Here we go again

So, it has been almost an entire year since I have written anything in my blog, and it is already time for Ryan to be starting his second year of med school. I can't believe it is that time again, and I am both looking forward to and shying away from the challenges that await us. The first year we have been out here was amazing and fantastic, and I can only hope that the second year is just as great.

I am STILL looking for a job in teaching, and I have applied for so many it makes my head spin. I put in my two weeks last monday, and felt a very intense feeling of peace when I did. I know it was the right decision, but my mind and the human in me are starting to feel very anxious that I have nothing lined up yet. However, in a blessing I got from my Dad, I was promised that as I did the things I was asked to do, that doors would open for me to find a job. I am relying on that and on the faith inside my heart that something will happen. I just need to be patient in waiting, which is never something I have been good at.

Beautiful Tosa

So, I realize it has been FOREVER since I've blogged, and I still don't understand how it all works, so here goes my latest attempt.



Ryan and I have successfully made it out here to Wisconsin! We love it out here, with all the green trees and beautiful sunshine. Granted, once November hits, we will be praying for mercy from the gods of the snow banks, but for now it is incredibly beautiful. Ryan is all set to take his genetics final on Tuesday, along with his first anatomy lab and written tests. He has been studying hard, and I am so proud of him. We'll let you all know how he does for his final genetics grade. I started my student teaching last week on Tuesday, and it has been really great. I have taught 4 times so far (my cooperating teachers' lesson plans) but I'm looking forward to this Thursday/Friday when I get to take over the psychology class. Then, in a week or so, I'll take over my history classes and I will have my full load. I'm excited to see all the things I can do in the classroom, while very nervous because teaching is hard work. I already feel like my mind is running a million miles a minute, and I haven't made one single lesson plan yet. OY!!

Our ward has been so welcoming and fantastic to us since arriving. I couldn't ask for a better group of girls to spend the next 4 years with :). However, so far, it hasn't been as bad as everyone says it is (and now because I've said that, it will be) but I am so grateful for a husband who still puts me first, even though school is a HUGE priority in his life.


If anyone can tell me how to post multiple pictures on my blog in the order I want them, please let me know, cause I seem to be inept at it. Here is a picture of the outside of our house though. We're in the top part of the house.

I also decided that I wanted to write about a spiritual topic I have been thinking about, and this week, I have been thinking a lot about Christ, and the man he was. I have been reading books written by a woman named Francine Rivers about the women who influenced the birth of Christ. I read one she wrote about Mary, the mother of Christ, and I found myself thinking a lot about the kind of woman she was. In thinking about her, I thought about the other faithful women who gave everything up to follow the Lord, and wondering if I would have been one of them.

It makes a lot of sense to me why the Jews, as a people, rejected Christ when he began teaching. They were looking for a physical messiah, while Christ was born to deliver them from spiritual bondage. He was not a mighty man in the eyes of the world, born to a peasant girl and a carpenter in a small town. Speculation surrounded his birth, and the miracles he performed. I think of the words to "Have you recieved His image in your countenance" which say, "With no apparent beauty that man should him desire, He was the promised Savior, to purify with fire. The world despised his plainness, but those who followed Him, found love and light and purity; a beauty from within." I wonder if I would have been strong enough to follow an obscure carpenter despite everything else.

What I ended up thinking was that it doesn't matter. Not that following Christ doesn't matter, but that if I had been alive around 33 AD, would I have followed Him. I am not alive in 33 AD. My mind, my spirit, and my body are all molded to the fact that I am here, alive now in the 21st century. And what really does matter is if I will do all I can, with the circumstances afforded me today, to follow Him as best I can. God doesn't care what we would have done. He only cares about what we can do. As for me, I am going to do my best and try to be my best so I can recieve His image in my countenance.

SPRING BREAK!!!

I never knew how grateful I would be for spring break. I've been going strong for the past 2 years without a significant break (2 weeks for Christmas, but that's all) from school, so it was nice to get out of Logan and not have to worry about anything. We went to Jackson Hole with our friends Whitney and Bryan, and we had a BLAST. Here are some pictures from the whole ordeal:

Moose by our Condo

BIG FOOT!!!!!!

The best fudge shop in the ENTIRE world :)

The Elk Reserve on our Sleigh Ride

Hub's Grill in the middle of nowhere Wyoming. BEST BURGER I HAVE EVER EATEN!!!!!

Yes, that is entirely made out of antlers, and there are 5 in the surrounding area.

It was cold, but sunny and totally beautiful :) We went and took old time photos too, and that was fun to play dress up. Plus, Ryan makes a pretty good looking cowboy, and I'm not a bad looking saloon girl either. We went "shopping" and looked at all of the fun stuff that was uniquely Jackson. So, that was our Spring Break, and it was wonderful :)

Blessed

So, while Ryan and I were driving to the valley on Friday, we were in a mini-accident. We were on the freeway, and the guy right in front of us slammed on his brakes. We had plenty of time to hit ours, but the girls behind us were following us way too closely. They hit theirs too, but Ryan was inspired to look in the rear view mirror at the perfect moment and swerved. We got hit, and I had a panic attack and freaked out, but THERE WAS NOT A SINGLE SCRATCH ON THE CAR!! No scratches, nothing broken, everyone safe. It was a miracle.

I am so grateful for the Lord and that he helped us so much to be able to avoid serious injury and accident. We were truly, truly blessed.

Mardi Gras!!

So, on Saturday, Ryan and I went up to USU and went to their Mardi Gras party. IT WAS SO MUCH FUN!! We went in the first place to see an illusionist named Mike Super (if you've never heard of him, he is worth your time to check out) and ended up getting our faces air-brushed :)

I felt just like a little kid at the circus :) Plus, this lady who only had flowery and girly stencils made Ryan into Spiderman, which was pretty cool in and of itself. Just thought I'd share :)

Best Week EVER

This week has already been a super-duper week, and let me just tell you why:

1. We had friends over for dinner, and one of my friends is a professional chef (I kid you not).  She told me that I had cooked a wonderful meal.  :)  It meant a lot coming from her.

2. Ryan was nominated for the Man of the Year award up here at USU :)

3. SigEp was nominated for the Organization of the Year award :)

4. Valentines is on Saturday, and I have a killer present for Ryan :)

5. Ryan is going out of town (which makes me very sad) but I get to have a sleepover with one of my dearest friends!!!! 

6. I PASSED MY PRAXIS TEST!!!  I can now officially license to be a teacher!! 

So, those are the 5 happy points to this week, and I only hope that the week gets better!  I wish you all lots of love and happiness in the coming days :)  

Interesting Procedure

So, I went in to the dermatologist to have her look at a mole I have had on my neck since I was born. It has been getting bigger, and after looking at it, she decided that it needed to come off. I assumed that she meant later, but then she simply asked me to get on the table, explained the procedure to me, stuck a needle in my neck, and CUT IT OUT WITH A PAIR OF SCISSORS!!!! It was the weirdest experience ever, so I took some pictures of my stitches and here they are:
It's on my right clavical (the weird bone that juts out below your shoulder in the front). I am so excited, cause my stitches come out tomorrow. It was the weirdest experience ever, and the first time I had stitches in 10 years so I thought I would share :)