David and Deidra

the week without work

2012-01-20T11:36:00.000-08:00

It's true, I didn't work one day this week. I know that sounds really nice and in some ways it was, but in other ways it kind of wasn't.

It started Friday. Our kind friends invited us to McCall to their parent's sweet cabin. We rushed home from school and work and 15 minutes later they picked us up and we were on our way. Relaxing away from home is always nice. Saturday evening my throat started to hurt. Oh no! I am with a friends and their family members and I am sick. I don't want to get anyone sick, so I try to be extra sanitary. The weekend was still very fun... We played lots of Strut, Wizards, and other card games. We hot-tubbed, slept in, watched TV, played pool, and lounged around. Our friend's car couldn't make it up the driveway when we arrived and when we headed down to church on Sunday we slid off the road and got stuck. After we headed back to Moscow we had to go back because we forgot to turn down the heat. Good times! We really did have a fun time and I hope I didn't infect anyone!

MONDAY

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

No school

I am SO glad we had this day off because I woke up feeling awful. My throat continued to get worse, I now had a fever, headache, chills, and congestion. Darn viruses! It was so nice to have my sweet husband home with me to help take care of me. He made me herbal tea and soup. I didn't feel any better that night, so I put in for a substitute and whipped up some quick sub plans and emailed them to my supervisors.

TUESDAY

Sick Day

David went to school. I stayed in bed. I drank massive amounts of herbal tea. I thought my fever was gone, but then David arrived and crushed those hopes by being realistic with me. I guess it was just wishful thinking. Who like being cooped up in the house?!

WEDNESDAY

Sick Day

Still feeling like death I stayed home again. Luckily for the kids they got the same substitute. This is the day our winter storm started going crazy! As I watched the snow continuously fall ALL day, I was shocked that school was still in session and nervous about the roads. Later that evening we were pleased to find out that it was a SNOW DAY(!!) for David and me on Thursday! My voice was basically nonexistent at this point.

SNOW!

Out our back door

Out the front

Measuring approximately 13.5 inches

THURSDAY

Snow Day

Although I wasn't feeling fabulous, it made me feel better to have David home with me. My fever was gone and we even got to run a couple of errands! Except the roads were crazy. You'd think that by 2011 a northern Idaho town would have figured out how to plow roads, but you'd be wrong... Part way through our errand run, the ice on the top of our car roof cracked and slid down onto our windshield. It was a lot of ice and I couldn't see anything. David kept driving, but I was nervous so I made him pull over. Bad idea! He cleaned it off quickly, but we were stuck. David dug around the tires with our scraper for quite some time before this nice lady and her two kids stopped and gave us a push. It was so nice! It took probably five tries to get up the hill to our house after that...

It was snowing still when we got home. David quickly ran in to cut up and get all of our newly purchased meat in the freezer. I decided to chop away at all of the ice on our long, wooden staircase up to our doorstep with the snow shovel. I got it all off and cleared away, came inside, took off my coat and boots, and noticed my hands were REALLY red. I thought it unusually red, but tried to ignore it. I used the rest room and my hands started burning! I looked down and they were swelling super fast before my eyes. I was so freaked out! I hurried and got my rings off (thank goodness!) and put my hands under cold water. I slowly turned the water up until it was lukewarm, but not much was changing. My hands were huge, red, and shiny. It was the scariest thing. I tried to call my mom, but she was working. I called my dad and he was busy, but said to just warm them up gradually under water, so I kept doing that. The pain went away and slowly the redness, but the swelling took a lot longer to go down. IT WAS SO SCARY. I am happy to report that my hands are fine now, but I guess winter and I are bigger enemies that I had before thought.

My companion of the week

Later that evening we finished our puzzle of Las Vegas. I think we were dreaming off warmer places... :) Then we started watching a Red Box we'd rented when our power went out. I saw a huge flash of green light outside. It was crazy! We sat in the dark with a couple of candles lit for about forty minutes until it came back on. My school got cancelled again for the next day, but not David's. :(

Our finished masterpiece

FRIDAY

Snow Day

The power had gone out again during the night, but was back up and going. I woke up able to breathe through my nose! I had missed that so much. haha David told me that he was so glad that I almost had my real voice back because it had been pretty scary. haha

I got up while David was clearing off the car and steps of the new snow and ice and made some french toast and more herbal tea. David ate and got cleaned up. He had an assignment due at 9:30 and class at 10:00. David tried to leave at 8:30, but our private drive hasn't been plowed at all since we've had all of this snow. Thanks property management! We have done our best to keep as much snow out of our walkway and drive, but there are 4 other duplexes on this private drive that haven't been so helpful. David got stuck. He dug around the car and moved a little, but wasn't getting far. At about 9:00 he decided to put chains on the front tires. He was soaking wet, but finally got everything situated and got going at 9:30. I ran him out a dry pair of pants before he took off. I called our property managers and complained about the snow. They assured me that there will be someone out to plow today... So I am going to hope for that and some above freezing temperatures!

Now that I am feeling much better, I am ready to spend the weekend with David!

Christmas Spirit

2011-12-14T21:24:00.000-08:00

I love that this time of year can brighten any situation!

