with a smooth creamy finger-licking good homemade cheesecake filling and topped with a thick homemade raspberry jam! Ohhh if heaven were a food, it would be this pie! Did I mention that raspberries are my favorite fruit! My cousin, Abbey, and I used to eat fresh picked raspberries till the wee hours of the morning at her grandparents house in Wyoming talking about boys and life. Good memories! Do you have one of those foods that just brings lots of good memories while making your mouth water and drool all over :)?
Anyway, after I made the pies my day was full of cleaning and scrubbing and packing for our trip to St. George. We are so excited to get away for awhile! Much needed. But why clean? Isn't it just so wonderful to come home to a clean home after being on vacation and living out of a suitcase for a week and a half? I think so- I learned that from my Dad. I used to hate the fact that he would make us clean the house until it sparkled before we left for vacations, but I was always grateful when we came home to a clean and nice smelling home. So that's what I did all day :) Now I'm going to work for the last time for the next week! HURRAY!

Just Another Day in Rexburg

Yesterday was... interesting to say the least. It started sleeting at 9am and by 9:10am it had turned to snow and covered the ground and rooftops! It's was insane! It happened so fast and then by 10am it was melting and clear skies!!! By 11am it was looking like a beautiful day haha. Today is just as beautiful. Not a sign in the world that it had just dumped snow yesterday morning.
I've been kinda stressed lately with insurance policies, work, signing up for school and worrying about my application for the Nursing Program and missing Ryan all day while I do nothing and then go to work. So yesterday while i made tried to make grilled cheese I cried over the cheese because it wouldn't cut right... that's right, I cried over cutting the cheese. It was getting down the end of the cheese block and that is always harder to cut than a full block. It kept coming off in chunks instead of slices- so I cried. I felt ridiculous, but it felt good afterwards. Don't you ever cry over ridiculous things, just to let it all out? I think every girl does at least once in her life. Such is the way of our hormones I guess.
I was able to get off work a little early last night and decided to do what my husband loves- rockclimb! so we went to our favorite Rexubrg Climbing Gym- Regional Rock Wall and climbed for a couple hours. It was a lot of fun. I don't usually get to go because I'm at work or have other things I'd rather be doing. BUt this time I thought it would be nice to share Ryan's love for rock climbing and it was great! I had a lot of fun! I can't wait until we are in St. George and can go climbing outside where it is warm... unlike here in Rexburg.

Boredom leads to Insanity

I haven't been to school since last April and it's been wonderful not to have to worry about homework and going to classes and making deadlines and taking test! But I've been so bored in the last couple of weeks that I am actually really looking forward to being extremely busy next semester! Crazy! This week is the last week before the Thanksgiving Holiday when we get to take a week off of school and work and just relax! We are traveling down to Hurricane, UT to be with Ryan's family. Speaking of which... there is a new family member to announce! I am officially a first time Aunt! Ryan's older sister just gave birth to their first baby girl- Delilah Ann. She is precious from what I've seen in text pictures! So, we're excited to go visit them and see our new niece for the first time!
As for the rest of this week... I need to keep myself busy- this just wont do! I can only clean our 2 bedroom apt so many times. I should be working on a quilt I've been making for my dearest friend- Anna. She is getting married in March and I am so happy for her! She has asked me to be her maid of honor and to do her hair for the wedding! I'm so excited. But anyways, I'm turning all her high school t-shirts into a memory quilt! It's going to be so cute! But so far it is proving to be a lot of slow work.
By the way- in case any of you were wondering. I finally got my application turned in for the Nursing Program here at BYU-Idaho. It's all said and done. No more changes. This will be the my 3rd and last time I apply for the program here. I'm so nervous! It took me so long to figure out what I wanted to do and I finally found it- I better get in! :) Keep me in your prayers! I need this! Unfortunately, I wont find out until The first week in March if I get in or not! But until then, I got to keep getting good grades! Well, now I'm going to go take a nap... or continue being bored or something. hah

Quesadilla Creation!

In our quest to save money and still eat tasty foods we discovered a new type of quesadilla! We mixed shredded canned chicken with mild chunky salsa. We melt the cheese on the tortilla and put on the chicken mixture. Fold quesadilla. Heat through. And eat with sour cream and Chalula Sauce! It was very tasty! I think next time i want to mix the chicken with some salsa verde. mmm. It was tasty! Then we spent the rest of the day in a lazy haze watching the Office. At one point Ryan jumped on the couch and shoved me off- laughing all the while! At which point began an epic battle! By the way- in case anyone wants to know, I totally kicked his trash! :) But somehow I'm the one that always gets hurt... eh heh.

