Laura Joyce Leavitt

Moving On To A New Year

2011-12-31T10:03:00.000-08:00

The past few months have really been a blur to me. I honestly barely feel like i am gaining control of my life again, but it is almost like i can't remember how i lost control of it in the first place. Between traveling to Logandale every weekend, helping the Kirk family, going to school, working, putting Vance and Teisha's wedding together, and the Holidays, my own life somehow disappeared, my house was completely neglected and i have only taken one more belly shot in the past 10 weeks. There has been so much that has gone on and that Kaden and I have been involved in that i could write about and probably should, but right now i don't really know where to start. So, here are a few of the things that i can remember at the moment.

Lived-

- Every weekend except for a couple, Kaden and I have still traveled to the valley. In November we continued to go to see Malcolm and the boys. I am not sure how to explain to the world all of the things that we did when we were with them or when our weekends were specifically meant for them. November was a hard month for all of us who are close to the Kirk family, everyday was new a story and new update and it honestly broke our hearts to not be in their home more than we already were. Malcolm passed away November 15, in his bed, surrounded by his closest friends and family. Kaden and i were not there, but we traveled down to the valley the next morning, stayed the rest of the week until the funeral and i stayed until after Thanksgiving. Its an odd feeling to have your heart break for some one passing but to feel so much joy for them at the same time. One of the last things that Malcolm said to both Kaden and I was how excited he was for us to be having a little girl. He had a hard time speaking in the end, but to hear him express the joy he had for us was really amazing, and it really showed the love he had for his own children. That moment i really will never forget. The fast Sunday before Malcolm passed Pierce bore his testimony in sacrament. If there ever was a meeting where everyone's eyes were filled with tears of both sorrow and the spirit this was it. His testimony was short and sweet and to the point, but he spoke the most truthful words anyone could say that day. I wanted to share that, just to point out the strength that he has as an eleven year old boy who lost both of his parents in one year. Malcolm's funeral was beautiful, it was smaller than Julie's but not as many people knew about it either. The stories that were told about him were great, and the men who spoke were as well. My dad had the opportunity to be a speaker, and he felt so privileged to be able to stand at the pulpit and talk about his best friend. My dad really impressed the stake president when he told a story of Pierce saying "faggot" but it was funny and he helped to liven the mood. The weeks since Malcolm's passing we have been cleaning, and clearing out the house, having garage sales, and boxing things up. Now that all of that is finished up it feels really final and like it is time to start moving on with life.

- Vance and Teisha's wedding was on December 16. They honestly couldn't have been married on a more beautiful day. The weather was so nice in Saint George and the sky was blue and bright. Their sealing was beautiful as well. It is always so neat to hear what is said in the temple two people are married. Nancy did an amazing job of planning the day and setting up the reception too. She put so much time and effort into making it just perfect for them.

- Christmas was quite the ordeal this year. Kaden and I always tend to be running back and forth between families but for some reason this year seemed to be a little crazier than usual, that could just be because we were over whelmed by our amazing gifts and that i was 28 weeks pregnant and i don't seem to have a ton of energy lately. The day before Christmas eve Sarah and I got to go see Camille and Alex in Vegas for a few hours. I felt so bad that we didn't get to spend more time with them but it was so nice to catch up. After we left them i told Sarah that it is always so hard to say bye to Cami because we don't tend to talk much until we actually see each other but it is so nice that every time we get together we just pick right back up where we left off. Christmas eve was a lot of fun, Nancy, Teisha, and I spent the day sewing. Well Nancy sewed and Teisha and i cut. I made two pillows from a tutorial i found on pinterest, one for my mom and one for Kaden both with something printed on them and Nancy helped us both make adorable stockings. We also got to have dinner with Kaden's family and spend time with them and then go over to the Hymas home for a huge dinner, it was nice to spend the Holidays with them and the Kirks since we have grown so close to them this past year. Christmas day consisted of presents at Penn and Nancy's then Presents at my parents, then Kyle and Jessica's, then back to Penn and Nancy's for Luke to call, then back to my parents, then to Grandma and Grandpa Leavitt's then back to my parents, and then home. The only thing we regret not doing on Christmas was that we didn't get to go to church. This year really was hard to feel the spirit of Christ in Christmas without it. Especially since we both got so spoiled. Kaden told me a couple of days before Christmas that all of my presents came from Walmart, i was pretty nervous about what in the world he could have got me from Walmart that i would have wanted. Turns out, there are all kinds of things at Walmart that i wanted ha. I got a cricuit, fishing pole, juicy perfume, a shoe rack, scrap booking stuff to make a San Francisco scrap book (which is funny because i made Kaden one for Christmas) and all kinds of other stuff. Then from Penn and Nancy and my parents, i also got clothes, a juicy jump suit, a little camera, a curling iron, a year supply of shampoo and conditioner (i seriously did ask for that) and some essential oils. Kaden got a ton of clothes, shoes, and hats from me because he seriously has ruined a lot of his this past year and hadn't bought anymore, as well as tools. From our parents he got a really nice grill, a snap on impact something, and a wrench set. He was in love and very happy with his gifts as well. I wish i would have taken a picture of car on the ride home. It was completely packed and filled up like a puzzle.

-I have not mentioned our new dog yet, i was actually debating on whether i should or not because i am afraid she is still a trial pet. Everyday we fall more and more in love with her, but at the same time there have been a few days i have gotten so angry with her i almost dropped her off at the pound myself. I know we are crazy for getting a new dog, but she was Malcolm's and she needed a loving home and i have always loved her, i am convinced she has always loved me too because she never leaves my side. Her name is Zoey and she is Korgie, Healer mix. We seriously have a thing for getting the oddest mixed dogs ever. She looks like she is an over grown weaner dog with long hair and rabbit ears and when we are home she honestly is perfect. She doesn't bark, she doesn't fight with Tiffany, she doesn't get on the bed and she goes to the back door when she has to go out. Until this week she was great when we weren't home too, but that all changed when i left the house on Monday and she jumped up on my counter knocked everything over and shattered my Christmas plates. I being pregnant and all locked her outside sat on my kitchen floor and cried for about an hour before i even cleaned anything up. Then Tuesday i decided she was going to be locked and zip tied into her kennel when i left. I came home, she had broken out, and pooped all over my living room. Wednesday i locked her out back. This seemed to be perfect, she didn't jump over the fence even though she can and nothing was ruined in my house. So, Thursday i did the same thing. Well i came home to my house flooded and the verdict is till out on whether or not she can turn on hoses, because our hose pipe broke in our wall, and flooded our kitchen. Kaden seems to think it was just an unfortunate week. So, we will see how next week goes.

Learned & Loved-

Again, i am not sure where to start with all of the things we have both loved and learned this past little while, or even this past year. With everything that has happened and with the so many changes we have gone through we continually feel blessed for all that we have. I think the main thing we will take away from this past year would be that we have learned to love more. Through both Julie and Malcolms deaths we grew closer to each other and our families, we realized that we take for granted every moment we share with one another, and through all the service and time we have given this year we have never felt more love and appreciation ourselves for all that we have in our lives. We make it a goal every day to grow closer to each other and now that we only have a 11 short weeks until our little girl arrives we will have the same goal with her. We have learned that things are only things that important parts of our lives come from memories and our knowledge. Of course, we both still like things, but it has made the past few weeks easier for us to simplify and declutter our home and put into perspective what is really important. We have loved every memory that we made together and with our family and friends this past year. We have loved growing stronger in the church, strengthening our testimonies, and watching our families grow as well. So many wonderful things have came from such a hard year, but now that it is over we both feel that next year will bring us even more joy, allow us to grow and lean even more, and most of all, love and appreciate everything that we are blessed with doing and experiencing even more as well.

So Much for Posting More Often

2011-11-10T21:01:00.000-08:00

Lived

- I honestly can not believe that it is November already. I swear it had to of been last week that i said i was going to start posting more often and that i had realized i had time for myself on Tuesdays. I guess my school work, real work, and house work have gotten the better of me. Today i have a moment to breathe though and i am serious about it being a moment.

- Every weekend since Memorial weekend Kaden and I have gone down to the valley. Most of our time has been being spent over that Kirk home. This has been quite the experience and blessing for both of us. It is really so amazing to see a family go through so much and still be strong. Our faith has grown as we have spent time sitting next to Malcolm and helping the boys with whatever we can. We pray everyday that they may know how much they are loved and watched over and that someday we will all be able to see the meaning of things like this happening to one family. Malcolm has been strong and has honestly lived much longer than expected. I really think that he is holding on as long as possible for his boy.

- I am barely surviving school right now. I have absolutely no will to go to class or to do my homework. I don't know why but this semester has been so hard on me. I am sure its a mixture of all the things i feel are more important right now. Only a few more weeks left to go and then i will be finished for a month and next semester i only have two classes to take which will be amazing!

-Vance and Teisha are getting married soon and i have been able to help a little with planning and doing their pictures. It has been so much fun getting to know Teisha more, i only wish that i had more time to help with everything.

Learned

- We finally found out what we are having and are so excited to welcome another Leavitt Girl into the family. I honestly thought the entire time that i would be having a girl, so did my mom and my dad and now that we know Kaden has confessed to it too. I know the entire Leavitt family was hoping for a boy but i really could not be more excited. I started planning the nursery forever ago and already started buying girl clothes. She is healthy and Beautiful, and even though everyone thinks that i am tiny, the doctor said she is the perfect size.

Loved

- I have absolutely loved feeling our little girl kick, i don't even care if she does it all night long. It is truly the most amazing experience i have ever had being able to feel her move around. I have been reading to her every time i read and i have been playing uplifting music, not sure if everyone else out there buys into the learning during utero but i do think that it has been a great experience whether it works or not.

- I have also loved having my energy back. I have been able to go on some amazing runs and i really get excited about working out, for some reason it feels way better than even before i was pregnant. I really want to sign up for the next 5k that will be in saint george and i would totally do the half marathon if i wasn't going to be so far along by then.

Tuesdays are for Me

2011-09-20T13:45:00.000-07:00

Today on my way to class (20 mins late) i realized besides class and a chiropractor appointment i had absolutely nothing else to do, besides homework, but i decided i am not going to do any homework on Tuesdays. Every day of the week is filled with work, class, homework, practicums, and everything else i do. So i decided Tuesdays i am going to do whatever i want to do, i am going to finally clean my kitchen, make dinner, get my pictures hung in the stairway, and maybe even clean out my closet (anyone in need of clothes?). Whatever i decide to do im going to do because i want to.

So... so far today, i have cleaned the kitchen, started dinner, and sat on the computer looking a billion different outfits i want to buy (reason for cleaning out my closet) and searching pinterest. Thank you Jessica for suggesting pinterest i now have a new obsession.

Lived

- This past weekend Kaden and I went to the Rawson's cabin with them, my family, and the bradshaws for my moms birthday. I made Zepa Tuscano (spelling?) soup for dinner and my mom had a nice day of watching movies, and opening gifts. Then on Sunday Kaden and I slept through church so when we finally got out of bed we decided to do a deep clean on the house, probably not the most appropriate day to do that but our home is so lovely now, its amazing.

Learned

- I have learned all kinds of things about our baby. Im reading You Having A Baby and its so interesting. After reading it i'm glad that i have started eating so much better and that i get most of the vitamins i need daily except that i am having a hard time with calcium, any ideas for yummy calcium rich foods? I have such a hard time eating dairy, i have never liked anything dairy much unless its ice cream ha. I also realized this past week that i have to wait 6 more weeks to find out what the baby is because of when my doctors appointments fall. That makes me a little sad. I can't wait to know.

Loved

- I have loved how great i am feeling now that the morning sickness is gone. I can pull myself out of bed in the morning, I can get ready for the day, and i still have energy left over for all of the other things i have to do.

- I also have loved how much time Kaden and i get to spend with just each other. It is so sweet how much he wants to help me lately and how supportive he is in everything i am doing. I just love my husband :)

School Has Started and My Life Has Ended

2011-09-13T18:28:00.000-07:00

Lived

School has officially started. The tests and homework are in full swing, as well as my practicums and the two knew jobs i picked up from the school. Today for the first time ever Kaden said and i quote "I don't know how you do it." Refering to my 3 jobs, 14 credits, two teaching practicums, and the time i still manage to make for the gym and dr/chiropractor appointments about everyday. I can not even describe how much it meant to finally hear him say that. Kaden is working 40 hr weeks and taking 8 credits and it is going to be one heck of a semester for him, but i know he will be able to get through it.

I also had an amazing Disneyland trip but i'm seriously going to have to do an entire post just about it. My mom and sisters and i went to Disneyland for four days and it was probably one of our best vacations ever!

Learned

Well in the past month we have learned that we are expecting baby #1 in March! We are so excited and feel very very blessed for the way every thing has worked out for us. I am now just about 14 weeks and due in March. According to our doctor March 18, according to me probably a week sooner. We will see. Baby is healthy and growing great! I have been able to have 3 ultra sounds already and each time is so amazing, i love hearing the baby's heart beat (which is fast between 155-165 each time) and seeing the baby move. The past two times its been kicking and punching all around. It is so neat to see such a little life inside of me. Especially since the baby looks totally like a 3 inch little child but i barely feel like i am even showing at all. If it weren't for the morning sickness i had for a while i would be questioning this pregnancy all together. So most of what Kaden and I have been learning has been centered around the baby. We have gotten really into what is good for me to eat and not eat and how to stay healthy and in shape and how to keep the baby healthy. I have been able to keep running 3-4 miles a day and we have tried to switch as much as our food to organic and vitamin boosting as possible. I am thinking seriously being pregnant has made me be healthier all around and its been great!

Loved

We have loved having our house to ourselves, for the first time since we bought it a year ago. Penn and Vance moved out to a new home just a street over from us. It is great to have them so close, but especially with all my thoughts on baby its nice to have a quiet home. We have also had a few really nice weekends. Kaden took me to Vegas for my birthday to do a little shopping and go out to dinner with my parents to one of our favorite restaurants at the Plazzo. Then we went to the Beatty family reunion and even got to have Grace stay with us one night. Last weekend we went home for Bronco needs and I got to spend time with my mom and sisters which i always love to do.

July=Craziness

2011-08-04T09:18:00.000-07:00

Lived

- 4th of July weekend Kaden and I went to the Rawson's cabin with them, my family, and Malcolm and Pierce. We seriously had a lot of fun spending time with everyone. We had fun watching movies, going on Rzr rides and watching people try to fish in a little pond we found. We ate way too much good food and we even took Tiffany with us. There are a bagillion pictures to post that will show more of our actual trip but i do not have the energy to go get my camera at the moment so ill post them in a few days.

- Independence Day we watched the Cedar City parade with Penn and Nancy, and Kyle and Jessica, Vance and the girls. Then we played at the park with the girls and then i'm pretty sure Kaden and I slept for the rest of the day. We woke up to watch the fireworks but decided we really missed the Logandale show. Maybe next year we will join everyone in the heat.

- Day after the 4th of July (yes July 5th) I decided to go to the gym before work like i normally do and got up like any normal day, got dressed, drug myself out the door, got in my car, forgot to put on my seat belt ( i was way too occupied with the radio to worry about safety), got all the way to 200 N. and College way, when i am stopped at a light and realize crap there is a cop and i don't have my seat belt on, I honestly debated until the light turned green whether id put it on or not, i decided not, i drive into the intersection, see the cop make a face of death, turn my head to the left to see why, and instantly think, that car is going to run a red light strait into me, crap. I would not say that it is was the scariest thing that has ever happened to me, but definitely one of the craziest experiences of my life. In moments like that people say they tend to think of dying or of their family, or something random they hadn't done at home, I litteraly for my you know .2 whatever seconds before i was rammed in the driver door by a chevy something or other car going 55 thought i am getting hit, no bracing, no anything. I think i just passed out. I hit my head and cant remember on what, i tore my shoulder and cant figure out how, the door smashed my feet together next to the gas peddle and bruised my ankle and i don't ever remember feeling like i was being squished in. Of course as soon as it was all over and there was a cop in my car in awe that i was alive i was ready to jump out the passenger side and get out of the car. He wouldn't let me so i had a good time listening to the jaws of life tear my doors off and an ambulance taking over the intersection. Note for all you who still wear sophes, don't. If you are in an accident apparently they are the most embarrassing thing to be wearing Kaden said he wasn't even worried about me he just had to keep from laughing at my stupid cotton shorts wedgie from being strapped to the backboard. A few x-rays and 30 mins later i was released from the hospital and two days later i went to the doctors to confirm my shoulder was torn and just about every other thing holding my upper back together. Now im a bottle of flexeril down and feeling much better. I am sure i'll tend to have pain from this for the rest of ever but I can walk, i can think, and i can breathe i am doing great!

