A Really Late Halloween Post

This year we went to Idaho to take the nieces trick-or-treating. As always, they were just too cute.

The four of us before we headed out. Jeff was the Scream guy, I was a banana, Sadee was Cleopatra, and Ava was a pumpkin.

For some reason, my costume was a hit. EVERYONE had to make a comment about the Banana. It was fun. And then every time someone would say, "Look! It's a banana!" Ava would pipe up, "And I'm a punkin!" in her cute little voice. And goofy Sadee loved to point out that I was fruit and Ava was a vegetable. Too funny.

Scary Ava

Scary Sadee

Just being adorable.

BACK FROM THE DEAD

Looking at my blog I realize I haven't posted for probably the past 3 or 4 months. For my dedicated and avid readers, I APOLOGIZE!!! Life has been crazy this past summer but that is still no excuse. I will just give this blog a life update on our lives together.
Jeff- This past summer was nuts for me. As many of you know I want to be a Physician Assistant and I applied this past summer to graduate school for that field. What I thought would take me about 8 hours to complete ended up taking more than a month. It was nuts!! Now, I am all done with all the application process and I'm waiting for the interviews and acceptances. I applied to 39 schools and, as of now, have two interviews (Central Michigan University, Western University CA) and have been rejected by 11 other schools. I am really pumped for the interviews which are next week. Monday I fly out to CMU and Wednesday I have the interview in California. Either way I am not complaining and hope to have some more. Currently, I am taking a couple classes and working at the BYU Student Health Center as a Clinician Aide (basically a Medical Assistant). I currently serve as a Den Leader with the Weblos Scouts in my ward. Outside of school, my free time has been given to my wife and NFL/College Football. She is still learning to cope with my football passion. I admit, sometimes its crazy. Both of us graduate with Bachelors Degrees in April with Bri's in Nursing and mine in Physiology. We are pumped to move on and have already planned a week long celebration to St. George and Vegas to relax.
Brianne - She is the income provider that's fore sure. She works as an LPN at Trinity Mission Nursing Home in Provo and works her butt off (makes bank). She just finished up her ICU rotation in the hospital and now will do her last rotation of Mental Health before her Capstone project. She really wants to get Labor and Delivery for her final capstone in American Fork Hospital because after PA school we would like to settle down in the north end of Utah Valley. She is still serving with the Young Women as a Girls Camp Assistant in our ward. Her drive and hard work always inspire me to be better.

I Got What I Came For So That's All That Matters

Last Saturday I ran my second half marathon: the Spanish Fork Half. I signed up way back in April or May and had a plan to train super hard throughout the summer so I could improve my time by 9-10 minutes. Well, I didn't actually start training until we got back from DC. That left me with only 5 weeks to try and get back in shape, but I still wasn't going to change my goal.

But about a week before the race, I kind of lost hope. My training wasn't going too well and I wasn't excited to run...until I looked at last year's times. The top finishing times in my age division were definitely within my reach. And then I saw that the top three finisher in each division would get a medal. In all my years of track, I NEVER got a medal. I got a lot of blue ribbons, but never got a medal. I've always, always wanted one so this completely re-motivated me. I wanted to get a medal!

Race day came and Kari and I set out to for a great run. Or so I thought. The stressors came even before the gun went off. We didn't have time to warm up because of the super slow potty line, and I lost my bib number five minutes before the start (how? I have no idea!) and had to really quickly re-register. Somehow, I still got to start on time.

I felt good for the first three miles. I was right on pace. But then the wind came, and whoa, that made it a lot more difficult. I slowed down by about 20 secs/mile and decided that I would be able to pick it up a lot once we got through the hills and got to run the opposite direction. I was in sixth place for the women until about mile 6 when the treacherous hills started. Oh those sucked. Once the hills were done at about mile 8, I decided to pick it up and make up for some lost time, only to realize that the wind had switched directions and was now opposing me again! By mile 9, I just fell apart and had to walk for a minute. After getting passed by two girls, I knew my medal was in jeopardy so I picked up the pace again. But I couldn't handle it! I'm not sure why, but I was just dead. By mile 11, I was having a full blown asthma attack and had to walk again for a couple minutes, getting passed by three more girls. At this point, I would have hopped in a car and quit if given the chance. I really struggled in the last two miles with the wind, sideaches, and my stinkin' asthma. Even though my time was crappy, I was soooo happy when I crossed the finish line.

