Just an update :)

I wish I had something exciting to talk about! But I don’t… just a life filled with stress and no time, haha. It’s been a while though so I thought I would post.

Snowy Rexburg= Snowy Sunday shoes!

The snow was pretty deep today……

The past 2 weeks it has been stressville here! I thought I would have been doing good on my goal for working out 5 days a week, which I was. Until I said to myself, who am I kidding? I honestly have had NO time, I realize this may sound a little lazy, but I tried studying while on the bikes, which was ok but I didn’t get much done because I was huffing and puffing my brains out. But seriously, I don’t have enough time as it is. I go to school and I am on campus for group meetings and such from 9-5. Then I come home and eat and then do homework, and study for the rest of the night. I also have about 2-3 tests a week, so I have to set aside an hour to go take the test and a few hours of studying. BUT I still have that goal to exercise more and I’m going to keep trying to accomplish it. I was doing really well for a while, but I was getting really sore which added to the stress, so we’ll see.

I have a story to explain my stress. On Thursday I had about a million things to do. I had my religion class 9-10, then my Law and Ethics class 10:15-11:15, then i had a study group at 11:30-2, at 2 I had another group meeting, and at 3:15- 4:15 I had another class. So I pack my bag full with all the books I need and I head out the door. I’m about to be late so I’m in a rush, practically running through the snow with the heaviest back pack ever. Now, in my Medical Law and Ethics class my teacher has been telling us that she wants everyone to print and fill out their study guides before we come to class. So I usually do that, but I made sure I had the one for Thursday. As I was running through the snow, I realize that I had grabbed the wrong notebook, and I didn’t have my study guide. I was going to be late so I didn’t think it would be a big deal. So when I get to that class, my teacher talks for a while and then tells everyone to put everything away except for their study guide. I raised my hand and I said “I finished it, I have everything written on it but I completely forgot it!” all she told me was “oh well, that’s too bad”. Well we had a pop quiz and I did horribly on it. I was so frustrated and at my breaking point that I almost started crying in the middle of class, no joke. I guess that is an indicator that I have to take things a little slower and realize that I’m probably not going to be able to get an A in every class, seeing as I have about 8 classes.

And I have about 10 stories just like that………

Hans has been very stressed too. He has work all day and then classes at night, and he doesn’t get home until 7pm. Usually when he gets home the apartment is a mess because I haven’t had time to do it. So, being the wonderful husband that he is, he usually cleans up for me.

Work has been very boring for Hans lately (or so he has told me). He likes his co-workers though which is good. There are only 4 of them total, and that is including his boss and the sales guy who isn’t there much anyways. I got to meet the people he works with for the Christmas party a few months ago and I think they are very nice. Of course, he is also doing very well in his classes. He took his first accounting test yesterday and he got a 92! He is taking economics and accounting this semester… which is a break from all the computer classes.

I have some pictures of me in my scrubs for Medical Assisting! It’s funny because people look at me differently when I’m wearing my scrubs, I guess I look way smart when people know I’m doing medical stuff :)

So in case anyone was wondering, Hans is graduating (in Computer Information Technology) at the end of July! It is getting close and we’re excited. We are definitely going to have a party, so if you would like to join us, mark it on your calendars…. I think it’s around the 24th of July…..

After we both finish all our classes ( yes mine too, all I’ll have left is an externship), we are moving to Pocatello so Hans can get his masters in business there. We found out the program starts on August 25, so that is when we’ll be heading out. Pocatello Idaho is about an hour to an hour and a half away from Rexburg.

Well, we thought our car was fixed, but it’s not! Last Saturday we were just sitting around and Hans went to go get us a delicious stuffed pizza from Papa Murfys (so good!). So he went and came back and we ate the pizza and sat around for a while. Then, Scott and Leann called to see if we wanted to go with them to the new yogurt place. They were already there, so we were going to go meet them there. So we headed out to the car ready to go, but when we got in the car it didn’t start! So they came and picked us up and we went with them. But weird! We don’t know what the heck is wrong with it, but it is getting annoying. On the bright side, the yogurt was good, and we still watched x men and played on the Wii with Scott and Leann after.

We still have yet to go in and get the car checked, so Hans has just been disconnecting the battery every time we get out of the car and then connecting it every time we have to go somewhere. Pretty inconvenient if you ask me.