Babies

Is it just me, or is everyone having babies?! In my ward last week there were 3 new babies born and 8 more women pregnant. I work with at least 3 people who are expecting and so is my sister-in-law (who is due any day now). Maybe its just because I live in a mormon town in a married ward... but man! It feels like a second wave of baby boomers here! Is it any wonder I want one so bad?! All I do is work right now because I'm not in school until next semester, so I get lots of time on my own while Ryan is in school.A majority of that time I spend thinking about babies- THEY'RE EVERYWHERE! Plus, I miss my baby sisters, even though they aren't so baby-ish anymore. My 4 year old sister sent me painted rocks for halloween and offered to send me all the money in her piggy bank so I could fly back home for christmas! What a doll! My 7 year old sister is sick with a flu or stomach virus and I wish there was something I could do for her. I miss them a lot... sighhh. Thank Goodness for skype right?

A Wintery Wonderland Suprise

My husband is a big rock climber. He loves climbing with ropes, without ropes, indoors or outdoors. Most especially outdoors climbing. All weekend he had been planning to go climbing with his cousin and a best friend. I don't usually go along with them- not because I dont like climbing-but because I'm not nearly as good as they are and I feel like it is their "male bonding" time :) But on this occasion I had agreed to go. Saturday's weather, as I mention before, was absolutely beautiful! Warm and sunny! Sunday was a little overcast but Ryan had high hopes for Monday morning's rock-climbing extravaganza! Come Monday morning, I looked out the window to gray skies and a lot of snow coming down. Rock Climbing= Canceled= Ryan upset. We only expected an hour or two worth of snowfall... but oh no, it snowed ALL day long! I happen to like snow! I like the way everything looks under a white blanket of fluff, especially the evergreen trees! But Ryan grew up in the Sunny San Diego and would rather bask in sun than a blanket of frozen water. Who can blame him? After about an hour of gray skies and unrelenting snowfall Ryan announces that he has Seasonal Depression... haha. Goodbye warm sunny days. Winter is officially here!

Class Registration

Today, Ryan and I signed up for our classes for next semester. I'm a little worried because our schedules are so opposite! I'm afraid we wont have much to to spend together! I NEED my "Ryan" time! Without it, I go crazy! :) It will be an interesting experience for the both of us- that's for sure. Thankfully, our semesters only last 3 1/2 months long due to our 3 track system instead of the usual 2. I'm excited for a new semester, but just a little worried about my time with Ryan. Any suggestions?

On the brighter side of things.. today was a GORGEOUS day here in Idaho and so Ryan and I decided to go on a bike ride. Well, unfortunately, we only have one bike! So I rode on the handle-bars while he pedaled. I don't know if any of you have ever done that before, but it's kind of thrilling and painful at the same time. Ryan balanced the bike carefully while I slowly made my perch on top of the bike handle bars. It was scary at first as we drove around our apartment complex. My white-knuckled grip on Ryan's wrists probably cut off any circulation to his hands! But it was so much fun! He steered, as best he could with me atop the handles, all around our neighborhood and surrounding area! It was A BLAST as we explored new places we hadn't been before. The air was crisp and cool and the sun was on its way down. We talked about anything and everything. At the end of the ride my bottom was a little sore, and so were his wrists, but it was a good moment- one of those moments I wish could last forever.

For Starters

It's been 6 1/2 months since I married the love of my life- Ryan. We were married in the San Diego Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints on April 16th, 2010. Some people think we were too young to get married and that it happened too quickly, but to me- it was perfect! Ryan and I met at school, BYU-I in our first semesters of school. We were friends for about 10 months before we started dating in October of 2009. It's kind of funny how things work out sometimes. The Lord definitely has a sense of humor! We had no interest in dating each other for a long time and then one weekend we just kind of decided that we should try things out and see where they go. Best spontaneous decision ever! I knew right off the bat when we started dating that he was the one for me. I had found the one. The one that I wanted to be with forever. He had it so easy! He didn't even have to try to win me over- I just knew. I, on the other hand, had to exercise some patience until he came around and proposed to me on January 18th, 2010. It was so sweet and romantic. We had had many talks on the swings of a nearby talk and so I thought nothing of it when he took me to "our spot". The snow fall that week had left about a foot and a half of snow on the ground, making the park look magical. As he pushed me on the swing he told me he loved me and pulled me into his arms for a hug. Then, all of the sudden, he was down on one knee with a little white box outstretched towards me and the most beautiful diamond ring inside. It was wonderful! He is wonderful.

Since we've been married, we've been slowly adjusting to a new life with each other. Its been so great and sometimes difficult, but it's nice to know that at the end of the day we still love each other more than ever and get to spend the rest of forever together! This blog is going to be my journey through life- through the ups and downs of being in college and married, in hopes that it will give others in my same situation courage to press forward when life gets rough and to enjoy the moments that you wish could last forever.