Our Fabulous Christmas!

Since we're both in "education" Justen and I have 2 weeks off here for Christmas Break and it's been fabulous! You can totally tell that we normally are crazy busy, cause we've done absolutely nothing for 2 weeks! We've been lounging in our PJ's playing video games, ordering take-out, and playing games! Haha.... It's awesome... partly cause we know what lies ahead (lots of stress and work). Besides being lazy we've have lots of fun with our families.

We went to Vegas right before Christmas to visit my sister and her husband. We were there only for a short time, but it was nice to catch up and see each other. I also got to see my friend and her sweet new baby.

Christmas was crazy, but we bounced from house to house and enjoyed lots of fun with our families. Thanks everyone for creating wonderful memories!

We are extremely grateful for this Christmas Season and the peace we feel from knowing that our Savior lives and loves us. We have so much to be thankful for! May we all have the spirit of Christ in our hearts this next year! We wish everyone a wonderful New Year in 2010!

White Coat Ceremony

I feel really bad because its been a few weeks since Justen's White Coat Ceremony, but better late than never. On October 9th Justen received his White Coat. This symbolizes Justen taking his first step as a doctor. They even call the students, "Student Doctor" to establish that professionalism right away. Me, Justen's parents, Aunt Kris, and Grandma were all able to be there for the recognition. We are all so proud of Justen and the HUGE task he's undertaking. Next week he takes his 1st semester finals! Wish him luck!

Life as We Currently Know It

Honestly not much and so much has been happening. Time truly is flying by us so fast. Our days are pretty much routine. Justen is now in full force. School occupies much of his time, but he is doing well and is a wealth of knowledge! He constantly is telling about some process that occurs in the body and I try to keep up with his brilliance! As for me, my days are spent at the school. On average I pull 10 hour days at school and then come home and grade papers. I've recently realized that teaching isn't just a job, it's a lifestyle. I literally live teaching. That's about all I do.

My dad took his kids to NYC over the Labor Day weekend and we had a blast! It was so neat to spend time with my siblings and father while exploring New York! Over the course of 5 days we covered so much and enjoyed the hustle and bustle of the city. I can't say i'd enjoy living there, but I loved visiting. Hopefully one day Justen and I could make it back together! Here are a few snapshots of our trip!

Inside the Empire State Building

A view from the top of the Empire State Building

Times Square

The M&M Store

We saw 9 to 5 on Broadway while there. It was a really funny musical!

U.S. Open! We got to see Oudin beat Sharapova and Ivers beat Roddick and James Blake's match.

Statue of Liberty!

So Much to Catch Up On

So much has happened in the past month and I've been so busy I've neglected to write about it on our blog! I think we were caught in this whirlwind of craziness that time just passed. I can't believe that it's the middle of August already! July was a great month! There were several highlights of the month, but the trek was probably in the top three. I'll post pictures once I find my camera which is still MIA because of moving. Next, was Grandma's 90th birthday party. It's so fun to get together with family and we all enjoyed the occasion! The biggest hoopla of July was moving to ARIZONA! A week before we were moving I got a job offer from Pendergast School District, but they wanted me here July 29th on Tuesday. We weren't planning to get to the Valley till Wednesday. So I made the trip down Monday night and Justen followed our original plan. I felt so bad leaving him to pack up the whole house, but he did fabulous and all our stuff made it! I however spent the last week of July throwing my classroom together. Thanks to amazing family I was able to make my classroom look great! I couldn't have done it without them! Thank you everyone who helped me out! So I'm teaching 6th grade math at Westwind Intermediate in PHX. So far the 1st two weeks have been great! I'm been busy and a little stressed, but I LOVE what I'm doing and have fit into my teaching job excellently!

So now we are finally getting settled in. We love our apartment and we are located close to practically anything we need/want! Justen started his first week of school this week and he's loving it! He's dived right into reading and learning and studying. His 1st test is on Monday, so we'll see how it goes!

So when I find my camera I'll post pictures and such! We're just happy to be settled and getting into our new routine!