I surely didn't get the time I was shooting for, and I really thought I lost my chance to get a medal. But to my surprise, everyone else in my age division must have been struggling too cause I still placed second meaning that I DID get the medal I came for! That cheered me right up, haha. Of course, Kari did awesome.

I don't know if I could say this race was fun. But I can say that I had fun with Kari and I am now more motivated than ever to get my toosh in gear and redeem myself. For those of you who are wondering what my time was, read this post and add 2 and half minutes. Blah. My goal time was 1 hr 35 min. But no, that did not happen.

DC Slideshow

Washington DC

It's about time we post about this adventure. Jeff's wonderful parents decided to take us to DC for 10 days in July. Pretty awesome, right? We had so much fun and feel very grateful for the opportunity to learn and see all that we did. Just to warn you, this is gonna be a looong one.

The adventure began even before we got to the airport. Haha, I still laugh just thinking about it. Jeff and I were standing with his parents and Alisa and Ryan in front of Alisa and Ryan's house when their neighbor decides to set off a firework. Don't know why for sure. I guess he just felt like it. Anyway, the firework was pretty impressive shooting colorful sparks up in the air and making screeching noises. Until the firework TIPPED OVER and started sending blasts towards the house, cars, and every other direction. I looked around at everyone just standing there, looking stupified and not really sure what to do when Jeff yelled, "RUN FOR COVER!!!!" and sprinted off in the opposite direction. Fearing for my life, I ran after him. Finally the firework stopped and we couldn't stop laughing until we got to the airport. Oh my gosh, it was hilarious. Thankfully, no one was killed, none of the cars blew up, and no houses burned down. It was a close one though :)

After that, the trip started out with a red-eye flight to NY. Jeff suffered from restless leg syndrome and I was worried about not being able to sleep so I took one little Tylenol PM (which is only half a dose) and felt drugged for the next 12 hours. That stuff knocked me out! We had a layover at JFK and sat around watching BIRDS flying around INSIDE the terminal. It was really funny to watch peoples' reactions when they realized that yes, that was a bird that just flew past their face.

When we finally got to DC, the weather was just as I was warned it would be. Hot and sticky! And it stayed like that the entire trip. I never really felt clean. That's okay though. Our first stop was Arlington Cemetery. Very impressive. We took a bus around the cemetery that made stops at all of the really important memorials. We watched the changing of the guards. I was amazed at how precise and in sync the guys were as they did the gun routine. I also felt bad for them because they had to have been hotter than heck in their uniforms.

Next stop was the Holocaust museum. There was a torrential downpour just before we got into the museum so we were especially freezing inside. I was amazed at how interested Jeff was. I won't lie, I wasn't really sure he would get into the museums, but man, he loved them! Every person in the world should go to this museum at some point in their life. It really touches you and makes you feel awful for all the horrible things that happened back then.

By this time, we were so hungry and tired that we got some food and went to the hotel to prepare for our drive up to PA the next morning.

We drove to Gettysburg which was so neat! It was kind of humbling to be there, to know that so many soldiers died right where we were in order to establish justice. Just FYI, if you ever go, plan on way more than 2 hours if you want to see it all. It was very, very cool.

Then we drove to York and got lost. Then drove around until we finally found our way out of York. Haha. We were on our way to Doylestown for the rest of the weekend to spend time with Jeff's cousin Todd and his family. On the way, we drove through Lancaster County where the Amish live. It was so crazy to see the families driving around by horse and buggy. We decided to stop at an Amish restaurant to get a feel for their life. In my opinion, the food was decent at best. Our favorite thing about the restaurant was that it was in a town called Intercourse. Yup. I was the lucky one who got to ask for directions on how to get to Intercourse. We all thought that was pretty funny. As we drove on to Doylestown, we got to see how beautiful PA is. It was gorgeous. I didn't realize that there were states as pretty (or maybe even prettier) than Oregon.

