Finally some Free time!

I have finally finished my second to last semester! Not with out some trouble though....I missed my last final because I was stuck in traffic from an accident! Lucky for me my teacher was amazingly nice and set up a time with me to take it the next day! I do have to say I am pretty proud of myself, with taking 24 credits I didn't know how well I was going to do in all of my classes, but I managed to pull off all A's and only 1 B! One more semester to go, then Im done!!!!

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Since I finished my finals on friday I had some free time to do some christmas crafts that had been collecting dust for awhile!

Two years ago Landon and I were able to get these great silver and gold ornaments for our tree on clearance! I love them and think it gives such a chic classic christmas feel to our house. 

But...I didn't have any matching stockings or tree skirt to go with it. I was blog surfing one day and saw someone who had made stockings and a tree skirt out of a $10 canvas drop cloth from Home Depot, I fell in love, and the canvas color would work great with my tree! I have finished my stockings, but im still putting the finishing touches on the tree skirt!

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While I was at it I wanted to add some other christmas decorations that matched my tree, but could not find any. So I decided to make some Christmas blocks (I had already made some for thanksgiving and valentines day). It takes me awhile because I have to make the stencils all by hand.....hint hint hubbs....! But I think they turned out really cute!

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I LOVE how they turned out, I think they are my best blocks yet! I am horrible at taking pictures while im making things but here is my summarized process.

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I had Landon cut and sand the blocks all different sizes from a 2x4 and 2x6  and a skinny piece for the Merry. Then I picked out different fonts for each letter and printed out on card stock and exacto knifed them to make stenciles. I painted the blocks white and sanded down the edges. I then stenciled on the letteres, I used folk art metallic paint to match my glittery tree! I then took some stain and rubbed it along the edges to distress them some. Last but not least, I also cut out snowflake stencils (the hardest and longest part of it all) and painted them on to random blocks. While the snowflake paint was still wet I covered it with some white sparkle glitter! 

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I now thing my living room looks complete! I am so excited for Christmas if not just for the fact I dont have to worry about school, I also get to spend extra time with my family and Landon!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

November almost come and gone....

This month has seem to fly by for me mostly because I have had little time to do much of anything besides homework and work. Lets just say that taking 24 credits was not one of my brightest ideas! Many people who find this out think I am some kind of nut job, then they find out im working and commuting on top of it and they ask how I am still alive. On a side note I have a friend who is taking 36 credits and basically lives at Starbucks, so compared to him I am normal!

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This last week has been one of the craziest of them all. Now that the term is coming to an end all of my term papers, research papers, assignments, quizes and tests are all due at the same time! Just this last week I busted out both a 10 page and 20 page research papers in 2 days!

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But the AMAZING NEWS!!! My graduation application has been officially accepted and I have registered for my last semester of classes (another exciting 21 credits) and I will graduate on May 5th next year! Needless to say I am STOKED! And in all honesty thats the only think keeping me going during these last two horrible semesters! I just want to be done!

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A funny thing happens when I get really stressed....I get a perma twitch in my left eye! Loads of fun....it drives me bonkers and random people think im winking at them!

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Another cool thing that happened the beging of November...My bro came home from his mission in Rochester, New York!

Its been fun having him back. Since he has been back he has spent a considerable amount of time and our house, cleaning off any leftover dinner we might have! Also now that I spend an annoying amount of time on the computer doing homework, he and Landon spend quality bonding time on the couch....

 playing halo. I get the joy listening to them kill people as I try to come up with new ways to feed the hungry in Africa!

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Landon and I are continuing to look for a house, it is becoming very tedious and adds even more stress to my life. Some days I think we will never find a house and we will be doomed to live in apartments forever. We get the joy of moving next week also to another apartment that will let us go month to month until we find a house so we dont have to resign another year lease where we are at. 

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This last saturday after my crap homework week I decided to throw a early Thanksgiving dinner party! Landon and I will be on vacation over Thanksgiving with my family and we wont be able to have a traditional Thanksgiving. So I decided to have one with some friends of ours and it was so much fun having them over for good food and fun! It was my first time ever making a turkey and I was horrified of ruining it. But amazingly it turned out perfect and moist and better than expected for my first time!