Here is our tree.. I am not a photographer by any means! It looks like we are loaded with presents, but I will let you in on the truth. There are wedding gifts under there, along with gifts for my parents from all of the children (my siblings), AND I wrap gifts in big boxes so it seems more exciting. :) Now that I am thinking about it, maybe I am setting every gift receiver up for disappointment! haha Oh well, I guess I still have the child mentality that a bigger present is better.

These are our ~~lovely~~ UGLY Christmas sweaters. We had a ward party with the theme... we were one of four couples that actually dressed up. Living in a college town we couldn't find ugly sweaters at thrift stores. They were wiped clean! David thought up the-half Christmas tree so that when we stand together it makes one-idea. He even sewed on his own ribbons and jingle bells! That was mostly because we procrastinated in making these until an hour before the party!

Merry Christmas!

David finishes his last final of his first semester of law school tomorrow. After I finish work on Friday, we are on vacation!! Woohoo!

Friendship

2011-12-11T18:49:00.001-08:00

Growing up I went through phases of friends. My siblings came first, then my neighbor friends, friends from church, and then friends at school. Many friends became close friends and plenty more were just nice acquaintances or situational friendships (just in a certain class, etc.). For the past three years, David has been my best friend. It is easy to stay best friends because we live together by choice and spend time with each other every day. Over the years as things have changed I haven't been the best at keeping up with old friends. I still look back fondly on our relationships and all of the memories we have together. I really enjoyed getting together with a friend over Thanksgiving that I really hadn't seen to in a couple of years probably. It's always nice when you can just pick up where you are and still be good friends. I am REALLY bad at talking on the phone and love seeing what is going on in friend's lives through blogs and Facebook, even though it isn't as good as living in the same town and getting together. I hope to continue to become a better friend. I am still learning.
After our move to Moscow and having to make new friends here, I have thought about the friendships in my life a lot. We had many great friends throughout our lives, in Provo, and others that have moved to various places all over the country. We have also been lucky enough to make some new, great friends here in Moscow.

Yesterday I received a package from one of our Provo friends. She worked with David and is a true gem. What a fun surprise and nice note! This week we also received some Christmas cards from friends. It felt good to be thought of and to see what they were up to.
I am SO thankful for all of my friends throughout the years. You have each made an impact in my life. I appreciate the love you've shown me. Thank you!

Veteran's Day

2011-11-11T22:22:00.001-08:00

I am so blessed to live in the country that I do and enjoy the freedoms that I have. Here is a neat story about my great-grandmother's brother, Gerald Sorensen who served in WWII. http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/belgium/100605/world-war-ii-history-resistance?page=full
What a sacrifice he made in leaving his new bride to serve for our freedoms.

Fun Weekend

2011-11-10T15:36:00.000-08:00

Now that David & I live so much closer to our parents we like to take advantages of weekends in Moses Lake. When we don't have to teach sunbeams or any other commitments we will take off after I get off work on Fridays and stay until after dinner on Sundays. Last weekend was one such weekend.

Last Sunday was my mother-in-law's birthday. David had told her we weren't going to make it for her birthday, but we decided we'd come and surprise her. David told his Dad so that they wouldn't have plans that we would be crashing.

On Friday we showed up at the Law's house to surprise Tracey & no one was home! David has a key, so we went in and lounged on the couch & watched some football while we waited. He also strategically moved the car out of sight down the street. His parents went to a dinner at the church. They soon came home. As they walked in the garage door, Tracey was surprised to see the hall light on and hear the t.v.... and then she saw us on the couch! She just laughed and was surprised! I was proud of Bob for not ruining the surprise. :)

We then went and spent some time with my parents. David wanted Mexican food so we hit up Inca!

The next morning we stopped by my parent's house again for a bit, but they were busy packing to head to Cabo... Tough life, I know. We did get to see Kamille and Derek a bit too.

This would be more interesting with pictures I realize... But I didn't take any & my laptop crashes if you open Google Images.. Weird, I know.

Bob suggested that we help Tracey move some things around in her new work office over in Quincy and then continue on to Wenatchee to go to Wok About Grill. Of course no one opposed that idea. It turns out that there really wasn't much to do in the office. David was the only real help. On the drives we had nice conversation.

In Wenatchee we first visited Fred Meyer. Then we ate at Wok About Grill, which is better than the other Mongolian grill places I have been to. It was reeeeeeeally good. We checked out Hooked on Toys. Tracey and I had a fun time trying on silly winter hats... Rabbit fur, sock monkeys, various animals, sparkly, etc. We laughed a lot. Those would have been some great pictures! Meanwhile, David and Bob looked at fishing stuff and guns. David and I added the game Farkle to our growing collection. Then Tracey suggested ice cream.

We went to Baskin Robbins. David was the first to order. It was this punk kid working there, not acting like he really wanted to be there. David ordered two scoops of ice cream. The worker got the smallest cup in the world and put the two smallest "scoops" of ice cream you can imagine. I was thinking of only getting one scoop of ice cream because of the big dinner, but when I saw David's I decided to go for two. I ordered two scoops of my flavor. The kid pulled out a much bigger cup and gave me two good-sized scoops of ice cream! hahahahahahaha! Tracey and Bob ordered their ice cream, David paid. We had a good laugh over the difference in size between our ice cream that we ordered exactly the same. It was pretty funny.

That night we tried out Farkle.

Sunday we went to church with David's parents and had dinner with a bunch of the Law clan out at Grandma and Grandpa Law's house.

