~The McClellan's Antics~

There's Army Strong, Then There's Army Wife Strong

2010-08-16T19:33:00.000-07:00

Michael has officially started Basic Training. He started last Saturday. I had been able to talk to him all last week while he was in Boise waiting for his flight. On Wednesday, him and I were texting back and forth, then it stopped with a final "I love you." I got a text on Thursday night and that made my day. It was nice hearing from him, but he said that the drill sergeants were mean as ever. They kept all the soldiers up for a couple days until paper work was finished, heads were shaved, and all that other fun stuff. I was able to text through out the day on Friday. On Friday night, we talked on the phone for about an hour. It was so nice to hear his voice!! That was the last I heard from him until today!! He called and we had a 10 minute conversation. He was only supposed to have about a minute, but definitely stretched it out. He told me he didn't want to waste time on giving me the address. He told me how much he missed me and loved me. I just bawled. It was so sweet. I should be getting my first letter from him this week sometime!! Way excited for that!!

No More Fun And Games (AKA Boot Camp)

2010-08-10T12:29:00.000-07:00

I took Michael to the airport yesterday so he could make his trek to South Carolina for boot camp. It was so hard on me. I pretty much cried all day Sunday and yesterday was equally as emotional. He had to fly from Idaho Falls to Boise. We assumed when he landed in Boise that he would be well on his way to South Carolina. Not the case at all. He got in to Boise around 12:00pm and was stuck there all day.... no car, no nothing. He called his cousin and they chilled for a bit. Today, he had to go to MEPS to make sure he was clear to ship. They had to do another background check and make sure that he hadn't violated the law in the past few months, since his last visit there. He was cleared to go. We found out that his flight is tomorrow and he should end up in South Carolina tomorrow night. He has an early 6am flight from Boise to Chicago. Then a short lay 2 hour layover. He then flies to Georgia and from there takes a bus ride to Fort Jackson. He will be in reception for a few days. On Monday, he will officially start boot camp and all hell will break loose for me. The past few days have been pretty easy for me. I have been so fortunate to be able to talk to him for longer periods of time then just 30 seconds. The days I get those really short phone calls will be the ones that will set me off for depression. I'm sure that receiving letters will do the same thing. I know that Michael will succeed at boot camp. He can do anything that he puts his mind to. I am so proud of him for everything he has accomplished. In only 10 short weeks, I'll be able to see him again!!!

Just Here and There

2010-07-04T22:33:00.000-07:00

Life has been amazing for Michael and I. Michael turned the 2-5 in May. We planned on going camping, but the weather was so crappy and we happened to get stuck mud, so we decided against it. I can't believe how much time has flown by. Michael will be graduating with his Master's degree next week!! That's just amazing to me. He will be with me for about a month, then he'll ship off to boot camp for about 10 weeks. It could be longer than that though. It's going to suck a ton not having him here with me. I know it's for a amazing cause though and I could not be prouder of him. If all goes as planned, he should be returning home on my birthday. I am planning on flying up to South Carolina to see him graduate. I know that that day will be an emotional one for sure! I have been up to a few drills in the past few months. They have been fun. The one I went to last month was interesting. The soldiers were all learning about relationships and how to get into and stay in a healthy one. I thought it was a great idea for the soldiers to really have a grasp on that. It was nice to be able to give my opinion and input from a girl's perspective. This next drill, he will be going paint balling and apparently there will be a black hawk
there as well. I'm so jealous that I can't go to this one.

Our Fourth of July has been amazing so far. Yesterday, (Saturday), we went to parade here in Idaho Falls. It was pretty nice. When that was over, we came home and I took a nap for a bit. We then headed to Melalueca Field, a baseball field here. Michael was asked to volunteer at the game and help with some games for the National Guard. He also got sworn in to the Guard before the game. I was told that he was able to shake Governor Butch Otter's hand. I wasn't able to get a picture of that though. We then helped with a baseball throwing game. It was so much fun!! Soldiers do like to have fun and it was nice just being able to be around them and BS with them. After the game was over, we went and grabbed food then walked to our saved spot so we could watch the fireworks. The show was amazing. Idaho Falls really does have the best fireworks show ever. Today, Michael and I just lounged around and when it got dark, we watched more fireworks from our front yard then we lit some sparklers!! Overall, it was a fun weekend!!

Such A Long Time.... And BIG News.....

2010-03-20T23:39:00.000-07:00

It has been a very long time since I last wrote. I have been reading other blogs and I kept telling myself that I need to update mine. Well, now is the time. A lot has happened in the past few months. Last we heard, I went to New York for a funeral. An update on that... One of my cousins out there seemed to be nice and trustworthy. Not the case. He tried to get all the money and estate for himself. What a skeez!! Anyway, another cousin took him to court and won. I just don't understand the money thing. It really does baffle me. Anyway, enough of that. For Christmas, Michael and I went down to Arizona. That was nice. It was nice to see the sun and be warm instead of the cold weather that December in Idaho brings. We celebrated our New Year by Michael going to bed at 11:30pm. Really, 30 minutes?? I stayed up and popped the bubbly!!! I had bought some sparkling apple cider and when it struck midnight, I cheered myself.... mostly because I stayed awake for the arrival of 2010!! In February, we celebrated our 2 year anniversary. I love the Olive Garden and since it's only a 5 minute drive from our house, that's where we went. I had decided in that week to show up at Olive Garden on that Friday and bring candles and flowers and have the hostess' decorate the table. I thought I was pretty clever. Michael had planned the same thing but on the day of. He went to Olive Garden and asked if he could bring flowers and have the hostess set it up. Neither one of us knew what the other had planned. It was such a big surprise for the both of us to see that we had both thought of the same idea. That little punk ruined my plans, but I loved it. I always need to top everyone, so I did something he wouldn't be able to top. Tuesday, February 2 is our actual anniversary. I went through Michael's phone the day before and called his boss to see if I could bring balloons, and stuffed animals, and candy to his work. It worked. I simply told Michael that I had a meeting at work that morning. I left earlier than usual and met up with his boss. I got a text a while later saying that Michael was surprised. He couldn't believe that I pulled it off. For Valentine's Day, we went to Olive Garden again, but didn't plan anything special. The big update is that Michael decided to join the Army National Guard. He signed up last Wednesday. I found out that he ships to basic training August 10. It's 5 months away, but it seems like it's so close. I fully support his decision, but I don't want him to be gone. I get scared being alone and that's how I'll be for about 12 weeks. It's all right though. I know that as long as I keep myself busy, I'll be fine.

