San Francisco '13

In June, Kevin and I went on a little trip to San Francisco, CA with my mom and Wayne! It was so much fun and we really enjoyed our time there.  We decided to drive as that would be much cheaper than flying 4 people.  On our way there we split the drive up since we left after work one night; we drove to Elko, NV.  We drove the rest of the way the next day and arrived in Windsor, CA about 5pm.  (Windsor is about an hour north of SF) We stayed at a Worldmark by Wyndham resort just off the interstate and it was super nice and quiet. We had a small condo with 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, and a kitchen, dining room and living room.  Our patio looked out over the pool and it was so nice to sit out there when it wasn't super hot! That night we got some groceries, barbequed some dinner and went swimming! The pool wasn't heated much so it was chilly but still fun! Kevin and I are fish so we love the pool! My parents really enjoyed the hot tub haha. Then we stayed up late playing games and we always enjoy that!



Our first drive over the great Golden Gate!!

The next day we ventured down to SF with our City Passes in hand.  Our first stop was pier 39, but before that we got to drive across the great Golden Gate Bridge! This was Kevin's first trip to SF but we were all excited.  We went there as a family when I was 13ish but the bridge was so much more remarkable to see as an adult, for whatever reason.  Driving in SF is almost impossible and according to the GPS it takes 30 minutes to go 8 miles! We finally made it to the pier and our first adventure was going on the Blue and Gold Fleet Bay Cruise.  This took us out on the bay under the Golden Gate Bridge, around Alcatraz, over by the bridge connecting SF and Oakland, and back to port. We even got the see a bunch of seals! It was an amazing cruise and we had so much fun!  When we were packing, I told Kevin to grab a jacket and he didn't think he'd need it until we got out on the water and put it on. It was chilly but amazing! That day in SF the skies were blue and and it was pretty warm so we picked a PERFECT day to go on the cruise we that we could see everything around us!

Next we explored the shops at pier 39 and found a place to eat some lunch, where Wayne and Kevin could get some fish, before we headed over to Candlestick Stadium where we took a tour of the SF 49ers stadium!  Even though I'm not the biggest sports fan out there, seeing things like this are amazing! I was worried Mom and Wayne might be bored, but we all thoroughly enjoyed it, especially Kevin!  We walked out on the field, in the locker room, sat in the players chairs and got to enjoy the view of the field from luxury suites that are quite spendy, $25,000 per game! We learned a great deal about the history of Candlestick and the 49ers.

By the time the tour was over we were all tuckered out so we decided to head back to the resort and swim! It took about 2.5 hours to go 60 miles because the traffic was horrible.  We left SF at 4pm, right in the middle of rush hour!  Once we arrived at the resort, we went swimming but all ended up in a small hot tub and had it to ourselves for the night and it was great! The temperature was perfect and allowed us to sit in there til our skin wrinkled haha! We all slept sooo good that night!

The next day we went back to SF and headed to Golden Gate Park to explore the California Academy of Sciences musuem! This museum had so much cool stuff like an earthquake section where we actually got experience an earthquake in a simulator they had; we watched an awesome video in the theater room about earthquakes and fault lines and the screen was so amazing, it felt like we were in the video. 

Next we went back to the pier to shop and eat before heading back to the resort.  Due to traffic and difficutly getting around we ended up not making it to the last museum that night, so we made plans to come back the next day.  That night we swam once again, surprise surprise!

The following day we were treated to a breakfast at the resort and then we headed to SF one last time to the Exploratorium.  This museum had all sorts of hands on activities that people had invented and we got to play with them.  Some of them were things for kids and we could've spent all day in there but after a few hours we decided to head back to the resort to spend the rest of the day swimming and preparing for our trip home the next day. We stopped next to the GG Bridge to take some pictures and we got to walk out on the bridge too! It's a pretty amazing thing!

We made it back home in about 13 hours and it wasn't that bad of a drive at all.  I took 5 books with me and read 3 of them and plenty of candy crush was played on our trip haha! We broke a lot of laws while driving in CA with those crazy Californian's but we came home with no tickets! Some of those broken laws include speeding, and making left turns when there was a no left turn sign, and that's just the 2 that come mind.  We had many many good laughs with my parents and we all thoroughly enjoyed the trip and the time we spent together.  We  managed to get lost A LOT even with GPS but between my GPS and Wayne's, we managed to get around pretty good!!

Opporunities to do good!