It is so nice to look forward to these visits! We are already excited for our long weekend at Thanksgiving!

We are still alive

2011-10-25T20:55:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd let you all know that we are still alive in Moscow.

Our table makeover! I didn't remember to take a before. Dang.

We finished a puzzle from David's mom.

I made a fall/Halloween banner! Yes, I know the candy corn colors aren't in the correct order. I copied this idea http://tatertotsandjello.blogspot.com/2010/09/fall-project-reversible-candy-corn.html and didn't realize until afterward. BUT, it is still cute.We teach sunbeams(think 3 year old Sunday School craziness) and aren't very good at self-photography.

David is a model.

Umm... we have done/do other things, but these are the only pictures we have taken...We also would love visitors, so come see us!

Our Vandal Home

2011-09-14T20:35:00.000-07:00

Our new place is located on a street named Vandal Drive. Fitting because David is a University of Idaho Vandal. Unfitting because we don't live on or very near campus & we aren't vandals, like as in criminals. haha! Anyway, here is our beautiful new home:

our bedroom

I realize that wall is very white and boring... I haven't found the right thing yet!

the "Master Bathroom"

the office

the hallway

Our very own washer & dryer!!! We are definitely moving up in the world;)

the guest bath

our spacious kitchen!

the dining area/backdoor

My newest creation- I found the inspiration here http://choosetothrive.blogspot.com/2011/08/wheat-wreath.h. Although, I didn't use wheat. I used some sort of weed that is all along the roads here...

the living room

All Things Purple

2011-09-12T18:36:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time we bought a table for ten dollars at D.I. It was an ugly, but usable table.
After two years I decided it was time that it wasn't ugly anymore. I came up with an elaborate plan to make it beautiful again.

First, I sanded the table. Next, we primed the table. (I forgot to take a before picture. Shame on me.) Then we decided to try out the Kona Brown paint we had purchased to make the table dark brown. David realized we didn't have a stirring stick and pretended to be one of those paint shaking machines.... He ended up shaking the paint can out of his hands. It landed on our carpet, shooting the lid off (although it had never been opened), and splattering a quart of DARK PURPLE paint all over the carpet with some speckling on the linoleum. Yes, the "Kona Brown" was actually very purple and now all over our floor. Panic mode kicked in and we didn't take a picture of the disaster, but now we wished we had.

It looked kinda like this wonderful artist's rendition:

The Horror!

Being new to Moscow, our bishop had set up to come meet us with a member of his presidency this night. They showed up in their suits right after the paint splattered. We all got to work keeping the paint wet and getting as much as we could up out of the carpet. I looked up Rug Doctor's and found that they rent them at the nearest grocery store. Luckily, they were on special! ha When I returned, bishop was gone and David was still at work. We filled up the Rug Doctor and David went over this carpet about 10.3 billion times bringing up more and more purple paint.

I also haven't taken an after picture, but we are happy to report that you cannot tell that there was ever purple paint on the carpet! I maybe can a little bit, but you can't! On another happy note, our table is coming along quite nicely. I will show you when it's all finished. :)

Speaking of purple, we turned our fingers purple picking blackberries in a tiny town called Julietta. Julietta has a walking/bike path all the way through it with blackberry bushes along both sides. One Friday after school and work we ventured down there and picked a big bowl of blackberries. We could have gotten more, but those darn bushes are evil and one ripped my finger open. I made David leave so I could wash my finger at a super clean gas station. Haha! We had enough to make some jam. Yum!

Things We (I am speaking for David, I guess) Will Miss About Utah:

2011-08-17T12:48:00.001-07:00

Food- Tucanos, Bombay House, J-dawgs, Magleby's, Kneaders, Cafe Rio, Texas Roadhouse, Gandolfos, Zubs, Happy Sumo... It's probably a good thing we've moved away now that I've started this list.. we like too many out-to-eat places!
BYU sporting events
Spanish Oaks Elementary
Our Utah friends and family
Our first apartment.
Pysch! We won't miss that. We are loving our new, bigger & better apartment!
Costco
Having two cars
Target
the mountains
being within walking distance of all the necessities
Mariah's hair salon (I know David will miss this!! ha)
Cable
Warmth...seriously, it is not warm here people! I am nervous for winter.

There is probably more, but this is kind of depressing. Anyway, the past five years have been fabulous, Utah. Growing up I always heard about "Utah Mormons" and how horrible it would be to live in Utah. I learned it isn't true. I loved Utah. It's a beautiful place to live and I enjoyed my time there.

Our Big Move

2011-08-14T21:23:00.000-07:00

Our friends, the McEwens, gave us boxes from the firework stand they ran this summer. They were great! Thank you!

This is all our our stuff before the move. Tuesday we had some wonderful people help us load up our 17' Uhaul. Garett, Presley, Justin, Blake, Sean, and Alif were lifesavers! Thanks guys!

Early Wednesday morning the Snows came and checked us out of our Utah apartment and then we were on our way. David drove the big Uhaul and I followed in our Honda. I had my camera sitting on the passenger seat next to me & decided to document my exciting trip each hour.

6:30 AM

7:30 AM

8:30 AM

9:30 AM

10:30 AM

11:30 AM


12:30 PM

1:30 PM

2:30 PM

3:30 PM

4:30 PM

5:30 PM


5:30 PM AGAIN! We changed time zones... We are back in good ole Pacific Time.

