April

Hello all! Seems like we've only been blogging once a month. I'd love to post more often, but it just never seems like there's anything to blog about. Just goes to show how boring our lives are, I guess. =)

This quarter is almost over! There's only a month left! On one hand, I'm way excited, but on the other hand I'm just thinking "oh crud!" because I feel like I have a ton left to do in my classes. But all in all, things are going good.

It's been nice to have the warmer weather after a couple weeks of winter-ish. I know that I'm sure enjoying the sunshine. Since Jeremy and I finally have a rope (courtesy of my parents; thanks mom and dad!!) we're looking forward to doing a lot of rock climbing this spring/summer/fall. And we can actually climb outside! woohoo!

Jeremy is working a few hours a week at the rock wall on campus, and I'm currently looking for a part time job. So if you hear of any openings, think of me and let me know! =) (just to clarify, they'd need to be in the Cheney/Spokane area; we're not going to be moving for a few more years)

Oh, my brother got his mission call! He is going to the McAllen, Texas mission (spanish speaking). He reports to the MTC on August 18th. We're all pretty excited for him. Way to go Garrick!!

Well, I think that about sums things up recently so I'll leave things there! Hope you're all doing well!

Corvallis

So last weekend (the 2-3 of April) Jeremy had a PCIA course he had to take in order to be able to work at the climbing wall here at Eastern. Since it was down at OSU, we decided to take Jeremy's sisters and make a trip of it. We left Thursday afternoon and stayed at my parents' overnight. Early Friday morning, we headed out of Pasco and down to Corvallis. It was horribly rainy. Pretty awful. And I was the lucky driver. Hooray for having a heart attack every time I drove through a huge, deep puddle because I was afraid I was going to hydroplane. But I didn't. Whew! We got down to Corvallis with plenty of time before Jeremy had class so we hung out in the hotel a little. It was pretty dumpy, but oh well. The girls and I chilled whenever Jer had class. It was a blast. Here's some pictures from the trip:

This is the Bonneville Dam as seen from the highway.

This was just a gorgeous view on the road along the Columbia River (the Oregon side). I love the fog in the valley!

One of the many waterfalls we passed on the way down.

This is Nikki (Jeremy's younger sister) on OSU's campus.

Jeremy's sisters Nikki and Erin posing together on OSU's campus.

I found out where Waldo lives!! ;) This was a building at OSU's campus. I thought it looked pretty cool, plus it had an awesome name!

On the way home, we stopped at Multnomah Falls. It was pouring rain, but we just had to get out and take some pictures. It was definitely worth getting soaked!

Jeremy and I at Multnomah Falls.

Spring Break

hello again, sorry it's been so long. =) Here's a little update:

Last week was Spring Break for us, so I went down to Tri-Cities to spend some time with my family. I actually left Thursday of finals week (by myself, since Jeremy had a final on Friday) and then Jeremy drove down on Monday and then we both headed back on Wednesday. I had a blast spending that much time with the fam, but I really missed Jeremy. It was definitely good to be back together.

Thursday I had a check-in to do (which is kinda why we came home Wednesday) and it went really well. Then some girls came over while the guys had an X-Box night and we decorated cakes and talked. It was fun. The rest of the week we've kinda just chilled. It's definitely been nice to have a little bit of down time before spring quarter starts. =)

Well, I think that's it! =)

Gratitude

So can I just say that I love this month's Ensign? I really felt like it was written for me. Pretty sweet. Anywho, there were a couple of articles that talked about gratitude, and I thought I'd start a list of some things I'm grateful for. =) (they're in no particular order)

• my wonderful husband
• the Gospel
• good friends
• my parents
• my brothers
  
• a roof over my head
• a toilet (and toilet paper!!)
• running water so I can wash my hands and take a shower
• 2 wonderful cars that work well
  
• daffodils. They rock my world and make me feel better
• my feet so I can walk (and they're so cute!!)
• the sense of smell
• a good perfume
• the ability to see colors
• CONTACTS
• the many flowers the Lord created; they're all so pretty
• the sense of taste
• a loving family who really cares about me (even my extended family!)
  