-Weekend of the 23rd we made a trip to Vegas with a couple of my cousins. It was quite eventful. For just a quick two day trip it was great, we stayed in a nice sweet at Planet Hollywood, went to the pool, and ate a lot of very good food. Pretty much Kaden, Sarah, and I focused our part of the trip around what we were putting into our stomachs. We tend to do that when go on vacation good food seems to be very important to us. We also splurged and went shopping, Kaden got a nice Diesel shirt and i got a new pair of Toms and Kaden talked me into get Toms wedges they honestly are the most comfortable wedges i have ever owned. It was nice to spend time with my cousins and finally see Michael who has been in Guam for way to long.

-Last weekend of July equaled our last trip of July. We made the annual Fish Lake trip with the Leavitt family and Nancy's side of the family. It was very pretty and a lot of fun. It was great having Kyle and Jessica and the girls there this year. The girls always keep everyone entertained. We did a lot of fishing, and playing in the rain. We always love going to fish lake and seeing everyone and Kaden and I just have a thing for fishing.

Learned

- I am never taking summer classes again, at least not online ones. With all i have been doing this summer and everything that has happened i have been dreading my classes and i spent way too much time worrying about homework than i should have.

- Kaden and i need to do a trip just by ourselves, all the trips with family have been great but i think taking a trip by ourselves would be way more relaxing.

-I am never wearing sophes again

-I will pay anything for a safe car ( see loved)

Loved

- Kaden getting another job, he works almost a full 40 hours a week now.

- Spending so much time with Kaden and family.

- Getting to go to massage therapy every week.

- Driving my new car :) Since my car was totaled we went out and bought a brand new Chevy Equinox! It is beautiful and it is perfect for us. Its all wheel drive and still gets 30 mpg and it is a total family car which is perfect since we are trying to start a family. When we got the car we loved everything about it, its 5 star crash ratings, that it comes with onstar, and that i have a video that shows me what i'm backing into. Kaden likes to complain about it but i know he secretly loves it or he wouldn't have told me to buy it.

- That Camille and Alex are now engaged! Woo Hoo for my beautiful best friend and the amazing guy who gets to marry her. I am so excited for the wedding planning and for the life they will get to spend together.

Alaska

2011-07-17T16:59:00.000-07:00

Lived

So this summer Kaden and I have stayed busy playing, working, and doing online classes. Mostly we have been playing though. In June we went to Alaska for 7 days with my Dad, Malcolm, and Bryce. We went fishing twice, once for Salmon (we didn't catch anything) and once for Halibut (we only caught rock fish). We blame our bad luck on my Mom's brother Mike who took us both times.

this is a black bear that was about 20 yards up the hill from Kaden and Bryce

As you can tell we were trying to be serious fishers

first fish caught by Kaden

Biggest fish caught by Kaden (of course)

My first and only fish

But i did catch the coolest thing ever, a sea cucumber!

I dragged it right off the bottom of the ocean

We also went to my Dad's brother Mike's property about 2 hours out of Anchorage. We stayed the night up there, went four wheeling, made smores, and some of went to a small town called Takeetna.

Dad sized four wheeler

Malcolm did Awesome! While we were there, he was more active than he had been in a very long time. I had to post the proof of him chopping wood.

Making Smores

Getting ready for a ride

Elliot hanging out

eating some more smores

Malcolm knows how to camp lazy boy and a trailer

Dad cleaning the trailer

This little lake was made by a beaver dam, in the picture are my 2 new cousins Elliot and Nick and Nick's girlfriend Brenda. It was a lot of fun getting to know them and spending time with them.

Fattest beagle Me and Malcolm had ever seen

We were pretty impressed by this ice cream maker

Malcolm was in love with all of the planes that were up there

Loved

I loved spending so much time with Kaden and my Dad, and Malcolm and Bryce, as well as my Uncle Mike and his family. Alaska was so Beatutiful! Here are alot of the scenery pictures.

Learned

While in Alaska i learned that Kaden and I definitly need to go on vacations as much as possible. Not only are they fun, but they let us spend time together and really enjoy each others company, especially when we are so busy with work and school.

I also learned that the next time we go to Alaska we will stay longer, and go to more places. We both would love to go back and are thinking we might try to with my family and the kirks next August.

2011-06-06T21:32:00.000-07:00

Learned

Hmm first week of summer classes and im already onto my 2nd night of sitting at the computer to Oh 12:30 or so. I am wondering why i thought this was a good idea again. Anyone else ever feel like going to school is like the first 30 minutes of long run? That is literally exactly how i feel at this moment, it is all mental and i just need to keep going.

I really need to find more picture time, i also need more clients. This hasn't really bothered me since im not advertising much and i am so busy but i had 2 shoots last week and well they were absolutely amazing and i feel so uncontrollably happy when im taking pictures. Just ask Lindsi Morrison, im sure shed tell you i looked like an idiot smiling behind my camera through her adorable families shoot.

I need to be a better friend. Seriously i think i spend way too much time focusing on myself, and i have gotten to the point where i don't care a hole lot to have many friends. I have an amazing husband, wonderful sisters (including sister in-law) and great parents and in-laws. After going to an old friends wedding last weekend i realized i really do miss that. I wish i would have taken the time to still know her. I feel that way literally about all of my friends, even the people i consider my best friends i rarely talk too. My new goal is to try harder and to reach out to people and really have good friends.

Lived

Woo Hoo! Elder Kirk is home! I had the amazing opportunity to be at the airport when Bryce landed in Las Vegas. Honestly i can not think of words that describe how much this family means to me, how much i have learned from them, and continually do. My life is continually blessed just by being able to spend time with them.

For some reason when i told people i had a Leavitt family reunion they thought i was kidding, I think most people imagined like a thousand people to be there. Ha there really are like a billion Leavitts but this one was pretty small. I really enjoyed it though. It was nice to see everyone in the family and to spend time with them. Especially the girls. I can't get enough of them. I do love my nieces quite a lot!

Kaden is no longer a Jiffy Lube employee can i get an Hallelujah? And i quote this strait from Kaden's facebook "I have the best job in the world. who else gets to blow shit up for money." Ha really? my husband never swears ~~i am the one with the bad mouth in our family.~~ He is unbelievably excited though, and today he got an official card in the mail pretty much saying is authorized to play with explosives.

Loved

Alright i know that i already mentioned this, but I loved taking pictures this past week!

I loved spending time with my husband this weekend. On Saturday we both did different jobs at my parents house and it honestly amazes me what a hard worker my husband is. Last weekend Kaden helped my dad clean out the garage and then Saturday he transformed their back yard. He is so amazing and i am so grateful that i was lucky enough to marry him.

Are We Sure Its May?

2011-05-31T20:42:00.000-07:00

Learned

I will never live in Utah again after we are both graduated. Yes you may quote me on that someday.
I hate the snow, and what i hate even worse than the snow is... Snow in middle of my summer vacation. I might only be May 18 but i start classes again in 13 days. Can i get some sunshine please!

I have the ability to run a lot further than i physically thought possible for a Hendrix. Seriously i am thinking if i could find my stinken ridiculous track coach on face book i would send him a video of my 8 min miles, not amazed? Well i ran 10 1/2 of them. (yes in a row)

12 credits is still full time for the summer, so guess who added another class so they could afford tuition.
Doesn't make a hole lot of sense does it? Well the school wouldn't give me my entire pell-grant unless i added 2 more credits, so 3 credits late im saving 700 bucks. Please cross your fingers and pray that i pass.

I'm thinking i desperately need an Ipad. Here are 3 reasons why
1. I am taking 13 credits this summer and will be out of town a lot (i promise to do homework on it.) 2. Kaden and i wont have to fight over the computer so i can pay the bills and he can search for bronco parts. 3. If When we ever have kids, there are some awesome teaching apps on that thing including Montessori ones.

Lived

Survived my last week of the spring 2011 semester. I am also no longer a Junior, woohooo here goes my first Senior year. Oh and i kicked that stupid 12 lesson plan finals butt 80 pages (yes, 80 full pages) later i was done with it forever! Oh and grades came out. 3-A's and 2-B's I was happy.

I got job and already got fired, but thats alright because Kaden decided he would move up in the world instead. Kaden got offered a job at the Iron mines last week. It is amazing how tithing blessings work and how the Lord truely knows our hearts and how much we can handle. Kaden came home in a melt down one night over how much he hated his job. My heart literally ached for him trying to imagine how unpleasant it is but I knew in the end everything would work out how it was supposed too. We truly are so blessed. Who could have imagened that just last year we were jobless and living in aunt dianes trailer just trying not kill one another.

2 weekends ago we went to California for my cousins wedding and to visit my other cousins. We were so grateful that we were able to go. The wedding was beautiful and i absolutely loved the L.A. Temple, what a neat experience being able to attend temple weddings. The sealer really pointed out that you truly are in the presence of God and Angles in the sealing rooms, you can only imagine the spirit that is present there. The rest of the weekend was a blast! James and Justice just adore Kaden and it was so fun spending so much time with Jimi and Heather. We played games, shopped, ate until we literally couldn't anymore and watched the boys play some awesome baseball. They really are some great athletes.

Last Wednesday my mom went to the Hospital. I found out from a text from a neighbor that said I love you, let me know if there is anything i can do for your family. Instantly i though oh goodness Malcolm must have died. (He didn't and he is doing good). Sarah and i drove down to the valley though and after being in pain for awhile my mom found it was a UTI and a Kidney stone. I honestly asked why in the world she got to be rushed in an ambulance to the hospital after probably 45 mins of pain when one time i had to endure a huge stone for 2 days before my mom would take me to the hospital and even then I got to wait in the er waiting room of UMC for 5 hours before i got any meds. My mom said next time she would call the ambulance herself. I am just glad that she is feeling better and that she didn't have to feel pain for very long. Seriously Kidney stones are just ridiculous.

Loved

I love how in shape and how energetic i feel. I also love how happy i feel. This is getting personal and i am very hesitant to share this but i hope that no one judges me by this. I am not looking for sympathy or anything like that. I just think my posts would make more sense and so would all this working out. I started fertility hormones about 5 months ago and they have done a number on me. Between the hormones and then having to switch to birth control for a month my body has no idea how to handle itself. Also I can't take my migrane pills as often in case by some miracle I do end up pregnant so running is my only way to control that. But really I am now doing at least 60 mins of cardio and working on going to the gym at least twice a day. I'm praying these endorfens I'm releasing kick those hormones butts.

(I wrote this over a week ago and forgot to post. So sorry if the timing is confusing.)

Feeling a little sarcastic lately

2011-04-25T18:56:00.000-07:00

Learned

Tuition has gone up and pell grants didn't, Woo Hoo! (i hope you can hear the sarcasm in my voice)
Thats right we now have to save 800 a month for the rest of the summer to pay for school next year, Yes! (again sarcasm)

Grace does not like ice cream
Ha seriously what kid is not a huge fan of ice cream? I tried to get her some like 5 times and she never wanted any.

Kaden is super grumpy when he works on Saturdays
I haven't been home with Kaden when he has had to work a Saturday for so long that i forgot that asking him out on a date would only end in a fight. Kaden needs food and sleep before i get to spend time with him after work.

Lived

Started Job Hunting
I seriously started job hunting again last week. I absolutely love my job, but with our high rise in needed savings a second job seems essential. If anyone knows of job out there that i should apply for, please tell me.

Laura and Grace Time
Grace got to come stay with us last Thursday night. I loved it! I have so much fun with her and she always has something to say, it is so entertaining. Thursday night we watched Tangled (it was my first time) and the Friday we went to Kaden's Aunt Tami's funeral. Then we got some soda's went to the dollar store and played at an awesome park. We had a blast!

Taught my 5th grade practicum for the last time.
Which could only mean the semester is almost over. Yes! for that. I am so ready to have 3 weeks of school. That is right, my break this year is only 3 weeks long. I start up 10 summer credits in June. I am thinking i am in desperate need of a lap top, anyone want to donate one to a poor college student?

Loved

Coming home to a clean house
Wednesday night and Thursday morning Kaden and I deep cleaned our entire house. Now i have been a freak about keeping everything looking amazing! I have done the dishes like 3 times and scrubbed the counters every night. That honestly is like some sort of record for me. It has been so nice actually working towards my goal of having a clean and organized house where the spirit can be.

Working Out
I broke down and started working out at Gold's again. I swore once in my life that i never would again, but already the results have been amazing. I do way more cardio since i can watch tv while doing it and there are way more machines to work with. I haven't weighed myself yet but i am pretty sure i have already lost a few pounds, at least thats what my pants are telling me anyways.

Spending some extra time with my husband
I got my hours cut at work last week so it freed up some time for me to be at home. Kaden was home a lot when i was and it was really nice. We cleaned together, and watched some netflix together. It was pretty nice.

Be Positive and Turn to The Lord

2011-04-18T21:22:00.000-07:00

Learned

Trust my husband, somehow he knows what is right.

I told Kaden that i didn't want to go to Logandale this weekend. He said no we are. Our car breaks down and luckily he and his dad can fix it there. We would have been down to 1 car for a while if we were home.

Be positive and Turn to the Lord.

I have honestly been striving to be more like Julie. These are the first two ways.

Lesson Plans do not write themselves.

I still have 12 out of 12 lesson plans to go for my final in two weeks.

Lived

Julies funeral

I stayed in Logandale for several days last weekend. It was such a tender blessing to me to have been a part of everything. I felt the realness of how thin the vale is as i prepared pictures and food for the services. I also was asked by Malcolm to take pictures so the boys can have some idea of what was going on. It was something i never thought i could do but i am grateful for the task that he gave to me.

Catching up in my classes

I was so far behind in my classes from the funeral and missing for other things that i desperately needed to catch up. I put myself into working mode and got everything caught up except for my final due in two weeks, woo hoo!

Cleaned out my closet and bedroom

Our room for some reason has turned into a disaster and my closet was even worse. Somehow on Saturday i decided i would tackle it and get organized. It is amazing the difference i feel when i am in there. I found this scripture on a piece of paper while i was going through stuff. This is totally my goal for now on.

organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God (D&C 88:119).

Loved

My blue wall

Kaden wasn't able to come with me to the Valley for the funeral, this really upset me and i was pretty mad at his boss but i got over that as soon as i got home Monday night and saw that Kaden had started painting our bedroom. Ill post pictures as soon as its done. My one blue wall makes me very very happy.

Reading this book

Jeffery R. Holland has a new book out. It is small and it is simple, but it has comforted me in ways that you would not believe. I have really been through a lot of personal trials lately that i wont share but know that as hard as your trials may be and as lonely as you may feel at time you are not alone and other are going through hard things too. I honestly feel so blessed for all that i have. I am loved by an amazing husband who is supportive and caring. I have an amazing family and i have good friends. This book has honestly helped me to have so much more perspective on how i should feel each day.

Queen of Procrastinating

2011-04-06T19:29:00.000-07:00

Here is a little list of what i have to do tonight, and instead i am procrastinating and writing it on my blog.

Engl 2900-

3 page paper critiquing the two best and worst teaching sample lessons from the semester

and

Study for the pedagogy quiz that i have in class tomorrow. ( i haven't even glanced at my notes)

EDRD 3900-

Read chapter 11, write notes, and study for quiz in the morning.

and

Write at least 3 Journal entries for practicums.

ELED 4000-

Look up state standards for lesson, write out rough draft of lesson plan.

This quote has been on mind. Hope it brings comfort to you as well. :)

If for awhile the harder you try, the harder it gets, take heart. So it has been with the best people who ever lived.