 Everything turned out so wonderful! I was exhausted from spending all day cooking in the kitchen, but it was so much fun and something I hope to continue for years to come!

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I hope that everyone has a great Thanksgiving! After the break I only have two  more weeks of class! After that I can start enjoying winter and hopefully go snowboarding and enjoy Christmas before next semester starts!

Press Pause...

This last week was my fall break from school and also mine and Landon's two year anniversary! It was nice to finally be able sit down and not have to do any homework, taking 24 credits can burn you out fast...who would have thought! I was finally able to catch up on a few other things, like; cleaning my disaster area apartment! How dose an apartment keep getting dirtier when your never there? And I also finally got around to doing my laundry that I was two week behind on! I was also able to get ahead start on some upcoming homework I have, and finally get around to catching up on my blog!

I have really enjoyed most of my classes this semester! One of my favorites has been my search and rescue class! A few weeks ago we got to go visit the Air Med helicopter pad and the Life Flight plane hanger and talk with the crews! I was in heaven, this is what I want to do with my life so getting to talk to these guys and watch them in action was the highlight of my month! When we were on the air med heli pad we got to see two helicopters land with patients, and see them get a call and take off to go pick up someone else! It was so cool! And in the Life Flight hanger we got to see how they can transport patients by airplane!









For our anniversary we were planning on going to San Francisco but we put an offer on a house we like so we had to stay closer in case we needed to do anything with that. So we ended up going up to Park City for the weekend and stayed in the nicest hotel I have ever seen, it was called The Chateau at Silver Lake! Landon out did himself and I had such a great time! It was nice to be able to see and spend more then 30 min with Landon seeing that we are both so busy! We were planning on riding the alpine slide and zip line but ended up getting rained out, I was so bummed, but it was nice that we didn't spend as much money as we had planned on!









Over all it was a great pause from school and work it helped relieve so much stress and tension i had. I felt bad because with both of us being so busy and stressed in a small little apartment there were times we got on each others nerves. It was nice to take a week and remind ourselves how much we love each other. Needless to say I am dreading to have to start back with everything tomorrow but it is nice to know I am now half way done with my nightmare semester!!!
Also I am excited for the weeks coming up, my little brother gets home from his mission!!! I can't wait to see him! After he gets home we are going on a family vacation over thanksgiving to Cali so that should be fun and oh so entertaining! Nothing like saying welcome home Elder then being confined in cars and hotel rooms with your family for a week!

Rescue practice turns real!

One of my classes this semester is a High Angle Rescue class which is pretty much the bomb! So for the last few weekends I have spent 12 hours a day dangling off a cliff learning different rescue techniques. The class has by far been one of my favorites but 12 hours a day three days in a row is brutal mentally and physically! I don't think I have ever been so sore, bruised and bleeding in my life.

So on this past Sunday while our class was working on some practice scenarios our instructor saw a climber fall 80 feet from the cliff below us! With in seconds we switched from practice mode to real life application! I feel bad the guy fell and was hurt but this was by far the coolest thing ever! This is the kind of thing I want to do so I was on cloud 9 and full of adrenalin and excitement. We were able to help the climber until EMS arrived, we then helped backboard and carry him across the river to the ambulance and in doing so made it in the news! Here is the link! Deseret News: Climber burns hands in 80 foot fall. and yes that is me in the picture! It was amazing that he fell 80 feet and got away with just severe rope burns on his hands!

Here are some more pictures from the duration on our class:













Landon was so great while I spent these long hours in my class he managed to have the house clean and a wonderful dinner waiting for me with a back rub every night when I got home! It reminded me how incredibly wonderful he is and how lucky I am to have him in my life!

I had so much fun learning how to rescue people in cliff situation! It made me remember how much I missed climbing over the last few years! I am excited and more determined to get back out on the rocks some more to keep these skills sharp and hopefully soon I will have the knowledge and skills I need to apply to be a volunteer on the SLC search and rescue team!

3's and 7's

Bad things happen in 3's and 7's....

so after having my wallet stolen last week the bad luck streak was just getting started!