 

I know I am really behind on updating our blog from the summer, and I'm working on it, but I just had to post this one tonight! You know how you make plans and think you have everything figured out? You know just the way you want your life to be and then the inevitable happens and things don't work out according to your plans. It's the worst right?? Well the inevitable happened to me and I felt so lost and confused for months! After graduation I had no idea what to do besides go to work each day. I was fortunate to get a second job and it has been a HUGE blessing in our lives. But in the back of my mind I couldn't help but feel like I had been cheated! For months I have felt a little lost and I just pretended like I had it all figured out, going about my day to day activities, trying to have a good attitude. Trying to get past those thoughts of failure has been more difficult than I imagined it would be but this quote below has really helped. 

 

Now that Kevin is back in school, (and super busy!!), I have found myself wanting to be busier. My 2 jobs keep my pretty busy, but then I realized that I actually missed school. Weird I know! Although school is a lot of work, learning is such a great thing and something I enjoy! About a month ago I was contacted about volunteering with the Idaho Food Bank as a teacher for the Cooking Matters course. At first I was really nervous about it and wasn't sure I would be good at it, but I decided that this is a great opportunity, something I can't pass up. There's not a day that goes by that I don't think about being a Dietitian one day and I'm not going to let anything stand in my way! "Never give up on something you can't go a day without thinking about." So, tonight I went to my training for teaching this class, and I am so excited!! I get to teach teenagers basic nutrition and cooking skills and hopefully I can make a difference in at least one of their lives!

For whatever reason my plans didn't work out, so, now I have new plans and they are exciting! I'm still working on my new plans but one step at a time is all I have to take. For now I have put my trust in the Lord and I know that He will guide me in right direction. I know that I was not supposed to be in school this year and I will never have this time back, so I am going to make the most of everyday! So, here's to new opportunities to do good!

ISU Graduation...I did it!!

The BEAUTIFUL flowers Kevin got me for graduation!! This is the first time that Kevin has gotten me flowers and I was surprised. His philosophy is that "big occasions deserve great gifts" and it means so much to me,  The flowers were perfect!!

The awesome girls I went through the Dietetics program with. I made some great friends and loved my experience there!

My sweet, amazing husband who I can never thank enough for all that he does for me!

My dad, lynn and niece Summer who were at graduation! Summer wanted to be in all the pictures!

My mom! I love her sooo much! Wayne came to graduation but I never got a pic with him.

3 of my sisters and my cute niece Summer who came to graduation, Abby, Natalee, and Courtney!

My awesome friend Becky who was also in the program with me.  She's joined the peace corps and is going to Zambia, Africa! I'll miss her!

My grandparents who I love so much! They are fantastic people!

I was practicing throwing my hat!

Going to ISU was a great experience and although it was tough at times and definitely challenging, I learned so much and loved every day of it! The Lord guided me to go there and I'm so thankful I listened because it was exactly what I needed to do! I have gained a great passion for nutrition and for helping others, as well as pursuing more education! My family and friends and most importantly Kevin have helped me get through these past 2 years and I'm grateful for them!! Can't believe I have my bachelor's degree!

Playing Catch-up

I have been really bad about posting lately so I'm going to be playing catch-up for this post! Life has been a whirlwind for Kevin and I the last 2 months or so. There have been so many changes and big decisions to make and I'm feeling more and more like a grown up ha!

Back in March, Kevin's brother Todd asked us to house sit for the summer at his in laws house. We decided that this would be a fun adventure and free rent is something you should never turn down! As we made plans to move out of our apartment, we decided to move out the end of April and save some money, so we moved in with my parents for about 6 weeks until the house was ready for us.  I  never thought I would be moving back in with my parents and most definitely not bringing my husband haha but it was fun to be there! There were lots of things that happened while living there:

