Livin' on Love

An Early Christmas

2011-12-12T21:48:00.001-08:00

We are so excited for this season!!! Hope to someday have a fireplace to hang these over instead of a dead spot on the wall...
Our kind of sad looking Christmas tree...with a brown bear (Luis' ornament from my mom)Luis opening his favorite present: An indoor basketball hoop with a backboard...he demanded that we stop opening presents, "this HAS to be set up right now". Guess standing in line during black Friday was worth it.
Since Luis and I are flying home for Christmas, we decided it would be easier to open most of our presents to each other rather than to take them on the plane both ways. So.....my favorite gift that Luis got for me was.................a GPS watch!! I have wanted one of these for many years now, ever since I started running in high school. And now my dreams have come true ;) I am so happy!!! It has some pretty neat features, like calories burned, distance ran (or biked, or hiked), heart rate, lap times, and a program on the computer that I can log all of my workouts onto. It even has a function where I can find my way back home if I get lost (who...me????). I can track my progress by comparing my past workouts to my current one, and race against myself...

I am signing up for a Spartan Race which is basically an 8 mile race with lots of obstacle courses that you have to get through in order to finish the race...I AM SO EXCITED!!! But I probably wont take my watch because I don't want it to get dirty. The only thing this watch needs is a camera so I can take pictures of all of the pretty things I get to see on my runs...Next Christmas I will wish for a running buddy (aka a puppy, since Luis wouldn't dare take me on!!). Excited to go visit home in just a few short days...to warmer (and probably wetter) weather...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

Holiday Cheer

2011-11-25T21:23:00.000-08:00

This is what all of you are missing out on! We went to see the lights at Temple Square tonight and they were as beautiful as ever. It helped us get into the Christmas spirit being able to hear people on horse carriages singing Christmas carols and see an awesome display of Christ's birth with a narration. It's kinda neat to see Temple Square so busy with people speaking so many different languages at this time of year.

This picture is a street that takes you straight to the temple...about 3 blocks from our apt. (Bonus: no trying to find parking...just walking!!)
Here is a really cool nativity that shows Joseph and Mary with baby Jesus floating in the water, with shepherds and lambs surrounding them on the grass with the North Star on the top of the tree...
MERRY CHRISTMAS!! We will spend our holiday at home with some family. Luis and I have a few more weeks of school stuff, then we are HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS!!
And to all a good night.

Thanksgiving

2011-11-25T21:20:00.000-08:00

We were able to celebrate Thanksgiving this year with My brother Chad and his wife Angela and their family. We got to see this girl!!! Unfortunately we didn't get a group picture, but jsut know we had the BEST food and the BEST company.So even though it was 55 degrees when we left SLC, it was around 30 degrees just 1.5 hours north in Logan! But that didn't stop hardcore Angela from going snow shoeing and she brought me with her and her friends. It was a first for the both of us, and we both really liked it. It was really fun to get outdoors and get a workout. And the best part is that I think I could talk Luis into this activity...maybe someday on a regular basis. So...this picture shows a mountain that we went STRAIGHT UP. It wasn't easy at all! It was steep enough to where we had to use our hands to help us climb up it and not fall straight backwards (not an exaggeration at all).
Us hot and sweaty...and happy...and hungry!
The views were to die for! So pretty to see the canyon at all different views...
This was NO Turkey Trot!! We went 3+ miles and 2.5 hours of climbing mountains, hiking snow trails, and crossing water (with iced logs...little scary). When all was said and done I was so excited to eat as much as I wanted in a warm house...love the holidays. Hopefully Luis and I can get out to do this some time next semester...he will LOVE it...

Trip to University Place (haha)

2011-11-17T23:03:00.000-08:00

I was able to take a trip to my brothers to get some dental work done and had the chance to spend some time with family. It was the one of the FEW times in my life that I was excited to go to the dentist! My brother and his wife Summer were able to show me a BEAUTIFUL park they live next to. It is HUGE and even has water with islands in it. There is also a train that goes through it, which made one little boy very happy. My nephew Cash LOVES trains, and anything to do with them. Here he is below waiting for the train to come.
Us smiling...
And I couldn't resist posting this one...He is just so cute!
My teeth are always a work in progress, and I am excited to visit them again at Christmas time to get more work done, and to meet their new baby!!

Summer and I were also able to drive down to Vancouver and surprise my mom with a visit for a few hours. I rarely do anything without planning it ahead of time, and am grateful Summer brought out that spontaneous side of me. It was so much fun even though half the time was spent in the car. There is no place like home.

School and Luis' Bday

2011-11-03T13:04:00.000-07:00

We are officially here in Salt Lake City, and LOVING IT!! It is so nice to be able to walk everywhere and be so close to everything! One thing I am not a big fan of is all of the traffic lights. I was at the VA doing my psych rotation which is 3 1/2 miles from our house. You'd think it would take 10 minutes to get there. Well...due to having to go through 22 traffic lights, it can take up to a half an hour to get home!! Annoying...