Finally, we arrived at Todd and Connie's and met some of the cutest little kiddies ever. Alex, Anna, and Andrew were totally adorable. And I must brag that Anna and Andrew especially liked me :) They were too much fun. That weekend Todd was our tour guide. We went to Philadelphia and saw the Liberty Bell, Betsy Ross' house, Ben Franklin's grave, the Church of Christ, and ate the famous Philly Cheesesteaks. Yum! Jeff and I got out of the car at the Philadelphia Museum of Art to run up the same steps that Rocky Balboa runs up in the movie. Later that day we went to Valley Forge and saw the humble circumstances the troops lived in. The huts were weeny and dirty! I especially enjoyed the museum there and the tour of Washington's house while he was there. I thought it was so cool to be able to walk in a house that George Washington had lived in. So neat!!

The next day we went to church and then to Washington's crossing on the Delaware River. Everything was closed there so we just walked around the park for a while. Then we went back to Todd's house to jump on the tramp in the rain (which to this day, I still think is so much fun), and play some Wii and Bop-It, see fireflies for the first time, and watch the most intense thunderstorm I've ever witnessed. I'd never seen rain pour like that before and the thunder was sooo unbelievably loud. And the lightning was so close it would light up the entire black sky. It was really cool!

The day after that we went to Six Flags in NJ. Sooooo muuuch fuuuun!!!!!! I overcame my fear of rollercoasters by doing one simple thing: closing my eyes during the climb. I HATE the climb because I'm so afraid of heights. But after that, then the rest of the ride is a blast. Jeff and I especially loved Nitro. It was by far the best in the park. I wish I was riding it right now, haha. We also really liked the Superman ride because you feel like you're flying. And El Torro is the most intense wooden rollercoaster ever! Even though the heat and humidity were almost too much to handle, we still had a ton of fun. And props to Kim and Patsy for going on most of the thrill rides.

The next morning we went to "Coffee with the Senator" or whatever it was called and got to talk with Mike Crapo, senator of Idaho. He gave us his stance on healthcare, and from what he said, we should all be afraid if Obama passes his legislature for universal healthcare. I really enjoyed being able to learn more about that directly from a senator. We then went to the National Museum of Art which Kim and I especially liked. I realized that maybe I did learn something from my Humanities classes. We also toured the Library of Congress and saw where some scenes in National Treasure took place. We then proceeded to tour the Capital building where I had a little run in with security. Haha. They were out to get me that day, I swear. I won't get into it, but let's just say they were all in a conspiracy to get a hold of my nifty pink waterbottle. They didn't though! Unfortunately, our tour there was super rushed because they were trying to close the building for an event. And our tour guides voice was completely obnoxious. After that, we got to go to the Senate Lecture Hall and listen to a few senators debate and make propositions (if that's what you call it, I'm not sure!). It was pretty neat.

After that, we went back to Alexandria, VA, where our hotel was. We were really close to Old Towne Alexandria and so we decided to go down to the waterfront and have dinner around there. We were told by someone that it was only about 6-8 blocks to get down there. But it actually ended up being more like 20+ blocks and it took us forever. We were so hungry and wanted some advice as to where we should eat when this random guy told us that we should go to Gadsby's Tavern. He said that Washington had eaten there a few times and the food was delicious and not too expensive. And so we went, but only to find out that the food was super expensive. On average, it was about $30 a plate! We weren't sure what that guy was smoking when he told us they had reasonable prices. The food was really good though. After that, we were going to take the free shuttle back to the hotel, but missed the last one of the night by about 3-5 min. That was frustrating. Fortunately, Kim decided he'd rather pay for a taxi than walk for another hour. It seem like we spent half our time walking everywhere. But I guess that's what you do when you go back East to see the sights.