• We had two deaths in the family, my cousin's husband and my grandpa. Although death is a difficult thing to deal with, we're so grateful for the blessing and gift of having eternal families. My testimony of this has grown so much the last several weeks. It's helped me to realize that things happen on the Lord's timetable and that we have to have faith in His plan for each of us. I also learned that I love Kevin so much and that I can't imagine life without him. I'm very grateful for all that he does for me and that we get to be together forever. 
• My mom and I spent lots of time together and I just love her so much! She's such a great example to me of service, love, compassion, charity, patience, and every other quality you can think of! She definitely lives Gordon B. Hinckley's motto of "forget yourself and go to work". 
• I found out that I was not accepted to complete an internship this coming school year. (I'll talk about this later)
• I got a second job at the Pediatric Center which is great because I love kids and hope to work with them one day as a Dietitian.   
• My parents got to see a different side of Kevin and Wayne said one day that he is starting to warm up haha. I love the sarcastic side of Kevin so it was fun to see that come out in him around my parents.
• My mom watches my niece Summer on Wednesday's and she would come down each morning and find me if  I wasn't upstairs. She couldn't quire comprehend why I was living with "grandma" but she loved it. One weekend she stayed there while her parents were out of town and she was my buddy. I couldn't hardly sneak downstairs without her right on my tail. I was working on a big project for school that day and she would always come down and ask if I was done and then eventually my mom would come down to bring her upstairs.  This is how their conversation would go: 
• Grandma: "Summer, what did I tell you about Gretchen today?
• Summer: "Umm.. I don't know"
• Grandma: "She has a lot of homework so you need to come upstairs and quit bothering her."
• Summer: "Uhh FINE" and put her hands on her hips.
• It was so funny to watch this. Really she wasn't bothering me, she just wanted to play in my room and wait for Kevin to get home.
• She would also say something or ask a question, and wanting a certain response she would say, "now say this..." and then proceed to tell me the answer she had in mind.  She has quite the personality and I just love her! 



She LOVES jumping on the trampoline and her Toy Story characters!

• We also got enjoy my mom's home cooking and it was great not having to cook dinner!
• My mom got me hooked on the game candy crush and now Kevin plays it too!
• We celebrated Kevin's 28th birthday at Plum Loco for lunch where they sang to him and he got to where this cute sombrero that was a little small.. 
  
  
  
  

  

  His birthday present from me and we also went to see Oblivion.

• I also got asked to prom! One morning Kevin went to leave for work and he came back inside to tell me someone had written on my car, asking me to prom haha! It was so funny and hilarious!

 As I mentioned earlier, I recently found out that I was not accepted to complete an internship this coming school year. That is part of the process of becoming a Registered Dietitian and the next step after graduation. The internships are very competitive so I applied to 5 different schools, hoping one of them would work out. The day I was supposed to find out I was really nervous and tried not to think about it, but it was basically impossible! 5pm was the time the results were available to us but it was more like 630 before I could log onto the website even. Kevin and I were both anxious to find out the decision. When I read the words "we regret to inform you..." I was numb as I sat there and read the letter. I just kept thinking, okay I didn't get one, oh well. After about 20 minutes of it sinking it, the water works started. I was embarrassed to cry about something that seemed so small but to me it was a huge deal! I was so mad, disappointed, sad, confused, and just about every other emotion you could imagine at this point. I didn't want to talk about it because it would just make me cry more, so Kevin held me in his arms for a long time while we watched a movie on TV as I stewed over what had happened. People were announcing on Facebook all the places they had been accepted to do an internship while I sat there on the couch not knowing what to do next. Getting on Facebook that night was probably not the best way to make me feel better! Anyway, after a few hours of feeling sorry for myself I decided I needed to buck up and have a better attitude.  The next week or so I put on a happy face and did my best to appear like I was handling it well, but inside I wasn't.  I kept telling myself that I should've tried harder and put in more effort but deep down I knew that I had done my part and for whatever reason this was my path and there was something else I needed to do this next year.  Finally I started feeling better about things and Kevin and I have many experiences where we know we are right where we need to be.

So, our plan for the next year is something like this...although it is subject to change!! Kevin has one more semester of classes, which he will finish up this fall, and then an internship, so we are trying to figure out where to apply for that.  He is studying business finance, so we're thinking we could be moving away for that, but we shall see! I am going to continue working at Well's Fargo part time and also at my second job which I started last week. My older sister is a nurse at the Pediatric Center in IF and they were hiring a part time receptionist and I ended up getting the position. Between the two jobs I'll be working full time.  I'm also going to be studying for the DTR exam and the GRE.  I can take the DTR exam after I graduate and then I can work in Dietetics.  I plan on applying for an internship that is coordinated with a master's degree next year so that I can accomplish my goal of completing a master's degree!

We are currently living with Todd, Erin and their 4 kids, well Todd is gone working in Utah.  We've been here for 3 days now and we are loving it! Demry is almost 2 and she has never liked Kevin and I but I'm determined to be her friend! Tonight after we read scriptures and said family prayer, the kids were giving me a hug good night, and Demry came over and gave me a hug!! I was so excited she did that and shocked. Then she was showing me pictures on Erin's phone and talking to me and that was even more progress! Kambree and Bailey share a room next to ours and it's so fun to hear them talking and playing at night, it reminds me of my sister Courtney and I staying up late doing that when we shared a room. 