Well, finished my surgery rotation and LOVED it. I was very sad when I had to leave it ;( All those guts are pretty exciting to me ;) I was able to be the 1st assist in a lot of really cool surgeries. A few of them: bowel resections (the coolest ones), CABG, appendectomies, gallbladder removals (LOTS), Whipple procedures, fistulas for dialysis, and mastectomies. I can hardly wait for my cardiothoracic surgery rotation now ;)) I will say that the traumas the surgeon got called to were pretty crazy too, making me more anxious for my ER rotation. Still I am unsure of where I would like to end up working, but I am sure happy I have found things that I really enjoy doing so that when the time comes, I will be able to be more open to jobs that will be available.

Luis is doing well, studying harder than ever this semester. He (we) is so glad he will be done in May! (At least with this program...haha!) He is not 100% on what he wants to get his PhD in currently but hopefully soon we can figure that out. Whatever it is, I am just glad that I will be done with school in August. Whohoo!

Nothing over here is all that exciting but we love our simple life. I have LOVED the places that are a running distance away. So many different routes I can take. I really hope the FALL sticks around for a loooooooong time....I am hoping to post some pictures soon of the things I see on my runs. You WILL be impressed.

Luis' most recent find he is so proud of: baseball/football cleats for $20!! His favorite part is that he can change the color of the swoosh. Now he is ready for the ward to start a league already! (Can you tell he wasn't too thrilled to take a picture??)

Just over a month ago we celebrated Luis' birthday. Just the two of us since we really don't know anyone in Salt Lake, and we still kind of like each other, so it was still fun. He was blessed to get his entire birthday week (haha phlup) off from school (well, at least his classes...). He studied all week!! We have both realized we don't really like cake much and PIES are WAY better so now we are going to have pies for our birthday treat. He chose chocolate oreo cream pie with real whipped cream.
For his gifts, I first had the bright idea to get him a LOVESAC from KSL and make it a surprise. Well...I am glad it ended up not being a surprise (he snooped onto my computer and saw the searches!!) because it weighs more than you'd think! And it took us a good half hour to get it in the Camry, and another 45 minutes to get it out of the car! But WE LOVE IT!!!!!! And it was well worth the workout it gave us that night (and the next day...). Since this gift could have maybe had my name engraved on it, I figured I should get him a few things for him. First, got him his first stainless steal sauce pan...may not be that exciting for everyone, but Luis has been complaining about our Teflon pans because they don't get hot enough. It has made our lives a bit easier already.
Okay, so this next picture captures a glimpse of the best present...it was an umbrella. Yup. An umbrella. Luis was SO FUNNY when he opened it. He was spinning it on the ground when it was open and clicking his heals singing "I'm singin' in the rain!". He was like a child, being the most excited for the cheapest gift. Now I know...(lovesac is on his right)

Salt Lake City

2011-08-21T00:21:00.001-07:00

We made it! We are here in SLC, only 1/2 mile from temple square. We can even see Angel Moroni's little nose from our back door. Being walking distance to just about everything is GREAT! I have officially ended my first year of didactic craziness, and after a week off to move (and relax) I have already completed my first week of my clinical year. I am starting in my surgery rotation and I have already learned so much and the surgeon I follow is great at teaching me.

For the week we had off to move, here are some pictures of our adventures. First of all, my parents made a trip here to help us move, and it was a great excuse for them to come and see us. We started off with a trip to my brother Chad's house and then we went to lava where we went down a river. Sadly no pictures from that. Then we packed everything up, cleaned, and left town by Tuesday. After unpacking, we went camping in Provo and hiked the Y in the morning.

my mom was such a trooper!

And of course we saw temple square...

On Saturday we were able to get together with more family and go to the Parade of Homes in SLC. I have found mine and Luis' dream kitchen!!!

Thank you mom and dad for making this a great week off and helping with the move!!!

We are hoping for more visitors since we no longer live in the armpit of Idaho (Phillip!!) So we hope to see more visitors, or at least come and park by our apt while you tour downtown!!

Summer 2011

2011-07-29T21:59:00.000-07:00

The PA program decided to start an annual white coat ceremony, and we got to be the first class to go through it :) It was a lot of fun going to Boise and celebrating a year of accomplishments as we prepare to embrace our 2nd year in clinicals. As always, seeing my brother Travis and his family is always an adventure and just made the trip even grander.
Luis is a VERY clever person. He found a bunch of PCP pipe at the DI and used a handle from my resistance bands (which he broke) and turned it into his own baseball tee! He even made it so you can change the height on it (just for me). Don't mind all the garbage in the background. We are moving in 1 week to Salt Lake, so EVERYTHING is a mess. And quite frankly, I could care less. I've got tests to worry about!

In other news...Luis and I participated in the Pioneer day celebration fun run and bike race. The bike race was 16 miles, and Luis was such a great sport doing it because he has not been riding his bike for exercise lately AND he does not have a top-of-the-line bike (to say it nicely). In the end it was funny to hear how he was open to the idea of someday getting a nice bike where he could be more competitive in bike races (since he's not much of a runner...darn it!). I ran the 10k (6.2 miles) and ended up doing better than I was expecting since I hadn't been training for the race at all. We signed up for this 2 days before the races, so we gave it all we had with our regular day-to-day workouts going into it. I ended with a time of 45:30, equal to 6.2 miles at a 7:34 pace. Not as fast as I used to be by a long shot, but I was still impressed with myself. Here we are with our friends who talked us into signing up. The one of the left (Eric) got 1st in the 10k for guys and I got 1st place in the 10k for the girls!1 more week in Pocatello and Salt Lake here we come! It will be awesome for Luis to not have to travel anymore for classes. We will be 3.4 miles from his school and .6 miles from temple square. Maybe this next year we will be able to explore just a teensy bit more...