6:30 PM We were in lots of construction! It seems like we rarely went over 45 mph. The Uhaul didn't have cruise control, which was a bit annoying to follow. BUT, I only used a tank and a quarter of gas. Normally on a trip this length I would have gone through at least two tanks!

7:30 PM in MOSCOW, ID our new home.

Our new residence. It is an over/under duplex and we are on the top.


David checking things out.

David and I unloaded almost everything the hour and a half after we arrived. Then my parents & Kamille came. We went to dinner and then crashed. Dad helped carry the rest in the morning. David's parents came the next morning and everybody helped us unpack and organize a bit. It was so nice to see family and have all of the support. Thank you!
Our new place is MUCH larger than our first apartment. After we finish cleaning up I will post some pictures.

Summer Reading

2011-08-01T12:32:00.001-07:00

I LOVE to read. I don't hardly make time for pleasure reading during the school year. I already do tons of reading to be prepared as a teacher. But in the summer time, I read all I want. Summer is the best idea anyone ever had! I was trying to come up with one statement to describe why I love reading so much, but I couldn't come up with it.
I read to escape the worries of real life. I read to see new perspectives. I read to learn. I read to live vicariously through other people. I read to daydream/let my imagination wander. I read to take me to new places & meet new people. I read for entertainment. I read because it's FUN!
I love the author Avi's books The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle and Midnight Magic, so I decided to read some more of his books this summer. I read:

The Seer of the Shadows- Soooo creepy, but I had to keep reading! I honestly thought I'd have nightmares, but luckily I have not.
The Secret School- Cute book, easy read.
Barn- inspiring.

The author Laurie Halse Anderson was recommended by a couple of friends. I read one of her books and decided to try out some more! Her books are so easy to read.

Fever 1793- This is about the yellow fever epidemic in Philadelphia. It was interesting to think about daily living in such a different time.
Speak- This book is about a sensitive subject, but I appreciated the outcome of the hard situation.
Chains: Seeds of America- This book made me so grateful I live in the time I do. I am seriously SO blessed. Again I loved taking on the perspective of life from a completely foreign (to me) time period.
Forge- This is the sequel to Chains. The beginning was slow for me, but in the end I liked it.
I started a couple more, but both seemed a little racy for me so I didn't finish.

I also reread the Harry Potter series. Well, almost. I am packing for our move and accidentally packed my reading, but I will finish.

I know summer isn't quite over, but it's already August!! Can you even believe it?! July went by waaaaay too quickly!

Next week we make our big move to Moscow, ID and then on the 15th David starts law school!

This sums up life right now...

2011-07-27T12:12:00.000-07:00

Vacationing/Moving?

2011-07-26T11:23:00.000-07:00

I went to my first Law Family Reunion July 16th-20th. We stopped along the way to spend time visiting with Grandma and Grandpa Larsen and Aunt Heather. We also got to attend my cousin's little boy's third birthday party. I loved the excitement as he opened his gifts! Highlight's of the reunion:

Lots of singing and guitar playing
Lots of food
Swimming with the nieces and nephew
Crashing on Jen's hotel room floor
Wandering around the small town of Idaho City, Idaho
No cell reception
Lots of game playing- two new family favorites are called Guillotine and Euchre
Sneaking away to play tennis with Amy and Shani in Boise
Trudee's cheesecake
Family testimony meeting
Painting & bracelet making
Talent Show- Our talent was the "singing at the party" scene from Nacho Libre with Jenny and Kent
Mustaches
Adele helping me learn "Miss Molly"

After the reunion we drove up to Moses Lake to visit our hometown and families. We played tennis with Shani and Lori, had mom's beef stroganoff, steak dinner with the Laws, lunch with Jill and Gwen, celebrated Dad's birthday, watched "Captain America", David went golfing with Kent, I picked raspberries with Mom, visiting with family, etc.

One of the days we made a trip over to Moscow, ID. We were happy to discover that the drive only takes a little over two hours. Kamille came with us. It looks like David will be attending law school at the University of Idaho this fall. We went apartment hunting. Palouse Properties showed us three places. David and I chose the third place we looked at. We will be moving on August 10th. TWO WEEKS FROM TOMORROW! I am a little freaked out. It is a two bedroom over/under duplex on a private street. Our apartment is the top. We will have a washer/dryer and dish washer for the first time in our married life! It also has a little patio for grilling and two full bathrooms! We are excited for the bigger/nicer place.

I sadly resigned from my job here in Utah today. We still haven't heard from BYU law, so I felt it was the best thing for us to do. I loved teaching at Spanish Oaks Elementary and I loved the support my principal gave to me. I loved the kids and the people I got to work with. It is sad to move on, but hopefully the best for our family.

I applied in Moscow for the only elementary opening I've seen posted all summer in the area. The job is open through this week. I hope I will be given a chance to interview and hopefully be considered for the job. I guess technically it's "jobs" because there are two sixth grade positions. Pray for me!

Pillow Covers

2011-06-30T15:03:00.000-07:00

David and I got these pillows for a good deal when we bought our couches. Neither of us loved them, but they were cheap. I saw this blog post http://kimboscrafts.blogspot.com/2011/06/pillow.html & I started scheming how I would convince David that ruffles would be a good idea. I let him pick the fabric and he was all for it! He picked dark brown and a green print for the ruffles. Our couches technically are dark brown, but they look black.

