Thanksgiving

Well this Thanksgiving was wonderful. Brandon's family was able to come into town which was nice because we weren't going to be leaving to see any family. On Tuesday night Aaron and Chloe (Brandon's siblings) and us went out to dinner at Red Robin. Then on Wednesday since there was no school, we went up to Park City. Brandon worked that day from about 9 to 5 so he missed out on the fun, but it was a good time. I love going to the outlets to get some shopping done.

That night Brandon's parents came into town, so we had dinner at Cafe Rio. I love that place. Thursday we spent the day at home, cooking and such. The food was great, and then we just sat around trying to figure out what to do. Chloe wanted to see New Moon really badly, so the parents were going to take us all. Brandon and I didn't want to see it, so we passed. Aaron's girlfriend just returned from her mission and her family just happened to be in Provo too, so he went over there to play games.

Friday, I didn't go shopping at all! I am pretty much done with Christmas shopping so I felt like I didn't have to venture out. Brandon changed the breaks on his car with his dad and brothers help. It was our good friend Cassie's birthday so we went to Village Inn to celebrate. I didn't want any pie, so I ate fruit instead. Brandon of course had pie. No surprise there!

Saturday was game day! First we helped a few friends move down to Springville and realized that we would like to have our own house, but we are not in that position. Then we watched the game. BYU vs. Utah! Legendary! It was a great game. Part way through we went out to dinner to Brick Oven and so the phone was on the table the whole time updating every 30 seconds so we knew what was going on. Then, since Brandon is in the Army ROTC at BYU they have to clean up a section of the stadium after a game. I was nice enough to go help him. We arrived with about 2 minutes on the clock and it was 20-17 BYU leading. I just stood there on the walkway cheering my head off. Brandon told me that we had to get over to the other side. So, when Utah took a timeout, I took off running, not wanting to miss a single second of the game. I watched as Utah tied it up with a field goal. It was wonderful to stand there and watch as overtime played out, and I was freaking out after Andrew George took off running to the end zone. I knew that we had won! I haven't been at the stadium for the past two seasons to see home games because season tickets are so expensive and Brandon doesn't love to watch them. He was laughing at me the entire time we were there watching the last part of the game. I am so proud to be a cougar!!

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.

The Philippines

Well, as many of you know, we just returned from the Philippines. It was so much fun, and we were there for two weeks. When we arrived it was Thursday night, so we hopped into a taxi and went to the hotel. It was a nice hotel, but not the best. Then we adventured out of the hotel to explore that area of Manila. We found a Chow King, which is a restaurant that serves Chinese food. It was so good, and just a block away from the hotel. However, to get there you had to cross two of the busiest roads to get there. Now, in the Philippines, they don't care if you are a pedestrian or not. If you are in their way they won't slow down but will honk at you to get out of their way as fast as possible. Therefore, crossing those roads was an adventure. It was raining as well, and they think that any one without an umbrella is crazy. So, they kept trying to have us buy umbrella after umbrella. Needless to say, we never bought one.

The next day, we were flying up to Laoag, which is where Brandon served his mission. However, the flight was leaving at 6:50 pm and checkout at the hotel was noon. So, we needed to find something to do with all that extra time. We hopped into a taxi, which proceeded on hitting another taxi while trying to pull away, and we headed to the temple. If you thought that driving in L.A. is bad, go to the Philippines. No one follows the rules of the road, and they try and fit into any spot they can on the road, even if they have to push another car out of their way. Even just being in the back of the taxi was scary at times, and this drive to the temple was the scariest of all. We almost got hit more times than I could count, and many of those times it was a big bus versus the little taxi we were in. Brandon was laughing at me the whole time there because he just thought it was fun.

Once we got to the temple we asked the people at the visitor's center if we could leave our luggage there while we did a session. They were more than willing. It was a wonderful experience to be in the Manila temple. The session was in English so I was able to understand everything but it was just simply amazing. After that, we went to the airport and waited for our flight. We had the hotel that we were going to be staying at in Laoag pick us up, and that was so nice after the taxis that day. The hotel we stayed at was amazing. It was so nice and comfortable that I thought I could live here.

We traveled around to so many different places, and were able to see so many awesome things. In one city we were trying to decide whether or not to take a ride in the house drawn carriage. Finally, we decided that we would because we would probably regret it later. The town had cobblestone roads, and old Spanish architecture. It was so amazing to see that town. I am glad that we did it!

After about a week in Laoag, we head back down to Manila. We decided to come home a week earlier, and since the airlines didn't charge us to change our flights, we did. After checking into a different hotel in the Manila area, we hated it. The hotel that is, not Manila. It was so trashy and the room was disgusting. We told hotel management about it, and they said that they would switch us to a new room about 2 pm. After spending the day out, we came back around 5 to find out the new room was not ready yet and wouldn't be for a few more hours. We were sick of that hotel so we called around and found a very nice hotel in the Makati area, which is the nicest part of the Manila area. As soon as we walked into our room we were so happy that we had left the other hotel. It was the most expensive room in the hotel, but not at all expensive to American standards and a massage came with the room. Not just one for the whole stay, but one per day! That was pretty amazing.

When it was time to leave, we were both very sad, but excited to be returning home. The people in the Philippines are just so nice and caring, and they are missed. Brandon suggested going back next year, but we will see what happens...

The End!

It is finally the end of the semester. It is a reading day, and Brandon is working today. I still have school, but my last day is Friday. I am excited to finish and then graduate. It is going to be great to be an official college graduate. My mom and I have been counting down and we are down to 8 days.