Home Sweet Home

2011-05-27T17:01:00.000-07:00

We were able to go home for a week between semesters a few weeks ago and it was so much fun to do nothing! We had ideas of how we would spend our time once we arrived, but many of them didn't happen, mostly because of our laziness, but being lazy was fun too.
We were able to go to the waterfront in Vancouver and it was beautiful as ever. A little cold, but worth a picture. This semester has 10 weeks left and then I will be done with my didactic year!!! I can hardly believe it! I am amazed at how much stuff they have stuffed into my brain in just 1 year! Luis has the summer off from school, and is in line to get work from the temp agency in town. And oh yes, he has promised to COMPLETE P90X this summer while he has the extra time. The picture above is the before picture. He has 80 days left and then the after picture will be on here. After the semester we are planning to move to Salt Lake where Luis will be a lot closer to his school. I will have my clinical year based out of Logan, which hopefully includes some rotations in Salt Lake as well. I get my first 3 rotations told to me on Tuesday! (I have been a little anxious waiting for this...).

PA and Polysci school

2011-04-26T14:46:00.000-07:00

PA school is so much better this semester than it was last! Maybe it's because now I know everything (yeah. right.) This semester I feel like we are applying our knowledge (at least trying t0) with mock patients and labs. Here is my favorite one so far that I have actually been anxiously awaiting since day one. Luis is enjoying his schooling, but is sure happy to be finished commuting every week to Utah. Next week is his last week! We are so blessed that Rob and Beth put up with him! We are planning to move to Farmington, UT for my clinical year so Luis can be a little closer to his school. Clinical year is so close I can feel it! And even though it is currently white on the ground (people around have been calling it white rain?), it is getting closer to summer! Have every reason to be happy.

We are alive

2011-01-02T21:20:00.000-08:00

So obviously I have not been posting on this thing for quite a while. So here is an update on our lives... We are currently both in our graduate programs and are loving it! I literally have no time for anything but class and studying, but what else was I expecting? For those of you who do not know, I am going to Idaho State University for their Physician Assistant program and Luis is commuting to the University of Utah once a week (and stays for a few days) and is in their Political Science program working on his Masters. We have completed our first semesters and are beginning our second next week. For Christmas we were able to fly home and spend a few weeks with both of our families. I love that all of my siblings and their families were able to make it home for Christmas this year. I was grumpy for a few days in there, but I really enjoyed the memories that were created. Luis and I were able to get a few pictures of us as you may have noticed. We haven't ever done that before (except at our wedding) so it was a fun experience. We also got family pictures taken that I will post when I get them. Here are a few pics from the visit...

Us at the top of Mt. Hood

G'pa with a few of the little ones

Our Fancy Nancy tea party...
Of course it went by WAY too fast, but we are anxious to get this next semester going.

Happy Anniversary!

2010-08-24T21:13:00.001-07:00

It has now been 2 years and one day ago that Luis and I have been married. I know it isn't that long, but it seems like it has gone by so fast! Yay for us! Unfortunately we weren't able to see each other because Luis has been in Utah for the past week, but he is coming home tomorrow! (Which seems just as exciting as being married for 2 years). Lately I have been reminiscing about when we were dating because lately we can only talk to each other over the phone. But I kind of like it because for some reason I get jittery feelings when he says something a certain way, or he tells me that he loves me. Now I have the best of both worlds!

We're HERE!!!!!!!

2010-08-22T12:03:00.001-07:00

It feels like this move has taken a long time to complete. Of course we don't have pictures on the walls yet, but our kitchen and bedroom are functional. We are now living in Pocatello. The current plan is that as I am in school from 8-5 monday through friday (which Iam sure will feel like 24/7) Luis will go down sunday night to University of Utah for their polysci program and come back Wednesday. THANK YOU Rob and Beth for letting him stay over. Without him this plan would get even CRAZIER I can guarentee it. I have met all of my classmates and have been very impressed with how diverse this group seems. And everyone it seems loves to be active, which will keep me motivated. I am super excited for this program to start (which is tomorrow...eek!) and I also feel a little nauseous thinking about it. What have I gotten myself into?! I think sometimes. I know this will be worth it, no doubt.
I will be posting pictures of our new 2 bedroom apartment soon. It feels huge compared to our last dinky place. And we are so happy to have more than walmart to choose from for groceries. That's right. We have a WINCO! By far the smallest one I have ever been in, but who cares?! And Natalie- the roads are better here.
We have both been waiting so long for this moment in our lives it seems. And now it's here!!! Sooner than we know it, it will be over. So we must soak it up :)

A week of new recipes

2010-06-14T16:43:00.000-07:00

It took longer than a week for me to come up with a weeks worth of new recipes that I thought would be worth trying and making, but here is what we came up with:

This one is called orange chicken. Best part of it is it is made in the crock pot. Nothing is better than coming home from a long day and having dinner be ready when you get there!