New York

2009-12-09T19:07:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned in my last post, my grand-uncle passed away. Uncle Eddie was the last of the brothers to pass away. Aunt Margie however, is the last of the generation and she is still alive. When I found out he had passed away, I was devastated. I was however, able to go to his funeral service. Along with that, I also got to meet my family for the first time. This is the family that lives on the east coast. It was a good trip overall. Everyday was pretty much a party. I left on Friday and spent the entire day traveling. I took a shuttle to the Salt Lake airport then on a plane to Baltimore, then to Long Island, New York. It was such a long trip there. When I got to the airport, I wasn't sure who to look for. I was told that my cousin would be picking me up. Joe, one of my other cousins, told me to look out for a 300lb cuddly teddy bear that's a paramedic. I got my luggage and looked around aimlessly for a good 10 minutes. I then happened to look out the window and there was someone pointing at me who fit the description I was given. I went outside and was greeted with a huge hug. The craziness then began. The traffic in New York is absolutely horrible. I guess it's not so much the traffic as it is the other drivers. After about 20 minutes, we got to my cousin Mark's house. There was food and lots of alcohol. A little after midnight, Joe and I convinced everyone that we needed pizza. It needed to be authentic New York pizza though. Off someone went to get it for us. It was a blast meeting everyone. The funeral was scheduled for the next day at 10:00am. I didn't get back to the house I was staying at until about 3:00 and I had to be up by 7:00. It was a crazy night and I was tired the next day.
The next day I got up and was so tired and didn't feel good at all. I showered and got ready, but it took me quite a while to do so. I finally stumbled down the stairs and we left. We got to the funeral home and bagels were waiting for us. We pretty much had a tailgating party before the viewing. I only took a couple bites of my bagel and then went inside. It was weird to see my uncle lying in the coffin just as I saw my grandfather doing so just 18 months ago. It was hard for me. Really hard. After the viewing, we went to St. Hedwig's Catholic church for the mass. That was hard for me as well. After the mass, we headed to the cemetery. It was raining outside and it was really cold. Everyone was given a rose and after the priest said a few words each person went to the coffin and through the rose. We then went to a restaurant for lunch. I thought I was really hungry, but apparently I wasn't. The ravioli and the soup was good and I was able to eat it. When the main course came though, I wasn't too hungry. After everyone ate, my cousins, Joe, Mark, and Skippy gave eulogies. I cried through all those. We raised our glasses and said our final farewell to Eddie. Then Joe made a comment about all those people there not being able to say bye to my grandfather. He then had everyone raise their glasses and give a final farewell to him as well. It was so touching. After we ate, I went with Mark. He showed me my dad's old house. I thought that was neat. We didn't go in though because it was dark and cold. The house is for sale and I want it bad. It's a nice place that has gone up in value a lot over the past 40 years. We came back to the house and just lounged around. Then it was time for another meal. We had kielbasa, stuffed cabbage, and pierogies. It was to die for. (No funeral joke intended.) After dinner we played a few games and called it a somewhat early night. I didn't make it to bed before 2:00am the entire time I was there. The next day I got up and got ready and we headed back to Mark's house. We ate breakfast then watched a little football. I called the Realtor and was told there was an open house. Mark, Denise, Andy, Jerard, and I all went for a ride to the house. It was amazing on the inside. I didn't think it was as big as it looked. The price tag was huge too. The house that my grandparents sold for about $30,000 is now selling for $499,999. I couldn't believe that!! That's a huge jump. When we were done there, we went to a deli that Eddie and Emil used to own and also to my dad's old middle school. It was cool to be on my dad's old stomping grounds. After my tour of Bethpage, we headed back to Mark's. I was feeling tired so I took a nap. Dinner was cooking and we were having mussels. I had never had them before but I tried one. It was like eating a slug and I couldn't manage to get even one down. It was all right though. At least I tried it. I started to feel really sick that night and threw up everything I had eaten that day. The next day I slept in but still felt sick. After I got ready, we went to a lighthouse and then to the beach that was just below the lighthouse. I wanted to go shopping, so we did. We went to a new outlet mall that was built. They had a ton of ritzy stores from Juicy Couture to Betsey Johnson. It was insane. After the mall, we went to a truffle store. I got some Cookies and Cream ones. They are amazing!! I was then taken to the airport. That ride home was rough. I had a migraine and felt like puking on everyone and everything. My flight to Chicago was decent. I slept the entire way. The one from Chicago to Salt Lake was delayed though. That was a bad sign. I had to catch my shuttle at 10:30 and was told we wouldn't land until well after that. When we were circling the airport I texted Michael and told him to call. He did and the shuttle was waiting when I arrived late. I slept on there as best as I could. I was glad to finally be home though and to be sleeping in my own bed. Overall it was good a trip. I was glad I met my family.... finally. I so want to go back and party it up with them.

Changes

2009-11-28T19:48:00.000-08:00

So much has been going on with Michael and I. Last weekend, Michael and a group of others moved most of our stuff into our new apartment. It's a small one bedroom place. It was hard for me to agree to downsize, but it will help Michael and I get out of debt and that's our focus right now. After dropping off my resume to 8 pharmacies in Idaho Falls, I was called by 3 of them to be hired. The first one didn't know what my schedule would be, but I took it anyway because that was my first offer. This place was willing to work with my schedule at Broulim's too, so it worked for me. A week or so after that, I was called by Albertson's. They were going to offer a full time position, but only for 8-10 weeks while another technician would be out due to surgery. That was better than not knowing my schedule, so I accepted that job. The first place was more than willing to work around both the Broulim's and Albertson's schedules, and I thought I was set. With Albertson's, I needed to have a drug test done and agreed to that. The day before I was supposed to go in, I got a call from another pharmacy. This pharmacy had a full time position available. There were no questions about my schedule and I didn't have to worry about finding a new one in just a few weeks. Of course, I accepted. This led me to quit Broulim's, and tell both Albertson's and HyWay Drug that I couldn't work for them. It worked out too good for me in the end. We are still in the process of getting our place oragnized though. It has been one chore after another. Thanksgiving was good too. Michael and I went to the Turkey Choir concert which is a community choir that sings every year on Thanksgiving Day. Last year Michael and I sang in it, but I got a cold for a good 2 weeks so we didn't attend the practices. After that, we went over to Michael's cousin's house and did the dinner and game thing. We then went back to our apartment in Parker and cleaned. It wasn't too bad. We were able to stay at the Nate's house since they went out of town. We were asked to dog sit and in turn we stayed for a few nights. They came home a few days earlier than planned. Since those few nights were not enough for us, we stayed over last night and will be doing so tonight as well. Today I found out that my uncle passed away. He was a grand-uncle to me. He was my grandfather's brother. It was sad to hear that he was found in his house on the floor. I hope he died peacefully though.

Yesterday, Michael was online and found something funny about blogs. I just had to post it on here.