The ruffles ended up taking twice as much fabric as I had thought it would, so I didn't end up with enough to make the pillows covered in ruffles as I planned (& still want...). I improvised and they turned out okay. I was too lazy and didn't want to spend more money to make the rest of the ruffles.

Someday I need to do something about the black curtains that don't match....

Summer Dates

2011-06-27T13:07:00.000-07:00

Bowling & Ice Cream

We decided to hit up Miracle Bowl and play a couple games. 1st round David beat me by a lot... 2nd round I won. Boo-yeah!

Then we hit up Subzero for the first time. We had a coupon for buy 1 large, get one free. Well, large was VERY LARGE. It was yummy, but too much ice cream for one sitting. Also, about 5 million people came in asking for applications and if they are hiring. If you are wondering, no they currently are not hiring, but always accept applications.

Manti Pageant

Neither David or I had ever been to the Manti Pageant, so we decided to check it out. It was kind of a spontaneous little adventure and we had so much fun! We were surprised at what a big production the pageant is. It was enjoyable. I liked the Book of Mormon stories in it the best.
I did not enjoy the anti protestors there, they are just so buggy! But, we just ignored them. Before the pageant we shared a burger and shake at a cute little place in Manti and played a bunch of rounds of Monopoly Deal.

We stayed at a cute, little bed and breakfast in Gunnison. It was pretty inexpensive and we didn't want to drive back at midnight to Provo. Plus, David doesn't mind playing hooky from work to hang out with me. I'm glad we planned that because there were thousands of people there who all wanted to go north after the pageant and we just had a short trip south.
A session at the Manti temple was planned for the next morning, but David wasn't feeling so rosy, so we just headed back to Provo for a lazy day.

Lehi Round-up Rodeo

This summer has just been full of spur of the moment decision making. One night we decided to see if there were any rodeos going on and indeed there was!

These little cowboys were in on the front row. This isn't a super great picture, but these two in their wranglers, boots, and belts were so adorable!

I didn't get any great pictures, but it was a fun night. We sat behind the family of the cowboy that won bronc riding and bull riding that night. It was fun to see his cute grandparents so excited.

Quote

2011-06-17T09:34:00.000-07:00

We women have a lot to learn about simplifying our lives. We have to decide what is important and then move along at a pace that is comfortable for us. We have to develop the maturity to stop trying to prove something, We have to learn to be content with what we are.

-Marjorie Pay Hinckley

Bawston

2011-06-06T16:58:00.000-07:00

David had an opportunity to present research in Boston, Massachusetts... We decided to make a trip of it and are so glad we did! It was such a fun time.

Thursday

This was supposed to be my last day of school, but I took a personal day for our trip. :) Wednesday was a little emotional for me because it was the end of my second and last year of teaching at Spanish Oaks. Anyway, maybe more on that in another post. I was happy to have this trip as a distraction/transition into our crazy, changing lives.

3:15 A.M. we woke up. We left for the airport by 4:15. We arrived in long term parking around 5:15 ish. It was a very windy, chilly, dark walk into the airport! We went through security and then waited to board our first flight. For breakfast we shared some banana bread and water.

Here is sleep-deprived David digging in to the tasty banana bread at the SLC airport.

We boarded our plane and in about an hour and 15 minutes we arrived in the Denver airport. David was feeling a bit woozy so our first task was to find dramamine. That is pretty easy to do in an airport. After making a potty stop, I bought a yogurt parfait and then we waited a few for our flight to Boston. That flight was around four hours long and we tried to sleep through most of it. We made it into the Boston Logan Airport at about 4 PM Eastern time, which is two hours later than our usual time in Utah. We grabbed some airport food and contacted the Townes, a cute family we stayed with the first two nights of our visit. My uncle Pete used to live out there and hooked us up with his friends. Chuck works a few minutes from the airport and picked us up and took us back to his cute home in Shrewsbury.

When leaving the SLC airport and landing/taking off in the Denver airport, all you can see is dirt and some mountains. When landing in Boston, all you can see is GREEN! There are so many trees that baseball fields stuck out tremendously because of the dirt/flat land.

Another cool thing about the Boston airport is how it looks like you are going to land in the ocean because the airport is on a narrow strip of land. This adorable boy in front of me was freaking out during the landing and then was disappointed that they still had to get in a car to drive to the beach from the airport. ha!

Anyway, we met the Townes. She is from England and has a very cute accent and they have 5 precious little ones. It was so kind of them to put us up for the two nights because they are definitely busy, busy people.

David and I learned quickly that New England is HUMID. I kind of love the dry heat out west and have only experienced real humidity twice. Humidity wiped us out! We went to bed early.

FRIDAY
We caught a ride with Chuck, who was heading into work, at 6:30. He works across the street from Boston College. David and I only had a very large bill, so we stopped into a little shop and bought some breakfast to make change into smaller bills. We caught the subway and headed to our first stop, the Museum of Science! We actually didn't go to the museum, we were just meeting there for a duck tour of Boston! On our subway ride, we discovered that the stop we needed at the museum was closed for construction. We failed to notice that we could get on a bus shuttle. David pulled out our Boston map and we thought we could find it without a problem. Wrong! We were lost in minutes. In Utah with the N/S and /E/W roads and the huge mountains that direct you East, it is soooooo easy to navigate. Boston roads will change names at intersections and they are curvy because they follow cow paths. We walked up a huge hill and around some roads and couldn't figure out where we were. This nice lady could tell we were lost and directed us to the museum.