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On tuesday I was busy canceling all my cards and filing police reports so I forgot that tuition was due that day...opps! I had to go down to the registrars office and beg them not to drop my classes.

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Thursday I had to go down to the social security office to get a new SS card (you need that to get a new drivers license). But they would not give me one because I didn't have a drivers license!  They said I could go and get a copy of my medical record signed by my doctor, so I went down to my Dr's office. BUT they couldn't give it to me without a ID! I lost it and was bawling in the middle of the office. Finally they felt so bad they let me use my car registration and gave me my record. I was finally able to apply for my SS card. (I have to wait for that to be mailed before I can head down to the DMV which will be another adventure).

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Later thursday I had class, so I went up to the U a little early so I could go and get my new student ID and trax pass and do a few other things on campus. After class on my way to my car I could not find my keys in my bag. I spent the next 30 min back tracking around campus, and lucky for me some nice person turned them in to the student union desk!

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That weekend I had my cliff face rescue class from 8am-8pm, it was tons of fun! But on Saturday night when I got home from my class I realized that I needed a few things from the store. So I just grabbed a set of car keys and left. When I came back from the store I realized I didn't grab my house keys...I was locked out. This normally wouldn't have been so bad because my Mom usually has a spare key and Landon. But Landon was out of town for work and I had used my Mom's copy awhile back and never gave it back to her. So I had to call the locksmith at 11pm wait for 1 hour for him to come and pay $50 bucks to have him let me in.

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It was a really adventurous week! By the end of it was just exhausted! I was just waiting to see what else  could happen next. I usually am really good about knowing where I put things, so I feel like my brain has just gone to mush. I think my heavy class load is getting to me and stressing me out just a bit. So I have decided that I am going to cut back on my work hours (lucky me I have a great boss that will let me) So that I can have a few hours for me and to catch up on homework. Hopefully this will help my stress level....I don't have much more stuff to loose!

A No Good Very Bad Day

So I have noticed lately that when I get stressed my brain goes to applesauce!

And I gave the human race way to much credit thinking that most of us were decent people.

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Well apparently not the person that stole my wallet

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We went to the movies last night and unbeknownst to me my wallet fell out of my purse and on the floor and was left behind.

This morning when I went to get breakfast from the hospital cafeteria I noticed my loss and called the theater with no such luck.

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So lucky me got to spend all morning filling a police report, canceling my credit cards, bank cards and all of my checks, notifying my health insurance, the credit bureaus, my school ID and trax pass so that the thief wouldn't get away with much.

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What makes me most upset are those things I cant replace...I had a few gift cards to restaurants and stores I was looking forward to using along with some free movie passes. My original Lifeguard certification (it holds special meaning to me). Some receipts from things I needed to return (guess their mine now).  But most importantly to me it had my first full temple recommend, with my endowment stamp on the back and where I very first signed my married name when Landon and I were sealed, that I will never forgive the thief for taking.

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A few funny things happened while I was dealing this today

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All credit card, bank and insurance companies all nicely told me to Have a Great Day at the end of my depressing call.

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After telling the credit card company that I had my wallet stolen, they then preceded to ask me for my card number...sorry kinda dont have that.

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I was told by my bank to go to the branch and get a new card made...so I did, but they conveniently forgot to tell me I needed a form of ID to get the new card, non of which I had, I left in tears...They later called Landon and told him he could be my "ID" since its our joint account. 

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And by far my favorite......I called a card company to report my lost credit card and the coustomer service lady (who I guess had the IQ of a 2 year old) in all seriousness asked "Have you looked for it?", I holding back my amazement and laughter I responded "Yes, I looked and did not find it, which is why I am calling to report it lost"

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So if anyone knows anyone who works at the Provo Town theaters please tell them to keep an eye out for my very missed bright pink wallet.....Thanks and Have a GREAT Day!!!

I love being a (U of U) student!