Moving.... Again

2009-11-09T09:26:00.000-08:00

Michael and I are moving for the 4th time since we have been married. We started out in good ole' Rexburg at a small one bedroom place. We then upgraded to a 2 bedroom, but apparently that wasn't enough for us. We then decided to move to Parker into a nice 1200 square foot, 2 bedroom place. It has been fun, but now it's time to upgrade once more!! Everyone dreams about having a huge house and Michael and I are the same way. Our dreams though, have yet to come true. If you thought that was our house, we got you!!! We actually are downgrading this time. We found a nice one bedroom place in Idaho Falls. It makes sense for us to move there since Michael goes to school there and works there. I'll be working at Broulim's still, but I'm hoping I can get a full time job in Idaho Falls. I dropped my resume off to about 10 pharmacies there, and now I'm just waiting to get call backs from any of the places. Our last day living here in Rexburg/Parker will be December 1st. It'll be sad because we have made so many friends, but by moving we will be saving a ton of money.

Halloween

2009-11-02T18:30:00.000-08:00

I had to work on Halloween, but only for 4 and 1/2 hours. It wasn't bad at all. The pharmacy was slow but the rest of the store was complete chaos. The store decided to have a "Cart or Treat." It got really busy with parents and kids and employees all dressed up. Candy was everywhere and so were the kids. It was a chilly day so it was nice for the parents to be abble to bring their kids in and get candy. After work, I went to the hair salon and got my hair and make-up done. Since my hair is so short, I wasn't sure how it would turn out. It was amazing though. I got it curled, then black netting was tied into it. I then headed over to the make-up section and got all "did" up. I went as Madonna and Michael went as a fireman. We went trick or treating with the Nate family. It was so fun!! I hadn't done that in such a long time. After trick or treating, we came back to the Nate's house and watched Wolverine. I love that movie!! Maybe it's cause of the hot guy in it.

Birthday Fun

2009-10-24T11:40:00.000-07:00

My birthday was this past Monday and it was pretty fun all through out the week. On Sunday, we had a fabulous steak dinner paired with a baked potato bar. It was like heavin on earth. Sister Nate cooked the food!! It just so happens that her birthday is the same as mine, so we had a joint birthday dinner. Michael and I supplied dessert. We had a cake made for the both of us. It was made by the same girl that made Michael's. My side was pink and had our rats and a crown. Maria's side had a rolling pin, a campfire, and the Republican elephant. It was good too!!! Top layer was a chocolate cake with a chocolate ganache filling and the bottom was a velvet red cake with a cream cheese filling. On Monday, I was off work for my actual birthday. I went back to the salon after getting my hair on Saturday and not liking it, and getting it redone. Work decided to not schedule me for whatever reasons. On Monday night, I went out to dinner with the Nates. We went to Bajio, then to the straw maze. I didn't think the maze would be very good, but it was. Michael was in class so he wasn't able to come with us. He did get me a bouquet of flowers and some chocolates though. It was really nice of him since we don't have much money right now. I came to work on Wednesday since I still had hours in the pharmacy. On Thursday when I came here, I was handed a cake from the manager. That was a nice surprise. Since then, I have been planning my 30th birthday party. Not too far away from that anymore. Only 7 years!!! That's insane!!!
I got bored the other day and decided to make truffles. I tried a new recipe and it turned out really good. The recipe I used before didn't harden the chocolate like it was supposed to. This one actually hardened. I wanted to make them flavored but wasn't sure how to. I just rolled them in cocoa and they taste amazing. I also had a craving for potato soup so I made that too. It was like a baked potato soup. I added bacon, broccoli, and cheese. AMAZING!!!!

Always Amazes Me

2009-09-30T19:28:00.000-07:00

I have finally returned back to Idaho... for me, it's not a good thing. It's so cold up here and I hate it. We have to stay though until Michael graduates with his Master's. We are out of here for sure when that day comes around. My trip overall was fun. I was able to do a ton of food storage shopping for us. I was also able to spend time with my family which was nice. I liked being able to chat with my grandma and not have either of us cry or get upset. She and my aunt bought me my birthday presents which I thought was nice. My birthday is still like a month away, but they wanted to make sure that I got something. I got everything pink, which didn't surprise me one bit. My motto for most gifts is "If it's pink, just buy it." Maybe I shouldn't have that motto though. Knowing my family, who knows what I could end up getting. I was able to spend time with Michael's family also. That was definitely a break from being around mine. I also got to see a couple friends while I was there. Hailie Clark was a friend of Michael's way back. Hailie's husband, Brett, was a good friend of Michael's also. They were married before us and had a baby girl just about a month ago. She is the sweetest little thing ever. After seeing her, I need one now. Michael still begs to differ on that though, saying we need to wait a little longer. I guess that I can't really argue with him though. The drives, both to Arizona and back home weren't that bad either. On the Thursday I left, I drove straight through. It took me about 16 hours, but I made it. On the way back, I got off to a late start so I stayed over night in Salt Lake with a friend of Michael's. It was nice of Kara and her husband to let me crash at their place. I did get home to a clean house though. That was before I got all my stuff in. I can't wait to go back in December!!
Last night was a little interesting. It's kind of a funny story though. I was lying in bed when I heard my phone go off. It was a text from my sister. It read, "Ask Michael what your magic name is." I texted her back if Michael would know what that meant and she said yes. I thought it was a Facebbook thing or something. I asked Michael what my magic name is and he said that he didn't know but that he could make one up. I explained that my sister wanted him to tell me. He, being super smart, figured out that she was referring to the temple name. Michael and I texted her back "Zebuloth", which is one that we made up. She then replied, "That sucks." I asked her why that sucked and what a magic name is. She wrote back that it's a name that Michael has to call me in order for me to get into Heaven. She also wrote "And he better call you." I just laughed at that. I asked Michael what she meant and he said that some non-members believe that in order for a female to get to Heaven, she must be called by her husband. I had never heard that before. The best part about it was that she was at a bar talking to some drunk guy who was asking the questions. All I have to say is props to her for asking.

Cops and State's Stupidity

2009-09-22T22:17:00.000-07:00

Seriously....? I have been in Arizona for what... 5 days now? Out of those 5, I have gotten pulled over 2 of them. That's 40% of the time I have been here. I get nervous driving, so I try not to speed or do anything stupid like text or grab something from the backseat and noot look at the road. I have seen too many movies and "educational" videos on that stuff. I got pulled over for the same both times. The funny thing is that I can't do anything about it. Idaho can though. Will they is the question though. On Idaho license plates, like all other states, they have the month and year the registration expires. On Idaho's however, they have the month written big and the year written small. This has caused the cops here to pull me ovver for expired plates. On my plate, it expires in February 2010. The "02" is big and cops seem to think that's year. Based on their thinking, I am driving a car that expired in 2002. So funny, but I get so nervous when I get pulled over. In all my experience of driving, I have gotten pullled over maybe 4 times and have yet to receive a ticket. I hope it never comes to that though. Here are pics that might explain better what I just put into words.