That's Right... We're Moving... Cause Justen got Accepted!

We couldn't be more happier right now! We found out 11 days ago that Justen got accepted into Midwestern University in Glendale, AZ! We've been waiting and waiting to hear the good news and it finally came! Hip Hip Hooray! Orientation starts August 4th so we will move down on the 29th of July. We are definitely sad to be leaving Utah and all our wonderful friends, however we are extremely excited for the new journey!

This weekend we went to Manti for the Pageant. We left early so we could get a good spot on the grass. We went with Justin and Susan and had a great time! It was a bit chilly, but we survived to see a wonderful performance!

Strawberry Days

Pleasant Grove Strawberry Days was last week! We enjoyed lots of fun entertainment. We watched as they set up the Carnival on Wednesday and planned to hit it up on Saturday. Saturday rolled around we headed to the parade. The threatening clouds above didn't damper the spirit and we had a great time! That night we went down to the Carnival only to get rained out. We were kind bummed we didn't get to ride the rides, but the funnel cakes made up for it!



One of the cars exploded right next to us. Kinda scary for the people.

Most unique float by far!

Anniversary Weekend!

Yesterday was our 1 year Anniversary! Time sure does fly by fast! The past 12 months have been wonderful and I know we have great years ahead. Our weekend together was wonderful! On Friday night the school I will be working for in September (gasp... I know lots of you don't know I got a job because I haven't told many people... but I'll be teaching 3rd grade at American Legacy Academy in AF.) So the school was holding a fundraiser, 2nd Chance Prom. This was just an opportunity for adults to have a Prom. So Justen and I got all dressed up and went to Olive Garden and the dance. There was a live band and D.J. We danced till we couldn't dance anymore! It was a blast and I loved I was able to go with my true sweetheart!

On Saturday Justen and I went for a hike to the G, even tho we never actually got to the G, maybe someday we will. Then we headed to Outback Steakhouse. The food was delicious, and we even had a server named Dracula. We never could figure out if he was joking or if that was his real name! We hit up Coney's for some ice cream and just enjoyed our evening.

On Sunday, our actual anniversary, we went to Church and just hung out. We went to a trek fireside. We are going as GRANDPARENTS on our stake trek outing! GASP... we're already grandparents - sure skipped a few steps. And then played the Wii at our friends house.

So all in all our weekend was great! I love Justen so much and I'm so glad I married him! Life just makes sense with each other and we're happy as can bee!

Cami & Jake's Wedding

So after graduation, life got crazy! I went down to Gilbert early with Cami and Jake to help set up things for the wedding. There were a few minor things that went wrong in the early stages, but the whole thing turned out great! They were married in the Mesa Temple on Saturday May 2nd. The reception was at my Dad's house that night. There was a ton of friends and family that came to help celebrate! Thanks to those of you who helped me with the food and decorations! I couldn't have pulled it off without you. We are so happy for Cami and Jake as they begin their new life together. Below are a few pictures of their special day.

Ta-Da! The Moment Has Finally Arrived...

After years and years of late nights, bombed finals, long walks up the BYU hill, and hard core studying... I'm done and GRADUATED!!! The past two days have been wonderful and very memorable. It was a treat to have my parents and Cami & Jake present. Justen was incredible and bought me this lovely corsage I was able to showcase on my special day. Thursday was the large Commencement at the Marriott Center where President Uchtdorf and Elder Nelson addressed us. Today was the Convocation for the David O McKay School of Education. It was such a neat feeling crossing the stage and receiving my diploma. Afterwards we went to Tucanos for lunch. Overall it was incredible and I couldn't have had a better moment. Thank you to all my family and friends who have helped me reach this point in my life. I wouldn't be here without all your love and support! Here's just a few snapshots. My mom will get the rest to me.

How Much Can You Cram Into a Few Weeks?