This is getting way too long so I will just list the rest of the stuff we did:
-Went to the National Air and Space Museum. One of the planes there was in the new Transformers movie.
-Had dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings, a place Jeff has wanted to go to for a long time.
-Went to the DC temple.
-Toured the White House
-Went to the American History Museum
-Went to Mount Vernon--and got hit by yet another torrential downpour.
-Relaxed in the hotel's hot tub and watched SYTYCD. A nice relaxing evening.
-Went out on a date. Jeff took me out to dinner while Kim took Patsy out somewhere else.
-Walked the entire mall where we saw the Washington Monument, Vietnam War memorial, WWI and WWII memorials, Korean War memorial, and the Lincoln, FDR, and Jefferson memorials. A LOT OF WALKING THAT DAY!
-Went to the Botanical Gardens.
-Went to the Museum of Natural History and saw a 3D Dinosaur Imax movie.
-Had dinner at Union Station.
-We did want to go to the International Spy Museum, but were so completely exhausted that we just slept in on the last day and then packed to go home.

We had a trip of a lifetime and feel really lucky that we got to see as much as we did. Thanks Kim and Patsy for a great trip!

Girls Camp

A view of the camp from half way to the summit.
The first year girls. They were too cute.
The Camp Director with me, her assistant. Glamorous shot, I know.

This year I got sucked into going to girls camp again. It seems weird that I'm old enough to be a leader in YW. I mean, when I'm with all the girls and all the leaders, I feel much more like I'm 17 or 18 than 30 or older. And I'll be honest, when I first heard about Camp Mia Shalom, I finally realized how spoiled I was when I went to camp up in Washington. We had electricity in half of the cabins, we had warm showers, we had a pool, and we had a lodge with a dining hall. Camp Mia Shalom had NONE of the above. Most everyone went without a shower for the whole week. Not me though, no thanks. I'd rather take a freezing cold shower than none at all. And yes, it was freezing! We also had to cook every single meal for the entire week. Luckily, we brought along a lady who cooks delicious food on the fire and on camp stoves so it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.

Even though we were roughing it a bit more than I would prefer to, we had a lot of fun. I've never met a more happy and friendly group of girls. They were awesome to be around. I also had a lot of fun getting to know the other leaders better. Yay for making more friends in the ward!

Here are some highlights of the trip:
1. The hike to the summit. We could see forever in every direction.
2. Canoeing on the lake. It was too bad that we couldn't go swimming though. The lake was crystal clear so you could see right to the bottom. It didn't feel too cold either, and since it was so hot up there, it would have been a great way to cool down.
3. Morning runs at 10,000 feet. I don't think I've ever had to work so hard to breath. Great way to train though.
4. Singing around the lake.
5. Tin foil calzones. Delicious.
6. The scenery. It was beautiful up there. Reminded me a lot of Oregon.
7. Cute little first years with extra camp enthusiasm.
8. Camp fire stories.
9. Watching the moon rise each night. It would come up from behind a mountain and light up the sky. There were a gazillion stars out too.
10. And I'll be honest, I felt pretty lucky that I got to come home a day early to go up to Jeff's family reunion in Idaho. I got to shower before everyone else, and I didn't have to help clean up! Haha.

I Have A Dream

Of living in a beautiful home settled between a fancy golf course and a LAKE! So then Jeff could golf all he wanted and we could own a BOAT and spend our summer days out on the water.

Jeff and I went to Talon's Cove Golf Course yesterday in Saratoga Springs and I must confess that I coveted a lot. A LOT! The houses were gorgeous and they all had boats and a great view of Utah Lake. The only negative thing: Saratoga Springs is in the middle of nowhere.

But I'm gonna keep on dreaming that we'll find a place like that someday. And that we'll be able to afford that. Yeah, I know. Keep dreaming, Brianne. Keep dreaming.

Bringing Home the Bacon

That's what I'll be doing this weekend while everyone else is getting their party on. I'm working from 2pm to 10:30 pm tomorrow (Friday) night and then from 6am to 10:30pm on the Fourth. I'm slightly sad that I won't be doing anything fun this weekend and that I have to be here at home all alone. But I don't think I'll regret it when I see 16 hours worth of time and half on my next paycheck. Yeah, baby! Have fun everyone :)

2 Years Down. Eternity to Go!

Monday was our second anniversary. Man time goes by fast! Jeff is the cutest husband and had a little adventure planned for us. We went up to SLC and tried a new restaurant called Biaggi's. It was a yummy Italian place that was very nice. But we both agreed Gloria's (a scrumptious place in downtown Provo), Johnny Carino's, and Olive Garden beat it out. We stayed up in SLC for the night and went to Cherry Hill the next day. I had never been to Cherry Hill before and I have to admit, I was a little skeptical at first sight. But it was soooo fun! We felt like little kids having a blast. The water slides were awesome and I almost beat Jeff in mini golf. Almost! And despite numerous applications of water-proof sunscreen, we still got fried.