Another Hot Day

2009-09-21T22:13:00.000-07:00

Today was another hot one in Arizona. It got to be 106 degrees!!! Freakin hot compared to the 60 degree weather that I'll be heading back to in just a few days. My dad owns a deli out here and he asked me to work today. I thought it would be boring, but it was surprisingly fun. There were tons of customers that came in that I knew. They all asked how I was and what I am up to now. Lunch was definitely the best part of my day. I just stuffed myself with all the good food that my dad has. He has so many good sandwiches but my favorite is definitely the "Doughboy." It's turkey and bacon on sourdough bread with mayo, avacado, and swiss cheese. Then it's warmed up to that perfect temperature of goodness!!! My mouth is watering now just thinking about it. When I was done there, I headed over to my grandma's house only too find out that I won't be getting that KitchenAid for my birthday, but for Christmas instead. I'm fine with that. My grandma wanted to know what I need or want for the house and I told her a KitchenAid would be nice.I just didn't know how expensive those things are. Speaking of birthdays, my dad's is tomorrow. He'll be the big 51!! WOW!!! I can't believe he's that old already. I feel that old some days and I'm not even half his age yet. Sad days to come for me.

Time of My Life

2009-09-19T19:57:00.000-07:00

Being here in Arizona has been pretty fun so far. I went shopping today with my mom. We went to IKEA, Costco, and Fry's. I love IKEA!!! They have so much weird stuff that I want but would probably never use. I wish we had one closer to Rexburg, but that's okay. It's good that it's so far away because I save my money that way. I also love Costco. I bought a ton of stuff in bulk. That means our year supply will now be getting closer to being a "year" one and not just a "month" one. At Fry's, I bought a ton more stuff and ended up only paying like forty dollars for everything. I still can't believe all the deals they have, plus all the coupons that are hidden on the boxes in the back of the shelves. I got 5 bottles of barbeque sauce for free by getting the macaroni boxes that were in the back. I never buy anything that is right in front. To me, it's almost like those are the "tester" ones, like what they have at Bath and Body Works for people to smell the lotions and such. Today though, I hit the jackpot with getting the stuff that's in the back. My mom was also helpful in buying Michael and I more stuff than we need, or even have room for. It was nice of her though. Her and I had gotten into a tiff earlier in the day about Michael and I. She was saying that she doesn't condone me being a member of the church. She also said she doesn't condone the marriage that Michael and I have sacredly taken a vow into. That kind of hurt. She did say one positive thing though. She brought up the point that I am a "better kid at my age" than some she has come across. I told her that can be attributed to the church. I am glad that I was raised to not take crap from anyone. I have learned that if I stand up for myself, no matter who it be against, I can feel stronger as a person. I think my mom learned of the important role the church has been playing in my life over the past couple years.
I also went to dinner with my mom and dad tonight. My dad's birthday is on Tuesday, so it was kind of for that. Plus, they usually always go out on Saturday night for dinner. It was nice to be able to spend time with them alone. As we were eating, they started asking me school and everything. I told them about the rules that BYU-Idaho has, and they agreed that some were pretty ridiculous. I started telling about the church from that point. I explained to them what Fast Sunday was and my dad said that he do it for the next two days so he could lose the small beer belly he has. I told them that when we fast we also pay Fast Offerings for the amount of money we would have spent on that meal. My dad then said that he would take his $3.75 and ppay it to St. Helen's Catholic Church on Sunday... tomorrow. I couldn't help but laugh. I also thought it was funny how when you (a member of the church) explains something to a non-member, they see it differently. For instance, I was talking to my mom about misisonaries. She said they always seem to come to the house when the front door is open and a baby gate up to keep the dogs inside. She told me that one time a companionship came to the door and she immediately grabbed "her" bible. When she started talking to them, they told her that wasn't "their" religion and left. I explained that some will bash with the people, while others won't. The ones that don't, know the spirit will leave them. What she said made me burst into a loud laughter at the restaurant. She said the last thing she needed was a dead kid by the front door. I thought it was hilarious that she thought "spirit leaving" meant the missionary would die. Some people's kids, I guess. I know that I can only be a good example to them and if one day they come around, then good. Until then, I am doing my best to show them that I made the right choice and that my life is headed down the path I want to be going.

Arizona!!

2009-09-19T00:16:00.000-07:00

I finally made it back to Arizona. I usually fly, but this time I drove... all by myself. Michael would have come with me, but he is now in Grad school and that means he has to be a big boy and organize his life. I left Thursday morning around 5:00 and made it here around 8:00pm. It was about a 16 hour drive. The weird part is that I didn't really get too tired along the way. Usually, I'm out about the time I get to Pocatello when I'm on the shuttle. I did feel a little worn out when I got more into Utah and closer to Arizona, but I made it. I told Michael that the drive wasn't that bad, but I definitely would not want to do it again if given the choice. I guess I'll have to do it again next week to get back to Idaho, but I'll be prepared. I absolutely love it here. I love that my family is here. I love that part of Michael's family is here. I love all my friends here. I love the hot bright sun and the really, really hot heat it radiates here. I love the stores here. I love that I can drive about 10 minutes and be at a mall. I love all the variety of things and people here. I love the radio stations here. I love the restaurants here. I just love Arizona. I want to move back so bad and I hope that one day we can. Today, I went to a grocery store called Fry's, and I was amazed at all the amazing deals and sales they have. They have half gallons of milk for 77 cents. That's amazing!!! They had this sale a couple weeks back where Sobe drinks were only 49 cents a bottle. So unheard of. I had my mom get me a rain check and you can be sure that I stocked up on those. I got like 60 bottles. Everything about Fry's is amazing. Maybe that's the main reason I want to move back. With combining my coupon power and Fry's amazing deals, I'll save so much money!!! Plus, both Michael and I will be working here making more than we do in Idaho and that will be awesome.
I went to Michael's brother's birthday party tonight and it was fun. I felt like it was mixtures of different things. Right when you walk in the front door, Rockband was set up. Then, in the kitchen area, on the counter/bar, beer pong was set up using Rootbeer. I remember doing that for my 21st also. In the living area, there was a strobe light and music, like a club. It was a fun party and an overall fun filled exasperating day. Tomorrow should most likely be the same. More shopping and more good deals to do and find.

Coupons!!!

2009-09-11T11:31:00.000-07:00

I absolutely love coupons!!! I always have, but never thought about clipping them until recently. My mom used to do it and I saw how much time she "wasted" doing so. I know she saved a ton of money though. Since I have been working in a grocery store as a cashier, I have seen just how much people can save. I talked with Michael and told him that we needed to get a subscription to a newspaper so we can get all those coupons. So exciting!!! Today, I clicked a few coupons just for chicken and got 6 packages for only 30 cents!!! How amazing is that??!!!! When you find good deals on items you buy all the time, just find a coupon to go with it and you'll save even more. Michael and I are going to try it for a month and see how much we save and see if it's worth it. I'm sure it will be. Bring on the coupons and all those good sales!!!

I got all this stuff: 8 full size Aussie hair products

6 packages of chicken thighs

3 cans of Progresso chunky soup

3 Hamburger Helpers

2 frozen packages broccoli and cheese

2 Betty Crocker meal sides

for only $16.30!!!!