Arroz Con Pollo

This is a favorite dish Luis' mom Isabel makes, and we were abole to FINALLY find the turmeric seasoning that we needed to make it. And I couldn't get the picture to rotate. Fajitas. It was tough for me to bite into an onion but they were good, nonetheless. Homemade waffles with strawberries and bananas. Someday I will make this with oregon berries.

Jambalya. I love the view of this picture.

BBQ chicken with broccoli bacon salad and pasta salad. I do not like cauliflower except for in this dish. Thanks Angela!Egg rolls with fried rice. We make fried rice pretty often, but egg rolls were a first. We made some with pork and some chicken, with cabbage and carrots. Turned out great for our first time.

How it all began...

2010-05-15T18:07:00.000-07:00

This last week marks 4 years since mine and Luis' first date. CRAZY! We have been together for 4 years (and 3 days now)...each one of them getting better than the year before it. It is so amazing how time flies by. We graduated high school together, will soon both be graduated from BYU-Idaho (one semester apart) and this August we will both be starting graduate programs together. We have been through a lot these past 4 years together. And I know these next few years of grad school will be even crazier than any we have experienced, but we feel it is what the Lord wants us to be doing right now. I thought I would share with everyone how it all began...and of course mine and Luis' stories varies on the details, but here is my version...

Luis was in a fit to compete PE class and I was in a weight lifting class our junior year of high school. One day our classes played a game of dodgeball against each other. Let me just say that dodgeball in the dumbest game ever invented. I love exercising, but whenever our class would play dodgeball, I was willing to do anything but get hit in the face with a ball. My teacher said I would lose points if I didn't play and so I decided to stand in the back and pout about having to participate. Out of nowhere, for a split second I see a volleyball come flying from outer space, right into my face! I was so ticked off! That is why I don't play stupid games! Because it hit my nose, tears were rolling down my face, (and no it wasn't because it hurt really bad, although that may have been part of it). I went and sat out for the rest of the time, despite my points that would be lost for the day. At the end of class, I see a brown prince charming coming to rescue me and to see if I was okay. I was really impressed that someone would admit to hitting me in the face (maybe it was becasue I was awestruck at his beauty...hehe). That was the first time we officially met each other.

Third trimester of senior year I see him again. we were in an anat and phys class together. Luckily we had a mutual friend that was able to make the "hanging out" phase a little easier to start up. We started going out to lunch with our friends together and then he asked me out to a movie (He was using me for a ride because he didn't have a car, nor a license). But I didn't mind. We saw The Da Vinci Code and because it was a really late showing, I fell asleep. To this day I have no idea what that movie was about, but I do remember having a great time. We went with different people to the prom, but we did manage to get to dance with each other. I left for college a few weeks after graduation and he went to WSU-vancouver. We talked on the phone just about every night and spent lots of time together during summer breaks, holidays, and my off track. Almost 2 years later from out first date in May, he proposed on April 13th 2008. Then we were married August 23rd 2008. Now it's almost been 2 years that we have been married, totaling 4 years! From day one he has been sweeping me off my feet (first by a dodgeball).

And it has been the best 4 years of my life.

Conference Weekend

2010-04-17T15:03:00.001-07:00

One of my favorite traditions I have kept of my grandma's is making cinnamon rolls on conference weekend. I got this recipe from my friend natalie. The first time I made them last year I killed the yeast and put WAY too much cinnamon and sugar mixture in them. Can you blame me? It's the best part! Anyways, this year they turned out great. And we even had some friends over to enjoy them with us. John and Nycole actually got married this last weekend. We were sad we couldn't make it, but are so excited for them! The talks were amazing too! We learned so much, but have realized how much more we need to be doing with the knowledge that we have.

Graduation!

2010-04-17T14:30:00.000-07:00

I have finally graduated from BYU-Idaho! Now I have about 4 months to get a job before school starts back up again. Graduation was so much fun because a lot of family was able to make it. My brother Travis and his family, My borhter Chad and his family, my brother Rob and his family, and my parents! Luis and I aren't very used to having so much company, so the time went by way too fast! Most everyone was here by friday afternoon, and so we went to Big Judds. I hadn't ever been there but people say you HAVE to experience before you leave Rexburg, so we went. My brother Travis ordered the Big Judd, but shared it with his family of 4. He was trying to get Luis to eat one by himself, but luckily Luis didn't think it would be the greatesdt idea. I didn't either.

I think the girls liked it. Passion NEVER lets me take a picture of her, so this picture speaks a thousand words. And this is ice cream on her face, before lunch. Vacation spoils all of us :)My brother got a hotel room and so we all went swimming that night. no pictures :( But the next day I got to stand in a long line and pick up this funny looking blue cover.

And here is Jaedyn. I just want to squeeze those cheeks! It was more exciting than I thought it would be. I think it was because whenever family comes into town, everything is just so much better. Here's to the man that has believed in me and has supported me on those late nights and early mornings. Thank you Luis for driving me to early classes, picking me up, making me lunches, and especially for agreeing with me when I was mad about a grade, at a teacher, or a classmate. And NO-thank-you to making it so hard to wake up every morning and leaving your bed head, and know I wasn't going to see you for so many hours. I am glad to be the dumbest smart person you know.