Oh and yup, we forgot the camera. So no pictures, sorry! I know, I've got to get better at that!

But I do have a picture of the super cute watch Jeff got me. It's the kind Krista blogged about a while back. Now I have one, too!

Thanks Jeff for being the sweetest ever! I love you so much for who you are and for all you have done for me in the past couple of years. I don't know what I'd do without you! Xoxo.

A House Full of Boys

For those of you who don't know this already, my dad got remarried in January. That marriage brought me three new step brothers. Yes, more brothers for me. That brings the total to: 8 brothers! It's fun to see peoples' reactions when I say that. Anyway...my dad, his wife, Becky, my two youngest brothers, and three new step brothers came to visit a couple of weeks ago. Wow. These kids are ages 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14. Jeff and I had to rethink our desire to have 5-6 children when we realized how much food it takes to feed them. I went through over two loaves of bread when I made french toast one morning. Insane.

These poor boys had been saving their money for a month so that they could go to Seven Peaks. And then...it rained. Actually, that's an understatement. We went to the park anyway cause we thought we could handle the rain. But after about 45 minutes, there was thunder and lightning and a torrential downpour. Jeff said it right when he said it was like a bomb went off. People started screaming and running every which way in an attempt to get out of the storm. Of course, with lightning, we got kicked out. Fortunately, they got their hard-earned money back. This picture DOES NOT do the weather justice. It was crazy!They got to stay through Father's Day which was fun because I haven't been with my dad on that day for a few years. I was, once again, very bad at taking pictures. But we also went camping up Hobble Creek Canyon where it was BEAUTIFUL. It reminded me of good 'ole Oregon. And we played a lot of football :)

It was fun trying to squeeze seven more people into our tiny two bedroom apartment. Thanks for coming guys!

I Passed

I took the NCLEX-PN (nursing test to become an official LPN--I've been working with a temporary license) two days ago. Man, that thing was stressful. This was one of those stupid computerized tests that gives you questions based on how you answered previous questions. For example, if you answer a question right, it will give you a harder question. If you answer a question wrong, it gives you an easier question. Well I did not think one question on that stupid thing was easy! I walked out of that testing center and cried because I SERIOUSLY thought I failed. Oh, and you don't get to know your results for TWO DAYS! So I've been living in stress and fear for the past 48 hours...until now! I paid the 8 bucks (yes, you have to pay to find out your results, ridiculous right?) and just about died when I saw this glorious word: PASS. Hallelujah!

Wisconsin

This term has been a really fun one! In the nursing program, the spring term before you graduate is called Global Health and Diversity. This is when clinical groups go to exotic places like Australia, England, Ecuador, and Taiwan. But I didn't want to go abroad and leave Jeff at home for 6 weeks all by his lonesome. So I chose to be in one of the groups that stayed here. I chose to take the Integrative Healing clinical because I know the teacher and she is so much fun! I learned about a lot of different things including acupuncture, herbs and essential oils, massage therapy, chiropractics, spinal touch, reflexology, iridology, neurofeedback and much, much more. Very interesting stuff.

To end the term, we got to go to Madison, Wisconsin for four days to attend the AHNA (American Holistic Nursing Association) conference. Due to a grant that my teacher worked hard to get, we went for free. I was lame and didn't take very many pictures, but I have stolen some of my friend’s pictures from Facebook to share with everyone. There are still a couple of really strange ones that I'm hoping to get from someone. Enjoy!

The whole group of us at the capitol. Minus our teacher and the person taking the picture.
One night we walked around downtown Madison and came across this beautiful sight near the University of Wisconsin. It was absolutely gorgeous.
Not so sure about how I feel about being a part of a drum circle. Yup, drum circle :)

But then we thought, "Who cares?" and went crazy. Haha. It was actually pretty fun...and funny.
Synchronized swimming...at least an attempt at it.