Movie Stars

2009-08-29T10:11:00.000-07:00

Michael and I are movie stars... okay not really, but we are in a movie. It's called Life, A True Story. We filmed back in March and finally saw ourselves on the big screen last night. It was neat, but kind of weird at the same time. It's a movie that was filmed here in Rexburg. The main plot is about a guy who goes through life's trials: getting dumped, can't find a job, moving, etc. It's really good. We were told that it will only be shown in a few places, which made me sad cause I wanted my family to see it. After it gets shown to smaller communities, it will be submitted to the Sun Dance Film Festival. I'm so excited for that!!! We'll see what comes of all this. The movie was amazing. It's really cool how one person films for about a month or so then edits for the next few months until the movie comes together. Movie posters were made for this movie as well and I got one. It even has our names on it. So awesome!! Here are the pics.

Loneliness Starts to Set In

2009-08-18T20:34:00.000-07:00

Life will once again become stressful and lonely starting on Monday. Michael will be starting Graduate school. He has night classes every day except Friday. On Wednesdays, he'll be driving to Pocatello which is about an hour and a half away from where we live. On that day, he'll be getting home close to mid-night. I'm not looking forward to that. I'm one that gets scared at night and especially when we live out in the middle of nowhere with spiders and other such animals. I guess, I'll have to get used to it though. If nothing else, I'll just drive the 5 minutes to one of our professors home and chill there for the mean while. I say professor, because that's what Brotyher Nate is. He teaches Economics at BYU-Idaho. Michael and I both took his class the semester he was looking for a baby sitter. Michael and I "applied" for the job and got it. Since then, we have become close friends with both him and his family.
Tonight we got a call from a member of the Bishopric asking if we would like to speak in church on Sunday. Does anyone really like to speak in church? I mean everyone except High Priests....? We'll see how that goes too. We have only been in the ward for about a month now, but officially only 2 weeks. The same day we were "sustained" as new members of the ward, I was sustained as the Primary Chorister. I hope that Heavenly Father can help me with this one. Only being a member for about 2 and 1/2 years doesn't make me qualifiedm for this calling. I have yet to know the basic songs such as "Popcorn Popping" and the "Snowman Song." I'll learn soon enough and with a primary program approaching in just a mere 6 weeks, I'll have to make sure the kids know the songs too. Well, that's all for now.

Work!! Work!! Work!!

2009-08-13T21:44:00.000-07:00

I finally have more hours at work. I hope that means I can spend less time at home doing nothing. We'll see though. Instead of working just in the pharmacy, I also cashier. It seems pretty interesting. Learning all those produce codes will take a bit of practice, but I should have them down pretty quickly. Not too much more to say.

New House and End of Semester

2009-07-22T17:31:00.000-07:00

The end of the semester has finally arrived!!!! Tomorrow is the last day. I am so excited!!! It has been a busy semester. We also moved to a bigger place. It's a little farther away, but it should work out fine for us. I am hoping to get another job soon. I have had interviews at both Wal-Mart pharmacy and Medicine Shoppe pharmacy. I'm just waiting to hear back from either one so I can finally work more and earn more money. I have been working in a pharmacy job for about 4 years now, so I do have that experience. I just hope the companies see that. As for the apartment, it's a pretty nice place. The only issue that we really have is the color. Everything is green... the walls, carpet, etc. Funny thing is we have a couch that has a green couch cover and our futon also has a green sheet on it. I guess you said that we're going green!!! We do have a lot of land though which is nice. There is also a chicken coop, which we can get fresh eggs from!!! There is a green house that we can grab fresh vegetables from and we have a pond!! It's big enough to have a canoe in it. We have yet to go in the pond, but hopefully within the next few weeks, we'll experience that. The owners of the place are really great and have helped us a lot and have listened too our concerns. I get to paint the apartment a pretty cream color. It's called "Arizona Light." I guess I'm partial though because that's where we're from. Pictures are soon to come... both with what it looks like now and what it will look like in the near future!!

Fourth of July

2009-07-08T09:09:00.000-07:00

Our Fourth of July weekend was pretty fun. On Friday we went to the Nates' house and watched X-Men. It had been a long time since I had seen it so I was excited. Before the movie though, I helped Maria get packages of meat put together for the next day's dinner. It was some labor intensive work, but we managed. Michael wanted to help too and he did for about 30 seconds. While trying to slice fat off a piece of meat, he slit his finger. I guess that's why women are the ones that need to do the cooking. After all the meat was done, we then watched the movie. We didn't start it until a little after ten, and by then we were all tired. The next day, July 4th, we had to be up early so we could head down to Idaho Falls and get a good spot for the parade. We had "reserved" someone's lawn only because Maria's sister knew the people that lived there. After we set up camp, we headed to Maria's mom's house for cinny rolls and flag raising. It was insane. There were so many people there. We later found out that it was a family reunion for Maria's cousins and the rest of her family. After we all ate, we headed to the parade. That was pretty fun. With Maria dancing in the street, Michael getting into a cop car, and candy getting thrown all over, it was a blast. We then headed to a church building for lunch. Michael and I left after lunch and discovered that some a**hole had ran into our car and left a nice dent right above the driver's side wheel. I was a little pissed. I just can't believe some people. We got back too Rexburg and took a nap. We then went back to the Nate's house and had dinner. About 2 hours before the big fireworks show, we hheaded back to Idaho Falls. This time we went in the Nate's van. The fireworks in Idaho Falls were amazing. I had never been there and after remembering last year's show in Rexburg, I was grateful to be in Idaho Falls. Their show put the one in Rexburg to shame. Overall, it was good and we had tons of fun.

Good Time For Prayers

2009-06-24T14:07:00.000-07:00

One of the biology teachers that I have this semester was involved in a motorcycle accident on June 10. Brother Travis Wall and his daughter were on a date. They were near Dad's Truckstop after stopping at Reed's Day for some ice cream. They turned heading southbound when a big truck cut right out in front of them. Brother Wall threw his arm around his daughter. They both were immediately taken to the ICU. His daughter was taken to pediatrics a few days after the accident, but Brother Wall is still in critical condition. He has a serious head injury they are trying to deal with. Just to keep Brother Wall alive, one of his legs had to be removed. His wife started a blog to keep everyone updated. For those of you that know Brother Wall, the link to the blog page is below. Please keep him and his family in your prayers.

http://www.walltravis.blogspot.com

I Am Pretty Much The Master!!!

2009-06-16T13:35:00.000-07:00

Yet another perfect, but imperfect game!!! I was sitting on my little couch listening to Prince when I bowled this amazing game!! First off, I was doing it for fun, then I got a little competitive with myself when I noticed I was up to "eight in a row" as the Wii calls it. Yeah that's right, 8 strikes in a row. Then I went up to "nine in a row" and finally eneded with "ten in a row." I don't know how I do it. I don't even place my ball in the same spot, nor do I have some "special routine" that I must do each time before I throw. For those that have been bowling with me before, you are well aware that I just hold the ball, walk up to the line, and let it go. Nothing special. I guess that's why I am so good on the Wii. I just hold the remote, sit back, and throw the remote towards the TV. Amazing!!!! Amazing!!!!! Amazing!!!! They should have a tournament for bowling on the Wii. I would join and I would rock it!!! Here's the picture to prove my new victory. Just wait another week or so and I may finally have that perfect 300 game under my belt.

