A long time

Wow, sorry that it has been a long time since I have updated this. Life is busy, but that is no excuse. Well, let me see what has been going on.

I have been sick! It has been bad because during the week I can tell that I am a little bit sick, but then the weekend comes and bam! I am so sick that I have to stay home all weekend. Luck for me, this spell has ended. It happened two weekends in a row, and those were bad weekends to do it on. The first weekend Brandon's family was in town, so I was kind of a downer on the rest of the group. Then, the next weekend I was home alone all Saturday while Brandon was on a mini FTX (field training exercise). Needless to say, I hate being sick and being home alone. Not fun.

The weekend that Brandon's family was in town was great (minus the sickness of course). We drove the Alpine loop and had a grand time. We even got real silverware, so no more cheap plastic silverware. Well, it is not real real silverware that you have to shine, but still we were very proud. Then on top of that we finally found place mats that we like and nicer dishes that we love! They are red and black and square. They are really beautiful. They also make all my meals look fantastic without me trying to have a nice presentation so that is an extra bonus.

Well, as for Brandon he is doing well. School is keeping him very busy, so I hardly see him, but I understand that he is doing something that is going to be great for us in the future. Also, that mini FTX he went on was ok. He had a good time from what I can tell. However, he had a blister on the bottom of his foot that stuck out like 1/4 inch and was larger around than a quarter. He had to pop it while he was out at Camp Williams for the FTX so it was hurting him a bunch the next day.

Well as many of you know, this past weekend for BYU was not a great one. It actually kind of made us look like fools. However, I knew that we wouldn't win and that it probably would be a bad game to watch, so we instead went to Trafalga. We played mini-golf and had a good time. We were able to go with our good friends Chris and Christina. They are amazing friends and we are lucky to know them.

Other than that, this week is going to be a quite one for me. I have the entire week off from teaching so that is a nice break, but weird because I woke up feeling like I was going to be late but I wasn't since no one is at the school. I don't know what to do with all my time...

What a crazy past couple weeks!

These past couple weeks have been crazy. As you can tell I survived the first week of school. It was a great week and I wasn't even that stressed. The students in my class are great. I love them all. They say some of the funniest things, and they keep me on my toes. I am grateful for the opportunity that I have to be their teacher. Sometimes I still can't believe that I am in charge of 25 7/8 year olds, but I love it still. They feeling that you get when they finally understand what you are teaching them is rewarding enough.

Brandon also survived his first week of school. He is taking 15.5 credits and working about 15 hours. His classes are hard, but he is great at studying so it won't be a problem. Sometimes, it feels like I never see him, even though we are home together each night, but I am working on school stuff and so is he.

We have been having a wonderful time together. One of our favorite things to do is go on a walk to the place we will eat at. It doesn't happen that often, but when it does, it is great.

For Labor Day weekend we spend time with our friends. Chris and Christina had us over for dinner on Labor day, and it was nice to see them. Then, that night we went over to celebrate our other friend Chris' birthday. It is so nice to have great friends.

Well, that is all for now...

Training and everything else

Well, I have been having training for school. I have to drive up to Salt Lake for the training. Yesterday I had to drive farther than normal, and thus I got stuck in horrible traffic. I don't know why traffic slows down when there are no accidents. If everyone went the speed limit then yes there will be lots of cars on the road, but it wouldn't be as stressful. At times I was going like 30 mph when the speed limit is 65 mph. Anyways, back to the training. I am excited and nervous for school to start and with all this training it seems like it is never going to come. I know that as soon as school start, everything will be fine.

Brandon is so excited! This week he purchased everything that he needs to build his new computer. He had a nice laptop, but he recently got a tablet that is perfect to take notes on, but he needs something more powerful for his programming classes. I think that everything will arrive late this week so that it is built by Saturday, well that is what he says. I don't know if it is going to be finished by then.

On Saturday, my aunt arrived. She is staying with us during education week. It is really fun to have her here. I love spending time with her. Then on Monday, we had FHE and then we went on a walk. While we were on the walk, I asked Brandon if he knew when your friends the Heits were moving. Brandon said that he didn't know, but why don't we walk over there and ask. On the way over there, I was just walking happily hand in hand with Brandon, and then suddenly BAM! I smacked my foot into a brick. There was just a random brick in the middle of the sidewalk! Seriously, who does that? By the time we got there it was like 9:30. They were surprised to see us, but they were kind enough to let us stay for like an hour. All in all Brandon and I had a great time on our walk. It is always nice to just spend time together and chat!

The past week

So, this past week has been a good week. I only have one more week of working at Burger King, so that is always nice, and then I was able to see Brandon more. Not much happened Monday - Wednesday, but on Thursday, we rented Knowing off of iTunes, and then invited Chris and Amanda over to watch it with us. That movie started off really good, but the ending was weird. The last scene shows a tree in the middle of a field, and the two kids running towards it. We all just said huh, that is weird. It seemed like the tree of life, and that was just weird to through into a movie that wasn't about religion at all.

On Friday, Aaron (Brandon's brother) came into town for the night and was going to be staying with us. So after I got off work, we grabbed a pizza, then headed to the Nickelcade. After about two hours there, they threw us out because it was midnight and they were closing. We headed home, and then the boys wanted to hit up sonic at about 1 am. I let them go, and went and just laid down on the bed to wait for them to come home. The next thing I know it is 9 am. Needless to say, I didn't just lay down.