- Jefferey R. Holland

Julie Kirk

2011-04-05T16:46:00.000-07:00

So i had a very long post written out about the events of finding out and telling katie and spending time with the Kirks. Instead i feel it to be more appropriate to keep this short and sweet.

This was Julie's facebook post the night before she passed.

Just have to say that life doesn't have to be perfect to be wonderful, and mine is sure wonderful. Feeling extra blessed, loved, and thankful today! Yay for

conference weekend, so excited!!! I love my friends!

With everything that was going on in her life, Julie Kirk was so optimistic. I can not imagine being in her shoes and finding so much joy in the small things. I hope to one day be as loving, kind, generous, beautiful, spiritual, and uplifting as Julie. I hope to be as great of wife, daughter, mother, and friend as her as well. I have looked up to Julie ever since i first met her. Any woman who can raise four boys is amazing. It has truly been a blessing in my life to have been able to be so close to her and her family. Julie practically helped raised my youngest sister Katherine and has always made me feel truly special. Every time i got to see her i knew i was loved. The past couple of years it has been very neat for me to see Julie and her family grow so near to the Lord. At one point i can remember having the opportunity to kneel for bedtime prayer with her and her family. This was right after one of Malcum's surgeries. I remember being so overwhelmed with the spirit there in Julie and Malcum's bedroom. After i left i emailed Julie and told her of the strong spirit that dwelled in their home. I told her that the only time i have ever felt angels so near and the spirit so strongly was in the Celestial room of the Temple. Julie's home was and is holy place filled with angels. I have felt it to be such a tender blessing to spend so much time with her family the past few days. I hope that i have been a help for them as they have been for me. My heart and prayers are with Malcum, Lance, Bryce, Chase, Pierce, Grandma Handy and the rest of the family. I am so grateful for the knowledge i have of my Heavenly Father, I am so blessed to know of his plan and to know with out a doubt that if we live righteously here on this earth will be in the Lord's presence. If anyone is worthy of residing with the Lord it is Julie and i can not wait for the day that we will meet again.

Catching Up

2011-04-03T22:16:00.000-07:00

The past couple of weeks have been crazy, i have worked almost 40 weeks and been catching up with school and we have gone to the Valley every weekend for awhile. Here are just a few quick updates.

Lived-

I went to Logandale for part of spring break and hung out with my family.

I have been working a ton and skipping a couple classes to do it. This is ending this week.

Kaden and I have spent a lot of time in the valley and guess what, Kaden is actually working on the Bronco, Woo Hoo its a miracle!

Drove to Sundance for conference weekend to pick up my little sister and visit my cousins and uncle.

Loved-

Cuddling with Kaden at the end of the day and watching The Pacific together.

Went on a little date with Kaden to Serendipity. Carrot Cake and Black/White Sunday Yummmm!

Learned-

Do not wipe bugger noses with out washing your hands immediately! (Sinus infection, again.)

Costco on Saturday's is worse than Vegas traffic in rush hour. My Tom's got ran over a billion times.

If you want to work out, be prepared to not fit into your size 26 Jeans :( pure muscle legs and up a pant size.

Do not drive a Honda Pilot that isn't 4wd down an icy hill, you will have to gravel the entire thing. (this happened while i was in sundance.)

Family is the very most important thing we have here in this life, and it is all we can take with us.

Puppy Love

2011-03-17T15:40:00.000-07:00

Loved- Saturday morning Nancy and I went out garage selling. There really was not much that was any good, but i did find something pretty amazing at a place we didn't even stop. We did a "drive by" and i saw a woman holding a little puppy. Instantly i knew i needed it, or someone needed it ha but i had to cuddle with it. So after Nancy took me back to my parents i gathered up my sisters to go to breakfast and made a little stop on the way. There was one puppy left and it was a miniature dachshund for a super price. Yes, we took it home. Meet Delilah, or Lilah for short. She is absolutely perfect. So perfect, that i kept her with me all day, and took her to the family bbq (which was awesome by the way. It was so great to see everyone.)

Seriously these two photos (above and below) are two of my favorite pictures ever! I have already made frames for them and i am so putting them in my living room as soon as i get back to Cedar. (I am in the valley for spring break woo hoo!)

Annie and Tara i have a few more pictures of your girls. I just need to go through them still.

ha ha Alaynna overload, but she is so adorable and was my little buddy the other night.

Boxes are the Best!

2011-03-15T19:02:00.001-07:00

Lived- This was such a great week at work ~~except for the constant migraines i had~~. Monday morning i went downstairs and instantly got excited. This great huge box was down there for the kids to play with, and even though i might have been more excited about the box than they were at first, they have had a blast every day with it, and yes it is totally still alive. I have fixed it up with some duck tape every once and a while but i am making this baby last as long as possible. There is nothing better than a little creative play time with a huge box!

Besides box time, nap time has been amazing too! Seriously this quickest way for a child to melt my heart is to fall asleep in my arms. I love nap time, not just because the kids fall asleep, but because they are tired and sweet and it is almost like magic when 6 kids in one room are all quiet and listening to a story.

Overly Obsessive

2011-03-15T19:02:00.000-07:00

Learned- Well i learned absolutely nothing in school this past week. Honestly, i could not focus at all. I was so ready for spring break its ridiculous. I did learn though that i am a little obsessive about a few things right now.

1. Getting my thighs to shrink, seriously my butt and thighs aren't fitting into my pants because they are too muscular. This is a serious problem because i am not giving up my designer jeans for anything. So to fix this little problem i have been doing lunges and ball work outs and staying at the gym for like 2 hours, someone please help me with this (telling me i am already thin or look great does not help the problem) and sorry if there is anyone out there who wants to shoot me for posting this.

2. I want a car very badly, i am not quite sure why this has hit me right now but i am terribly sick of my Saturn, the poor thing is sick of me too. We have been through way too much and together for way too long. So i spend my nights designing my dream cars on the ford website and then crying because i cant afford a 30,000 dollar car. So i have settled for a used 10,000 car that yes i still can't afford for like the next 5 years.

3.Figuring out what to do with school. After this semester i will be like 9 credits into my senior year and then i will still have 2 more years to go. Yes, two more years. Ah i know i made the choice to go slow, but since i have decided this i have been debating on focusing on early childhood or English and literature. So far i have switched my focus 3 times and my major twice since starting school back at UNLV. Well, I am switching again. Hopefully this will be the last time. On Sunday while sitting in church i realized that everyone woman in the education world that i hope to be like someday has majored or had something to do with early childhood. The more i pondered this, i thought about why and well that is because there is so much to be learned from children especially in the early years. I think i will really enjoy this change.

So basically besides learning that i work out too much, can't afford the car i want, and that i need to change my focus once again, i have learned that i am totally overly obsessive over things that i really shouldn't worry so much about.

Oh i almost forgot, i also learned to never where this outfit or any outfit like it, while driving Luke's truck or any truck for that matter, again. This was quite the adventure.

Awkward Gym Moments

2011-03-07T20:25:00.000-08:00

I literally have so many awkward moments at the gym that i think i should post them. They are always pretty funny and the majority of the time at my expense.

Im on the elliptical, earphones in, YouTube on, and set for a 45 minute run on a level 10. I ~~just took a migraine pill full of caffeine~~ was feeling a little ambitious and in a really good mood. So i noticed this guy next to me was on his cell phone walking on the treadmill when i first got on. 10 minutes into my oh so amazing workout i hear this guy say, i really should record this for you, i have never seen anything like this before. I am thinking what in the world is he talking about and just go back to dancing to my song, yes that is right, did you catch that? He was totally talking about me, i was dancing to this music video and yes just like Leighton, (Summer Girl by Leighton Meester) while on the elliptical and didn't even notice. Oh goodness its a good thing i'm already married.

(And this is what 4 miles in 40 minutes while dancing looks like in the end)

A Little Note for My Amazing Husband

2011-03-07T20:15:00.000-08:00

May you always know that you are not alone,

that in fact you are very deeply Loved.

(Sappy i know, but i just found this going through pictures and i love it.)

Writing With Purpose

2011-03-07T15:19:00.001-08:00

This weekend as I was thinking about all of the things I needed to do during the week, updating the blog was at the top of the list. Writing is such an outlet for me and I absolutely love it but sometimes I feel like there is no purpose to my blog. All I do on it is write out these huge stories about the exciting things that happen and I am probably the only person who finds them exciting. So for the sake of my own sanity I decided to have a purpose I. What I write. Each week I plan to have at least 3 posts. Learned, Lived, and Loved. Each post should be about something from that week that kaden or I (probably I more than Kaden) have well learned, lived, or loved. I also plan on writing out things that help me know more about myself, I'm am pretty much a selfish blogger and kinda think somedays I'm the only person that looks at my blog anyways.

Here's My Learned, Lived, and Loved for last week.

Learned- It is way smarter to take 13-15 credits and have time to breathe and graduate a semester later than taking 18 and wanting to kill yourself (just a little dramatic) every single day. Yea, I dropped a class, but I can finally breathe again.

Lived- Saturday morning My Mom, Sarah, Katie, and I packed up and headed to Great uncle Joes 90th birthday. (so not even a joke ha ha) he is the oldest son of 12 kids. On our way there we picked up my cousin Brian and his wife Tiffany. Then we stopped by temple square. There happened to be like 10 brides there and I happened to have my camera. Would it be terrible I happened to post the pictures I very conspicuosly took of them on my website? Ha ha.

Loved- I am totally in love with sappy make me cry chick flicks lately, and Friday Night Lights (the show) totally falls into this category. I finished all of the seasons on Friday and I cried because I don't have anymore to watch. Uh then I watched Country Strong. All I have to say is you will listen to the music non stop after you see it.

2 Years and San Francisco

2011-02-21T15:28:00.000-08:00

Kaden and I have been married for two years now! I can not believe how fast time has gone by. When we were first got married we talked about things we wanted to do in the next 2 years. Pretty much i can only remember a few of them because of course we are terrible at writing anything down or making goals, so they were just ideas. The ones i remember were that we will buy a house, i will be graduating, we will start having kids, We will both have awesome cars, and i am sure being ridiculous rich was somewhere in there too since we thought we would be having kids ha. Luckily we do own our very own amazing house, but everything else is still a ways away. Ha i am now not graduating until April of 2013, we probably wont have kids for awhile, i am driving the same car that i had in high school and Kaden no longer has his awesome truck and we really are about as poor as possible with going to school and owning a house, but we absolutely love our lives together right now! We were just talking last night about how weird it was that just last year we were living in Aunt Diannes trailer fighting over who got to take a shower first because there was only enough hot water to last for one person. We have had some pretty good experiences and some really hard times but we both agree that we wouldn't trade the past two years for anything because we have both learned so much and grown up so much. Honestly if the first 2 years of your marriage really are supposed to be your hardest then we have succeeded and i can not wait to see how awesome the rest of marriage is.

San Francisco! Yes, again. I know we go all of the time but that is because we love it! And it helps that is pretty inexpensive, and very easy to get around, and there is quite a bit to do. This time we went with my family. It wasn't really an anniversary trip but it was fun going with my parents and sisters. We did a lot of shopping and a lot of eating. Honestly i crave the food there so much and all i have wanted since got home is some good soup, since we really ate soup like every day. Before we went i had been pretty sick, all of the kids at work were sick, and our home teachers brought their daughter over who had croup. So the day we left i actually felt a lot better, until we got on the plain. I had no idea that flying when you were sick could be such a miserable experience. I literally felt like i had been punched in the face once we landed in San Francisco and our first night there i ended up having to go to an emergency doctors visit. I had a sinus infection and he said i was lucky that i my ear drum didn't explode from the plain ride. I ended being on a ridiculous amount of medication and Afrin 5 times a day the hole time we were so i would be able to fly home. That was not the best experience, but i learned a lot of awesome tricks to keep from getting sick from the doctor. He was expensive but the best doctor i had ever been too. Not even kidding if we ever end up moving to San Francisco he will totally be my main doctor. Anyways, more about San Francisco. On Friday we got to see Mary Kate and Allen, and it was so much fun catching up with them. We walked around the warf with them and then later that night my sisters went shopping while the rest of us snacked at a little bar in union square. We had a lot of fun spending the day with them, i know Sarah misses Mary Kate so much so it was so nice to see them. Dad did a little splurging on the trip and bought all of us girls including Mary Kate and Grandma a pearl from one of those pearl places were we choose an oyster and open it up yourself. It was fun doing that and all of pearls turned out different, it was pretty cool. Saturday my dad and hannah and katie went to the exploritorium while me, my mom, kaden and sarah got on a bus and road out to the beach. Kaden and I had never been to that part of town and it was such a nice day it was perfect. We went to the cliff house and took pictures, and we ate lunch at a little hotel cafe that was right across from the beach. They had the best chicken strips Kaden and I have ever had. After that we met up with my dad and the girls at the Golden Gate bridge. We took the bus,and they walked the entire way from the exploritorium, i have no idea how they did it because it really is probably like a 5 mile walk all along the beach and then up a huge steep hill. They were troopers though and were still ready to eat at Scomas after. Sunday we just hung out around Union Square. Kaden and my mom and i fell in love with Bristol Farms and searched around in there for awhile. It is like a miniature whole foods and we bought some of the weirdest stuff to eat before we got on the plain, including chocolate covered bacon. No one liked it except for Sarah. Our flight back was nice, i had to wear an earplug for the flight and until we got back to the valley but i slept almost the entire time and that is always nice. Kaden and I had so much fun and we have a hole list of ideas for next time we go, but we decided we will never do a midsemester trip again. It was way too hard trying to catch up once we got home, and the next family trip we do, we are thinking a cruise would be nice. :)

Just dreaming of a less busy, and more busy life

2011-02-02T20:20:00.000-08:00

Do you think that would be too much to ask for a little extra time in the day? It seems like just when i think life is busy it gets even busier and my organizational skills and procrastination skills both try to take over. This week so far i have gone to work, gone to class, gone to work, worked out, and then came home to do online class and homework. Literally every day seems to feel like this. Greg Mortenson came to the school on Tuesday, and I got to help be in charge of Ushering in the 2000 people that came to listen to him and it was a great experience. I realized how much i love managing things, and how badly i really would like to do something drastic to help the world in a big way. Sadly though i did not have enough time to meet Greg Mortenson even though there was a 2 hour book signing after and i could have probably gone straight to the front of the line. Right after Convocations ends i have class and i have a huge practicum assignment due tomorrow that i have been working on with a group and couldn't miss, not even to meet Greg Mortenson. I am pretty sad that i didn't just take that opportunity to shake his hand, but i think that i also realized that somehow i can make time for everything. I know that im crazy busy right now but that life isn't going to slow down anytime soon. Hopefully it just keeps getting busier. And if i do ever do something drastic to help the world i will be a thousand times more busy then. (Yes, i do somehow plan on doing something to help the world in a big way.) Last night i told Kaden that i wanted to go to Afghanistan someday to see all of the schools that have been built and the progress that has been made in women's education, not anytime soon, but someday. He said he wouldn't go but that i could ha so im adding that to the list of somedays. I also told Kaden how inspired i have felt by some of the convocations that i have been able to go to and by this one and he said okay so how bout you open schools all over the world and i will earn money racing to help pay for them. Ha Ha i love my husband. At least he would think of a way to support me if i really did it. Anyways though, i have three papers due in the morning that i haven't started yet. Tonight is definitely the night where my procrastination is winning.

Feeling So Blessed!

2011-01-28T12:53:00.001-08:00

This year I set goals keeping in mind all of the things that could have made last year better for me. I decided I overall wanted to improve myself spiritually first, mentally second and physically third. I think physically and mentally go hand in hand but spiritually needs to be my main priority overall. I feel like if I don't do better in that area then I can't even start to improve in the other two. It isn't even the end of January yet and I am seeing so many great blessings come from keeping up with my goals. I feel the spirit all the time now and have been surrounded by amazing people. I have been blessed with the opportuniny of seeing several of my closest friends and getting to spend time with them. I have had some very emotional but amazing conversations with people that I barely get to talk too and I have been blessed with the strength to focus and enjoy my classes even when I have had migranes and I have been blessed with the strength to keep up with my busy schedule and still find time to eat healthy and work out regularly.