I also took a golf class and a super easy research class so school was great for the past 6 weeks. But now I'm ready for a long summer!

Under Attack

Yesterday, Jeff and I were peacefully minding our own business when we got in the car and began backing out of our driveway. When I reached the mailbox, Jeff requested that I stop so that he could see if his new beloved golf magazine had arrived. I obliged and let him out. As he innocently opened the mailbox, a GIANT bee soared around his head a couple of times as if it were about to stab my sweet husband with its malicious little stinger. Jeff’s proficient reflexes allowed him to duck and swat the pest away.
After finding the mailbox to be empty, Jeff returned to the car, opened the door, and got in. Right as he shut the door, the BEE flew into the car! AAAAGGGHHHH!!! We both shrieked frantically. Yes, we both did. And it was bloody murder screaming at that. After realizing the true danger we were in, I attempted to eject myself from the car with my seatbelt still on. Jeff, luckily, hadn't put his seatbelt on yet so he was actually able to get out of the car. But no need to fret about what happened next. Fortunately for the both of us, when Jeff opened his door to escape, the BEE zoomed right out. I think we may have made the rotten thing go deaf.
The story ends well. Jeff and I drove off to our destination with tears streaming from our eyes as we laughed at the hysterics of the scene. The End.

GOLF is BACK

All through high school and childhood golf was a big part of my life. I still recall hitting the Linx with my friends almost everyday. Being the last one cut on the high school golf team I was decent but since being married golf kind of disappeared. My wife hasn't ever seen me golf until this year. Well now it is back. I also have convinced my wife to take up a golf class. I have been about 6 times this year and the passion has returned. I always say golf is the sport of bipolar people. One minute your screaming in frustration and the next minute you just won the Masters. This Saturday my mom came along for the golfing ride. She rode in the cart as I played 9 holes. After the 7th hole the rain came. Now this wasn't just sprinkles but was a torential downpour. Both of us spent the next couple of hours getting dry. In all of this crazy weather it was the best I had played all year. What are your favorite courses of those golfers out there?

Job Upgrade!!!

My hard work is paying off. After completing three semesters of the nursing program, I am now officially a nurse--an LPN that is. One more year til I'm an RN. But still, I'm a nurse! Today was my first day working and let me tell you, it is sooo much better than being a CNA. I feel so lucky to have this job because not a lot of places are hiring and because I get an 80% raise! And that feels good. Yay for me!

I'm a Slacker

Jeff has recently pointed out to me that it has almost been two months since I lasted posted. I know, I'm a slacker. I have a ton to post about so I will be posting more often in the next couple weeks.

So here's item #1: Moab and My Birthday

My birthday usually lands during finals for winter semester. However, this year it landed after finals and on the break between winter and spring classes. It's much better that way. So for my birthday, Jeff took me down to Moab! I had never been there and desperately needed to get away from this town so we went camping. It had been a long, long time since either of us had been camping, but it was fun! We had some crazy campground dilemmas but luckily got our money back and we were able to go find a much better campground--ya know, one that you can actually have a fire in.

We spent most of the time hiking at Arches National Park (and thus getting very sunburned!), but also tried new restaurants, went to 17 Again, and lounged by the pool and hot tub.

Here are some not-so-glamorous pictures. Give us a break people, we were camping :)


Jeff showing off his mad balancing skills at Balancing Rock.
The cute little tent...and the cute little man :)
This is before we realized that the sun was going to come out and get blazing hot. It was cold and cloudy at first so we didn't put on any sunscreen. Bad idea.
Delicate Arch. It was SOOOO windy up there. I was afraid we were gonna get blown over the side. That's also why I'm holding my bangs back.

Thanks Jeff for a super fun trip. Love you lots!