Then yesterday (Saturday), I had the whole day off from both jobs. Since we were up late the night before, we all slept in pretty late. Then Brandon and Aaron had to go to Brandon's work so he could make him some sort of CD. At about 2 pm we said goodbye to Aaron, and then started laundry. By five everything was folded and put away.

At about 6 we headed out. Brandon refused to tell me where we were going. He does this from time to time, so the only thing that I asked him was if it was ok that I wear flip flops. He told me to put on real shoes, so I did. He surprised me by taking me to Bridalveil falls in Provo Canyon. It was beautiful and we went on a walk down the trail. After about an hour and a half we left. We came home and made tacos for dinner, and then later went to Coldstone for some ice cream since we had a coupon. All in all it was a good week.

Whirlwind weekend

Well, this past weekend Beth and I headed home. Her little sister Brina, and my long time friend, was getting married. We were so excited to be going home that we left at like 6:30 on Thursday. After about 12 hours we arrived at my parents house, and I was excited to be able to move my legs around.

On Friday I went to Target with my dad to meet my mom after she got off work (she works there). While waiting I found some awesome teacher stuff and my dad was sweet enough to buy them for me. So, 26 whiteboards, some bookmarks, caddy's to go on the tables, and puzzles and flashcards later I found my mom. We bought Brina her presents then headed home. I then adventured out on my own to she my friend Shannon. I have know her since I was in the first grade, and now she has two kids. I was so happy that I was able to see her and her new 5 month old baby.

That night we all went out to dinner: my parents, my brother and his wife, and me. We went to Mongolian Grill and it was delicious. I was so full after my first plate that I was unable to go back for more, and had to wait like 20 minutes before I felt like having dessert. Yummy!

The next day started early. We needed to go help them set up for the wedding. Beth picked me up at 7:10, met up with her older sister Amanda and her husband Ryan, then headed over to Portland. First, McDonald's, second to the park to set up. I was so happy to see Brina and meet the man she was going to marry. After about 2 hours or so of setting up we headed to the room to get ready. I did all the girls in her families hair: Amanda, Beth, Mom, Holly the littlest sister, and Brina's. Brina was so beautiful. I am grateful that I was able to be there for that special day. Here are a few photos from the wedding festivities.



Where it all took place.



Setting up for the ceremony.



Mike seeing Brina for the first time! She looks stunning.



The happy couple!



Walking down the aisle with her dad



Close up of her and her dad.



This little girl wanted Brina to get married again and have her be the flower girl. Brina told her that she wouldn't marry just anyone, but to find the man that she had married earlier! It was so cute!



Their first dance.



The girls minus Bri.



Her brothers Teddy and Gilbert. Gilbert is the cute one and Teddy is the one with black hair and a red beard.

Some pictures from the Philippines

A very old carriage.


This tower is slowly sinking into the ground!


Another picture of the beach. The black spots are heads.


A picture of me with the lush greenery behind me.


Brandon looking nice and hot.


A really amazing family that Brandon and Jason helped bring the gospel to. They had us over for dinner. They are simply amazing.


The BEAUTIFUL beach! There was hardly anyone there.


This is a church that was built in the 1500's.


This is a trike. You sit in the sidecar and the driver takes you to where you need to go for about 10 cents! Well depending on where you are going.


This was the view from our very first hotel. It was so beautiful there.

The Kitchen Sink

So, the other day I was getting out some chicken for dinner from the freezer. I turned on the kitchen sink so that the water could warm up to help the chicken thaw faster and the next thing I know, the kitchen sink is backed up and filling with water very rapidly. Both sides of the sink were filling up so we knew where the problem was relatively. Later that night we are in the store and we called Brandon's brother to have him check the kitchen sink. He said that there was no water in it so it just is slow on draining. I was so confused because of what had happened earlier that morning.

Later that night, I turn on the sink and what do you know, it backs up again! By this time I am sick of it and tell Brandon that we need Draino. The next morning the same thing happens, so we go out and get some Draino. After having it in the pipes for about an hour or more I turned on the water. The next thing I see is foamy water coming up into the sink! I am so irritated with the sink that I tell Brandon that we must take it apart. However, he told me to just let the water run and fill up in the sink to see if it will help break up the clog.

After about one hour, Brandon sees the need to get this fixed. Without a properly working sink we can't wash dishes by hand or in the dishwasher, and the next day was Sunday. We got to the store to buy something we can drain the water into, come back and get out as much water from the sinks as we can by scooping it out. Then, Brandon with the help from his brother take the sink apart. They got the clog, but they were both being girls about it. If anything from the clog got on them they needed to wash their hands right away! It was so fun. Finally, they got everything out, put it back together, and tested the sink. It works great and I am grateful that they were willing to do it and not make me do it!

On an unrelated matter, yesterday we noticed a bubble forming on our ceiling in our bedroom. Brandon felt it and it was definitely full of water. We knew this was a big problem, popped and drained it, and then called our management. They still haven't got back to us, but we are worried about how they are going to fix it and when! I hope that it doesn't get worse before it gets better. I will keep you posted.