It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

I just turned in my last assignment for this semester and it feels so good! We leave this weekend to travel home for the holidays for a much needed vacation. Even though I haven't posted for a while, there isn't really a significant update, so I'll leave you with one of my favorite quotes:

"Perhaps the greatest charity comes when we are kind to each other, when we don't judge or categorize someone else, when we simply give each other the benefit of the doubt or remain quiet. Charity is accepting someone's differences, weaknesses, and shortcomings; having patience with someone who has let us down; or resisting the impulse to become offended when someone doesn't handle something the way we might have hoped. Charity is refusing to take advantage of another's weakness and being willing to forgive someone who has hurt us. Charity is expecting the best of each other." --Elder Marvin J. Ashton

Merry Christmas to all of you!

Put in your appointment requests now cause...

We are flying home for Christmas!!

I am so excited to spend time with both of our families this Christmas! Learning about Kirk's family traditions and teaching him my family's traditions will be so much fun!

Christmas is my favorite holiday. I've already been listening to Christmas music since October; some would argue that doesn't allow me to savor each of the Fall holidays. Let's be honest, who wants to savor Halloween? It can have one night, but then I move right on. Thanksgiving and Christmas are intertwined in my mind. Usually there is snow during both (at least in Idaho), there's always great food=ham-turkey-yams-rolls-cookies-egg nog-need I go on...and the best place to be is with loved ones. Thanksgiving prepares me for Christmas by reminding me of all I have to be thankful for, and that I need to start shopping! (Can I get a shout-out from Jill?!? Are your lights up yet??)

On a different topic...Kirk is in Florida for a business trip. *sigh* I have resigned myself to homework and more homework, but time is crawling. In an effort to soothe my loneliness, I have created Kirk-2.0 (read kirk-two-point-oh). Take a look:



Some people have the blow-up doll, some people have the sweater doused with cologne...this is like a combination cause I can cuddle with it AND it smells like him! ;) You may be laughing now, but when I catch you using my idea when your honey leaves town, don't be surprised if I say "I told you so."

Some Halloween Laughs. . .

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

"Shame on you if you fool me once, shame on me if you fool me twice"

It is a well known fact that, as far as driving is concerned, I border on being crazy/aggressive. Not road-rage-aggressive, more like push-it-to-the-legal-limit aggressive. Let me put it this way: the car is an extension of my body. :) There have been a few times I've driven with Kirk in the passenger seat, and to his credit he's never said anything to let on that he felt nervous. But when I look over and find him gripping the edge of the seat or "Oh Crap" handle with white knuckles, I try to behave myself.

Kirk, on the other hand, is a good, conscientious driver. He's cautious, goes the speed limit more often than not, no abrupt stops, etc. He can drive fast, but usually does so only when we are late to church or something.

Now for the story. When we were dating, Kirk took me to a go-cart race track, and we trash talked a little bit (tension is good for the relationship). He led the whole time except at the very end, when I wedged in by his rear bumper and flipped his sorry cart around. I finished the race in first place, with Kirk claiming I had cheated. *as a side note, the rules did say "no bumping." But who drives go-carts without a little pushin' and shovin'? So. Last night for family home evening, we decided to settle the dispute and revisit the battle ground. This time, I made him go first and it was a replay of the first race. He led until just before the last lap when I made my signature move and flipped his car around to finish in first place, again. The burden of the champion is heavy, but I bear it gladly. And can you believe it, he still insists I cheated! It's sad what competition does to some people.

Rise and shout, the Cougars are out . . .

I hate confessions. Last year I was a die hard University of Utah fan, and we beat BYU and then went on to beat Alabama in an undefeated season. It was glorious. I swore I would never turn my back on the crimson tide.

Ahem. Well, Kirk is a BYU fan, so to keep the peace I've started cheering for BYU. We even have BYU shirts we wear on gamedays. If some of my Salt Lake friends knew of my betrayal, they would cut me off and never look back. My only redemption is knowing that on the day Utah plays BYU this year, I will be wearing red and laughing at Kirk's dismay when we beat them again, this time on their own field (this is big talk, I know. But if nothing else, I can lay down the trash talk). But until that day, I'm in BYU blue. Here is a glimpse of the true blue cougar fan.
Yes, that is vintage BYU attire, people. It's probably as old as I am. Someday you'll be flipping through the tv channels and see Kirk and me on the Antiques Roadshow with this jacket, and we'll find out it's priceless.