DAM us

2009-06-13T13:07:00.000-07:00

I signed Michael and I up to volunteer for the Teton Dam Marathon. Little did I know that we would have to be up at the crack of dawn. I guess before that really. We got up around 5:00am and drove down to the stadium. We saw a few people and hopped in the van with them. (No it wasn't a drug van, but at that early in the morning, I don't think I would have minded either way.) Anyway, we waited for a few minutes and then drove to where the ORC is. Wow, such a long drive!!!! More and more people seemed to show up. Then the girl with the shirts finally got there. We got out of the van and got our Dam shirts. After that we got back in the Dam van. There were lots of Dam people just standing around. We were sitting in the van when we saw a Dam group walk behind the van. The music was blaring and Michael and I had no idea what we were supposed to do. After a few minutes, we walked to the girl that was in charge and she told us that the set-up crew had already headed to Smith Park. That was the group we saw walking by. She then told us that we would have to walk to Smith Park. Yeah right!!! Walking that early in the morning with only a few hours of sleep. I think not. Anyway, Michael and I left to come back home. You may ask if we feel bad about getting shirts and not volunteering??? NO WAY!!! It should have been more organized.

Moral of the story: If you really want something, but don't want to work for it... just act ignorant and always get in the PAAAAARTAAAAAAYYYYYY VAN!!!

Nerd or Game Addict???

2009-06-05T09:51:00.001-07:00

Whoop!! Whoop!! Yeah this is so me. So, I got home from school and bowled my first game of Wii Bowling. (Well, for the day)!!! I got 4 strikes, then a spare. That spare made me mad beyond mad. After that, I thought to myself that 4 strikes is good enough. Then after the spare, I bowled another 5 strikes. At this, I was so excited!!!! Then I got another spare and one last strike. That made my total and final score a 268!!! 268!!! Can you believe that? That's almost a freakin perfect game. Now, looking back on the last 10 minutes, I am so pissed that I almost bowled a perfect game, but because of the two spares, not so!!! I'll just keep practicing, and maybe I'll take my skills that I have on the Wii and use them at a real bowling alley!!! Yeah right. Who am I kidding? I can barely knock down 5 pins at the real place. I think I have finally found my forte though... Wii Bowling... and I'm a pro!!!

Now as for Hitler, or Michael, not so good. A 54??? Seriously?? I have never gotten a 54 in my entire life... on the Wii or at a real bowling alley. I guess Hitler and Michael should both stick to what they are good at... trying to control other people and having the idea that they are better than everyone else.

Interesting Day

2009-05-29T20:21:00.000-07:00

Today I was able to shadow Dr. Hicks. He is the oral surgeron that removed my wisdom teeth. It was pretty amazing. There were a few different surgeries that he performed today. On the first guy, he had to remove some growth on his lower lip. It was pretty neat. Dr. Hicks numbed the guy with the big needle. (I never knew those needles were so long and big.) When the guy was numb, Dr. Hicks took a little razor thing and cut the growth off. He then put stitches so the hole would close. That procedure took like a total of ten minutes. After that, another guy came in that had his wisdom teeth removed. It seemed like the guy was awake for some of the procedure. He kept moving and the thing on the thumb kept falling off. The weirdest part was being able to talk to the patient, then all of a sudden having the patient fall asleep. Other procedures that were done were a kid had a screw out into his bone. The screw is supposed to help with keeping his teeth straight while he has braces. Another lady came in and had horrible teeth. She had a few of her "main" teeth removed. Such a fun, yet interesting day. Being able to watch Dr. Hicks and his nurses has opened my eyes to other fields except for pharmacy. I guess we'll see what happens with the path I choose to take. The nurses there were so nice and I learned a lot. I hope that I get more chances to shadow other people so I can really know what I want to go into.

Birthday Pictures

2009-05-28T16:44:00.000-07:00

Michael's Birthday and Sad Times

2009-05-27T12:19:00.000-07:00

So, Monday was Michael's birthday!! He turned the big 24. A friend from Arizona came down to visit with family and he stopped by to chill with us. It was pretty fun. We went over to the Nates' house and had a little party. Michael's cake was amazing. It was him camping and fishing. So cute. We had a salmon and hotdog (for me) dinner. It was so good. I tried salmon for the first time, and it was pretty good. That's big for me, because I'm one that hates fish. After dinner, we had the cake and Michael opened his presents and enrolled help in doing so. The Nate kids all joined in and used everything but their hands to open the big box. We then played a game of baseball. It was boys versus girls. We're not quite sure who won. The girls were slacking at the beginning, but after I figured out what the glove was used for, we did fairly well. Overall, it was a good time. (Pictures on blog.)

Since we had the long weekend, Michael and I took a trip to Oakley, Idaho. There is a family up there that Michael baptized on his mission. They moved from Oklahoma to Idaho a few years back. We were able to Brother Green fix his sprinkler system and their ride on lawn mower. I love that family. They remind me so much of what my family is like. My favorite part was definitely the horses. I do like horses and do want ONE, but don't have enough room right now. Soon enough though. If that happens, I'll have to hire Maddie to come and help me take care of that big guy.

Before we left, we were told by one of our managers that we needed to get rid of our rats. One of the maintenance guys here came in to check something and saw them. Since he apparently had nothing better to do, he "ratted" on us. Josh told us we needed to have them out. We found a family for the twins. I refuse to get rid of Spartan and Flash. They are like my children. I wrote a few e-mails to the Housing Office, but have yet to hear back from them. We'll see what happens.

New Additions

2009-05-04T13:56:00.000-07:00

We added two new little guys to our family. I was told they are 5 months old and were going to be given back to a pet store to be used as snake food. I couldn't let that happen. Flash and Spartan aren't too thrilled, but I think all four will get along just fine. They have already had a few moments, but the same is going to happen with kids. Here are pics of the new little guys, as well as Flash and Spartan. We have yet to name the "little twins."

Busy As A Bee

2009-05-02T10:08:00.000-07:00

Michael and I have survived the first two weeks of school. It has been fun and I love all my classes already. I have some intense ones, but I should do fine. My chemistry and biology classes are going to cause the most stress in my life, but I do have Econ and D&C to help mellow things out. Michael has 4 business classes, and so far, he's doing well. I recently applied for a manager position at the complex we live at. I had an interview on Thursday, but it was just a preliminary one. I will find out this week sometime if I have a final interview. Michael and I are crossing our fingers. It would help us out so much if I got that job. Our rent would go down and we would bring in a little extra money.
I'm at work right now and should be doing something productive here, but I have already finished all my "Saturday tasks." It's not too busy either. Maybe everyone came down with Swine Flu and is home sick. If that's the case, then I should be home too.