Side note: People in Boston were SO nice!! I was really worried about that, but they are super friendly and helpful.

We made it to the museum in time for our duck tour, just as it started getting toasty warm outside.

David is representing BYU for his presentation later. One of the duck tour workers saw BYU and commented on Jimmer Fredette! He also asked David if he was a professor. Ha!

This is our "duck", Molly Molasses. These are WWII amphibious vehicles. Our tour driver was Captain Duct tape. It was a very fun tour. Our conducktor was super funny and full of neat facts about the city. He took us all over Boston and then into Boston harbor.

Captain Duct tape!

Rowers!

IT WAS THE HOTTEST DAY EVER! Before we came, the forecasted weather was rain and not very warm. Thursday morning we checked and it was sunny and in the 80s!!!

The duck tour was a fun way to start our "real" sight-seeing. We then walked and worked our way back to the subway and then across town to the hotel where David would be presenting his research. It was the International Communications Conference. Oh and we stopped at a restaurant and ate some tasty pasta. We also drank gallons of water. The waiter was disappointed and kept trying to sell us expensive drinks. We were SO thirsty and just wanted water!

A statue right outside of the subway stop. It is explained below. The big hotel to the back and right is where David's conference was.

David met up with his partner Britney to make sure they were all ready to go. I just hung out. David's professor was at the conference and came to watch their presentation. They met in a large room and were to split the hour and fifteen minutes with four other presenters. All of the presentations had something to do with media dependency. David and Britney did AWESOME! Plus, they were the only undergraduates presenting with a bunch of higher education students and professors. I married a smarty pants.

After the conference, we wandered around downtown Boston. We made it to the train station and took a train back to Shrewsbury. My body went into shock, I am pretty sure. I think it was from being dehydrated and changing temperature so frequently throughout the day. With some water, a shower, and an advil I was fine.

SATURDAY

Chuck needed to head into work, so again we caught a ride. My aunt Dona and cousin Lauren came down from New Hampshire to spend the day with us! It was a blast! We went on a walking tour of the Freedom Trail. Luckily, it was much cooler and overcast today. YES! Our guide was a hat maker from colonial times and was dressed that way. This was an interesting tour as well. One of my favorite parts of the trip was seeing all of the historical sights. There are WAY more cemeteries in New England because it was settled so much earlier than out west. (I guess, duh?).

The site of the Boston Massacre. In the back you see the Old State House. The Declaration of Independence was read from that balcony,

New State House

Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market were fun to visit. Faneuil Hall held secret meetings and such in the upstairs. This was the marketplace back then, but now it holds little shops, restaurants, and vendors. We ate lunch at a seafood place here.

I thought dad would appreciate this eagle.

This is the tavern where a bunch of the founding fathers would meet.

We toured Paul Revere's home and strolled around the North End. This is where many Italians settled. It was so cool! There are still many Italian families and mom & pop restaurants and stores. Apparently, Mike's Pastry is the best. We waited in line FOREVER. It wrapped down the street. When we finally got to the door, there were five more lines inside! We gave up and went down the street to Modern Pastry. There was also a wait, but nothing compared to Mike's. David and I had enough cash left to each get a cannoli, which is what we wanted. :) Hooray! It was a first for both of us, and not disappointing!

The whole gang was tuckered out, so we headed back to Dona's car. We rode up to New Hampshire with the girls. Dona took us along the coastline and it was beautiful! There is rocky coastline and sandy beaches. There are HUGE colonial style homes along the way and it was so fun to see.

Here is David at the rocky coastline. It was COLD! We also ran down a sandy beach and touched the water. David of course had to chase me with seaweed.

We met up with Zach, Lauren's husband for a seafood dinner. David had lots of fried things. haha! I tried a lobster roll. I had heard great things...It is cold lobster mixed with something like mayo on a bun. It was boring, so I only ate a couple bites. I loved eating all of David's calamari though. :)

SUNDAY

Dona and Ben's house is a charming house built during the Civil War. It was a gorgeous drive up there and we enjoyed the company and getting to know family better. For breakfast, Dona made us ebelskivers, which were delish! Apparently my mother has been denying me my Danish heritage by not sharing these. haha! We ate in their cute sunroom. We went to church with them and enjoyed a lazy Sunday. It was nice because our feet were tired!

MONDAY

Dona brought took us to our hotel in Boston. It was fun to visit family and we are so thankful that they were willing to show us around and for all of the hospitality.
We checked into our room and then headed out to Fenway Park, home of the Red Sox! 3 minutes late or 57 early for a tour, we looked around for some food. We found a COOL restaurant.

It is under the bleachers in the back of the park, looking out into the outfield! We had some tasty sandwiches that were toooooo big and headed over to our tour.

Third smallest park in MLB (seating).

Green Monstah

Where we ate lunch!

David on the Green monster. You have to enter a lottery for a chance to buy these seats for a game.