2011-01-28T11:40:00.001-08:00

Whitney and Braden's Wedding

2011-01-18T19:08:00.000-08:00

This past weekend i had the opportunity to travel up to Bountiful for one of my very Best Friends wedding. I went with Sarah and Sarany. Honestly i am not quite sure what i was expecting, but i was very excited to spend Whitney's special day with her. She was my first close friend who was married in the temple and that i was able to go through with. We left on Thursday and had some fun at her bridal shower that night, then we were invited to stay at her husbands parents house for the night. I honestly instantly fell in love with them. They were so sweet and so out going i felt so comfortable and at home with them. Friday the three of us (me, sarah, and sarany) went down to Provo to run some errands, eat at kneaders and catch up with a couple of old friends. Then it was back to Bountiful to go through with Whitney while she took out her endowments. I don't even know how to describe how amazing this was. The spirit was so strong through the entire session and i felt just overwhelmed with happiness for her. While we spent some time together in the Temple i couldn't help but think of how proud of her i was and how ecstatic i was that she was now able to receive the blessings of the Temple. She was so prepared for this to see someone so close to me go through was just amazing. The next morning while Whitney and Braden were sealed to one another i felt the same way. How amazing is it be able to be married for time and all eternity and to really know you will be with your spouse forever! Watching the two of them be married really reminded me of just how grateful i am to have an eternal marriage with Kaden. The weekend was very spiritual for me, but i was also just a lot of fun. Friday night we decorated for the reception and then Saturday there was a luncheon and the reception. I ate way too much and got way to little sleep, but i loved every minute of it. I got to hang out with a few old friends which was so nice, and got to think of so many fun times i used to have. I even visited raintree which was a blast, we played kinect and im pretty sure i need one now. Oh and i got so play with a Sugar glider, tyler and jon have some and they are so cute! If i can convince kaden for us to have some, i will. Next weekend is an open house in the valley, and i am pretty excited for that too. I cant wait to decorate again and see the Happy Couple.

New Year, New Goals

2011-01-02T09:54:00.000-08:00

Every year that Kaden and I have spent new years together, which has now been the past two years, we have said that we would set goals for the year together and then February comes and it has never happened and so we say lets set goals on our anniversary, then next thing you know its Christmas and we never set goals and the New Year is a week away. So i decided that this year im setting out to set some goals myself and Kaden looked them over and said they sounded good. I knew if i never wrote them down, they would never happen, so not only am i writing them down, i am posting them as well. I have divided them up into categories and tried to make goals that are high, but achievable.

Goals for 2011

Spiritual goals- attend church every Sunday (and stay all three hours), go to the temple at least once a month, read scriptures every morning, and say prayers morning and night.

Family goals- make more time for each other ( have at least two date nights a month), write Luke, support our brothers, sisters, and nieces in their activities, spend more time with Hannah and Katie.

School goals- Get straight A's next semester, get awarded an education scholarship, start substitute teaching, volunteer in elementary classrooms, finish all required classes to go into the block.

Health- work out 3+ days a week, cook dinner instead of eating out, make weekly menus, lose 10 pounds, do a good run out side at least once a week.

Places to Go- San Francisco in February, Alaska in June, Visit Jimi and Heather when school gets out, Tahoe for the 4th of July.

Our Eventful Christmas

2010-12-31T18:00:00.000-08:00

Christmas this year was so amazing! I absolutely loved every moment of it. Kaden and i got to spend a lot of time hanging out with family and each other. A couple of days before Christmas, right in middle of the crazy rain storm, Sarah and I drove down to the valley to hang out with the sisters and cousins. Jimi, Heather, and the boys came out for the entire week of Christmas. It has been so awesome spending so much time with them this past year. Sarah and I took the boys shopping on Thursday (day before christmas eve) for some last minute essentials, and our quick run to Vegas turned into a 10 hour shop till you drop day of running all over Vegas instead. The boys weren't too thrilled, but they got baseball cards at Target and that was enough to make their day. Then Christmas eve, i got to start my day off with an fun family shoot. Seriously it was a great way to spend Christmas eve, i only wish i could have scheduled more families while i was down. After that Kaden and I hung out around the house at Penn and Nancy's and then had dinner at my parents. It was quite the event. We didn't take very many pictures, but the house was full. 18 people all together. My family, Jimis family, Grandma, Joe and Tosha and the boys, and Max and of course Pierce, it wouldn't be a holiday dinner with out Pierce there. Then Christmas was scheduled by meals for us, for the most part. Decorate moms gift at 5:30, open presents at Penn and Nancys at 7:00, Open presents at my parents at 8:00, talk to Luke and breakfast at Penn and Nancys at 9:00, Breakfast at my parents at 10:30, Lunch at Grandma and Grandpa Leavitts at 12:00, then back to my parents for some more grazing at 3:00 then back to Penn and Nancys for even more food at 8:00 and then back to my parents to watch grown ups ( we all got Voss in our stalkings) and play some games.. I have barely ate since Christmas day, i think i am still full. While we were at my parents on Christmas we restarted an old tradition of playing nerts ( card game). I remember when i was little whenever we would get together with friends and family we would play this and i can remember a few specific times playing with Jimi and Heather at Heathers parents, and Playing at Jack and Chris' house on their dining room table. Oh i need to rewind for a moment, i forgot to mention that on Christmas eve Dad took a little trip to the emergency room after slicing his hand open with a chain saw. Do not ask how, because it is a miracle, but he didn't damage anything and just needed 12 stitches. Okay so back to Christmas, well actually now to the day after, we took the jeep and razor out for a ride with Jimi and Heather and James. Kaden and James rode in the razor until Kaden scared James half to death jumping a couple of times. We had a lot of fun, and laughed a lot at the crazy stuff dad and Kaden were doing. Dad almost converted Heather taking her down a ridiculously steep hill, and then he almost dented in the right side of it trying to drive between two bolders that we probably shouldnt have fit through. This Christmas was not as spiritual as it should have been, but it was great spending so much time with family. We honestly all enjoyed being together so much, and really that is how it should be. Kaden and I have truely been blessed with such wonderful families!

Another Semester Down, Now on to Break!

2010-12-22T09:20:00.000-08:00

I survived finals, woohoo! I really was worried i wouldn't. I had 45 minutes of choreographed technique to perform for my dance final, lesson plan presentations for my education classes, and a ridiculously stressful 2 hour geography exam. I made it by with 5 A's 2 B's and 1 C. Im not to proud of the C but i am just happy that i don't have to retake the class. Kaden survived this semester too, he got a few A's and a few B's and is overall pretty happy with how he did, especially since he worked full-time all semester too. Now that the semester is over we have decided to make the most of our break. That means finish painting the house, decorating for christmas, and spending time with the family. So far we have finished the Kitchen, and the downstairs bathroom. Kaden has started our master bath, but gave up for a bit because the paint was frustrating him. Kaden has also moved onto what i like to call the man cave, otherwise known as the garage. He is building a desk and shelves out there and while this is going on everything that goes in the garage has been moved in the house. He told me a week ago it would be done and back in the garage the next day but at the moment i am sitting on the couch and am surrounded by camping gear, work out equipment and paint supplies. I will just be happy if it is all out of the house by the time school starts again, which seems to be coming way to fast! I have gone to the valley twice already and am headed back tomorrow, and at home i think all i have done is work on christmas presents, shopped for christmas presents, and worked. I have really enjoyed putting together things for christmas this year, i have decided that giving gifts and receiving gifts is one of my love languages. So christmas is amazing to me. I do wish i felt like it was christmas more spiritually this year though, i am kind of lacking in that area right now i think. I have been way more into the hole gift part than focusing on christ. New goal for today, read the christmas story. I did make a goal the first of December to do something giving everyday and to find christ in my life each day. That quickly got shot down when my migraines came back and i wanted die. Fortunately they have been gone for the past week. Anyways, today i am on too spending lots of time with the family. My aunt, uncle, cousins and sisters are coming up to go to the snow. Hopefully we can get up to Brian head with the way the weather has been. It should be pretty fun though, the other night my sisters and I met them in Vegas and had a blast playing at game works and eating Serendipity. Well, here are few house pictures and stuff I've been working on, i am off to start packing. I leave for the valley tonight and don't come home till Sunday or Monday.

Our blue messy Kitchen

The Bathroom, we painted, and put up molding, and framed our own mirror

Pumpkin Bread!

Our cute little Christmas Tree, I love our tree skirt :)

Oh Dance, How I Love You!

2010-12-02T20:49:00.000-08:00

I have been dancing for the majority of my life, and since i stopped taking private ballet until this last semester i believed i was done dancing for good. This last semester of Jazz has been amazing for me though. I have done things in dance i never thought i would be good at and have really learned a lot of technique i never had the opportunity to learn. I had an awesome teacher and a lot of fun with the girls in my class. I have kind of figured if i can progress so much more now in this one semester than i probably did in my hole 3 years of dance team that i should probably not give up on it quite yet. Last night i went to the schools Dance Concert and was in awe with it. It was so beautiful, and so moving. A few of the dances were very emotional. On top of that it was a modern dance concert, and i have never been a huge fan of modern but now my goal is to be in this concert before i graduate. ( we will see if it really happens) So next semester a modern dance class? I think so. Ah and my favorite song of the night for the dances, The Moon, by The Swell Season. I loved this song before but love it even more now. Oh yea and isn't this out fit sweet, its what you wear when you have a dance final and are required to wear tights and a leotard and its like 20 degrees outside and there is snow everywhere.

My Christmas Wish List

2010-11-29T17:10:00.000-08:00

Well i decided to procrastinate doing Kaden's homework and make a nice little list of the things i want for Christmas instead, and a list of things i will someday ask for Christmas.

Books- I love books especially ones that are nice and that i will read, or have read and want to put on the beautiful new bookshelf Kaden and I are getting ourselves.

there is an entire collection of these and i only have one so far ( Great Expectations) they are adorable though aren't they. They are called the penguin classics, and i absolutely love them!

I found these at Nordstroms and i really love them too. They are just upbeat little motivational books and Nordstroms will price match them for what they cost on Amazon, and you still get the cute Nordstroms wrapping.

For the Home-

This will be in my entry way eventually. I meant to ask my mom for it for Christmas and then i splurged on Black Friday instead. Oh and this is from my new favorite catalog, Ballard Designs.

I think that these are so neat and i know Kaden really likes them too! It is a mission plaque personalized for where ever your husband or son served. Pretty neat huh? We already have the Saint George Temple painting to match too.

So for our wedding we got several Kitchen Aid attachments and no kitchen aid. I know this is pretty pricey but again i should have probably asked my mom for this.
For Me-

Isn't this adorable? And its Juicy. I seriously have not bought anything from Juicy Couture forever and I pretty much wear a headband or flower everyday, its time for a new one.

I lost my tiffany's necklace that i got for my 18th birthday during one of our many moves this past year. It seriously made me sick and i still get upset thinking about it. This isn't quite the charm i want, i want the plain charm on the simple silver necklace, and an additional key charm to go with it.

Okay now i better get back to Kaden's homework. I am sure i will add more practical things later.

Thanksgiving Day

2010-11-25T21:39:00.000-08:00

Today Kaden and I spent the day with both families. Let me tell you, there was never a dull moment. We spent the morning searching out the best deals for black friday with Nancy and hanging out around their house until we went to Ron and Joyce's (Leavitt Grandparents) for a family lunch. The lunch was great and it was nice to catch up with everyone. Thank you everyone who made food, Kaden and I were slackers and didn't bring anything. After lunch we played with the girls and all visited for awhile. Then the boys all headed out for a pretty good skeet shoot.

Alayna's first time ever asking to sit on my lap. Such a huge step for Leavitt mankind that i had to document it.

This is Grace searching for Kaden while playing hide and seek. Yea that is Kaden standing behind her.

Thanksgiving with my family is when things got interesting. We started out our exciting night of thankfulness with some sweet family pictures. Now i do take pictures and they usually turn out pretty amazing, but i take no claim to how these turned out. My camera was sitting on top of a garbage can on auto with a button in my hand and timer on the camera. Hope everyone finds these as entertaining as i did though. When your family consists of 4 girls and Kaden who knows what will end up on the front of the 2010 Christmas card.

After family pictures we headed home for some dinner. Now mom said earlier in the week that she wasn't making anything because she didn't want to have to make an entire dinner and clean it up and not be able to eat most of it. Well i am sure thankful that she changed her mind because we spent at least a half our laughing around the dinner table before any of us could get the prayer said to eat. We have a tradition in our family (one of the few) of going around the table and saying what we are thankful for. Well this year we started with Pierce, he manages to sneak his way in to most of our holiday dinners. He even said the Easter dinner when he was like three, he's in the 5th grade now, so this has been going on for quite some time. Anyways here is how thankfuls went.

Pierce- family, heavenly father, trees and shade. (can you tell he lives in Moapa Valley?)
Hannah- that mom made dinner
Dad- Some of the dogs, none of the cats.
Sarah- her opportunity to get an education. (Dad added, and online bank transfers)
Me- (mom skipped me) Hey you skipped me! Mom- i know im hungry
Kaden- He said he was thankful for me (it made my night)

Then we proceeded to laugh about all kinds of random things and here is what came of that. Pierce tried to start saying the prayer but we all were laughing to hard to get started, over who knows what so after we all lift our heads and unfold our arms trying to get our giggles out Dad goes off with- I want reverence dammit! He couldn't even keep a straight face oh my heck lets just say even though our dinner table is always entertaining tonight was especially comical.

Well I am thankful for the time this day allows me to spend with my family and for all of the fun memories that were made. Now its off to bed to wake up in 4 hours for a day full of shopping crazy awesomeness!

The Month of Thanksgiving

2010-11-24T22:45:00.000-08:00

I am not sure if every year is this way or just this year, but it seems like everyone went from Halloween straight to Christmas. Don't get me wrong, Christmas is an amazing holiday and is worth celebrating as long as possible, but I think that Thanksgiving should not get the shaft just because we Christmas means gifts and good music. Hello, Thanksgiving means two days to a week off school and work and great food! Okay, but it also should be a time to recall all of the things we are Thankful for. That is why we had the first Thanksgiving isn't it? The pilgrims and Indians were thankful for this country they have to live in. (remembering this statement from the 5th grade.) Well anyway this November i decided to make sure i pointed out something i was thankful for everyday. What better place to do this than i face book? I am pretty positive i kept up with it every single day so far, and here are all of my posts.

I am thankful for my little car that is still alive and getting me from place to place.

I am thankful for the chance we all have to make some changes in our nation today. (voting day)

I'm thankful for my amazing education classes. todays ed 3000 was a blast :)

I am thankful that we had enough In the bank for the rest of kadens tuition and all our bills, but I'm even more thankful that next semester we will have full pellgrants :)

I am thankful for my husband and for all of the complaining he puts up with. plus our date night at home depot has been pretty fun.

I am thankful that Tiffany acts like a little kid and comes and cuddles with me when Kaden leaves for work.

I am thankful for Luke (brother in law) and the example he is to me and Kaden. he heads into the MTC on Wednesday.

I am thankful that it is still warm enough for rain and that it hasn't snowed yet. (it snowed that night)

I am thankful that I am able to live somewhere that is so beautiful all the time, it snowed last night and I still am amazed by how pretty it is outside.

Thankful for the surprise deposit into my account today. oh the blessings of tithing are wonderful :)

I am so thankful for all of the men and women who have and do serve our country.

I am thankful for my teachers that see more in me than I do in myself. If it weren't for them I would probably be failing the majority of my classes this semester.

I am thankful for my sister sarah, even though sometimes i swear she pretends like she doesn't live near me she is a great friend and sister the majority of the time

I am thankful for Sundays and the time I get to spend with Kaden.

I am thankful for my health and the ability I have to work out and stay in shape. I feel so amazing after a trip to the gym.

today I am thankful for my convocations job. it gives me the opportunity to hear great educated speakers and get paid to do it.

I am thankful for music! I am completely musically challenged but just listening to it sets my mood. it is so powerful and definitely something I take for granted.

I am thankful for nice clothes. (I'm completely serious) I don't mean this in a conceided way but I always feel so much more confident when I know I am dressed well.