This weekend hasn’t been that exciting. We went to Idaho Falls on Friday and we got groceries, then we went to the mall and about 15 minutes after we got there everything closed. what is up with malls closing at 9? Yesterday I did about 6 1/2 hours of homework, Hans took a test, and we went to the ward bowling activity. We also went to a fireside and Elder Ballard spoke, then we rented a movie and had smoothies. Today we are going to dinner at Becca and Brads! (Hans’ cousin and her husband).

I really enjoy weekends because I don’t have to worry about going to school. BUT being cooped up in an apartment all day doing homework until my brain explodes is not my idea of a good Saturday. Oh well, for now that is life, I have to use Saturday as my catch up and preparation day. I guess we still do some fun things though.

Starting the Winter Semester

Rexburg is COLD! For some reason I don’t remember it being this cold last semester. Actually it has been pretty warm lately (warm meaning 20-30 degrees). There were a few weeks at the end of the fall that were SO cold, we’re talking –15! So 20-30 degrees is feeling pretty warm to us.

Well, we don’t really have very many exciting things to report on, but I have been trying to write about every week. Lets see, I got a calling! I’m Relief Society music leader. I get to pick the hymns, conduct them, and pick someone to share a music moment every week. That should be fun, and I’m thinking it will be less stressful than the calling I had as Relief Society Instructor in my last ward! But, I knew that something to do with speaking had to come to me, because I think I’m supposed to work on that. So, shortly after I got my calling on Sunday, Hans and I were asked to speak in church next Sunday :( For him, that’s not a big deal….. for me on the other hand… AHH! So I told Hans that I would speak for 3 minutes and then he could have the rest of the time :) haha.

Other than that we are just Chugging along. I have SO much homework all the time, which means Hans has been having to pick up on my slack… when he can since he is gone a lot too. But I’m so glad that I have him, except sometimes I tend to be a little lazy….

Last weekend we went on a fun double date with our friends Sarah and Jaren. I have been going to the gym with Sarah sometimes and we found that we both had gift cards to Applebees, so we decided to go together. We went there for dinner on Saturday, and then after we went to play mini golf, and some arcade games, it was a so fun!

Sarah and Jaren

here we are!

Mini Golf with neon lights :)

After playing some arcade games, we redeemed our tickets and got our “Sticky Men!” We raced them on the wall, which was really fun! RANDOM! We ended up having a crowd gather around to watch our little race… so funny

So there is this game we have been wanting to get for our Wii, it Super Mario Brothers! It’s like the old Super Mario World for the Nintendo but it is more high tech and you can play with four people instead of just one. We have been wanting it since before Christmas, but we put it off because it was a little too expensive for our taste. Our friend’s Scott and Leann got it for Christmas so we played it with them and we loved it and decided to buy it! It is really fun, if you haven’t tried it you should.

For Christmas we also got a late wedding present ( Oh we just love those!) it is an ice cream and slushy making machine, cool! We hadn’t tried it yet so we invited Sarah and Jaren over for cake and homemade ice cream.

Here is Hans and Jaren trying to make the ice cream. We soon found out, after the ice cream was still liquid, that we were supposed to freeze the cylinder for 24 hours first! I guess we’ll have to try again another time.

Sarah and Jaren soon discovered the head scratcher I got for Hans, I think they really like it, haha.

When Hans and I were engaged, Krista got him a tabletop Croquet set at the thrift store, it’s tiny! We have started playing it with our friends and it is really funny, but also really fun :)

Yes, we do have a bucket, flashlight, and cup. That is because we still have a leak. They fixed the ceiling but there still is a leak and the vent isn’t put back in yet, and we have to go get a new bookshelf. Oh well! We’re kinda used to it now.

Anyways, that’s all for now! We hope everyone else is doing well!

Back to the Real World

So, here we are again. Back to school and staring at computers, doing homework all the time.

We were going to head back to Rexburg on Saturday, but when we checked the weather it said that it would be better conditions on  Monday. We both thought that school started on Wednesday or Thursday, which would work out fine because we would have a day to rest and unpack, go grocery shopping, you know the dirty work. WRONG! While checking my email I found something from one of my teachers that said “I can’t wait to see everyone on Tuesday!”  I’m glad I checked that, but we were not prepared! so now it is the end of the week  and the apartment is still a mess and the Christmas tree is still up. Due to the fact that we are running around trying to get everything done to start the semester.