I think one of David's favorite parts of the trip was the Fenway tour. It was neat to learn some of the history of the park and tour. There was a game that night and we were sad we weren't going, but the ticket prices were a bit crazy for those squishy seats! (plus, the Red Sox lost that night)

Aimlessly we headed back to downtown Boston. We were hot, HOT! We were wandering in the marketplace when we decided we should find and buy swimming suits because we didn't bring any. We had a travel book and had seen all of the major things that we wanted to see. We found suits and headed back to our hotel and spent all evening laying in the pool. We has a reservation at this awesome seafood restaurant called Legal Seafoods, but we were a bit seafood-ed out. We ate at the hotel restaurant and crashed in our comfy king bed.

I was worried about public transportation, but it was SO easy.

TUESDAY

We flew home. The flights home seemed so much longer than the ones there. Plus there was a screaming toddler behind us for the one from Denver to SLC. I am so glad for airplanes and that we didn't have to walk, ride horse back, trains, or a car all that way.

On our drive back to our apartment, we reached a milestone. (Please, ignore the dust). Our Napolean reached 222, 222.2 miles! WOWZA!

Boston is such a FUN city! We loved our trip. Planes, trains, cars, subways, buses.... Family, food, a little presenting, history, and memories.

Funny 5th Graders

2011-05-13T15:16:00.000-07:00

Today I dropped my really long whiteboard eraser on my khaki pants just above my knee.
It left a 2.5 inch by 6 inch black mark.
I tried to pat it out.
When my efforts were failing, a very serious 5th grade girl says, "Hairspray. It gets everything out."
I look up and see her serious face and crack a smile.
She says, "Seriously. I hear it gets everything out."
haha!
5th graders are so funny.

Obtaining a Teaching License in Idaho...

2011-05-09T20:46:00.001-07:00

So, it's a possibility that we could move to Idaho in August. David has paid his deposit to attend the law school at University of Idaho. He is on the waitlist for BYU law, so we are sticking it out this summer and if we don't hear from BYU, we will head to Moscow, ID at the end of the summer.

It is frowned upon for a first year law student to work (even part time). This leaves pressure for me to have a job so we can eat and pay rent, which is pretty important. I like to not have to worry about where I will be sleeping at night.

I have a job here in Utah. Sadly, I have to move to a new school that is opening next year. Also, I am being moved back to 4th grade. I have LOVED my experience in 5th grade and am sad to leave my team, but the school numbers are down with the new school opening, so someone has to do it. I couldn't really expect another teacher to do it since I am only a second year teacher this year and there is a possibility I might not even be here in the fall.

If we go to Idaho, I don't really know what will happen. Moscow is home to University of Idaho and it neighbors Pullman, WA home of Washington State University. This means that there are many elementary teachers looking for jobs in the area. I haven't seen a single job posted. Plus, I can't really apply for jobs there if I don't know if I will be there yet.

Well, just in case our hopes and dreams of BYU law (saving us $30, 000 or more in the long run) don't happen, I am paying to apply for a teaching license in Idaho to keep as many doors open as I can.

It actually is a really easy process compared to the other states I have looked at because I have a teaching license in Utah. I just needed to compile a bunch of information/paperwork and send it with a check.

1- Complete & sign application
This took less than 5 minutes.

2-Complete fingerprint card
Sounds simple enough...
2a.I called to have one sent. I spent many days calling during office hours to request a fingerprint card to be sent because they have special instructions and requirements. I was always transferred to dead ends and left many unreturned messages. I finally got someone to send me one and it arrived two days later. I spilled water on it and had to repeat the process of having a new one sent...
2b. I look up when the Provo Police Department does fingerprinting. It happens to be Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday nights from 5:30-7:00 P.M. Sounds convenient. It was exactly 5:30 when I looked. I head on over to the police department and arrive around 5:45 feeling pretty good about myself. I sign up for a spot and pay the $10 fee. I am number ten. Even though the tiny room is full of people, ten doesn't sound so bad does it? Well an hour later when I discover that #1 is actually a group of ten people, I become a little discouraged and wish I had brought a book. Lucky for me, David came with me so I wasn't alone with all of these interesting people.... Apparently court-ordered fingerprinting takes extra time and there were a few of those. Everyone was getting fingerprints for different reasons/employers and had a little bit different paperwork for the single authorized fingerprinter to fill out. I had my fingerprint card filled out by 8:05, only two hours and twenty minutes later.

3-Application fee
$75 for the certificate/credential fee
$40 for the background investigation check
Write a check, easy-peasy.

4-Copy of a out-of-state teaching license
Done.

5-Official transcripts from credited university
After work I head on over to the ASB at BYU, pay the six bucks, and have an official transcript in less than two minutes.

6-Completed institutional recommendation
I took this form to my college at BYU thinking it will take a few minutes, maybe a half hour if I need to wait for a busy secretary. WRONG. I fill out a request form telling the secretary that I desire them to fill out this form for me. She tells me I can pick it up in 8-10 business days. 8-10 BUSINESS DAYS?! Did I hear her wrong? I am not really in a rush, but this seems ridiculous to me. They need to write down what program I completed and when along with my Praxis test scores and dates and sign it. I think that will take 5 minutes max for a person of fairly limited capabilities. I ask her if I understood right and she said yes. With a very confused look I left. When I told David, he went back in and asked her again if 8 to 10 business days was correct. Again she agreed. When he asked why, she said things can come up when she is filling out the form. Okay? Odd.