I am thankful for my day care kids. they have such sweet hearts and teach me so much.

I am thankful for great friends that are always there for me and that are such awesome examples. even though I don't get to see most of them very often I know once I do we can just pick up where we left off. (plus Camille to the picture)

I am thankful for my nieces! I wish I got to see them more, but they are adorable and so much fun and I love spoiling grace

I am thankful for the home that kaden and i were able to buy this year. It might not always be clean and it definitely isn't looking to amazing at the moment, but i love that it is ours!

I am thankful for the things i love to do, Dance and Photography, both are ways i can express myself, and both keep me going. I would have never thought i would still be dancing or that i would have gone anywhere with photography when i was younger, but i absolutely love that i plan on doing both until it is physically impossible. (yea, taking pictures right after ballet, still in my pink tights and leotard.)

I am thankful for both mine and kadens parents. they have raised us both so well and are such huge examples to us. we couldn't have been blessed with better parents.

I have really enjoyed doing this. It has helped me everyday to look for things i am thankful for and all that i am blessed with. I am so Thankful for all of my family, and my friends. I have been so blessed in my life to be surrounded by the most amazing people. I have the best parents and inlaws, the most beautiful and loving sisters anyone could ever ask for, i have 3 awesome brother in laws and a wonderful sister inlaw that i look up to so much! I have the three most adorable nieces in the entire world. I also have some of the best friends anyone could ever ask for, I have friends that i have known almost my entire life and others that i have stayed close too since high school.

Obviously by my posts you can tell i am in complete school mode. I am thankful for the things that happened in my life that lead me to receive my education. Honestly so far it has been the best thing i could have ever done for myself and i know it will be once i am finished as well. I am thankful for my Amazing husband and all that he does for me. He puts up with so much from me, and works so hard, i only hope he knows how much i appreciate him and how thankful i am that he chose me to be his wife. My list can go on forever, at the moment i am sincerely thankful for just about everything in my life. So, after tomorrow once Thanksgiving has come and gone, I will start celebrating Christmas with everyone else. Until them i am keeping up with celebrating Thanksgiving as much as possible.

Family Pictures

2010-11-24T17:57:00.000-08:00

So we took family pictures a couple of weeks ago before Luke left. Here is the one that turned out alright, ha ha they were all pretty comical, and next time Jessica please ask me if my lens is clean. Huge smudge right across me and Vance's faces.

I'd have to say we are a pretty good looking family though.

Class, Class, Work, Class, Work, Class, Sleep

2010-11-11T21:25:00.000-08:00

Seriously this title sums up my life. The End.

Okay not really, a few exciting things have happened between my 18 credits (plus 3 of kadens) and my two jobs. I got really sick with migraines a few months ago that put me in a zombie state for for awhile, seriously not sure how i am passing my classes since i don't quite remember going to them but i finally am past that and have been playing catch up for the past couple of weeks. Luckily when you say im sorry i found out i had a tumor your teachers don't want to hear anymore and cut you a break. I don't have a real tumor or a cancerous one at least. Its called a pituitary tumor, its a gland that releases hormones and mine just decided to quit releasing one day back in August so it swelled instead. Its all fixed though and i sure am happy about that! So since i have finally been able to live again Kaden and i have tried to get our house together. Slowly but surely it is coming along. We actually started painting this week, Woo Hoo, it was a huge step for us. So right now our Kitchen is blue and half of our downstairs bathroom is brown. We plan on adding the wicker to the kitchen walls tomorrow night and finishing the bathroom saturday though. Kaden went hunting a lot the past few months, probably not as much as his brother Kyle, but enough to feel like he was gone every single weekend for ever. Then last weekend was Lukes farewell and he went into the MTC yesterday. It still doesn't quite seem like he is gone yet for us, but i know we are already missing him. I think everyone is going to have a hard time with Luke being gone but we are all so proud of him too. It has been great seeing Luke grow up the past little while. After the back east trip he got really excited to go out and serve. I absolutely loved seeing him glow when he would start talking about the church and how ready he was to leave.

So although my classes are crazy this semester and work has been too. I have really enjoyed most of them and i have really tried to find something positive in all of them. My education classes are always great and they make me so excited to go out and have my own classroom, i actually changed my specialization again and this time i am sticking with it. As much as i wanted to do early childhood and special ed i kind of figured Utah is the only place where i need early child hood for anything and i don't plan on living here too much longer and what i really want to help kids in is reading and writing, and i can always go back and get a special ed endorsement, but i switched to reading and language art. Next semester i start in on those classes and finish up the one general i have left. I am also taking a geology class, for who knows what reason, because i sure don't, and a Jazz class. Geology i will be happy to just pass at this point because it is just ridiculously hard but i do really like my teacher. He is super interesting and has some great stories. I also love that he knows me by name and always talks to me even though im practically failing. It give me a little more hope for the class that he cares enough to know who i am even though there are 80 other students in there. Until today i wasn't quite sure how Jazz was turning out for me. I have always been really hard on myself in dance and the only thing i ever thought i was good at in dance was being flexible and well that pretty much left me, i actually always feel like my teacher is picking on me too, she walks by and will tell me to turn out more or will pull my shoulders back and push my butt in telling me to stand up straighter, and sometimes she makes me do pirouettes until i fall on my butt so i pretty much chalked the class up to a good experience, glad i tried it while i was in college but obviously dance was not for me, also i am probably the oldest person in the class (i have just discovered i am old according to girl age at school). Then at the end of class today she called 4 or 5 girls up including our demonstrator and asked if we would want to be demonstrators for next semester. My job literally dropped open. After almost an entire semester with a class of 50 plus dancers who have been dancing continuously forever and are still little and in shape she asked me to be a demonstrator. SUU has a pretty awesome dance program and plenty of great dancers so yea, im still in shock. Now if i just make sure to go to the rest of my classes this semester i think i will finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.

I will post some pictures of the house and everything as soon as i get them uploaded.

Weekend Trip To the Beach and Disneyland

2010-09-21T18:38:00.000-07:00

Well I hid behind the camera all weekend, but everyone else has plenty of pictures of them to prove they had a blast! The trip was so much fun and Kaden and I absolutely loved getting to play so much with the little girls. Saturday we hung out at the beach for a little bit and went to a fun dinner at Bubba Gumps. Then Sunday we spent the entire day at Disney Land. There were hardly any lines and we got to ride on every ride that we wanted too. Grace absolutely Loved the whinnie the pooh ride, and seeing all the characters walking around. The girls all were so funny and seemed to enjoy themselves, especially during the parade. The twins kept jumping around in their seats and dancing it was so adorable! I am so excited for when we all get to go again :)

Moving In, Starting School, and Loving Amazon!

2010-08-27T14:32:00.000-07:00

Last week Kaden and I finally moved in to our new home! Woo Hoo! I am proud to say that we are almost entirely unpacked, except for all of the stuff sitting in the garage that i don't know what to do with. I am pretending like it doesn't exist and i will probably hide behind my ridiculously busy life until it magically disappears. Our house might be unpacked, but it isn't finished at all. I am actually waiting to get some furniture (that i have hiding in the garage) painted, and my walls as well. I will be buying paint next week, everyone in the valley, home hardware is having an amazing paint sale on some good paint starting September 1st. I am sending my mom in the day it starts to get paint for every single room in my house! I haven't completely decided on colors yet, but i will post picture of everything once i am finished.

School started on Monday. Kaden and I are taking as many classes as we can and working too. Kaden can only take 12 credits right now since he is still on probation, but this is his last semester of it. I have 18 credits but i honestly am wishing i could take more. After our first week of class, Kaden has realized that his computer class and his Spanish class are going to be pretty hard and I realized that my hardest classes will be my geology and Jazz classes. I am sure Kadens will be harder than mine though, i don't know why but this semester my classes should be a breeze. Which is nice in a way since I am going to have three jobs and i signed up for a few clubs and i really want to keep working out, but the same time, i really do like having to study for my tests and reading my books. What is the point of buying an 80 dollar book if you don't even have to read it? Oh well im sure in a couple weeks once my schedule really catches up with me i will be dang glad that i don't have to work too hard for an A. I have a feeling that this semester is going to be a blast! My sister Sarah is up here and Vance, Kaden's brother is living with us. Just this past week Sarah and i have hung out everyday, and for some reason run into each other on campus at the most random places. It has been so nice spending so much time with Sarah though, and knowing she isn't too far away if i want to talk to her. We started working out together on Monday and started a pretty good routine, I thought i was so from that, then i went to my Jazz class, which is absolutely amazing! We learned a 30 minute warm up for the first half of class, and then we worked on some floor work. I was actually surprised when i realized how much easier things are for me now, i am sure its because im actually in somewhat of good shape, but today i was definitely feeling some muscles that i haven't used forever!

Now on to my new found love, Amazon! I discovered this wonderful sight awhile ago when i ordered a bunch of lighting for a ridiculously low price, but i am not a fan of having to pay for shipping so i never really thought to order anything from there unless i absolutely had too. Then Kaden suggested that we get our books from Amazon instead of the bookstore. Well i procrastinated till the week before and was worried about not getting them in time and having too pay extra for shipping. When i finally gave in and looked, i figured out that i qualified for a free Prime account with Amazon, if you don't know what that is, it is pretty much heaven for anyone who doesn't like having to drive an hour or two to get the things they need. With this prime account i get free two day shipping and stuff over nighted for 3.99. How great is that! Well so great that this past week we have literally received a package on our front door step every single day. I not only ordered all of our books, but Vance's and Sarah's. Then i needed a planner, so i hopped on Amazon and got the perfect one. Then i was sitting in the office one night frustrated with all our random papers and ordered cute paper boxes (they should be here today), then i was sitting in our office thinking man it sure would be nice to have a desk, so... I ordered a beautiful desk for only 200 and it came with free shipping still, but not two day (it should be here next wednesday). Then just last night i realized that i don't have one single pair of Jazz shoes anymore so again i hopped on Amazon and I will have them before my next class. It honestly is like magic at the tips of my fingers. What a terrible obsession. I plan on quitting soon. Hopefully i do before my bank account makes me.

House Update

2010-08-17T16:55:00.001-07:00

After what feels like forever, we have officially closed on our home. Funding should go through in the morning, but we have already moved a Uhaul of stuff into our beautiful new home. After so much stress and frustration I finally feel like I can breath again. I'm worried this long process has taken. Everything out of me though. I swear I haven't had a day with out endless calls since the first of July. I just wish I had a day to lay in bed and sleep for 24 hours strait. Sadly that won't happen though, Kaden and I are headed to Vegas tonight to celebrate my birthday and then there is work the rest of the week and school starts Monday. Oh well who needs rest? Is anyone else excited for the fun posts ill have about the cute design things I have planned for the house? I am!

Family Lake Trip

2010-08-08T10:49:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I went to the Lake with my family, not just my parents and sisters but my uncle Jimi and his family and Aunt Jody and her boys and Grandma. Seriously what a great day! We were pretty worried in the morning that it was going to be way windy on the lake, and it was pretty windy but not bad enough to keep us from some awesome tubing times, and yes, we got some great pictures so everyone can share in our experience. Sadly though Kaden couldn't come and we all missed him there, but he had to work and it is pretty hard for him to get two weekends off in a row. We all came home pretty sun burned and pulled in to the docks with a boat not running, but it was such a fun day! All of us cousins got thrown off the tube a few times, had fun trying to pull each other back on the tube, pushing each other off the boats, and trying not to get chopped into fish food when the propeller was still on and chasing after us (actually one of the scariest things i've ever seen, seriously thought i was going to have to whip out some major life guarding skills.) What an eventful day though, I would definitely have to say a Hendrix family success. It isn't to often that we all get together. The last time i had seen Jody was at my wedding and only Faylon came then. Luckily this past year we have had the chance to see Jimi, Heather, and the boys quite a few times. We absolutely Love spending time with them. I think now though its our turn to go visit them.


Sarah and James

Justice


Katherine

katie dancing

Peirce being thrown off

huge wave


still holding on

Me being dragged off.

James is so proud that he stayed on.

dancing while tubing

Rowan, Aunt Jody, Faylon, and Justice


It wasn't to smart of us to stick sarah and justice next to eachother.

Poor Justice ended up with a black eye and bloody nose from Sarah's heel.

trying to pull James onto the tube

He's a big Kid.

Then we all flew off and hit each other. All of us were floating in the water holding our heads it was pretty funny.

James and Peirce were the only two from the collision willing to get back on.

We ended the day with a quick swim before we had to get the patio boat back.

What a Week

2010-08-06T17:03:00.000-07:00

Monday started off great, Kaden and I woke up excited and ready to close on our house. We had been told that it was actually going to happen a couple weeks ago and never did. Then we were told Monday for sure. Well, surprise surprise, we didn't close. Then Tuesday came and our lender said it should happen by Friday. It just so happened that right after talking to the lender our land lord's tell us we need to be out by wednesday for cleaning on Thursday. Seriously? I panicked and had a melt down. I called my mom crying, not just crying but like full on convulsions with tears pouring out. Then I pulled myself together to call our realitor and my convulsions just started right back up again. I think he got the point pretty quickly that i needed to close on wednesday. So a little while later i get a call from our lender who now says, that he just got chewed out by our realitor but we will close Wednesday. Yea right? Wednesday comes around, I am fasting to close, and still it doesn't happen. Luckily though our land lord's decided to give us until next Friday to move out. Kaden had honestly gotten us a storage shed and was ready to start moving stuff when we found out. Now, today is Friday and drum role please...we still have not closed on our house. I am questioning wheather we will ever get our house or not. Monday is supposedly the day now, but who knows. I sure have no clue whatsoever. I am just happy that this weekend My cousins and aunts and uncles are going to be down in Logandale for a little family reunion and we are going out to the Lake. Also i am very excited for Luke! He just got his mission call last night and he has been called to serve in, Arkansa! Woo Hoo! I guessed Africa, then i guess Louisianna. Not to far off huh? Kaden and I are so happy for Luke though and we are so very proud of him as well. He will be an amazing missionary. I have absolutely loved watching him grown this past year and have loved getting to know him more. He is pretty quiet but i love talking to him when he decides to open up. I can also tell how much his testimony has grown this summer, and how ready he is to serve the Lord. It has been so neat watching him prepare himself and hearing about the way the church history trip helped him grow. I am kind of sad though that he will be gone for two years. Hopefully Kaden and I will do a much better job at writing Luke than we did writing Vance. Sorry Vance, we were terrible at writing you.

Fish Lake

2010-08-06T16:48:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Kaden and I went with the Leavitt/Alger side of the family to Fish Lake for the weekend. Friday was so much fun. We drove up in the mornig with Vance and Luke and took the little fishing boat with us. The boys were pretty entertaining to me with all of their bickering and being hungry and well just being 3 brothers stuck in the car together for two hours. Once we got to the lake, the boys continued to entertain me by carrying the boat into the lake instead of backing it in. It was quite a sight. We fished for a few hours and i cant quite remember but i want to say we only cought one trout, if that while we were out then, but we caught a ton of little perch. After going back to shore, taking a nice nap, and eating some dinner, the four of us headed back out for a little night fishing. We didn't bring one single trout back with us. Although, we had tried out best. I even had two fishing poles going at once (mostly just for my own ammusment.) Saturday i was not to happy with Kaden. He pretty much left me all day at the cabin so he could fish, but there wasn't any room for me. So i litterally slept all day long. I have no idea why, but i slept a lot on this trip. Then Saturday night Kaden made some pretty amazing fish tacos for dinner and we visited with all of the family. Sunday mornig Kaden, Luke, and I went out fishing and had no luck again. I was just happy that i got to go back out though. Overall the trip was pretty fun, other than being left at the cabin, and not having a pontune boat, not taking a single picture, oh and not having the girls there. I really missed not being able to hang out with grace or take her fishing. Hopefully next year everyone will be there and we will get a pontune boat.