Finally!!

2009-04-19T15:31:00.000-07:00

We finally got everything organized into our new place. My goodness, it took such a long time. I guess it's just a reminder that one only needs to move if they really need to. So much work and it gets so old and tiring real easily. Oh well. Michael and I really like our new place. We especially like all the space we have. We went from having a small one bedroom apaprtment to now having a two bedroom one. We also have a food storage closet!! So awesome. It makes me feel even more like a good LDS person knowing that we have space to stow away our food and everything. So nice!! Anyway, we didn't go to church today because we wanted to get everything done before the crazy semester starts. I hope all goes well for the both of us. I have 18 credits that I'm taking. I have never done that before. Michael has four classes. Two are online. Hehas never done that before, so he's a little worried. I know that we will do fine though.

Moving Day

2009-04-17T18:19:00.000-07:00

Since 10:00 this morning, we have been doing nothing except moving into our new place. Some of our stuff wasn't packed, so we had to deal with that. We also didn't have enough boxes and that posed a problem. It has been such an exhausting day. I have just been cleaning, while Michael and a few of our neighbors have been making endless trips to get all our stuff over to University Village. Michael is just packing up the last of everything. I hope our next place is worth all the hassle of all this moving agony. I'm sure it will be.

Pain, Pain, Pain, and Nothing More Than That

2009-04-11T10:01:00.000-07:00

So, on Monday, I had to take a nice trip to Dr. Lewis' office. He is a great dentist here in Rexburg. I didn't think much of anything, but I should have because I hadn't seen a dentist in like the past ten years. I guess I am just a little scared of them because of all the pain they can inflict on people. After my exam, I was told that I needed to get my wisdom teeth taken out and get a tip root removed as well. My appointment for this procedure was supposed to be the next Friday... only like 4 days away. That was yesterday. As Michael and I were driving, I started bawling my eyes out. I knew that I was going to be given a general anesthesia, but I was still freaked out. People can die from that sort of stuff if it's not done right. I got to Dr. Hicks' office and he and his nurses all took great care of me. I was sitting in the operation chair and Dr. Hicks was asking me about what I did yesterday. It was supposed to be a distraction so I wouldn't notice the IV and catheter that was about to be inserted into my right arm. He couldn't find the vein or whatever it was that he needed to insert the needle into. He then started looking at my wrist and at the top of my right hand. I was freaked out about that and told him to try to my left arm. Luckily it worked. The needle was inserted and before I knew it I was waking up from the procedure. It literally felt like on a 2 minute nap. I must have asked the nurse for my surgery cap, because I left the office with it. Anesthesia is the weirdest thing ever. I didn't feel any pain for the first 20 minutes or so, but then it kicked in. Michael took me to Jamba Juice, but I couldn't and didn't want to drink the smoothie because my mouth was so numb and full of blood. It was disgusting. As we got closer to Rexburg, I realized that the smoothie Michael got me had bananas in it and that I wasn't allowed to eat it. We went to the Jamba that's her in town. I also went to Broulim's and talked with Steve about my surgery. When I got home, I should have gone to bed or at least taken a nap, but that didn't happen. I watched Ratatoullie. Such a good movie and one of my favorites. When that was over, we went over to a neighbor's house and played the Wii. Then we got back home and watched Baby Mama. Finally, around midnight, I took more medications and went to bed. Now, I'm here blogging. So far, I have atteneded a baptism and went to the part afterward. It has been a productive day. At least for someone that should be at home and taking meds and resting. Oh well. I'm a little upset though because I didn't get my wisdom teeth. I did end up with a nice bruise on my right arm too. I'm a trooper.

First Anniversary!!

2009-02-01T20:27:00.000-08:00

It has been a year since Michael and I have been married, and it has been one fun-filled roller coaster ride. We have definitely had our share of fights and arguments, but we have also had our share of good times. I feel so blessed that I was able to meet Michael and that we started what we have now. I just think back to when I first met Michael and I thought my goodness. I am so happy that I decided to take that initial step and be baptized into this church. That was a little over 2 years ago. (Like 2 years and 4 days) Michael and I are artsy people, but all we do is take pictures and make stained glass windows. Since this is the case, we decided to go out and get some artwork that is way better than ours could ever be. Michael is a pretty crafty guy (that's for Travis (; ), and because of that, he decided to build the frames for the art that we bought. I love that about him. He tries to make things so that they mean more to both of us.

We Made the Cover!!!

2008-12-23T14:31:00.001-08:00

Create Fake Magazine Covers with your own picture at MagMyPic.com

Endings and Beginnings....

2008-12-11T19:27:00.000-08:00

On some family occasion. My Uncle Eddie, Grandma, and Grandpa.

At the Salt Lake Temple pretending to get engaged.

In Prescott and snow for the first time. I lost my shoe and Michael and his cousin had to dig through the snow to find it.

A bald eagle in Prescott.

Just making faces.

The beautiful Mesa Temple.

Big pink chair in Mesa.

My Christmas presents from a few years ago. Cooking stuff. And we weren't even engaged then.

Michael's younger brother Joshie.

One of the first times meeting Michael. Didn't know I would have to teach him how to eat.

On top of some mountain after a hike.

Michael feeding some geese. What can I say? He attracts everything!!!

Disneyland with Captain Jack Sparrow and Roy.

Wow!!! It's crazy that Michael graduates tomorrow!! I am so proud of that kid!! He has been working his butt off since I have met him, and since he has been here, it has been no different. Time and time again, we have made plans and he has to break them because of various study groups. It has been a fun ride though. I have found joy in supporting him through school and everything. I am glad though that his done now. That doesn't mean that we are moving. We will still be here until I graduate or finish what I need to. Idaho has been fun, but I hate the snow. Maybe that's because in Arizona, in the city at least, we just don't get the white stuff there. I think that I might be warming up to it though... yeah right!! This past year has been amazing too. So many memories have been made, and a lot of changes have occured in my life...good and bad. As promised, more pictures to tell our story.

Michael acting all tough before graduating. He claims he never "got beat up" but I know differently. I just hope those muscles will help him in his future.

Memories in Pictures

2008-12-10T20:21:00.000-08:00

Just some memories. Our friends, Brett and Hailie from Arizona. The two elders that taught me, Elder Simon and Elder Haas. Me at the Arizona Science Center. I was told that I look like I'm 12 yers old. We got to meet President Uchtdorf and his wife. Such a funny couple. We went to the Sacred Grove and got a ton of pictures taken. Michael posing. He was trying to get a gig with GQ. We went to Mesa and had fun out there too. More pictures to come.