Here's our update: Kirk is excited for November because HP is revamping their inside sales force. The changes will be very conducive to Kirk's personality. He's super busy with his calling as ward mission leader, but has some great ideas to help get the members excited about doing missionary work. As for me, school is going well and keeping me very busy. I did a clinical shift in the critical care and learned so much in just that one shift. One patient was very near death and the nurse I shadowed talked with the family about the patient's wishes for end-of-life care, and helped them come to the decision to take her off life-support. Then the nurse offered to pray with the family. It was a very special experience for the family, and seemed to comfort them. It reminded me of the blessing it is to have a testimony of the gospel, to know what happens after we die, and that families can be together forever. It was a somber but sweet experience.

To end on a lighter note, I have another confession to make. Sid, this one is for you. I have started running! During high school I would "cheat" a little on my track workouts because I only competed in the jumping events, and wanted to work more on technique than endurance. Plus, I hated feeling my lungs burn and my legs ache. But now I kind of enjoy it. Further proof that miracles do happen.

School has started again for me. *sigh* It's actually not bad, all my classes are online so I can do most of the stuff in my pajamas sitting on the couch if I wanted to. If all goes well, I should have my bachelor degree finished in July. As I started reading over the instructions for my first assignment last night, it took me back to my days in the nursing program. What a crazy two years that was! Supposedly the bachelor's program is not nearly as intensive, which is good. Anyways. . .

Two weekends ago was BYU's season opener against Oklahoma. Despite the fact that I would have bet against BYU, Kirk and I still wanted to watch the game. Not only do we not have cable or satellite, we do not own a television and there are not many BYU fans out here. I swear every other person I meet in this town says, "Welcome to the great state of Arkansas!! We've got okra and catfish, the Ozark 'mountains', and the Razorbacks. Could you ask for anything more??" So we had resigned ourselves to missing the game. But then Kirk's uncle came to Little Rock for a business convention and (to make a long story short) he invited us over to watch the BYU game with him in his presidential suite!! It was awesome! Big T.V., pizza, awesome hotel room, and BYU beat Oklahoma! I could not believe it, but what a game!

Besides filling my time with school, work, and trying to finish the thank you cards from the wedding (I know I'm horrible, but it's a work in progress), I follow your blogs. So keep it comin'!

Hey Shorty, It's Your Birthday

This last weekend, Kirk and I celebrated my 22nd birthday. Luckily it fell on Saturday so we were able to make it a day long event. It started off with Kirk insisting that I stay in bed while he made breakfast, which was delicious. I'm ashamed to admit that I've never been fishing, so I asked Kirk to show me how it's done. We went to a nearby lake (which is rather shallow, as you can tell by the trees growing in the middle of it) and enjoyed the beautiful weather. I am converted--what could be better than getting a tan, enjoying the outdoors, and watching this hunk work his magic with the catfish? Truth be told, we caught a log and three lily pads, probably because I did most of the casting and fishing. It looks like Kirk has a big ol' fish on the line, but that was actually the log.
For dinner, Kirk made reservations at a very nice Italian restaurant that makes the best food I've ever eaten. For those of you who share my passion for peanut butter, you can imagine my excitement when the waiter told us about the peanut butter cheesecake drizzled with raspberry sauce. Oh. My. Gosh. Peanut butter cheesecake + Kirk + fishing = best birthday ever!!

Photos from Reception #2

Please disregard the many drinks in the background. It was warm that evening.













mi nueva familia













A foreshadowing of our future family. Aren't we going to be great parents??













Table centerpiece, thank you mama













My girls













SIL and adorable niece













Cake cutting ceremony. Thanks to my limbo skills, I remained clean for the most part. As you can see, he was not so lucky. Click on the pic for a closeup of the fun.





The Red Shoe Club

Walkin' in Memphis

Saturday was our Stake's temple day, so we were able to go to the Memphis, Tennessee temple. A couple in our ward was baptized a year ago so they were able to be sealed to each other and their two young girls. It was a very special day!! It's interesting to compare life as a Latter-day Saint in Idaho and Utah versus Arkansas. Out here, the wards and stakes cover so much territory, and the nearest temple is three hours away. It certainly helps me appreciate the sacrifice and dedication required of members in the mission field.

After the temple, we drove to downtown Memphis and grabbed lunch at T.G.I Friday's because nearly all the other restaurants looked a little bit rowdy :) There were several rock-and-roll and jazz cafe's. Memphis is right next to Arkansas, just on the east side of the Mississippi River. It is a beautiful city. We look forward to visiting the Civil Rights Museum and the Rock-and-Roll Museum in the future.