Pioneer Day Weekend

2010-07-26T10:50:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday was Pioneer Day up here in Utah. To celebrate Kaden and I went with the Leavitt side of the family to Marysvale. It was so much fun hanging out with the little girls all weekend and enjoying the nice weather. Saturday morning we watched the small town parade that was actually pretty good. Then we headed down to the park for some kids games for grace to play. After the games we headed up the mountain to Kyle and Jessica's trailer for some lunch. While we were up there Kaden and Luke took off fishing so Grace and I decided to go do some too. We didn't do much but drowned a worm, but we still had fun. Grace is quite the character, she always makes me laugh with the little things she says. After eating and fishing we all went to watch the girls catch some fish with the rest of the kids in Marysvale. This was probably one of the funnest looking things i have ever watched. Of course Addison and Alaynna weren't to thrilled about catching the fish, but they had some fun playing in the water while Uncle Vance took over catching the fish for them. Grace tried really hard but never really got one for herself, but she named Vance's fish Paco and said she was going to eat it for dinner. The rest of the day we just hung out and relaxed. Kaden and I actually took quite a long nap while Vance and Luke tried to fish in the river, they didn't have much luck though. Sunday was such a beautiful day! We drove up the mountain and stopped a few times to look around and eat some lunch. The entire mountain is filled with the neatest old cabins and things from the old mines. I had a great time trying to get some good pictures of things. I would really like to have a wall in our new home to put pictures of stuff like that on that i have taken. Hopefully a few shots are worthy of being hung up.

Melissa and Scott's Wedding

2010-07-12T17:15:00.000-07:00

Melissa and I have literally known each other since we were born. The picture above was us on our first day of Kindergarten. We were next door neighbors and our families were best friends. We did everything together when we were little! Seriously everything. The McColley family has been such a huge part of my life and although we spent quite a few years apart it seems like their role in my life is the same as that of anyone else in my family. It was so great to see all of them and to catch up this past weekend. It felt like we had never moved out of our Palm view home and had stayed the same after all these years. Melissa and Scott's ceremony and reception was so beautiful! They are so great for each other, even though i only met Scott on Saturday he seems like such a perfect guy for Melissa. Their son Aaron is just beautiful too! He was so cute and so fun i honestly hope my future children can be as cute as him. My Mom, Sarah, and I had a blast with everyone that we caught up with and on our journey down there. The wedding was in San Diego at a really neat place in the harbor. The reception was so much fun! I am totally kicking myself in the butt for not taking any pictures. I saw a lot of girls that i grew up with and even went to girls scouts with it is so funny how much we have all changed and grown up but seriously look just the same. We did quite a bit of ridiculous dancing and we laughed so much, hands down one of the funnest weddings i have ever been too. Melissa and I got to catch up at the hotel after the wedding and play with Aaron while he drank his juice baba. Its so funny because Melissa used to only drink Juice ba bas too. Sunday we also enjoyed an amazing brunch with everyone before we headed home. I really hope that after this our familys will start to spend more time together again. It is so natural and fun being with them and it is so neat having all of us grown up and starting families of our own now.

4th of July Weekend

2010-07-12T16:51:00.000-07:00

The fourth was such a fun weekend for us. We went to the Mammoth creek with my family and Joe and Tosha. I think that the pictures we got say more than what i could so i plan on posting a ton of them. The weekend started out with Sarah, My mom and I all going to Parowan for a parade that Sarah was in. Let me tell you it was the most exciting parade i had ever been too, just kidding. But we still had fun. Then later Saturday we decided that we didn't bring enough stuff so we drove down to Cedar, went to Walmart, and picked up Kaden and Tiffany. Sunday was so fun. We went on a super long trail ride all around mammoth and duck creek. We went to the Ice Caves and attempted going to a waterfall but the trail was all blocked off. We did a little fishing in the creek we were camped on and i actually caught a fish. Then Monday before we went home we took few pictures of Caden and got into a pretty good popper war. Thanks mom and dad for the weekend! Although we didn't do anything too patriotic other than wearing red white and blue I still felt so proud to be an American and i am so very grateful for this country and for everyone who protects it. I think that most of the time now people forget what a great nation this is and how blessed we are to live here, but i feel very blessed to live in the United States and i enjoyed celebrating the freedom that i have living here.

Blogs I Am Totally Crushing On

2010-06-30T20:01:00.000-07:00

Can we just be in our house already? I believe i have been patiently waiting since April to find a home, buy a home, and move into it. Well now we have found it, are in the process of buying it, and will soon be moving into it. I seriously have been imagining the was ways I am going to paint the walls, where all of my photos are going to hang, where are books will be placed, what colors each room will be, and etc. To just completely add to my fantisizing i have been trying to think of ways i could get new furniture too. I have a few empty spots in my plan but everything i like is a little pricey and i want to be able to paint and decorate things my self so of course i turned to all the adorable diy blogs that are out there. Here are few sites i am totally crushing on.

Knock-off Wood

cute bench

I totally could make these myself! I would be in love with doing them too. Uh Kaden totally just put a damper on my book shelf though, but i think he will come around to it because he hates our 20 dollar big lots ones.

I Heart Nap Time

Brown Paper Packages

cute towell rack. Im thinking of making it smaller though and just saying His and Hers

Okay so those were just a few little things. I have so many ideas that go through my mind, I am sure next week i'll picture my home looking totally different. Have fun looking through these sweet blogs!

Eclipse

2010-06-30T19:07:00.000-07:00

Yes! I am in love with twilight. I used to be totally against and the person who refused to read the books because everyone else was doing it. Then i found Edward. Okay a little exaggerated. But i do really enjoy the books and the movies. Movies i enjoy only because of the books though. It was so fun last night though hanging out waiting for Eclipse. Sarah, Heather, Ashley, Kayli, her friend and I all waited in line starting at 9:30 10:00 ish. We had a great time talking about the books, cheering on Edward, (ashley and heather cheered on Jacob) and just being husband and baby-less for the night. We got great seats, and i ate almost an entire tub of popcorn. The movie was also by far the best so far. Woo Woo for higher budgets. We didn't take very many photos but this is what we got.

Beach Trip

2010-06-30T18:48:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday Kaden, Sarah, Luke, Vance, and I packed up and headed to the beach at 4 in the a.m. I drove the entire way and i was so excited the entire time. The drive to California is so easy and natural to me, i know that sounds weird but i totally feel like I'm going home every time i do it. I was grateful that Kaden never bugged me about driving, he graciously allowed me to get us to each destination even after i backed into a Lexus on Balboa Island, but I'll talk more about that later. Our first stop on the trip was Newport beach, we got there around 9 and it was still pretty over cast and a little chilly so we decided to scope out some shops and get into our swim suits in hopes of killing time and the clouds burning off, it took a little longer than we wanted it to though and we ended up on Balboa Island shopping around before we saw the sun.

I forgot my Camera card so for now these are the lovely pictures you get to see of us wasting our time before we made it to the beach. So now we are to the backing into the Lexus story. Balboa island is super ritzy and honestly we were by far the crappiest car there in my moms Honda pilot. I made Kaden parallel park the car when we finally found a spot because well in Moapa Valley you don't need to know how to do that in order to pass your driving test, i should know. I hit the cones and drove onto the curb when i took mine, and sadly i passed with a high score. So anyways when we were leaving the island and heading to Laguna i couldn't see very well when i was pulling out and this was how it happened.

Vance- "Kaden maybe you should do this."
Kaden- "No Laura better be able to do this at least."
Me-" Im fine just tell me how far i can back up."
Kaden-" Oh you have a good five feet."

Then half a foot later i hit the Lexus. Not even exaggerating. So it wasn't really my fault it was Kaden's ha ha, and there was no harm done. So we left and drove down to Laguna. While we were there we searched out the tide pools and played in the water. Seriously the beach was packed but there were so many big waves there it was crazy. We got tossed around in the water quite a bit but we had a blast.

Saturday after our blast at the beach we went to dinner at downtown Disney with my best friend Camille and her cute boyfriend. It was so nice catching up with them and hanging out for a bit. I miss her so much! Its always so great when i get to see her.

Sunday morning when i woke up i found Luke, Sarah, and Vance sharing a bed. It was too funny so i got a picture. Talk about family Love. After getting up for the day we did a hole lot of shopping again but didn't buy too much, except for i did get an adorable pair of coach shoes. Ah can i even try to explain how much i love coach shoes? I doubt it, so im not going to try.After shopping we headed to the beach once again, but it was a little cold and overcast and there were no signs of it burning off. We only stayed long enough to get a ticket which was like two hours and two minutes since our meter had two hours worth of quarters in it. Then we drove home and stopped for a yummy dinner at Claim Jumper. Kaden has been craving it forrrreevveeerrr (think sandlot.)

Day Care at the Park

2010-06-25T13:13:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we spent a quite of bit of time at the park. When i say we, i mean eight adorable day care kids and myself. It was definitely my favorite day at work this week. Our kids are always entertaining but today they were great! completely sweet, or sweet enough i didn't dwell on the not so sweet parts and totally funny. It honestly was one of those days that just made me feel so blessed to work with children. Our time at the park totally reminded me of all the reasons i want to spend the rest of my life whipping booger noses and putting up with whiny voices. I absolutely love to watch kids grow, and learn, and understand things, but most of all i love to learn, and grow and understand things from them. Children can be so considerate and so caring and polite that it amazes me how much of that we lose as we get older, I really hope i am still child like in that way though. Here are a few things that completely melted my heart yesterday.

Rhiley- "Miss Laura could you please untie my shoe for me, and make it look like a bone thats pretty like my other shoe, please."

Bronson- "Miss Laura could i have some water?" I give Bronson his water and he pours it on the ground. "Bronson what are you doing? I thought you were thirsty?" "I was but the ground looked thirsty too."

Emma- "Hey umm Miss Laura can you make me do the monkey bars, Please? If you hold me the hole time then i can reach them."

Tomatoe Allergies Anyone?

2010-06-23T17:17:00.001-07:00

That's right, I'm allergic to tomatoes. When I first started realizing this I thought it wouldn't be so bad, I don't like eating raw tomatoes and really are they in very much? Uh I was so stupid to think that. Tomatoes are honestly in everything. All the good foods have them, like pizza and pasta and my favorite soup from nordstroms and enchiladas and salsa and guacamole and my most favorite thing ever, bbq sauce. At first though my allergy only flared up when eating raw tomatoes now I feel like I'm on a diet that isn't healthy. All of my alternatives are high in day white sauve things. If anyone has good tomatoe-less recipes please let me know because unfortunatley this problem has put a damper on my dinner cooking too. All kaden wants to eat now is something with a tomatoe in it.

Vances Homecoming

2010-06-23T11:36:00.000-07:00

Sunday was such a great day for Kaden and I. Vance gave is homecoming talk, Sarah spoke about the back easy trip, and my Dad is now probably up to be the next high council man (not really, he just spoke for 30 minutes while President Messer was on the stand.) Besides our fantastic time attending two sacraments, we had fun visiting all of the Leavitt and Alger family at Vances homecoming brunch and hanging out with my family for dinner. Easily i could say the two high lights of our day were Water ballooning with Kyle, Jessica, Vance, Luke, Penn and Nancy, and Sitting around the Dinner table with my family (it is always quite entertaining.)

I had to post these pictures as proof that for one day for just a little while, Alayna actually liked Kaden!

With our luck she will hate him again next time around. For some reason the girls aren't to fond of either of us. We all know why grace doesn't like Kaden but i think i get dragged along with it since im his wife.

Well I love these girls no matter how much they don't like me, they are adorable! I think its time to start spoiling them again. I took these pictures while the boys were filling up water balloons and everyone was launching them at each other.

Thanks Kyle and Jessica for supplying the launcher and balloons and everything!

Fathers Day

2010-06-23T11:35:00.000-07:00

Happy Fathers Day Dads!

We have been blessed with two of the most Amazing Dads. Our fathers are such great men and such amazing examples to us. We are so grateful for all they have done for us to help us grow and we are honestly truly honored to be blessed enough to be their children.

Happy Fathers Day. We love you!

We Got the House!

2010-06-19T20:35:00.000-07:00

Our realtor gave us the great news a couple of weeks ago now, but we were kind of waiting to see if it was real or not. The problem wasn't that we didn't trust our realtor, he is great! We just were worried that it was to good to be true. It is real though, we are so happy! We are buying an almost brand new home that is 1700 square ft, 3 bedroom, 2 bath and half bath, beautiful home at an amazing price. It also has a fridge, washer and dryer, and blinds. Wohoo! The only thing we have to get now is a couch and paint. I seriously have every room planned out already and Kaden has huge plans for the back yard. Move in day is July 7th.

MVHS Graduation

2010-06-19T20:03:00.000-07:00

Let me start off by saying, that Kaden and I are so proud of Luke and Sarah. We are also very happy they were in the same grade so we don't have to sit through another MVHS graduation for 4 more years. That might sound harsh, but it is the truth. It was probably a hundred degrees in the gym and all of the talks blended together, except for Heathers of course! We are so excited though to watch what our little siblings make of the rest of their lives and we are so excited to watch them grow up. Sarah is moving up to Cedar to go to SUU and Major in Nursing, and well Luke i think is still undecided but he is preparing for his mission and should be leaving next fall.

So going to graduation made me reminisce for sure! Now i know i just got done complaining about graduation, but seriously the class of 2007's graduation was the best ever. Sarah even came out and said "was that not the worst graduation ever, yours was really good." Maybe it was just because our grade was so close, or because we had 10 valedictorians who were all pretty cool, i don't know but either way ours was awesome! and i could seriously only find one graduation picture and its not even a real one. but here it is. Oh and a class photo too :)

The Highlights of May!

2010-06-19T12:54:00.000-07:00

Womens Conference

The first week of May i had the privilege of attending women's conference with my Mom and Grandma. Anyone who has ever been can agree with me, it is completely amazing! I needed this trip so much. I had the chance to feel the spirit in very special classes for a few days and i took every opportunity i could to strengthen that feeling. The Lord taught me so much in this short time about what I can do to better strengthen myself, my marriage, my relationship with the Lord, with friends, with my family. I heard amazing talks, but the one that touched me the most was given at the very end by Sister Oaks. Oh my goodness, what a woman! Some day i truly hope to succeed as she has. She was a teacher when she was younger and now has a doctorates in teaching and curriculum and is on the board for desseret book and children's primary in salt lake. She was so fun to listen too though she was so sweet and really simply testified of the strength of partaking of the sacrament which honestly kaden and I need to do more often. Its been kind of hard not having a set home ward yet. Anyways, a few other things I gained a testimony of while I was there were, better supporting my husband and ways I can do that. Things I can do to reach out to friends or family members in need of help with out being pushy. And ways I can be more spiritual every day. I think I have done well so far in supporting kaden better, one simple thing that I feel has helped our marriage a lot is just making dinner every night. Before I was terrible we were lucky if I got dinner done twice a week, but now I make dinner every night and its ready when kaden gets home. It doesn't sound like much, but its amazing how it sets the feeling in our home when we are able to sit down together and eat an actual meal.

Kaden's Trip to Moab

The second week of may Kaden took a trip with my dad to a rzr rally thing in Moab. I was kind of nervous having the two of them alone with a rzr for so long but they had a blast and no one got hurt. Before they left, they fixed up the rzr and made it all fast and spiffed up and what not so they could race it against other rzrs that were going to be out there with rich professional racers. needless to say, they did a super good job on the rzr and my husband is amazing because he took 1st place in two of the three races he entered. They were drag racing and barrel racing. He couldn't have been happier and both of them had a blast! Of course they didn't take any pictures though so ill post one of kaden's winning plaques later.

Sarah's Big One Eight

For Sarah's 18th birthday her friend heather and I decided to surprise her with a trip to Vegas for a couple of days at the pool, shopping, and dressing up. We had a blast! My mom, Sarah, heather, and I all got a room at the Monte Carlo which was a pretty great place with a fun pool area. We laid out for 2 days and all left looking like lobsters. At night we went shopping and to dinner, the first night we ate at the Rio buffet which is always good, and then the second night we ate at cheese cake factory (only because serendipity's wait was forever long.) Emily came to dinner with us then too. I'd have to say Sarah had a pretty amazing 18th birthday.

Pictures, Pictures, Pictures!