However, the end means that I have to leave the students. They are so stinkin' cute. I can't believe how attached they are to me. Today I had to be the mean teacher and take away recess minutes to make them practice being quiet and walking in the hallway. However, still after that they are so excited when I teach them something or tell them something about my life. They are the sweetest kids in the world. They went to the Cougar Store today and just the smallest things made them happy. It still just blows my mind to see how kind they are. They asked me yesterday if I could come visit every Friday. When I told them that I couldn't come every Friday they then changed their minds to Tuesday. I really love each one of these students, and they are all so different. It is going to be sad to leave on Friday.

Brandon is doing great. he just left for a review. He is so happy to be at the end. He had been working on many different projects at once, and they are done. All that he has left is a couple finals and a research paper.

Lonely Evening

Well, Brandon is gone on a ROTC FTX, which is a field training exercise. He left yesterday and won't be home until sometime tomorrow. I therefore will be having a lonely Friday night.

Since he was going to be gone yesterday, I just stayed up in the Salt Lake area for a meeting about the school I am going to be working at. It was a meeting about the curriculum, and it seems like it is going to be a great experience. However, that meant that I had to find a way to spend about 3 hours between school and the meeting. I had to go and turn in my new hire paperwork, then after that I went to the Jordan River temple. It was nice to just spend time there, and to get away from life. After a long day at school, that is just what I needed.

School is going good, but I am ready to have my own classroom. The kids have spring break next week, which means they have Thursday, Friday, and then the next Monday off. Not a whole week, but it will be a nice break before the end.

Brandon is getting ready for the grind of end of the semester. He has many assignments left and tests. It seems like he is always doing homework, but that is not a bad thing. However, he is ready to be done with this year. He keeps on telling me that he just can't wait to be done with college in general.

A Job!!!

I got a job this week! I am so excited and relaxed now. I don't have to worry about having a job or not, just about gathering all the items for my classroom. I am going to be a second grade teacher at Early Light Academy, and I can't wait. This school is in the process of being built, and it should be a great facility. Each of the classrooms is going to have this thing called a SmartBoard, which is an interactive whiteboard. It acts as a whiteboard, and a touch screen for your computer. You just project your computer onto the board, and bam, you can touch the board to click on items on your desktop. I am super excited for this new adventure. Also, I found out that I passed my Teacher Work Sample (final senior project) so that is nice and means that I can graduate. Everything is falling into place so nicely, that I am just amazed by it all.

Brandon is not going to be doing Army related training this summer so that will be nice. However, he is going to take classes during the summer term so that he won't be in school for another 3 years.

It snowed here this week, after about 2 weeks of spring weather and 70 degrees it just had to snow again.

So, graduation is getting closer, about 3 weeks. This means that we get to see some of the family. Brandon's parents are coming and his sister lives here so it will be nice to have them come, and then my parents and my brother, sister-in-law, and their adorable children are coming. It is going to be a party!

Life keeps moving

So, I know that it has been awhile, but life just keeps moving.

My class assignment was changed. I am in a third grade class now, which is a big change. The students are the sweetest, nicest, and cutest ever. They are always asking me about what I ate for lunch, what I am doing in the back of the room, and other very sweet things. I am excited to be with them, and to get to know them. However, it is going to be tougher than last time. They all come from lower income families, and they need so much more love and teaching from me. I already love each one of them, and it is only the fourth day with them.

Brandon is still very busy, but he is handling it well. He has been responsible for leading PT for Army ROTC for the past few sessions. He has been coming up with good workouts, and comes home sore from them.

We officially are going to the Philippines in May for about 3 weeks. However, right before that we are moving into another apartment. We were lucky to find a person to take over our contract within days of listing it. Brandon is so ready for our summer trip, and is looking forward to it. I am graduating in less than 2 months, and that is so exciting. However, scary at the same time. I am still looking for a teaching job, but I am not that worried.

Oh Snap!

So, a very, very sad thing happened today. While I (Kerri) was at work, my phone slipped out of my hand and feel into a bucket of water. It was only in there for a little while but still...this could be the end of that phone. :(
Then, Brandon thought that he did really well on a test, but then after when he saw his grade he felt like he got screwed. Let's just say that he didn't get the best score ever.

Other than that, the day was fine. Teaching went well today. I was able to teach almost the whole day since their was a substitute. The kids were well behaved, and they really tried hard all day.

Dinner Out

Last night we had a great dinner out. It was so nice to spend time together, especially on a weekday. Kerri was called ma'am over and over again by our server and Brandon loved his Chicken and Dumplins. We decided that Cracker Barrel is so great because it is not that expensive, especially since they give you so much food.

We are still very busy, and sometimes it feels like we are going about 100 miles per hour, but we are getting into a groove. Kerri makes smoothies for us every morning, and Brandon cleans it up after she has left. Also, when it snows Brandon shoves the spot for Kerri - how thoughtful of him.

The weather last week spoiled us, it got up into the high 40's, but this week it is back down into the teens and snowing - I don't know if I can take it any more.

Busy Life

So, it has been a while, and we have both been very busy. Our Christmas break started off with an adventure of a canceled flight and closed airports. We ended up flying into Seattle and then having my dad drive us back down to their house. A two-three hour drive took almost 5 due to the snow. Washington state doesn't believe in real snowplows so none of the roads in Vancouver were clear. Spending time with the family was great, and we got some much needed rest.

We came back to Provo about a week before school started and jumped back into work. Then the semester hit like a bomb. I am student teaching and working about 20 hours a week, and Brandon is taking classes and working as well. It feels like to us that we hardly ever see each other.

Student teaching is going great. I am teaching a sixth grade class in the Jordan/Draper area. I was terrified of the sixth graders at first, but I think that has past. Now, I am just worried that they are going to correct my grammar and know a whole lot more than me. See, they are the advanced class, and are learning seventh and eighth grade material. I am worried that I don't know all that I need to in order to help them learn all they can.

Even though we are crazy busy, we are loving life.