Home Sweet Home

Some of you have requested some pics of our new apartment. Forgive me, but I'm not so hot with the camera, but I hope these photos ease your curiosity.

This is our building, one of many in the complex. Did I mention it's on a golf course with a workout center and pool? Cause it is. Our apartment is the three windows on the bottom left.
















The kitchen . . .














Living room . . .














Master bedroom . . .














It is a two bedroom, one bathroom apartment. I figured no one cares to see the bathroom, even though it is clean and cute. Washer/dryer and all kitchen appliances are included. The second bedroom is not available for pictures yet as it is still full of all our extra stuff. We are on the ground level per my request, so that when tornadoes come we are slightly safer (I hope). Besides that, it's nice not doing stairs all the time. I LOVE our place, and I hope you did too. Come visit--our couch pulls out to a bed! :)

This Is Why I Hated Cooking When I Was Younger

I broke a lot of stuff in the kitchen growing up. I also ruined a lot of recipes, burnt a lot of brownies, left out ingredients, set off the smoke detector, and burned out the motor of a hand mixer. But when I got married, it was like my cooking genes kicked in and dinner has been uneventful for the last two weeks. Yesterday was a different story.

I've never made bread before. I think my mom did on occasion when I was younger, and I remember how amazing the house smelled while it baked. I wanted to make bread for Kirk because he loves it and it's one way to save a little money, but I hesitated because bread making is technical. There's the yeast thing, the kneading, shaping, rising, blah blah blah. The only mixing device I have is my grandma's old Sunbeam--no "dough hook" included. Just the beaters. This mixer, bless it's heart, is probably 2 1/2 times my age but it worked fine for banana bread! Why shouldn't it be able to handle Oatmeal Wheat Bread??














Things started off great; put all the stuff in the bowl, add the yeast, start mixing in the flour. . . and that's when things turned bad. I turned off the mixer to get the THICK dough out of the beaters and one of them was mangled!














That thing was probably an heirloom and worth money! And I still had a cup and a half of flour to mix in! Undeterred, I did it the old fashioned way, with my hands. It still turned out fairly well, maybe just a little dense. But I did get that freshly-baked-bread aroma!

Biggest and Best Week of My Life!

July 18, 2009. What a day! The wedding was beautiful, the receptions were absolutely perfect, the honeymoon was. . .well, basically it was fantastic, and we are loving married life!

Kirk did make it to Salt Lake in time to accompany me to receive my endowment and so we could get our marriage license, although he was running on very little sleep because of delayed flights on the way over. It was SOOO good to see him again after six weeks of being separated! The temple was so wonderful, and so many members of both our families were able to be there, but we missed those who couldn't make it. It meant so much that so many important people could celebrate with us. I think one of my favorite moments was as Kirk and I walked out of the temple together, married, and everyone cheered! It was finally official!














After the wedding, we drove to Park City and ate dinner at a nice restaraunt and then headed over to the condo. Kirk's Uncle Dwayne was very gracious to give us a few days at the condo for our wedding gift. It was awesome!! Bright and early Monday morning at 6:30 we drug ourselves out of bed to go on a hot air balloon ride! After meeting up with the big group, we were taken to a large, empty parking lot and watched the crew set up the balloons. They were gigantic! Forgive me for my exhausted expression; it was early, and it was our honeymoon.





























An overview of beautiful Park City















After Park City, we drove to Rexburg for the reception there. By the way, if anyone has pictures of the cake cutting fiasco, I'd love a copy. The following morning we flew to Arkansas! My parents were kind enough to drive our moving truck out and help us unpack everything. Things went much more smoothly thanks to their moving expertise. They also towed our car behind the truck, which was still painted with phrases such as "Just Married," "Just Do It," and "Honk for Love." My mom said they did get several honks along the way.

Sunday was a nice break after being so busy. My parents came with us to church, so we didn't do the newlywed thing and leave after Sacrament meeting. :) The ward is great, but a little on the small side. In Relief Society, the president asked me if I knew how to play the piano. After my internal struggle to decide whether I should be honest or save them from having to sing along to my mediocre playing, I decided it was best to be honest. If I was awful, they probably wouldn't ask me to play again. And I was awful. But they were very gracious. Apparently, that was the first time they'd had a piano player in ages, so they're desperate. I may have to start practicing. . .

The big event came after church when we pulled out our GORGEOUS china and my first official attempt at making Sunday dinner! A roast, potatoes, gravy, cream peas, carrots, fruit salad, and biscuits. If we're being honest, it was fantastic. See for yourselves.
