The Grocery Store Experience

A couple of weeks ago I had a very interesting grocery store experience that I wanted to share cause it is really funny. My wife and I only have one car so it involves a lot of dropping off, picking up, and patience. Well this day the snow was out and about in April (gotta love Utah). THE PLAN: Brianne was going to drop me off at 8:30 to job shadow Chelsea Marshall (PA) and then go workout and come back and pick me up at 10:30. She was feeling fat that day so the 2 hour workout was necessary in her eyes. Sounds really simple I know, but that was the plan, only the plan. WHAT REALLY HAPPENED: Brianne dropped me off at the Family Practice office located in Provo a good 15 min driving from our house in Orem. When I arrived I found out Chelsea was sick with pneumonia and forgot to call me so I shot the breeze with her for about 5 min wanting to leave so I could call my wife and tell her to come back and pick me up before she entered the gym without her cell phone. I left the office and called her phone right away. NO LUCK SHE WAS ALREADY IN THE GYM. Knowing I had 2 hours to kill I headed to a small supermarket across the street. Pouring rain outside I wasn't about to walk in slacks and a tie home so I killed some time. I am not sure if any of you have spent 2 hours in a small grocery store but it gets BORINGGGGG. My activities while in this store consisted of reading people magazine, studying my golf swing in Golf's Digest, walking up and down the aisles 50 times, quizzing myself on nutritional facts, etc. After about an hour of being the weirdo walking up and down the aisles an employee asked me if I needed something. I explained the situation to her and told her I was just waiting for a ride and who knows how long I would be stuck there. During the 2 hours I spent in the store I called Brianne 20 times with hope to get a hold of her so when she got done with her workout she saw 20 missed calls on her phone. Freaking out she apologized but it wasn't her fault at all. I just had to tell you cause never in my life have I spent 2 hours killing time in a grocery store.

I LOVE MY HUSBAND/WIFE TAG

In light of recent threats from my cousin Whitney I complete the tag she gave me.

1. Where did you meet your husband/wife? What was the first thing he/she said to you? I met Brianne in Salem, Oregon where she is from. In the summer I was out there knocking doors selling Satellite systems (I know please don't judge me) when the first week I arrived there was a tri-stake break the fast at a nearby church. I remember entering walking with my buddy through the hallway and a girl passed me on my left carrying some kind of bowl with food. I thought, "she was hot and she had food. Do I need anything else?" I didn't say anything to her but throughout the testimony meeting I scanned the audience like any single man would do and saw her. My eyes had a mind of their own with were addicted to looking at her. I didn't really get too much out of that meeting. I had to talk to her. After we had a break the fast in the gym and she was nowhere to be found. Pissed I sat down with my buddy next to some other girls but they were boring. Looking I spotted her and beligned it to her table. I don't remember what first said to me but we got married so it was probably good.
2. Where was your first date?
We played games at my Apartment.
3. When was your first kiss?
I think it was after our 4th date. It wasn't my finest hour but she was willing to do it again.
4. Who said I love you first?
I did although she knew she wanted to marry me first so I will give her that credit. I took her up to the mountains and danced outside the car. Let the words fly and I got them right back thank goodness.
5. Did you have a long or short engagement/courtship?
Long courtship and short engagement. We dated for about 10 months and were engaged for two. To me that is the only way to go if you want to keep your chastity. The hormones are not well controlled in a long engagement.
6. Where did you get engaged?
I have told this story thousands of times it seems like. I took her up to Y mountain and had a big UHAUL trailer parked where the back door was open over looking the city. I had my roomate be our waiter and he went early to prepare the moment. Rose petals covered the ground and table while candles were the only light. He served us throughout the night. Earlier I filmed myself attending a few important events in our courtship (first kiss, first time we met, etc). At the end standing in front of the temple I made a acronym for her name with characteristics I loved about her. At the end I got on my knee and busted the question. She said YES!! and grabbed the ring from me and put it on herself.
7. Where did you get married?
Portland Oregon LDS Temple on June 29, 2009.