Luis celebrated by not shaving for 5 days. Sometimes it's nice to not have to shave every day. This picture is dedicated to you, Chad. You are his inspiration. It's just too bad that BYU-I has strict grooming standards. Darn.

A Typical Day in RexBURRRRg

2010-04-17T14:23:00.000-07:00

We looked out the window in the beginning of the second week of April, only to find this...

We were a little disgusted to see this since my parents and other family were driving into town just a few days later. But luckily, when we got home that evening, we saw this...

Just another typical day in Rexburg.

A GREAT DEAL (unless you live in Denver)

2010-03-17T11:09:00.000-07:00

So...Luis and I just got back from Albertsons to get some tomatoes and crackers (we're having company for dinner!, very unusual) and we left the store with much more than anticipated. Another FANTASTIC deal was found. When we got there, there were PILES of cereals at the front of the store, just waiting to be eaten (I'm sure Luis was jsut thinking "oh, great. Not again!"). I thought to myself..."why are there SO many people buying cereal at 1.59 a box? Don't they know that just over a month ago they had QUAKER oatmeal squares for 1.00?" But then I read THE SIGN. It read...

BUY 5 BOXES AT 1.59, GET 4.00 COUPON ON YOUR NEXT PURCHASE.

This meant that each box came to .88 CENTS when you buy 5, including tax! Just thought I'd give you a heads up on the AMAZING steal. Cereals consist of honey bunches of oats (all varieties), post selects, fruity/cocoa pebbles, and raisen bran!!!!

Since I'm going into the Medical field, I figured I'd better Learn about the ethics...

2010-03-06T12:57:00.000-08:00

A long Process is Coming to an End

2010-03-04T10:38:00.000-08:00

I know for the most part the people who read this blog already know, but I like to use this blog as more of a journal to keep track of mine and Luis'adventures. Well...the results are in...

I GOT ACCEPTED TO PA SCHOOL AT ISU!!!

I am still in a bit of shock, but I am so excited! It has gotten difficult to study for my last few classes that I am in currently (reason I am posting in the middle of a weekday), but I wouldn't have it any other way. It's amazing to me how quickly life changes. Soon we will move away from this bitter cold Rexburg and have some sort of credentials behind our names. There are some things about Rexburg that I don't think I will ever miss like:

-scraping the windshield every day of the year!(which I know probably won't change for a while)
-not having my favorite season: fall (maybe we'll have to visit my brother in Logan Utah more often- the greatest place for fall)
-all the POTHOLES in the roads (you'd think after the city started charging for parking that some of the holes and divits would be fixed)
-the closet doors that never stay on their track (ugh!)
-The mud that gets tracked onto our beautiful linoleum floor
-The library that is the loudest library in the world
-The redboxes that NEVER have the movies we want to see
-the dryers that don't actually dry your clothes

But there are definitely things I will miss, like:

-Experiencing the small town feel
-Always having support
-The first snowfall of every winter (there isn't one of these in every town, you know.)
-the snow path the Luis and I made to the mailbox and laundry room
-our cheap date nights that would cost more anywhere else
-our cozy apartment (it's small, but it will always be our first home together)

Next month I graduate with my bachelors (still crazy!) and then in August I will start the program. I am already getting nervous about the LOADS of information I will be getting, but I know it will all be worth it. After my internship at Leavitt Women's Healthcare (which involved a lot of following my PA sis-in-law Angela around everywhere) I just knew I wanted to be a PA. We are still unsure about all of the details of where we are going to live, what Luis will be doing, and other important details, but hopefully we will know soon. Life is amazing, and we are so blessed. Just a side note. I was reading my patriarchal blessing the day before my interview and after reading it I wondered how long I had had it. I looked up at the top and noticed it said "february 26th" which just HAPPENED to be the same day as my interview at ISU. Luis thinks I am sign seeker, but I don't think this is just any coincidence, do you?!!!

You Tube Favorites

2010-03-01T16:17:00.001-08:00

You need to watch all 3 for the full effect...and Thanks Phlup for helping me finally figure this out!!!

The Pecking Acrobats

2010-02-11T21:07:00.000-08:00

We got to see the coolest show EVER! I was a little hesitant to buy the tickets for $8 a piece, but it was DEFINENTLY worth it! This picture doesn't do them justice. I never knoew the body could do so many moves! If they are ever in your area, get tickets! They are simply amazing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7GI-FuVyGg
So I am computer stupid and cannot figure out how to put this video on here, but watch it. It was our favorite act.

Christmas time

2010-02-06T16:44:00.000-08:00

Very few pictures came from our trip to Vancouver, as always. Maybe next time. But going home to Vancouver could never quite be descirbed in pictures anyway. One day when we were there Luis' mom was kind enough to take us to see the zoo lights. And although it was freezing outside, we had a great time. Can you believe we were able to get that close to the penguins? It was AWESOME!!! (But a little nervewracking!) It was really funny to me because almost the entire time Luis was filming the zoo. I told him that he couldn't really enjoy all the lights if he always had the camcorder up to his face. He looked at me and said, "This way we will never have to come here again. Next time you wanna go, I'll just show you the video." What a guy!

Watching Television has never been so fun!