And how precious is this. . .















Well. Now I've set my mind to decorating and organizing. Our apartment is fantastic! It's so fun to have our own place and spend so much time with each other. Since blogging is part of the definition of a domestic goddess, maybe this will become a more regular event. But for now, the laundry is calling me. Over and out.

We Sealed the Deal

Since everyone already knows Kirk and I are getting married, these pictures won't be a surprise. These are just a select few--feel free to vote on your favorites!

First, the engagement photos


























































My mother worked SO hard during May to finish the dress so that we could take our wedding pictures at the temple before Kirk left for Arkansas. So now that we've taken these, we don't be standing outside the Bountiful temple when it's 105 degrees in July. And plus, we got some awesome sunset pictures.









































































My photographer is Tiffany Lewis--she is fantastic and made it so much fun for us. Her blog is tiffanylewisphotodesign.blogspot.com.

We hope to see you in July!

Kirk's Graduation

What an exciting day! Kirk graduated from the Marriott School of Management at BYU with an emphasis in marketing. He recently got a job offer from Hewlet Packard for a sales position in Arkansas, so we'll see if that's the offer he ends up taking.

Kirk has worked so hard to earn his degree. It was a very proud day for him and his parents, and I am so glad I was able to share it with him. Uncle Cris, if you read this, just know that your advice worked. . .

It seems that I have some explaining to do. Some of you know I've been dating Kirk for about six months, and things are moving along very nicely. Some of you know more details than others, so bear with me while I get us all on the same page.



Kirk and I met last October on a blind date set up by his aunt, who happens to be my mom's best friend. Our families go way back and there have actually been a couple times we may have crossed paths when we were much younger and still in those awkward/adorable years. We hit it off rather well on the first date so I sent him a text message the next day to give him a hint. He did respond to the text message, but did not call me back for about two weeks! I thought for sure he'd decided there were plenty of women down in Provo to date. Just when I'd given up hope he called back and invited me to go to a Jazz game with him--I was floored! I'd never been to an NBA game before, so needless to say I was very excited! However (as cliche as this sounds), we hardly watched the game because we were talking the whole time.

Things continued to progress into February. Kirk came home with me for Valentines weekend to meet the family. He really delivered on Valentines Day; that morning he gave me roses with a letter. I didn't read the letter until late that night, but it was perfect. If you want the mushy details, you have to ask me for 'em :) V-day was also the first time he kissed me, soo . . . it was a perfect day.

Since then, things have become pretty serious. We don't see each other as often as we'd like because I'm in Salt Lake and he's in Provo, and we both have school and work. Life will be awesome in about a week after Kirk graduates with his bachelor degree in marketing. So we'll see what happens in the next few weeks. I'll try to update a little more often.

long overdue

A few months ago, Tara "tagged" me to fill out this fun little quirk-finder. So without further delay...

#1--Even when I'm not cold, I must have a blanket over me when I'm reading or watching television. It just relaxes me. I do discriminate; until recently the blanket-of-choice was one made by Grandma D. It was replaced by one my mom made with that soft minky material on the back which greatly increases the snuggle factor.

#2--At the tender age of about 10, I read the encyclopedia to memorize the breeds of dogs, cats, and horses. I also looked up the different types of rocks and then tried to find them in my backyard, secretly hoping I'd stumble upon a fossil. Oh dear. What's wrong with Barbie dolls??

#3--Despite the fact that my car is only a 4-cylinder, I still feel like a race car driver because it's a manual. When I open up that second gear, you can just feel the horses racing! I would consider doing some stunt driving on the side to keep life interesting.

#4--The time I feel most inadequate is probably when I try to cook. I think this is because after cooking, I compare the somewhat mangled/burned dish to the beautiful meals made by all the women in my family. I'm hoping that will rub off someday, or my chef-genes will eventually kick in. Otherwise I may have to move back home, and that would just be sad.

#5--I have a strong aversion to foods that have passed the expiration date, even if they smell fine and have no sign of spoiling. When I was little, I found a hard-boiled Easter egg long after Easter was over, and I ate it. But wait...it gets better. I shared it with Krystina.

#6--I would consider selling my soul to get to Europe. Paris specifically. And Italy, Switzerland, Scotland, Austria, maybe Greece. And then back to Australia, where I might stay forever.

Hope you enjoyed it. There are many more, but I'm limited by the rules to only post six. You should all post six of your quirks.