These things include: Unpacking, getting food, getting books, paying tuition, getting on fast grad, paying for health insurance, getting new internet, homework, figuring out classes and making a graduation plan, the list goes on! I have to stop before I stress myself out ahhhh! Not to mention I’m trying to figure out this acid reflux thing and I have a UTI, not fun!

I was thinking about everything, and where we are, and I’m feeling pretty good. I feel like we’re on the right path, yay! Hans is going to graduate in the summer, I’m on my way into the medical assisting program and we’re feelin pretty good. Then it’s off to Pocatello for his masters and I’m off  to getting some hospital experience…… EXCITING!

This semester is going to be different though! I’m nervous to start the Medical Assisting program, but I’m also pretty excited. I’ve got some scrubs to feel all doctory in. I’m going to be learning how to take blood, do urine analysis, and give shots (yep, that is in all the places you can think to give shots in.. haha) It should be interesting!

BUT something that is going to be weird is that we aren’t going to see each other as often as before :( Hans is going to be working full time for his internship, and he is taking night classes. So, he will be gone from about 8 in the morning until almost 8 at night! That leaves us to only about 4-5 hours of time together (not counting sleeping). Sad, but true.

So, I’m going to probably have homework and other stuff to work on while he is gone, seeing as I’m going to have 18 credits, GASP!! But I think I’m going to try to start going to the gym with some friends more often, and maybe I will feel like cooking more often than I do….. which is almost NEVER. It is going to be an interesting semester!

Some More Holiday Highlights :)

So now that  we’re back in Rexburg I can put some pictures from my Camera on!

At the end of my First Aid class we got certification cards! Now being trained in CPR is one things, but being trained in First Aid is harder than you might think! If you get a serious injury I can keep you alive until you get to the hospital :) That class was actually pretty fun, and sometimes really gross too.

Anyways! Moving on…..

These are pictures of us waiting in line for Santa, as soon as we got there my dad went and got us some Chocolate to snack on.

 

Here are some pictures of everyone with Santa!

 

Here are some videos of us trying to figure out where we were going for dinner.

Here we are at The White Fence Farm.

They had a better Santa there :)

Random video! Skyler has a fish tank in his room (the room we were staying in) One night, I found a lazer pointer and we decided to point it in the fish tank and the fish went crazy! it was funny :)… oh the ways we amuse ourselves! haha

 

We have a tradition of Racletting, which is when you have a mini grillin the center of the table and then you take whatever meat, vegetable, or anything you want and grill it on your own with everyone around the table! It is fun, underneath the grill you can also melt cheese to put on some cooked potatoes. We also do fondue! We weren’t able to do this on Christmas day so we did it for new years day instead, here are some pictures and videos!

Here are some other random pictures:

This is Krista trying to jump and get Cameron’s dangling legs :)

I found the most amazing thing! my mom and I went to Bed Bath and Beyond one night and I found a head scratcher! Hans loves it when I scratch his head so when I found this I thought it would be pretty funny to bring home to him. He actually likes it! haha so funny.

Alright that’s all for now!

Christmas Time

This is going to be a long post, so beware! I really should do this more often so i don’t have to spend so much time blogging about so much stuff. Oh well!  

On the Thursday before we left for Colorado, our power went out, random. We waited for about 45 minutes and then it went back on. I checked my phone and I saw that one of our friends asked if we wanted to go to the cheap theater with them at 9, so I looked at the clock and it was 9:04. We decided to go anyway (the previews are always 20 Minutes long anyways, right?). So we started driving and then we noticed that it was really dark outside. It turns out that all of Rexburg all the way to Idaho Falls was out of power. The power had actually come back on for about 5 minutes and then went back out. We didn’t get to go to the movies and we thought that our power would be out once we got back home, but it wasn’t. our apartment was a beacon of light, the only place that had power anywhere, how lucky :)

So on Friday morning we were off to Colorado! It was a very long day. I absolutely hate driving long distances. I get very carsick and antsy, Hans usually drives most of the way. I only drove about 3 hours of the trip and he drove the rest. I have my own supply of Dramamine, and we both like it when I take it so I can sleep most of the way :) We got there at about 8:30 pm, and then we went to Cameron’s basketball game.