2010-02-06T16:39:00.001-08:00

Okay...so we ususally only get 2 channels on a regular basis and of course they aren't channels we'd be interested in watching. But the other day I turned on the t.v. hoping to get reception for something interesting, and noticed that we had a little bit of reception on another channel that was showing Seinfeld! But with every move, the words or picture would cut out. So when I went into a squat to get a clearer picture was when the t.v cooperated the best. Talk about getting a workout while watching the tube! It was the one time I was grateful for commercials.

Rob and Beth got Married!

2010-02-06T16:31:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I know that the majority of the few people who read this blog already know that Rob and Beth Got married, but I wanted to show off the beautiful bride and groom we captured.

Me and the handsome man

I don't know what she is doing, but whatever it is, isn't she soooooo cute?! (a ballerina maybe?)

My studly daddio

And I saved the best for last. Isn't this a cool shot?!

A hobbie of mine...

2010-02-06T16:14:00.000-08:00

Whenever people ask what I like to do with my free time, I always have trouble telling them what I enjoy doing besides the generic answers. But recently I realized what gave me a high (of excitement). It is....saving meney! Let me explain. Of course I'm sure most people love to save money, but I almost think it has become an obsession of mine to always get things on smokin deals (I think my mother ingrained this trait of mine in me). Albertsons seems to be my favorite place to score and to save more than I spend. This isn't very difficult at this store because I think their original prices are a bit outragous. When grapes aren't on sale they go for $3.99! Rediculous, I know. Luis always stares at me with looks of craziness when he sees how much I am willing to buy for our little family of two. But then when he sees how much I save, I think I see a little proud moment of his own . And since I pride myself in how much I can get with the little budget of ours, I decided to brag a little.

My mom and I have actually gotten into the habit of letting each other know when we see amazing steals, which makes my searching that much easier. This deal was pretty sweet. Everything you see in this picture was a $1.00! (except for the raisin bran) Thanks mom!

Pretty sweet!

2009-12-24T14:58:00.000-08:00

This goes to show what we do when our brains are fried from studying for finals.
This is a picture of me and Luis at Thanksgiving at the Beavercreek lodge in logan canyon. My generous uncle rented out the entire lodge for our family to enjoy the holiday together. It was so nice to not have to take the long drive to see the family, and instead have them drive to us! I was hoping for a lot of snow to go snowmobiling and have other great adventures; there ended up being just a little snow, but we were glad there wasn't more so that everyone was able to arrive safely (count your blessings, right?) We had such a fun, relaxing time with the 50+ people that made it. We wish everyone could have made the trip. We love our uncle Rob!

We shared a room with my sister's family. This is her little cutie that didn't sleep so well, but is just so adorable, we couldn't stand to hold a grudge. It was so easy to make her laugh. What could boost your self esteem any more than being able to make a toddler laugh?

This is our first nephew! He is such a lady killer already! It was so fun to see him for the first time and see him smile constantly. Here is Cash looking on intently at the gift he was given for an early Christmas present. Makes me laugh...

an update

2009-12-18T15:35:00.000-08:00

We finished another semester! And my was it a long one! I have not posted for a while because of the crazy 12 and 14 hour days in the library! We are so thrilled to be done and we can finally embark on the Christmas spirit. We leave for home tomorrow and are so excited to not have to worry about getting assignments done or getting exams taken for 3 weeks! Yahoo!!! We are fortunate to spend the holidays with both my family and Luis'. One thing I am super excited about is getting away from this -11 degree weather! It is just too cold when your nose hairs freeze as soon as you step outside and you feel like you have to sneeze.

I have one semester left (hopefully the easiest one) and Luis has 2 more left. I think we are finally beginning to see the light at the end of this tunnel, only to see another long tunnel ahead of that (gradute school!) I will post pictures of our recent adventures within a few days. Hope everyone is having a wonderful and safe Christmas season!

Life in the Fast Lane

2009-09-26T20:21:00.000-07:00

So the past few months have been a bit busier than expected. We had our 7 week break from school which was much needed (especially for Luis, he has been in school the past 3 semesters). The first week my momma came for a visit and we showed her the amazing town of Rexburg. Having her stay with us made Luis and I realize how much we like to play the part of host and hostess. We got to do a session in the Rexburg temple which was the first time my mom was able to do a session here. We spent time with my brother Chad and his family and really just enjoyed being together.

The second week we went home to visit our families. While we were there we went camping in Belfair with Luis' family and then drove north and camped at Deception Pass with some of my family. The sites were beautiful and nothing quite beats spending time with family. We then came home for a couple of days and then went camping at Bear Lake with other members of my family, a past roommate, and other friends. My sister came from Denver to spend the weekend with us and are so glad she did! Her baby Jane is getting so big and cute (even in the dark...). We were lucky enough to go on 2 different boats and spend time on the lake wakeboarding and tubing. Now that's a vacation! I don't have any pictures now, but hopefully they will come soon.