Two thumbs up for FIVE GUYS

Living in Orem/Provo, Utah, you live in the presence of almost 60,000 students between BYU and UVU. You do have some drawbacks, but on the plus side, lots of restaurants are not hard to come by. My wife and I are cold hard white skinned Americans and love a good juicy American Bacon Cheeseburger. When a new restaurant called FIVE GUYS opened up 2 minutes from our house, we had to give it a try. Saturday before Priesthood session (it was quite funny, half of the people in the restaurant were guys dressed in white shirts and ties) we headed over to Five Guys. Two thumbs up from Jeff. Brianne liked ,but she still has her heart set on Fuddruckers (another local burger joint). I really liked the atmosphere of the restaurant. The kitchen is open for your viewing pleasure. Great music playing and the portion sizes were well done for the cost. They don't charge extra for any toppings (grilled onions, peppers, etc). The fries are fresh cut daily. Also, being an Idaho boy, it was cool to see that the potatoes that day were from Rexburg, ID. Best of all you can order as many patties as you want. I went for a double but I do feel a contest coming on. Overall I would give the restaurant an A- for the overall visit. If there is one near you, GO!!!!!!

THE MONTH THEY CALL MARCH

There is a certain time in life when you fake sick to take work off. There is a certain time in life when those who never gamble enter office pools of money. There is a certain time in life when you stair at the television for 12 straight hours 4 straight days. There is a certain time in life women just don't understand. There is a certain time in life that moves you. That time is March Madness. The final four is close to being set and my bracket not pulling its weight. Every year I love the Cinderella's and pick them too much. I just have to pick upsets, it is an inner drug. I take this time out to solute the madness we all love. My wife growing up with 5 brothers had never experienced the madness (very difficult to believe I know) until I arrived. 2 years in the books and she is still learning why this month takes her husband away and why it is called Madness. 64 games in 65 days in the greatest tournament ever. That is why, my sweetheart. Buzzer beaters, blown calls, and cutting down the nets is what it's all about. The only thing that would add to the enjoyment would be the Cougars actually winning a tournament game, but I will save that one for another day. Next time when you're depressed in February, hold your head up and smile because March is coming. Madness is coming!!!!!

Lime Ricki

Hey girls, cutest swimsuit site ever! How many of you have heard of Lime Ricki before? I hadn't until I googled "modest swimsuits." Seriously, these are the cutest tankini's I've ever seen. Jeff's going to get me one for my birthday. Check it out at http://www.limericki.com.

If you click on the NEW! Spring 2009 tab, you can see the one I've got my heart set on. It's down at the bottom and it's called Maizy. I'm going to get it with the black shorts they have. Love it!

If you're looking for a new suit this summer, then you should seriously check this site out.

Words of Encouragement?

I am SO burnt out. I cannot stand school anymore. I like what I'm learning, I do, but I just can't take anymore of the stupid assignments, quizzes, tests, and PAPERS (BLAH!!!). I know there are only 6 1/2 weeks left in the semester, but the first 9 weeks have seriously DRAAAAAGGGED on. Ugh! I haven't had a break (other than in between terms and Christmas break) since the summer we got married and I won't get a break until mid-June 'cause of the mandatory Spring Term. I just need some words of encouragement or any ideas of how to help me get through these next few months cause I feel like dropping out (NOT THAT I EVER WOULD!). Any suggestions anyone?

-Burnt-out Bri

That's Right, We are Number One

Disclaimer: I have nothing against UVU. I think it's a great school and I totally would have gone there if I wasn't accepted into the BYU nursing program.

But...I do have something against people who scoff at me for being in the BYU program instead of the UVU nursing program. What's that about?! I've heard numerous times from people (mostly people who don't have a chance at getting into the program at BYU) that UVU is just SO much better. Jeff's heard it at his work as well. In fact, I think there is this one chick who talked to him for quite a while about all the reasons why BYU sucks compared to UVU. I don't get it. I mean, it's BYU people!

Anyway, I got an interesting email from the Dean of the BYU College of Nursing. For those of you who don't know, the NCLEX is the test that students have to take to become an RN. So here's the email in a nutshell.

NCLEX PASS RATES IN THE STATE OF UTAH FOR 2008:

Number One: BYU with 91% pass rate
Number Five: UofU with 86% pass rate
And Number freakin TEN: UVU with a sorry 82% pass rate

And might I add that both Utah and UVU came in after Salt Lake Community College and Provo College. So to all you people who think I'm not as smart or cool or whatever because I go to BYU, I would just like to say, "EAT THAT!"