• the Atonement
• my Savior, Jesus Christ
• the opportunity I have to get an education
• having freedom of religion
• having freedom of speech
• having money to pay bills
• the blessings paying tithing brings
• the opportunity I have to be a manager and have "free" rent
• the internet
• good music
• my agency
• fingers--I really don't know what I'd do without them
• my ability to play piano
• my ability to hear
• having a computer
• having shoes that fit my feet well
• my ability to read
• my inlaws--I couldn't ask for any better
• socks--they often keep my feet from freezing
• things I've had the opportunity to have part in and the personal growth I've experienced as a result
• the opportunity I have to pray to my Heavenly Father
• the opportunity I have to spend some "together" time with just my husband and I
• being able to work with my activity day girls
• the lessons my activity day girls teach me (especially patience)
• my toes
• deodorant
• trees
• sagebrush
• toothbrushes and toothpaste
• the blessings of the temple
• being able to sew
• my awesome couches (and that we were able to get such a good deal on them!!)
• the gift of the Holy Ghost
• teeth
• chocolate
• Mexican food (yum!!)
• pets
• diversity

There's more, but that's a good start. What are some things you guys are thankful for?

Daffodils, lovely daffodils

Oh I love daffodils. Can you tell? They are my absolute favorite flower. Kind of an odd choice, I know, but they just look so sun-shiney. And they make me happy. =)

Funny story...so Jeremy asked me when we were dating what my favorite flower was. I told him "daffodils" and kind of explained why and stuff. Well, a couple weeks later (for Mother's Day, I believe) he bought me some cute lime green daisies and said something like "I know they're your favorite flower and they're one of our wedding colors so I thought they were perfect." He was so sweet that I didn't have the heart to tell him that they weren't actually my favorite flower. I eventually corrected him, and it's kind of been an inside joke from then on. Isn't my husband just the best? So sweet and thoughtful...

Anywho...now to an update on our lives...

This quarter has been brutal. For both of us. I was able to work things out with my teachers (and Jeremy was able to work things out with one teacher) so I could get decent grades in my classes, but it will put me a quarter behind for graduating. Hence, I will be graduating in Fall of 2010. As long as everything works out. Shouldn't prerequisites prepare you for a class? So one would think...but it seems to me that oftentimes that's not how it is. At least for Eastern. Boy will I be glad to be done.

The apartment manager stuff has been going pretty well. We've been fortunate to not get much snow this winter so we didn't have to do much shoveling. (We were really dreading that.) And there hasn't been a ton of other stuff to do so far. It's mostly been cleaning the laundry room, picking up trash, and dealing with a few tenant-related issues. But all in all, it's not too bad. It's definitely been worth the move.

Um...I don't think there's been much else going on, so I'm going to leave things here!

My testimony

I know this church is true and that it is the only true church on the earth. I know that my Heavenly Father lives, that He has a Son, even Jesus Christ, who was sent down here to atone for my sins. I know that He hears me and knows of my personal struggles. I know that through the Holy Ghost I can receive peace and feel of my Savior’s love for me. I know of the power of the Atonement—I have felt it and it is real. I know that I can strive to be a little better every day and that it will be enough if I give all that I am and all that I have to Him. I know that President Monson is a true prophet of God on the earth today and that he leads this church through divine revelation. I know that we have the blessing to be able to receive personal revelation for ourselves and our family. I know that the Lord will help us achieve anything that we have a righteous desire for as long as in His judgment it is right for us. I am grateful for the temple ordinances and the peace, hope, and knowledge they can bring to us. I am grateful for the opportunity to have a temple nearby. I am so grateful to my ancestors who heard the truth and accepted it as such. I am grateful that they remained faithful through all the many persecutions they endured when it would have been much easier to fall away. I leave my testimony with you in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Dear Government:

Please send me the money you owe me soon. Many thanks.

HAHAHA, so I got the taxes done! Yes, I did them at midnight. I'm a little crazy, I know. But it sure is nice when you're poor and have no dependents, etc. (and when your employers send your W2 forms early) It was so easy! Plus, we get a pretty big rebate! Yay! =D And even better, I got Jeremy's FAFSA done too!

I know, I'm weird. I actually kinda *enjoyed* doing the taxes. gasp! I'm not sure why.

On other notes, over the past month we have:

• celebrated my birthday
• gone to Ensign Ranch with my entire extended family on my mom's side for Christmas and lots of hilarity
• gained about 10 pounds at the aforementioned soiree
• celebrated New Year's as a couple as the weather wouldn't cooperate with our plans
• sold all of our textbooks from last quarter + a few other pieces of junk that were laying around the house (yay for eBay!)
• bought a few "fun" books
• started a new quarter
  
• gotten our car running again (and it hasn't sounded this good since we first got it)
• gone to see Avatar in 3D
• gotten new shoes
• started working out to shed those 10 pounds we gained (my quads have been killing me for the past 2 days now)
  
• made some cute magnets
• made a cover for a cushion for the toy chest so it's comfy to sit on

there's probably more, but none of them are coming to mind at the moment. =) Hope everyone is doing well too!