2010-06-10T11:43:00.000-07:00

May was an extremely busy month for everyone i am sure, but i felt like a break would becoming with being out of school, and i decided i was just kidding myself because i was busier than ever! I loved every single minute of my business though! I had 3 senior picture i was working on, prom pictures, family pictures and wedding pictures. I have never had so many things going on picture wise before but it was so much fun! I can't quite remember if i have mentioned that i got an extremely amazing new camera yet or not, but i did. The Canon 7D. Besides my wedding ring it is my most prized possession now.I hope to be able to stay busy through the summer so i can continue learning how to use it and how to be better at taking pictures.

okay so i know she is my sister, but isn't Sarah just ridiculously gorgeous?

Still House Hunting

2010-06-04T23:01:00.000-07:00

So for the past month Kaden and I have still been house hunting. We have two offers in on two different houses, and actually just put our third in today, making a grand total of four offers since we began our search. We are crossing our fingers for this home though. It is a two story twin home in a brand new neighborhood and it is perfect for us. 3 bedroom 2 1/2 bath and beautiful! I have big ideas for all the walls and hopefully will have the rest of the summer to have fun decorating them with lots of color! Here are a few pictures of the place.We are so excited for it to all work out for us and for us to have a place of our own.

Spring has Sprung!

2010-04-28T13:52:00.000-07:00

Spring is finally here, there is no snow on the ground, the sun is out (for now) and the semester is officially over as of 9:41 this moring when i left my last final. Kaden and I are both thrilled to have lived through this past semester, thinking back on it i believe we will both try to shun most of it from out memories as soon as we move out of Aunt Dianes. We both feel we have been blessed tremendously to have been able to live in her trailor for the past four months, but it was not the best experience. We are so ready to have our stuff back, to sleep in our own bed, to eat off our dishes, and see our own pictures hanging on the walls. Next week we will be moving into a little two bedroom twin home right next door to one of the greatest friends ive met up here, ha Lacey and Devin will probably get sick of us and be really glad that we only signed a summer contract, but we are so grateful that they are letting us be their neighbors and live in the other side of their house. While we are living with their for the summer we have big plans on finding our own home. We have actually been looking for the past couple months and really exstensively for the past couple weeks. If anyone is interested in moving to Cedar, now is the time and we will set you up with our amazing realitor who has found us a way to approved on our own and has helped us to know what we should be looking for. We are crossing our fingures that the tax incentive will be extended but we decided not to rush just so we could get it. Who knows, there are 3 days left, maybe we our very humbled down dream home will come on the market today. So anyways, enough about our future home and moving out of the trailor. Kaden and I have about 1 month of spring to enjoy before im back in school and Summer starts. We are hoping to accomplish as much as we can with out missing work this summer, if anyone has figured out how to do this, please let me know. In may Kaden is going to Moab for 4 days, I am shooting prom pictures in Vegas, and we hope to go to the beach with Lacey and Devin. Then June just gets busier. Vance gets home and we are going to go on a 5 day trip to pick him up, then i have a 3 day photography workshop in Bountiful and may be going to San Francisco on a girls trip for my sisters graduation. July we have fish lake, lake powell, and a trip so Southern California for a friends wedding. Well August has no plans yet, maybe thats when we will fit working in ;) As busy as this time of year will be for us, i am so excited for it.

P.S. I took this picture this morning, the flowers in the yard are BEAUTIFUL!

Easter Weekend

2010-04-18T16:11:00.000-07:00

Easter weekend was very eventful for Kaden and I. We drove down to the Valley Wednesday after class so that Thursday we could try and trade the King Ranch in. After a very stressful and hectic day at a Hyundai dealership in Henderson we decided we weren't going to trade in the truck after all and that we would do a nice little trade with Penn and Nancy. Yes we are now King Ranch free, Woo Hoo! (Penn and Nancy are as well, ask them about their amazing new car ) Then, Thursday night i went out with Whitney, Sarany, and Lauren for Whits 21st Birthday! It was a lot of fun, we ate sushi and road around in the Jeep ha. Then Easter weekend really began Friday when Kaden headed back to work and My Uncle and his family came out to the Valley. My Dad decided we needed to start our Friday off right with a nice off roading trip. It was so much fun! We took the boys (my cousins) in the Rzr, Rhino and Jeep out to Red Rock and hiked to Meadow that Sarah knew about it. We also hauled Tiffany out there with us and she did great. It was a beautiful day and everything was green from all of the rain the Valley has been blessed with this year. Then Saturday was a lot more low key, Sarah and I took the the boys and Hannah and Katie to see Alice and Wonderland, not my favorite movie by the way. Then Saturday night Kaden came back down for the family dinner and we played Apples to Apples with everyone. Sunday we spent the morning watching the boys have a huge Easter egg hunt and then we went out with the Leavitt family to see some petrogliphs Penn had found. The hike we went on was great and I got to take a ton of pictures which was really fun for me. I loved carrying Alayna around and I think Kaden enjoyed having Grace on his shoulders the entire day. We love actually feeling like we are an aunt and uncle. Also i got a lot of neat picture of Ron (Kaden's Grandpa) if anyone from the Leavitt family would like some. I am not sure how many pictures there are of him but i do know he is a huge example to all of his grandchildren. I thought they would be neat to have.

you know you live in a trailor park...

2010-04-09T17:04:00.001-07:00

When your neighbors hang a disco ball in their tree. Classy, no?

Oh Sarah

2010-03-31T21:08:00.000-07:00

Me: Hey Sarah you should bring Whit with you to Cedar tonight.

Sarah: What!? I cant haul Whit by myself, i don't even know how to pull a trailer, and whose truck am i supposed to take?

Me: Oh My Goodness Sarah Whitney Bowerman...not your stinckin horse. Why in the world would i want you to bring your horse?

Sarah: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA I guess i was just thinking about my horse.

Clark County Rodeo Queen

2010-03-29T09:52:00.000-07:00

Wohoo Sarah Won! She did so amazing, and we are all so very proud of her. Her hard work certainly paid off. Although she doesn't have a horse, she won not only the title, but a saddle, chaps, all sorts of pretty things and an 8,000 dollar scholarship. Congratulations Sarah!

* ill post pictures soon.

Nordstroms Flavors

2010-03-29T09:47:00.000-07:00

My mother gave me the most amazing cook book for Christmas, it is the Nordstroms Flavors book. Nordstroms is not only one of my favorite places to shop, but it is also one of my favorite places to eat, especially their bistro in San Francisco. So last night for dinner Kaden decided we needed to eat something good and he whipped out the pretty cook book. We decided to make grilled shrimp with asparagus and risotto. Honestly it was probably the best meal we have ever made.

The Things My Mother Says

2010-03-22T09:47:00.000-07:00

So i have decided to start keeping track of the funny things my mom says, because admittedly Sarah and I say the same exact things, and if it is something we don't really say but just think and my mom says it we will make it a family joke for the rest of time.

This weeks best one was- "Well Sarah how bout you just starve your self for the rest of the week, then maybe your hips will shrink and the dress will look really good for the pageant."

Yes she was totally serious. Poor Sarah, or you could just go with a different dress.

Time to Myslef

2010-03-22T09:34:00.000-07:00

I love my husband dearly and i miss him when he is gone, but it was really nice this weekend to have a few experiences to myself. Kaden had to work Friday and Saturday up in Cedar while i stayed in Logandale so i could go to the temple while my Grandma went through for the first time. That experience was so amazing. I don't even know how to describe it. I had never felt the spirit that way before while at the temple or ever imagined i would get such clear answers from the Lord like i did. I had the opportunity while my Grandma was preparing to take out her endowments to do some temple work on my own. It was a first for me, Kaden and I always go together. That time alone though doing work for several women who were waiting for it to be done was so perfect, i felt such a sense of comfort as i relearned of blessings that have been promised to me. I am so excited to go back and serve some more. It was also great to see my Grandma go through, a few years ago i had jotted down a list of goals, mostly spiritual ones, like read my scriptures everyday, say my prayers, fast each month, be married in the temple, help reactivate some people, be an example to my sisters, seal my grandparents, and the last one was help get grandma Karla baptized. In the past year i was married in the temple, we sealed my grandparents, and grandma was baptized, and now she has gone through the temple. I am so grateful to have been a part of that and to see the changes in her life and to witness her growth and know that she will now be with us for eternity.

The rest of the weekend was just as amazing for me. The weather was beautiful, i got to sleep in, and i got to spend quite a bit of time with my sister and with Whitney. It was so great to catch up and kind of reconect and i am so excited to have her back and hang out more. We tanned for quite awhile on Friday and Saturday and now i am probably going to have cancer because of it. Seriously i am so red and i swear i can feel the freckles multiplying.

A Quick Update

2010-03-18T13:32:00.000-07:00

After getting my update on the Ty and Annie Leavitt family i decided i seriously needed to update my blog. So here is a quick update on everything that has been going on for the past couple months.

Aunt Dianes- we are still camping out in Aunt Diane's bedroom, and rotting our brains every day with NCIS and the new favorite, Criminal Minds. I honestly can not wait until we don't have satellite anymore.

The King Ranch has died- Near the end of February the truck started acting up and then it died while we were visiting our families one weekend. Penn and Kaden decided they would fix it and ordered up the parts. After a few days of working hard on the dang truck it decided that it still wasn't going to work. So now our ridiculous truck is sitting out in the shop until Penn and Kaden decide what to do next. I will caution you, do not ever buy a Ford King Ranch! It is not worth it. Luckily my good old Saturn is still kicking though, We have put a little over 7,000 miles on it this year already, and the shifter cables went out, but its a quick trip to pick a part and then its fixed.

San Francisco- Let me start off by telling you how amazing my parents are... They are two of the best parents in the entire world! For our one year anniversary my parents took us back to one of our favorite places. Of course they came with us, but that just made it more fun. On this trip we decided to once again scope out things to do that we hadn't done before. We bought city passes and went to a pretty cool science museum in Golden Gate Park and a little aquarium on the warf. We ate at a few of our favorite places again, Nordstroms Cafe, Mama's, and Scoma's. Seriously the best food ever! Thanks again Mom and Dad we had so much fun!

CAAP Test- The CAAP test is like a college ACT for education majors. I was so nervous before i took it and pretty much had decided that i would have to retake at least two sections of the test. I got my scores in the mail last week and Guess What!? I passed and not just passed i passed with amazing scores! I usually am not one to brag but i am pretty dang proud of myself.

Kadens Job- Kaden finally has a job! We are both very excited, it was not his first choice of work but he is just happy to have a job. After months of constant praying and applying we were starting to get pretty discouraged, neither of us had even recieved one call back, not even one telling us we didn't get the job. When you have applied at 50 plus places that is pretty discouraging. Then last week the amazing call came from Jiffy Lube, first there was an interview, then there was a job. I also had two interviews this week. We are shouting our praises and crossing our fingers. We honestly feel so blessed right now.

Jace's Funeral

2010-02-08T16:02:00.000-08:00

Jace's funeral was today. I was nervous going, i didn't really know what to expect. I got up early and got dressed and tried to look as good as you can when your going to funeral. Sarah and I met our aunt and uncle there around nine to save seats for the rest of our family. I am so glad that we went early and not just because of the seats. I got to catch up with a few people who i really enjoy talking too. It was nice to be able to express my gratitude for Jace being a part of my life to other people. The service itself was amazing. I could not imagine a better service. Funny and Spiritual stories were shared from Jace's life, his testimony was shared by Kevin and Elder Cook from the Quorum of the twelve apostles spoke on a number of things but also blessed everyone who was in attendance and the valley. The meeting was so strong and spiritual, i have no doubt in my mind that Jace was not pleased with his funeral, probably so pleased that once we get to heaven he will make fun of all of ours because we didn't have an apostle speak at ours. Okay well at least he will do that to me. I am really going to miss Jace and so will everyone else who knew him, but i truly know he is doing the Lords work and that he served his time here on earth. I am so excited for the day that i get to be with him again and we can once again make fun of each other and council one another on the little things we always have. Jace was and is a great friend and he will always have a special place in my heart. Jace really did affect my life in more ways than he will ever know.

An Amazing Saturday Night

2010-02-08T15:47:00.000-08:00

So Saturday night I got to spend some time with a few old friends. It was seriously so much fun, i wish i had more pictures but i'm pretty luck that i even got this one. The night started off with me picking up Sarany just like the old days, and then it got better as we were leaving her house and honestly couldn't get very far because of a huge river that took over the road. It had been raining quite a bit Saturday but in a matter of minutes a river formed and we weren't able to pass. We laughed so hard as we just sat and stared at this huge river and tried to figure out what we should do. We decided we would try the back way out which is a dirt road. It didn't take us very long to figure out that the back road was destroyed by the rain as well. Then Sarany decides we can just go get her dads truck and take it. So we head back to her house, get the keys and stomp through a ton of mud to the truck. The truck was stuck and we couldn't back out of the yard. Instead we just spun the tires down into the mud for awhile. After laughing about the mud forever we made our way back to the car and decided to just see if the river had disappeared yet. So we drove back to the river and sat and looked at it for awhile contemplating whether or not we should try to cross. After quite a long time i decided my car should probably just die anyways and i drove into the river. Ha Ha it was like driving through a puddle. We had no reason to worry the entire time. We laughed for so long afterward and drove on to Brett's house. We spent the rest of the night with Jeff, Spencer, Brett, Amanda, Lexi, Carlie, and her Fiance Josh. It was a lot of fun. We reminisced and watched old high school videos.

Jace

2010-02-02T12:38:00.000-08:00

Saturday night as i was driving Sarah to the Bellagio Sarah called my mom and instantly started asking what was wrong, my heart sank as tears filled Sarah's eyes. I was on the phone with Kaden when i imagined Lilo must have got ran over, (Sarahs dog) but as the words left her mouth i let out a scream i instantly understood what she was telling but i am not quite sure how well i was able to grasp what it meant. Jace Davis past away last night. How could that be true he is on his mission. Missionaries don't just pass away they are protected. My emotions have gotten the better of me for the past few days. I can't have any normal thought with out it finding its way to Jace. I know this will pass and this process of grieving is necessary but i do wish i could be happy for him and excited for the amazing mission he must be serving with our father in heaven. My thoughts and prayers have been with his amazing family and will continue to be for quite a while if not forever. His family has been through so much in just the past couple of months it breaks my heart to imagine this being added to it. Shawna Jesson pointed out though that have been through the refiners fire. They have been being prepared. I hope Jace's parents can find comfort at this time in knowing what an amazing son they raised. Jace always had such enthusiasm for life. He did everything with his full heart. I have been reflecting back on a lot moments i shared with him and i wish now that i would have taken more care to preserve them than i have. I have known Jace since the first week that my family moved to Logandale. I met him at church my first Sunday there and he honestly was probably the first boy to ever tell me i was hot. Haha i remember him adding me to msn and messaging me and saying hey you were the hot new girl at church right. Jace always had a way with the ladies :). I am sure he proposed to half our graduating class at least. Even though it was all fun and games he did have a way of making everyone feel special. Our senior year of high school we spent a good majority of our time together. We were both very into getting the year book just right and bossing around all the new year book kids. We had some days that we would just sit in the computer lab talking about life and our small problems that then seemed to be so big. I think Jace made sure i knew that i was beautiful everyday and that conley or joe were stupid for not being in love with me. I made sure that Jace knew the same thing about the girls he liked too. I have so many thoughts running through my mind of the things we did and how much he made me laugh. I hope that he knew what an influence he was on my life and how much he did to help me. Jace was one person who always stayed my friend no matter what, i haven't had very many of those people in my life but i am so grateful that i had him.

The Intrudor in Aunt Dianes House...