7- Official Praxis II assessment score sheet
Done.

That's it. I guess in 8-1o business days I will have my application for a teaching license on it's way to Boise, Idaho.

That's sooooo nice!

2011-05-03T19:36:00.000-07:00

We got a new A/C compressor in our 92 Honda Accord!! I never thought this day would come...

Last summer we drove the first week of AUGUST up to Idaho and back. With NO AIR CONDITIONING. We were drenched in sweat and it sucked.

It cost a pretty penny to fix. Thanks Papa! ;)

I finally used it the last two days on my drive home from work. It was magical and so worth it. Thank you spring for finally coming into our drab Utah lives.

Guess who I saw?

2011-05-01T15:39:00.000-07:00

Apolo Anton Ohno!

He was being picked up at the SLC airport while we were picking up my sister and nephew. Cool.

Let's get to 1,000,000 views!

2011-04-26T09:51:00.000-07:00

This is a project I put together with a few colleagues of mine. Thanks to Sean, Asia, Kelly, and Deidra for helping me with this one.

Happy Graduation/Easter/Anniversary!!

2011-04-24T08:30:00.000-07:00

My finished Easter wreath! I only kept it outside for about 20 minutes. I was afraid it would fall and break or that someone would steal it.... So it's inside!

David graduated with a BA in Communication and a minor in Environmental Science!

David's parents came all the way from WA to support him. Jen came from Vegas and my family [barely] made it from WA!


David modeling. I didn't post any of the pictures with me... They were all gross.

Today is not only Easter, but our 2nd Anniversary!

I am so happy I married David Robert Law two years ago in the Columbia River, Washington temple. He is so good to me and we have a great time together. Happy Anniversary, David! I love you!

Spring Break Happenings...

2011-04-17T19:43:00.000-07:00

Whoever thought up Spring Break is my hero. I needed and loved every minute of my break! (plus.. only 6 weeks left until summer!)

I spent much of my break cleaning EVERY nook and cranny of my apartment. It is therapeutic to me and I feel accomplished scrubbing floors, floorboards, walls, ceilings, mirrors, windows, doors, cupboards, appliances, organizing, dusting, etc.


These are just some of the rags used in my cleaning frenzy. My neighbors thought I was crazy when I was cleaning the front door outside...

David helped me make two cardboard Model T Fords for the 5th grade program. Cute.

I also spent a couple of hours in my classroom. I had a whole list of things I wanted to accomplish, but only actually got to a few... It's spring break!

I painted my toenails pink.

We celebrated David finishing his undergraduate classes at Texas Roadhouse. YUM!

I found out I passed the Praxis II PLT with flying colors. I even got this fancy certificate in the mail because I scored into the top 15%.

We had a bbq with two of our friends that work with David and played some frisbee.
We also had a bbq with some ward friends and watched Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1.

I made delicious cookies! http://cjaneinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2011/04/cookies-n-creme-cookies.html We shared them with Carolyn, Brent, Garett, and Presley. We got to play with these cool kids a few times. :)

I cut David's hair. He looks spiffy!

I bought David these two dress shirts for only $30!! There was some morning specials at Macy's and I had a coupon.

I also took the car to have the A/C looked at. I had the mechanic order a new compressor and will be getting the air conditioning fixed this week!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://thesweetsurvival.blogspot.com/2011/03/yarn-egg-wreath.html

I started this craft, but haven't finished. Hopefully I will before Easter... haha!

Overall, I feel spring break was a huge success. Let's do it again next year.

Murder Mystery Dinner

2011-04-09T20:54:00.000-07:00

Last weekend David and I went to a Hunt's Murder Mystery at Spaghetti Mama's in Sandy. In September I bought tickets through KSL's Deal of the Day and then I forgot about it. I found it awhile ago and called up and reserved us a spot. We had so much fun! I brought my camera, but I felt silly taking pictures/didn't know if it was frowned upon, etc.

The show we attended was called Mid-Evil Days and Knights.

"Come join the merriment in the Mid-Evil age of England at Earl Blackney Grey's Darksome Castle as a tale of maidens, knights, witchcraft and hey-nonny-nonny unfolds. Who will the Earl designate his heir: his chip-off-the-old-block son, Colwyn (Cole) Grey; or his minstrel son, Edward Grey? Which son does Lady Faye Grey favor? Will the quick-witted Brother Smothers from the Monastery of St. Elmer the Beduddled unravel the mystery? Is Lilith of the Valley really a witch? Is Nellie the nurse the Earl’s fancy or does he have eyes on another?"

The actors were dressed in mid-evil attire and were in character the whole time. As you entered, you were announced and told your table placement. David and I were seated with a couple in their 50's or 60's. I was worried that it might be awkward at first, but it turned out that they were very friendly and we had a good time with our new friends.

Before dinner, the characters mingled and gave the participants the chance to get to know a little background. After dinner was brought out, the show began. There was singing, dancing, humor, and audience participation. The murder was committed and the audience was given deliberation time (you could talk to your neighbors, live cast members, etc.) and then we got to choose who the murderer was, their motive, and weapon. I was the only one at my table who was correct! Three of the people who had the correct answer received prizes. Unfortunately I was not one of the three drawn.

It was a fun date!