Oh my goodness! We have been busy bees. First of all I completed student teaching! Yay! It's over and I'm so glad. So I'm just hanging out till graduation trying to find a job. It's tougher than I thought! Good luck to me. Secondly, we are still waiting for a definite yes from Medical Schools. The wait sucks, but we are hopeful. The past few weeks have flown by. Time passes. So much has happened. Yet, it seems like it just occurred yesterday. A few weeks ago we went to the Dinosaur Museum at Thanksgiving Point with our friends Justin and Susan. It was a blast. Justen, being the dino fanatic, was in high heaven. It was really cool, so if you haven't been you should check it out.


Conference was good. We went to Justen's cousins Jim & Lil's for the Sunday afternoon session. After we played football and basketball with the kids. They're just so much fun to play with and we love living close to them.

This past weekend we went to the Manti Temple. We were able to do a session. It was incredible! The temple is gorgeous and very unique. The trip was worth it!

Easter was relatively calm for us. We had a very untraditional meal and we didn't even buy each other chocolate. (I made up for it by making a Texas Sheet Cake) But all in all it was great! We are looking forward to my graduation from the Y and Cami's Wedding and seeing lots of family. Hopefully more good news will follow about Med. School.

Happy Pi Day!

Since we celebrate every holiday and every "not so holiday" in Elementary school we do a lot of random stuff. The kids decided they wanted to celebrate Pi Day (3.14 - Mar. 14) Since the day fell on a Saturday we celebrated it on Friday. That meant Thursday night I was up making pie. I decided to make an apple pie and Justen of course wanted a cherry pie. So I ended up making two pies! I was really proud of myself because they turned out great and tasted wonderful! Thanks to my wonderful mother-in-law and her fantastic pie recipes!



Also on Friday we went to the Draper Temple Open House with our friends The Martin's. It was such a neat opportunity to tour the temple and see this beautiful house of the Lord. I can't wait for it to open so we can attend! The temple was absolutely beautiful and incredible!

2 Much, in 2 Days

Life has been busy for us! Courtney is busy taking care of 1st grade problems, "But teacher, I need a band-aid, I have a paper cut." and Justen has been busy at work trying to get a position filled. We think he's found someone after the 7th try. He was so excited to take over for his department, but he's been pretty busy.

This last Thursday on the 12th was the 1st Grade Patriotic Program! Somehow I was roped into playing the piano. After weeks of practicing I think both me and the kids got the music down. On Thursday the kids had an excellent performance! I was so proud of them and their hard work. The next day was our Valentine's Day Party. This turned out to be pretty crazy, but fun. The kids passed out cards, played don't eat cupid, frosted Granny B cookies and so much more! 1st graders aren't the best "frosters", needless to say there was frosting everywhere! However I think the party was a success and I'm relieved that it's done and over. Below is a picture of me and the class. I've loved first grade and am sad this is my last week. Next week I'm off to 6th grade! It'll be a good change.... I like 6th graders because I can joke with them and I don't get petty questions.

Valentine's was good. We decided to celebrate on Friday and went to P.F. Chang's. The rest of the weekend we just stayed at home and enjoyed the time with one another. This week we're off to Arizona to another interview for Justen for Medical School. Keep your fingers crossed, cause we are :)

Got Frost?

I know I haven't updated in a while, but this is well worth the wait. Tonight I went up to the church to practice a few songs on the piano for the 1st grade program at my school. (Somehow I got roped into playing the songs for the patriotic program) Anyways... We've been trying to get the fridge repair guy over for 4 days now to fix our fridge because the food in the freezer was slowly thawing. He finally claimed he was coming tonight (after several already broken promises). I came home from the church about 10 o'clock to find...


Apparently, Justen and "Joe" took the fridge apart and Joe had taken out all our food and dumped about 5 gallons of hot water in our freezer! AHHHH!!!! Words could not flow from our mouth. There was water all over the floor and a pile of my dish towels cleaning them up. I guess the the problem was that our freezer had frost and the fastest way to defrost was to dump hot water over it. Not the most conventional way, but hey at least the freezer's cold again : )