2010-01-26T14:00:00.000-08:00

For the past week Kaden thought i was going crazy. At night when we would be watching TV i would hear strange noises and make him turn off the TV and listen for them. Of course the noise would never happen then and Kaden would tell me i am paranoid, which i know that i can be so i would dismiss the noise and try to forget about it. Then Saturday night i heard a huge crashing noise from the kitchen and then weird noises from under our bed, honestly i usually would freak out and think someone was breaking into the house except for i had already convinced myself that i was crazy just like Kaden said. Sunday evening my craziness was proven to be illegitimate. As Kaden and i were watching TV just like every night we started to hear a weird, loud, scrapping type of noise in the kitchen. I made Kaden go investigate...i knew i wasn't crazy. Kaden screamed OH MY GOSH! Can anyone guess what it was?....Thats right, it was a mouse! and it was dragging a spoon from the kitchen into its home. Kaden instantly made it his goal to investiage and terminate. The mouse had no chance, Kaden went all out putting on shoes and even a head light to find this thing. Then at 12:00 at night Kaden went to walmart to buy traps. At first this mouse was smart and didn't take the bate but after a day of being taunted by the beautiful cheese....well lets just say we woke up to an amazing noise this morning. The sound of a snapping trap.

Job Hunting

2010-01-26T13:49:00.000-08:00

Kaden and I have now applied pretty much everywhere in Cedar. We have not received even one call so of course no interviews. I understand that the economy is bad but this is getting ridiculous. I have held several great jobs with good titles. Both of us are running out of ideas. Our business teacher told us that entrepreneurs are the only people who make money in Cedar but being an entrepreneur comes with a lot of risk, and when you have no idea what to base your business off of besides photography you are in trouble. So basically, we are in trouble. I did just apply at a pre-school today though and i am praying that this job works out. Please keep your fingures crossed our shout out a prayer for me, this might be our only chance at work for quite awhile and we really need to move out of aunt Dianes place someday.

The Week of Snow

2010-01-23T16:44:00.000-08:00

This week has been rather cold up here in Cedar City, especially at night. The trend is for it to snow all night and then for the sun to come out during the day and try and melt all of the snow away. Last night is snowed so much that the majority of it was unmeltable (i know this is my own word). Since the snow actually stuck around past 10 a.m. we decided we better let Tiffany go play for awhile because we have been really bad about taking her for a walk every day and she is getting pretty bored in the house. We decided to head out to the high schools baseball field and let her run around as much as she wanted in the gated area. She was so cute! The snow was pretty deep so she had to hop through and she kept eating the snow and digging big holes in it. Her and Kaden also had a race and i am pretty sure it was a tie. After the fun time in the snow Tiffany got stuck at the house alone while Kaden and I worked on a few papers that we have due next week. Since i am still on the internet, this means we are still at the Library and Kaden is still typing away. So far school is still going well, except for that i got a 69.8 on my Biology test the other day, I just really suck at all things science. I refuse to get anything lower than a B in the class though so i have started my studying for the next exam already. Hopefully next weekend we will head back down to the Valley, it is kind of weird not seeing our families almost every day, and even weirder is them not feeding us. Poor Kaden has had to put up with my cooking on a super low budget. Dinner this week consisted of, Macoroni for two = .50, Beans, Rice, and Tortiallas = 2.00 and tonight will be Chili and Corn Bread = 3.50. I would have to say we are getting the saving part down, but it is so tempting to fight the urge to go out to eat. Someone please lend me some encouraging words to keep me away from Cafe Rio.

Moving and School

2010-01-18T11:31:00.000-08:00

I finally was accepted to SUU like the day before Christmas. I also was offered a pretty nice scholarship and was able to get Kaden one as well. I would like to send a huge THANK YOU to Melinda for all of her financial aid help. School started January 4th, so of course we didn't start packing until December 30th. I was amazed at how everything worked out for us though. We emptyed our little home into one bedroom at Penn and Nancy's and packed up our essentials to take to Aunt Dianes. Yes we are now currently residing in Aunt Dianes trailer and by the look of things we will be camping out there for a few months. We would really love our own place but due to the lack of jobs for college students in Cedar and the truck bill we haven't been able to get rid of camping is our only option at the moment. I call living at Aunt Dianes camping because that is what if feels like. Our stuff is ever where and in no order at all. Free rent is a small price to pay for the decision we made to be poor college students. It will take us a little time to adjust but we will eventually get used to it. We just keep reminding ourselves how important it is to receive an education and how there are way more people out there worse off then we are. We know how blessed we are to even be going to school right now so we are pretty happy with that. By the way, Tiffany absolutely loves the snow, but really misses being able to run around outside. She doesn't have any friends to visit up here either so she mostly just sleeps all day now. We plan on taking her on walks every day now to help make her happier, so far it has only happened twice.

I have only been at SUU for two weeks now but i absolutely love school. My program is so amazing! The teachers that have all are specialists on their subjects and have PHDs its such a refreshing change compared to UNLV. Most of my teachers their were actually grad students who could care less about their subjects. I feel like the education program is perfect for me I am already applying to get accepted in and everything the only problem i have is trying to get my UNLV credits and hours to count towards things at SUU but i am sure i will get all of that resolved eventually. I have also made a few friends already in some of my classes and i love seeing people from the valley around campus it is such a nice atmosphere for kaden and i to be in. Kaden doesn't feel quite the same way about his classes at the moment because he is taking some pretty useless ones, but he does enjoy his criminal justice one and he is hoping right not to be able to get into a PTA program. Tomorrow i have an interview for the education program. Wish me luck!

Christmas!

2010-01-18T11:19:00.001-08:00

This is our cute little Christmas Tree, notice there are no ornaments at the bottom...

Tiffany wanted to play with them so we had to move them all to the top.

This year was mine and Kaden's first Christmas together as a married couple. It was so amazing! We definitely splurged a lot more on each other than we should have though. I bought Kaden a gun for who knows what reason other than he wanted it and he promised me a luxurious vacation and a camera, both things we can no longer afford. (Kaden got the good end of the deal) not that I am complaining because he did get me a very nice coach bracelet, beany and scarf that i love! Over the Holiday we spent a lot of time with both of our families, it is so nice having them so close to one another so we can do presents at Penn and Nancy's at six in the morning, then go home and open ours, and then head to my parents and still make it back to Penn and Nancy's in time to talk to Vance. The day was eventful for sure but we loved every moment of it.

P.S. Kaden was supposed to work Christmas day, I am so glad that he decided to quit the power plant because it would have been so sad not spending it with him.

The day after Christmas was pretty fun as well. My cousin and his new wife came to Vegas for their honeymoon and we met them there for the day. We took them out to our favorite place, Serendipity, and shopping at Ceasars and the Fashion Show. It was so nice to hang out with another married couple for once. I truly think that was our first time even hanging out with another couple at all since we have been married.

Then on Sunday after Christmas we headed to the mountains with Kaden's parents and luke to go tubbing. Me and Nancy decided it was way to cold for that so we mostly just watched and tried to keep warm. The boys had a blast though.

Disneyland and The Wedding

2010-01-16T20:35:00.000-08:00

Its the weekend before Christmas now and Kaden has officially been accepted back into SUU. I am still waiting on my transcripts to arrive, for some reason CSN thought it would be a good idea to drag my process out as long as possible. I shouldn't complain though i am the one who applied so late. So anyways about our weekend to Disneyland and the wedding. Friday after noon My family and Kaden and I packed up and headed to California. It took us awhile to get to Anaheim because we decided to stop and shop in Barstow at the outlets. There were amazing sales and we couldn't pass up a chance for some last minute christmas shopping. Then we made another stop for dinner in Corona at Chad and Daisy's home. It was so n ice spending the evening with them. They are so much fun and they are so sweet i love when we get to see them and their girls. Daisy made an amazing dinner and I tried Brussels sprouts for the first time. I loved them! Thanks Chad and Daisy for inviting us for dinner! I hope we weren't overly entertaining with all of our laughing and even crying. ( I cried because Sarah brought up an old memory of my cat being hit by a car). We always have such entertaining dinners. The next morning we woke and got ready and headed for the temple so we could be there in time for the seiling at 10:30. We were pretty bummed out when we got a call on the way asking us where we were because the sealing was already over. Thats right we were completely off on the time. Sorry again Brian and Tiffany, we really did want to be there. The lunch in was a lot of fun, we got to hang out with my cousins Michael and Kevin as well as Chad and Daisy and it was nice to hang out and joke around with them. The reception was beautiful and there was a ton of amazing desserts. Michael and Sarah and I also had some fun dancing like idiots while Kaden laughed at us.

After the reception Michael, Kevin and Camille all showed up at the hotel for a big slumber party. It was so much fun for us to hang out with them, there honestly was never a dull moment. My Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Heather and their boys, James and Justice joined us at the hotel as well. They kept the party going as well. James and Justice are always so much fun to be around and we always wish we could see them more often. The next day the real party began when we went to disneyland. Hannah, Katie and Jimmy's family were all early birds and hit up the park as soon as it opened. The rest of us took a little longer to get ready but we still made it before noon. Thats good for the Hendrix family. Sunday at the park was pretty packed but later in the day it wasn't to bad we got to go on all the important rides, like, space mountain, small world, the materhorn, thunder railroad, pirates, the haunted house, the tower of terror, star wars, buzz light year, soaring over CA, the two roller coasters at ca adventure, Mr. toads wild ride, and a few more. We also found time to eat a lot, get birthday and aniversary pins, it wasn't anyones birthday or anniversary but it was still fun to have, and best of all we got into pin trading. What is pin trading you ask? It is a hobby made up by disney to give people something else to do and spend tons of money on while they are at the park. My sisters and Kaden and I all got lanyards and a bunch of pins then we found collections that we liked and we thought were valuable and started trading the cast members for them. I know sounds pretty lame, and it is, but it does get addicting. So addicting that when we got home Kaden ordered a pin off ebay because it was the last one he needed to complete his collection. The other thing that we got addicted to at disneyland was searching for "Hidden Mickeys." This was the best, Kaden and Sarah have this competition thing between each other that will last their entire lives and Sarah though the hidden Mickeys were amazing (she even has a book on it) so Kaden had to find a way to one up her. So of course he used his blackberry to find an updated list of the hidden Mickeys. Hidden Mickeys = mickey shaped objects that are hidden on every ride, store and restaurant. They are seriously everywhere! Sarah's obsession got so bad though that Monday while we were leaving California and eating dinner with Jimmy's family at Red Lobster the waitress told sarah there was a prize for whoever found the hidden mickey in the menu. Of course Sarah found one and James had to break the news to her that it was a joke. Monday at Disneyland was crazy. The park was so packed that it shut down. The only real ride we got onto was Indian Jones and that was out of sheer luck, we happened to be passing by the ride at the perfect moment as they were reopening it. Otherwise the lines were hours long for everything. Susan, Cami's mom joined us Monday though and it was great to have them their. I love every chance i get to spend with Camille and her family. It doesn't happen enough.

Well the weekend was amazing if you couldnt tell. Thanks Mom and Dad for taking all of us! And thanks everyone who came for making it so much fun! We miss you all and can't wait to see you again.

My Final, Finals Week at UNLV

2010-01-16T20:19:00.000-08:00

Kaden and I still hadn't heard back from SUU at this point but the only thing keeping me sane during finals week was the thought that i would never have to go back to UNLV again. Now i don't hate UNLV i just had a rather interesting semester. Watching Silence of the Lambs and writing a paper on a Porn Star just was a little much. Not to mention the hour and half drives to school and the late math class that changed its mind every other week on whether it was offering me credit or not. The raising class prices were getting pretty out ragious as well. The spring semester was going to cost me 4,500 for 12 credits. Ridiculous, i know. Okay onto my finals. My English final was a 3-5 page essay written in class and my philosophy was a twenty five question test worth a hundred points. Math was not so bad i cant even remember how many questions there were but it was worth 60% of my grade (still not sure if the class even graded). Well the tests sounded easy enough but i am a freak when it comes to tests, especailly finals. I drafted my English essay about a thousand times, that may be a little over exagerated but i really did quite a bit. Then i studied for my Philosophy for a few days and then six hours strait in a silence room in the library the day of the test. I was so excited Thursday, December 10th, when i walked out of my math class and said good bye to UNLV. I guess i wasn't positive i would be leaving but i was definitely keeping my fingures crossed.

Thanks Giving, and Our Crazy Decision

2010-01-16T20:09:00.000-08:00

Thanks Giving was quite awhile ago now but that is where i left off, so that is where i am going to start back up. This year Kaden and I had a pretty quiet holiday weekend that we spent with both of our families. Sadly Kaden only had Thanks Giving day off because he was working at the power plant for the rest of the weekend (gotta love shift work). I know that i don't say this enough but i am so grateful for all that i am blessed with! I have the most amazing husband and both sides of our family are just wonderful. Thank you everyone for being a part of our lives!

So onto our crazy decision... After only being able to spend one day together over the holiday we decided something was going to have to change. Twelve hour shifts were making Kaden grumpy and me crazy. It was hard enough before jugling our schedules between work and school but now it was just ridiculous and we kind of figured it was not how we wanted to spend the rest of our lives...so. Novemeber 30th we sent in our applications to SUU, the day before they stopped accepting for the spring semester.

Girls Weekend

2009-11-22T22:03:00.000-08:00

The weekend started off on Thursday right after class with whits little Bacheloret party. We had dinner at The Grand Luxe and went to see Phantom of the Opera. I think i could see it a thousand times and never get sick of it.

Then after Whits night i headed home and left for New Moon with Sarah, Jakell, her friend, Jessica, and Lauren. It was so good. Not comparable to the book at all but still just like Phantom, i could watch it over and over again and never get sick of it. Before the movie started though we were so entertaining. Lauren drank a rock star for the first time in her life and Sarah kept dropping everything and laughing at everything as well. It was a lot of fun and i am so glad i went.

Four hours of sleep later I woke and packed for the trip to Reno. I was going to the State game to take pictures for the high school and the Progress. The drive up was pretty fun until Sarah and Kaylee ditched me for X-ray and Zach. I drove the entire way and we didn't get there until around 6:00 pm. It was a very long drive. Once we got there Sarah and Kaylee left with the boys while Hannah, Katie, My mom, and I went to New Moon again. The next morning we got all dolled and warm for the day and went shopping. Seriously best sales ever. I got heels, boots, and some guess jeans that were only $25.

When the game started it was really intense all of the boys seemed to be on edge and didn't really know what to expect. Pretty sure everyone already knows the outcome but just in case you don't they lost. Truckee brought their game on hard and it helped that they totally had the refs on their side. Moapa's Defense did so well though and i was so proud of them. They were trying so hard to keep everyone motivated and to do their very best. I would just like to add how amazing my little brother is. Luke was extrordinary and honestly could have played the best game of his life. It was so neat to be down on the feild with the boys and see their reactions to everything and how the dealt with it. My heart really did break for them when it was all over, and the game brought back quite a few memories from my senior year.

After the game we made a quick stop for some Dairy Queen in Fernley and headed home. We decided to take the 95 to Tonapah and well of course no one told me i had to make a right after that creepy little town. (I'm sure it is actually really cool. At night though it looks like it is strait out of a horror movie.) So I went strait and ended up in Beatty then Vegas, it was just a little out of the way. I finally got to sleep at 3:30 after i drove the entire way home while everyone else slept. Never again will i make that drive. The weekend was a lot of fun though so i won't complain anymore than that.

Leavitt Family Photo's

2009-11-22T21:28:00.000-08:00

I had so much fun doing Kyle and Jessica's family pictures. Grace was such a crack up and the babies were adorable. I thought they turned out pretty amazing as well. Hopefully they agree.

Busy as Always

2009-11-22T21:11:00.000-08:00

Well its been awhile since i have been able to write anything besides my Bettie Page Bio. Life has been a perfect type of crazy for the past few weeks. Kaden and I have spent more time together than usual and we have had so much fun doing the most random things. School is coming to an end only five more classes to go including final exams, and then its either a month of break or a couple weeks. I am still undecided on which school I'll be attending. Right now i am registered for classes at CSN and at UNLV but tomorrow Kaden and I are sending in our transcripts and applications to SUU, hopefully its not to late.

So a couple weeks ago I did some cheezy pics of pomegranats to sell at the festival. I know pretty lame but we are desperate, well more like im just missing shopping, but whatever same thing. The pictures were fun to do and looked pretty good and i even painted frames for them but i only sold twenty five dollars worth. Kaden had some free time though so he helped me out and we ended up being Grandma K's personal sales grandchildren. We were pretty much amazing and it was so much fun. Kaden got the bright idea Saturday morning to sell his own pomegranats and to sell little pomegranat trees. They were a hit!