After the fun times, we had to get to work. I finished my applications for PA school and am currently waiting to hear back from the schools. We both studied for the GRE and took it during the first week of the fall semester. Now that school has started back up, life has gotten pretty busy. Luis has been doing GREAT on all of his exams so far. I am so proud of him and am so fortunate to be married to such a hard worker. We both really enjoy the classes we are in (surprising that I'm enjoying Biochemistry as much as I am) and luckily we both like to stay busy. Luis is starting on his applications to graduate schools for Psychology and has recently looked into the idea of getting into a Political Science program (more power to him). Luis is now the assistant Executive Secretary and I am the nursery leader of our ward. We are excited to learn new things in these posititions. Any ideas for nursery will be gladly accepted...

I am so grateful for the many blessings that Luis and I share together. I have recently been realizing how blessed we truly are. We have wonderful family who supports us and is always there for us. We have a car that works (at least this month), a cozy apartment, wonderful neighbors, a great ward, and the chance to gain an education (to name a few). Our lives are so simple and although money is always tight, we love to see how frugil we can be. Life has been running so smooth lately that we are trying to anticipate a disaster. We hope life stays this good for as long as possible.

The only picture we got of the beautiful views at Bear Lake (doesn't do it justice)
Us on the bridge at Deception Pass

At Belfair enjoying the campfire...

Luis is so photogenic!

One Year and Counting

2009-08-24T14:03:00.000-07:00

That's right! For all of you that didn't think we'd make it this far, WE MADE IT! We have officially been married for one whole year and are loving it! I am more and more amazed each and every day at the things Luis does to make me smile. I swear he just keeps getting funnier! We have accomplished many things together in this past year including:

-2 semesters each with a full-time load

-Went to General Conference in the new conference center in Salt Lake City

-Visited my sister and her family for Thanksgiving in Denver, Colorado (beautiful place)

-I completed an amazing internship at Leavitt Women's Healthcare

-Luis achieved a full-ride scholarship with his academic accomplishments

-We finished the full series of Friends (this wasn't easy to do)

-We are both currently in the process of applying to graduate programs

-I completed my first half-marathon

-We went camping in Yellowstone, Belfair State park, Deception Pass, and at Bear Lake

-We have made friends with incredible people in Rexburg

-Luis has served as the second counselor in the sunday school presidency, and has a new calling in the works (later post)

-I am currently serving as a nursery leader and am loving it!

-We still love each other!

This next year is going to bring a lot of change with it. We are both graduating in April of next year and we have no idea where graduate schools will take us, or what challenges we may have to encounter, but we know it is more fun (and interesting) when we do it together. May this next year be an exciting and successful one!

All I can think about

2009-07-23T12:43:00.000-07:00

So my mom is coming into town in a few days and I almost feel that I need a bigger house to clean so that I can stay distracted until she gets here. I am so excited to show her my apartment and how small it is. I am excited to play games with more than just me and Luis. Late at night we've been playing a lot of Yahtzee, Rummy, and Sequence. They are all fun and each time we play is a new adventure. But the rotation of three games gets kind of old, especially playing with the same two people every time. So...any ideas? Any games that are on the cheaper end? HELP!!!

Our summer is coming...

2009-07-18T18:40:00.000-07:00

So it's been a while since we have posted anything, and since it's the weekend before finals I am getting tired of studying and so now is the perfect time to blog. Only three days this next week and we get a 7 week break! Well, a break from some things, but not from all. Luis is taking 2 online religion classes, we are both studying for the GRE (our plan is at least 4 hours a day), I am applying to PA school (scary!!!), I hope to shadow a few PAs in town, and we both hope to have a little bit of fun on this break. We are going home the first week of August to visit family and friends and are so excited! We get to go camping for a few days with some of my family and go kayaking! And this is the perfect week to go home because Luis' mom has that week off from work. And before we leave, my mom is flying in this saturday to enjoy the wonders of Rexburg. I am so excited to take her through the temple, show her the cool parks around here, and have her meet some really amazing people.

During the 4th of July, we had a four day weekend and so decided to visit Yellowstone for the first time. Our friend John came along and he made the trip even more fun. We wanted to camp in the park, but it was full (on a wednesday night!!) So we decided to camp down this long road that supposedly had campgrounds at the end of it. We never reached the end of that road, so we just camped for free. Fine by me! So here are a few of my favorite pictures from the trip.

Reaching a Goal...

2009-06-13T19:53:00.000-07:00

This past month has been pretty busy, but today I figured it was time to update the blog...

So today I finally did it! I ran my first half marathon! I was a little hesitant to tell people about it just because I didn't want to end up telling people I didn't follow through. I started training in February with the mindset of running the half today. But once school started in April, my time to train got a lot more limited. Homework all of a sudden has taken up a lot of my time. Go figure?! And...a few weeks after school had started, my running buddy got pregnant! So there went almost all of my motivation to do the race. So my training became 3-4 days a week. A few weeks ago I ran into a lady from my ward that has 3 kids. One is about 5 and the others are a set of twins about 2. Her and this other lady with a child said they were registered for the race and told me I should just do it. And so the next day I gave into that peer pressure and signed up. I figured that if 2 people that have young children find time to train, then I shouldn't be making excuses. After signing up I had 2 more weeks to train. I thought I would step it up a bit, but I definently stepped it down! This week I ran one other time besides today. My goal was to get under 2 hours and to not stop running. Let's just say I stopped a couple of times, but I reached my goal of under 2 hours! I do not have my official time yet, but it was around 1:48 and took 4th place in the age group 18-24. I hope to find out how many that was out of and let you know in the next post. I was very happy with that time knowing how unprepared I was. I wish I could do that with tests! But running this half marathon has helped me realize that I am halfway to my goal of running a marathon 'someday'. I have always wanted to run a full marathon, but have never been diligent or motivated enough to actually dedicate myself to train for one. But now that I am halfway there, I just might be able to do it. So these same 2 ladies want to run the full Top of Utah marathon in September. Word has it that 20 of the miles is downhill and you drop 1,000 feet throughout it. Sounds like the best one to do to me!!! So let the real training begin...