Saturday was the start of the traditions. We had our tradition of going to see Santa at the mall, AKA stand in line for hours so we can get our annual picture with Santa haha. Always, after that we go out to dinner at an unknown place. The kids try to guess where we are going, in the car before we get there. We guessed it! right be fore we got there….. it was The White Fence Farm, they serve a famous chicken dinner. (pictures are coming soon!) We had a little time in between the mall and dinner because they didn’t open until 4 so we went shopping and then we went to see President Todd’s childhood house (their family came with us to dinner)

It was the craziest thing! President Todd’s childhood neighbor, still lived there and we went to go see him. He is a crazy scientist, who has the dirtiest house, never been married, and he is a genius.

This is the inside of his house, piles of stuff (about as tall as me) stacked all over the house, with a little pathway to walk around.

This is him (the guy with the beard :)

This is his telescope in the back yard.

On Sunday we went to church and relaxed at home. We played some board games and then we did Ornaments! Another tradition my family has is that all the kids get a new ornament every year, having to do with something big that happened to them that year. So every year we get to hang up all of our ornaments and my parents talk about why we were given the ornaments each year. So Hans had the privilege of listening to my parents tell lots of stories about my younger years, which he thoroughly enjoyed :)

Sunday night was not enjoyable for me :( I got the stomach flu, I won’t go into detail, but I’ll just say that it was not pleasant. I haven’t recovered fully since then and I have lost too much weight, I’m hoping that thing will get better soon :(

On Tuesday for yet another family tradition we went to a movie. We went to Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs at the dollar theater. We had to do all of our Christmas shopping for the rest of Tuesday and Wednesday, and on Wednesday night we went over to the Todd’s house to play games and watch movies. Sadly, i had to leave early because I felt really sick (really lame, something is wrong with me).

here are some random pictures throughout those few days:

This is Krista (she fell asleep when she was reading a book)

This is a dog that was sticking it’s nose through the fence and barking at us while we were cleaning the snow off the car.

I just have to say that I’m so glad that Hans and I both agree on the fact that we don’t like pets. We both think that dogs are smelly and gross. I have to apologize first to those who love animals in case they get offended, so I’m sorry! I just think that animals are so gross!  Dogs especially (because most often they are the pets). They have stinky breath, they bark for no reason, and they shed their fur all over the place (some not as much as others I know). We might have a fish at some point, and I like little turtles, but I’ll have to think about that because you still have to clean their tanks and the fish food smells bad.

I’m sorry to my children in advance, if they want a dog or a cat or something, because mom will not be getting them any! Even if they say they will take care of them, feed them, and clean up after them. Sorry! everyone knows that mom is the one that ends up doing that anyways.

Alright, moving on from my rant…..

I realized that a lot of my family hasn’t seen my wedding band since I got it, so I took a picture.

For Christmas Eve we always did a progressive dinner with our family in Washington. When we got to Colorado we have always tried to continue that tradition with the family friends we have here. We did it with the Bulloughs and the Todds.

The Bulloughs did appetizers and they were the Shepherds

We did salad at our house and we were the Angel, Hans talked a little about Angels.

 

We did the main dinner at the Todd’s house, they were the Wisemen, and we also played the white elephant game there :)

My mom won a hat, looks nice huh?

Also, when we were at the Todds, a family from our ward came to do Christmas Tree inspection, it was so funny! They rated the tree based on Christmas Spirit and such, and they even came with costumes. They came in, did their business, and left! It must be one of their family traditions :)

  

After the festivities we went home and opened our Christmas Eve present, a tradition. New pajamas!

 

Everyone in our new pajamas!

After a toast, and reading Twas the Night Before Christmas, We set out our stockings for Santa to bring our surprises :) Hans was quite surprised and pleased to see how big our stockings are! In fact, Cameron had a lot of fun trying them out :)

We also did the nativity scene (also a tradition) The weird face is because I hit my knee haha.

We went to bed and I got sick again (hence the bowl in some of the pictures)

Christmas morning!

Dad got mom a robe, and mom got dad a suit :)

Krista made me a Bracelet and earrings.

I got him Popular Science and Astronomy Magazines :)

So this is a really long post, and I have more fun pictures on my camera, but I left the charger back in Rexburg so I can’t upload them! I’ll put them on later when we get back to our apartment :)