So I am here sitting on the TRAX train (which is always an entertaining experience in and of itself) coming home from school, contemplating life! This week is my first week in two years in which I am back to being a full time student, and I forgot how much I LOVE it!
So I put U of U in parentheses because I'm not here to boast any opinions of one school is better than another, more that I just love learning. For the last two years since Landon and I were married I have worked full time and done school on the side. But now that I am so close to being graduated I just wanted to get it over with.
During the time I was working full time I was always kinda depressed because I don't like the mundane of day to day routine. So when I started back this semester with my 24 credits (I'm crazy I know) I fell back in love with being a student! I love going to class and learning new things (not exactly paying or doing homework for said classes) and also making new friends and gaining new experiences!
One reason why I love the U so much is the amazing diverseness you see around campus. One of my teachers brought up this idea that when you surround yourself with like minded people there is only so much you can learn. But when your surrounded with so much diversity you have the opportunity to learn and grow so much more and your opinions and beliefs have the opportunity to be challenged and strengthened. I loved that, and that's how I feel!
So even though I'm probably going to have to sell a kidney or something to pay for my last two semesters of school, I can't wait, because I look back on everything I have learned and will learn and I can see how much I have learned and grown as a person! And I am stoked to get to graduate in May! And you better believe I'm going to be throwing a HUGE amazing party next year to celebrate, and everyone is invited!

More Road Trip...More Pictures!

After our first day in lake powell we stayed in Kanab, Landons parents had won a gift certificate to stay at a hotel.


Apparently it used to be the place where all the stars stayed while they filmed lots of old western movies in southern Utah.

The next day we were going to go back to lake powell and rent some jet skis and play around but it was way to windy and made the lake to choppy for jet skis :(

So instead we decided to take a side trip to Zion's and had lots of fun there. We could not hike angels landing because of the wind, so instead we did a hike called hidden canyon, which was very cool.











We ate at an amazing restaurant that night called sidewinders (I think) and then went to the local candy store in springdell and got some amazing chocolates!

After our last night in Kanab, we started to head home :( on our way back we decided to stop by Bryce Canyon! It was so pretty, I was a little bummed the hike I really wanted to do (called wall street) was closed due to a rock slide, I guess that's a good enough reason. So we did a few smaller hikes and still had some fun.

















Funny story about the last picture...so in order to take this great picture Landon decided he needed to stand on the fence! Which entailed him trying to get on the fence and stay balanced on the top of the post, this took about 10 min, I and everyone around was dying laughing! So he finally gets balanced on the fence some foreign lady comes and stand on the other side of the tree totally ruining the shot! She stands there for a good 5 min clueless to the fact she was in our way, while poor Landon was dying trying to stay balanced on the fence post, I could not stop laughing!

So all in all we had a wonderful trip, it was so refreshing to get away from all our cares for awhile and enjoy some great scenery! We came back with lots of amazing pictures, sore legs, and a slight sunburn and we could not have been happier!

Road Trip! Picture Overload!

A few weekends ago Landon and I too the opportunity of taking a few days off firm work and taking a road trip to southern Utah! It didn't turn out quite like we had planned but we had a great time!

About an hour into our road trip our wonderful brand new car broke down!!! we had to pull of the freeway and wait 30 min in the middle of nowhere for a tow truck to take us back to Orem!





It turned out to be just a faulty sensor, and luckily since the car is under warranty the tow and repair was all free! But non the less it put us 4 hours behind schedule and we still had 6 hours to drive!

On the drive down in. The middle of the night we managed to have some fun...


Somewhere in Panquitch...right after this picture I was climbing up to get a picture and broke the wagon door :( opps!

We also managed to get on the wrong road somehow. Luckily this sign was there before we got to far out in the middle of nowhere!


We finally pulled into our lake powell campsite around two in the morning and then had to pitch our tent by the the headlights of the car.


The next day we did a lot of hiking and saw some beautiful things.....

We went and hike antelope slot canyon. It was so amazing!














I have hundreds of pictures I want to put up, they are all so pretty!

After that we went here...











It's the only place in the Colorado river that makes a 270 degree turn.

After that we went over and took a tour of the dam. Landon had a great time making dam jokes the entire tour.












And the rest of our trip will be concluded in another post, my iPad is getting mad at me for all the pictures I'm putting up!