Thank-you Luis for being okay with late dinners, sometimes making the dinners, and being there for me at the finish line. The biggest thing any runner needs is support, and I am so lucky to have that. Maybe someday Luis will run next to me...'someday'...

This is me and my prego friend Lisa. Even though she didn't end up running the half, she helped me train (as much as I did). She is 15 weeks pregnant and did the 10k! Go Lisa!

And here is a really nice girl that let me run with her. Before I met up with her, I was doing a horrible job pacing myself. I would run and then have to stop and catch my breath. But when I just made myself slow down a little bit and run next to her, I didn't have to stop. Let me just say that running with someone after 8 miles by yourself is a MUST!

This is a post by Luis.

One day we wanted to play a game. And then Valerie suggested Yahtzee. So we played. I won the first game, and then I won the second game. Valerie got so mad that she refused to count her score. So being the stubborn man that I am, I had to know what her score was. She went into the bathroom and I asked, "HEY! Did you throw it away?" And she said "Why don't you look around!" So I looked around, and finally found it in the toilet. What a sore loser! More importantly, she got a score of 128.

Here are the beautiful flowers Luis got me for being together for 3 years.

You Think You're Fat!!!!!

2009-04-25T13:39:00.001-07:00

I saw this post on Sunday Baker (one of my new favorite blogs) and had to post my favorites.

Just around the Corner...

2009-04-09T13:59:00.000-07:00

A couple of days this week it has been gorgeous here in Rexburg. It was so nice that I couldn't let it pass me by. So before Luis got home, I decided to surprise him by putting together our BBQ that we got at Wal-Mart in the winter for under $20! There were a few more pieces than what I was expecting so when Luis got home he saw the BBQ, but not all in one piece. I was so excited for our first time using it and was all ready to go when Luis asked if I had gotten charcoal and lighter fluid (minor detail). So one more trip to the store wasn't so bad. And once the coals were hot enough, dinner was ready :) Sadly it is raining today, but it is nice to see that summer is just around the corner...

BABY JANE!!!

2009-04-03T15:39:00.001-07:00

A few weekends ago I went to Denver to celebrate the birth of my newest niece...Jane Marie Olsen. My mom says that she looks like me, (yes!!!). Since Natalie was a bit sore still, Zach was our tour guide. He took us to see downtown Denver and then we went on an awesome and beautiful hike in Boulder. I would have taken pictures, but my camera was out of batteries. Luis wasn't able to make the trip because he couldn't miss his classes. But I loved seeing my family (most of them anyway...). Jane was so sweet and it was so fun to see my niece Jaedyn be so interested in her. I can hardly wait to see Jane and her parents in another week when we go to Vancouver to see our families during the week break in between semesters. This past semester has been pretty busy for Luis, and decently busy for me. I am curious to see how we manage our time when we are both in school in a couple of weeks. I have a feeling that I won't want to make a homemade meal every night, but Luis likes to cook, so it shouldn't be so bad.

Baby stuff

2009-03-28T16:47:00.000-07:00

A weekend project that I was excited to do. This is a wipes case that I made for my sister in-law Summer. I hope she likes it...I'm actually happy with how it turned out. Those fabric yo-yos are a new favorite of mine :) I'm gonna start making them for my family's card group!

My DAYS off

2009-03-15T11:17:00.001-07:00

Having a semester off from school with no job hasn't been the easiest thing for me to handle because I love to be busy. On Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays I have the privilege of going to Angela's work and shadowing her to see what being a PA at an OB/GYN office is all about. I have LOVED every part of the way. But the other 4 days of the week I find a lot of extra time. So here is my latest project. My first baby blanket without my mom right there beside me (just on the phone...hahaha). Don't look too close...

there's a leak!

2009-03-15T11:08:00.000-07:00

So we had a small leak in our roof. But this didn't stop Luis from using his regular study spot on the couch, hence the jacket. Just kidding. The truth is, Luis usually gets home from a 10 hour day at school and starts right back up again. I just couldn't help noticing that he hadn't even taken his jacket off yet before he opened his exciting book on the history of psychology :)

2009-02-22T15:54:00.000-08:00

Some more pictures...

2009-02-21T20:37:00.000-08:00

Just a little inside peak at how Chad will always out-do our attempt to be funny...

2009-02-15T18:26:00.000-08:00

I know we have almost been married 6 months, but it's never to late to start a blog, right? This was our first picture taken of us after we were married in the portland temple. The day couldn't have been more perfect with our families and friends. We are truly blessed to have such a great support system. Thank-you to everyone that made this day such a success.

2009-02-15T18:20:00.000-08:00

Thank you Passion for being my flower girl!