Thanksgiving Day

2008-11-27T11:10:00.000-08:00

It's Thanksgiving Day!!! YAY!! Michael and I went and sang in the Turkey Choir this morning. The Turkey Choir is the Rexburg Community choir. We have been practicing for the past few weeks and today was the big day. It was so fun. At last night's practice, during one of the songs we sang, the conductor thought it would br funny if he had the guys burp. Well, my husband, got the part by himself. Today, when he was supposed to burp for the audience, it failed. He walked up with his arms in front of him, one on top of the other, and when he went to open his mouth, nothing came out. One of the other guys that he was sitting by got up and did the burpage for him. The audience just cracked up. Well, this is our first Thanksgiving together as a married couple and so far it has been good. We are excited to eat all the food. The ward that we have here was nice enough to put on a Thanksgiving feast for all those that had no where to go. Super exciting!! Everyone has been saying to not a lot, because I will turn into a turkey, but I think that's a little too late with Michael and I.

School Work Brings Back Memories

2008-11-14T18:12:00.000-08:00

So, today I had to work, followed by a huge muscle exam for my Anatomy/Physiology class. As usual, when I work with a particular pharmacist, things always go haywire. There is never ever an exception to that fact. It seems like everytime I am there with him, something always go wrong. For those people that know little about what takes place in a pharmacy, here's a brief explanation. Many people have insurance, either for medical stuff like doctors and dentists, etc. Some have insurance just for medications. And tons of people have insurance that will cover everything from prescriptions to cosmetic surgery. Well, if there is a problem with the insursnce, meaning some numbers don't match, we have to call and see what the issue is. So today, the other technician that I work with was busy on the phone with an insurance issue trying to get a prior authorization done. This [prior authorization] means that the insurance won't cover the medication and the doctor has to call the insurance and tell them why the patient needs it. It literally takes forever, especially when some doctors just don't care and lolly gag around until the last minute. Anyway, back to the story. So this tech was on the phone and all the pharmacist kept saying was why she wasn't working. I got so pissed off. Then he got on my case, and I wasn't going to have that. Like I do when someone tries to control me, I just did my own thing. If he was just going to complain and say that we don't work, I was going to give him a reason to say so. Then after that, we had a ton of prescriptions for C2 drugs. These are drugs that are highly controlled, such as Adderall, Ritalin, Morphine, and Oxycontin. Well, after a pharmacist fills a prescription for one of these, they have to count to make sure what we have on hand is what the "Control" book says. When this pharmacist works, we are always off on our count. He will then make mention of it, and have either I or the other technician count the pills to make sure that he didn't make a mistake. When the count comes out the same as he came up with, the entire pharmacy literally gets searched. He looks under the cabinets, in the trash cans, everywhere. It's just ridiculous and it wastes so much freakin' time. Oh well. I know that I won't be like that after I get my pharmacy degree.
When I got off, I went to my husband's IBC class. He's part of Necktopia. That's the 100% pure silk tie company. I would recommend buying one or a few. There are some pretty nice looking ties. Anyway, after his class, I had to run over to the Benson and take my test. Part of the test consisted of naming some muscles from a cadaver. The smell wasn't that bad, but at the end, I started to get a little light headed. As I was leaving, I was thinking about my grandfather. I guess some memories just never fade. I was thinking of him yesterday as well as I was eating some chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. I don't know what came over me but I just started bawling. He passed away on July 15 of this year. I guess it sucks because I last saw him alive in April and he was doing so well. I had talked to him on the phone not even a week before he died. I remember him telling me that he was so excited to see me in just a couple more weeks. I was looking forward to seeing him too. Then BAM! One night I get a call from my parents telling me that he had suffered a heart attack while doing dialysis. I couldn't believe it. The next night I got a call saying that his condition was getting worse and that they would be pulling the plug. I just couldn't help but bawl. He was my closest grandfather, and the only one I really ever knew. And I was his little penelope. My grandmother was next to him and when she asked him questions, he would grip her hand. I could just feel for her and what pain she must be going through knowing that her husband of over 50 years was going to be in heaven soon. His death has caused a lot of animosity within the family. My aunt is primarily the one to blame and I sure have let her know. So much has been bottled up inside me and I think this blog is where I will be doing a lot of my venting. Sorry for those of you that will be reading it a lot.

Just Some Thinking

2008-11-12T20:11:00.000-08:00

I thought since it has been rainy, blue would be the best color for today's entry. As I was driving and listening to the radio, a few songs came on that I hadn't heard in such a long time. It's just weird how one little song, or even just a few lyrics can bring you back to a different time. I heard a song from Fuel, and boy oh boy, my mind was gone. I was brought back to my freshman year in high school, when I had my first boyfriend. They weren't the best of times, but I did survive. I am such a big fan of the music that was played in the 1990's. I just loved it. I remember sitting at my grandparents' house back home, during the summer and just watching MTV all day. I remember watching TRL and thinking how lucky Carson Daly was to be meeting all my favorite artists; Backstreet Boys, Christina Aguleria, Jessica Simpson, 98 Degrees, etc, etc. And now, this Sunday, the last episode of TRL will air. It's crazy. Some guy on the radio was talking about that today, and how MTV is called Music Television for a reason, but they are doing away with more and more of the music, and bringing all the crazy reality shows about drunkards and sex addicts. I guess there's always VH1.
Well, I'm here babysitting once again at the Nates' home. I was a nanny once, but the mom was a total self absorbed person, who only cared about herself and what she could do to make herself look better and better each and every day. It was definitely the nanny type mom like in the book, The Nanny Diaries. Here, I actually have control over the kids and they listen. I couldn't believe it the first time I babysat. I just think about how the Nates discipline their children. I just don't know what to do at times. Sending kikds to their room is always good, but I remember when I got sent to my room and I would just play with all the toys I had. I guess that's better than beating up on siblings.
One last comment. Tonight I was talking with a friend, and we were discussing fake people. Some of you know what I'm talking about. It's those types of people that act all nice just to get something, then become a total witch when you turn your back. I just don't get it. All I have to comment on, is that "they (fake people) drool, and all nice people (names deleted) rule." **As for the last quotation comment, you know who you are**

2008-11-10T18:45:00.000-08:00

Well, today was eventful... not really. It really sucks being off track and only working like 3 days a week. What is a girl supposed to do with herself? I suppose I could go to the mall that we have here. Oh that's right, I live in Rexburg, where we have practically nothing except a bunch of LDS members and a bunch of high school wannabes. I wouldn't haveminded going outside for a bit, except for the fact that it rained all day, like it has been doing for the past week. I know for sure that that's what I miss the most back home in Arizona. It never really rained there, and it was nice and toasty pretty much all year long. When it did rain, it did one of two things. Either, we would get a five minute sprinkle with the sun poking out every few seconds, or we would get a nice thick dust storm, followed by a sprinkle of rain, then a move in of clouds which brought along thunder, lightning, and a nice down pour of rain. I loved it! Here though, we just get cold, never ending rain. What a crock!

*~The McClellan's Antics~*