So, the moral of the story is that life is so unpredictable and we have to take things as they come. Life is not going to turn out how any of us imagine and we are going to experience challenges, disappointments, and exciting things too, but we must move on know that all things will work out!

Feeling thankful!

Well, as some of you know, I had shoulder surgery just before Christmas and I am now 10 weeks out of surgery! The recovery has been pretty good so far and I feel so blessed that is has been. Something I have learned to love is running and shoulder surgery really interferes with that.  With my previous 2 surgeries it's usually 6-8 months before I am able run regularly and allow my arm to swing back and forth for so long. For about 4 or 5 weeks now, I have been easing my way into going to the gym and working out.

Yesterday I was there, walking on the tread mill and getting really bored doing so and so I decided to try running. I figured I would only be able to run for a few minutes before my shoulder would start hurting and I would have to stop.  TWO miles later I was still running and my shouler was feeling great, pain free!!  I couldn't believe it!! I did stop at 2 miles because I wanted to see if I would pay for it later and although it was a little sore last night, it wasn't anything unbearable!  I was overcome with a feeling of gratitude for my doctor, physical therapist, Kevin and the rest of my family and friends that have given me so much support!! I have been doing therapy for 10 weeks now and I know that a large part of my healing process has been because of my awesome therapist and the time he has put into helping me get stronger. Together, my therapist and I have spent 45 hours working on strengthing my shoulder and still more to come!

I am so grateful for my body and my health.  It's so important to take care of our bodies because they heal faster when we do and they are the only ones we have.  There are still plenty of days that I wish I could get a new shoulder but Heavenly Father has given me this challenge for a reason and I am learning more and more about why He has. 

Kevin is wonderful and has really stepped up his game since my surgery. He helps me do things I can't and supports me every day. Here are just a few things he has done. He spent the night at the hospital with me, drove me to therapy and doctor appointments for weeks, slept on the couch so that I could have the bed to myself, he did the cleaning, cooking and grocery shopping, held onto me when we went outside so that I wouldn't fall, and kept me entertained when I wasn't able to do much besides sit around. He's also been very supportive of helping me get back to the gym and making me feel good when I only was able to workout for a short time at first. I am so thankful for my wonderful husband, he is the best!! I'm so thankful he picked me and for all the love and support he gives me every day!

Catching up

Once again I am way behind on our blog so I will do my best to catch up!  So school has once again started and we've been keeping quite busy. We took a day trip to Reno in January so that I could visit the Internship Director there and also so that we could explore the area in case we end up moving there.  We really liked the area and felt at home. It was weird to think that home was so far away.  The drive there was awful and so long.  The weather wasn't great going there but coming home it was, thankfully! There is really nothing to see except for the Nevada State Prison and the no hitchhiking signs because of the prisons. 

Downtown Reno was fun, kind of like a mini Las Vegas.  If it had been warmer we would've walked around more.  We did spend time driving around and looking at potential places to live.  It seems like a fun place to live and many locals told us there are lot of things to do!

We attempted to drive to Lake Tahoe but the roads were not good, obviously, and we were only going 20 mph, so we ended up turning around when we got to the top of the pass. 

We drove down to Carson City to check it out.  It seemed similar to Idaho Falls and we enjoyed it! It was about 30 minutes from Reno.

This is the view from our hotel room.  The University of Nevada Reno is off to the right, minutes from downtown and the Interstate.

 I am currently working on my internship application, which is due this Friday!! It has been so much work and I am so glad to be turning it in finally! I am applying for internships in Pocatello, Boise, Reno, and Las Vegas. We are hoping that we get one of them in Nevada, but we will see what the Lord has in store for us.  It's difficult to be patient when we have no idea what the future holds.  Whatever happens though we know that it is what we are supposed to do and where we are supposed to be. It will be about 2 months before we find out anything so I'll be keeping my fingers crossed until then. 

Kevin is taking IBC this semester and is really busy getting their business started up.  He also started working today and we are so excited!! He hasn't been able to find a job that fit his school schedule well, but a temporary position came up at one of his previous jobs and we are very grateful!! He has been so supportive of my internship and us moving wherever we get the chance and it's wonderful! He is so good to me, I'm one lucky wife!!

There isn't much else new with Kevin and I. We just hangout on the weekends and watch the Bachelor Monday nights!  We've also been going to the gym together and it's so fun to have something to do besides sitting around and watching TV.  Being healthy is important and I'm glad we both agree! We also received a new calling this past Sunday to serve together in the Institute presidency for the young married adults.  I had no idea they even had Institute for married people but we are excited! This will be a great experience and the best part is that we get to do it together!