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!

Fall fun!

The fall semester is quickly coming to end for Kevin and I and we couldn't be more excited for a break!! We have been keeping very busy with the usual things, school, work, and church, plus lots of family activites the last little while! We are getting excited for Thanksgiving as we will be spending it in Boise this year with my dad! I haven't had Thanksgiving with them for several years and Kevin never has so it will be fun! I am also very much looking forward to BLACK FRIDAY shopping!!!! It's a tradition every year and I love it!

 

A few weeks ago we had family pictures and they turned out great! (If you need a great photographer for a decent price let me know!) These were just a few favorites of Kevin and I.  This first one is probably my very favorite!  The more I look at it, the more I realize how lucky I am to have a such a wonderful, handsome husband to spend eternity with!  He makes me laugh everyday, lots, and he takes great care of me!  A few nights ago we were laying in bed, both complaining about school, when Kevin says, "if it weren't for bad luck I wouldn't have luck at all" hahahaha.  I was laughing for like five minutes and then I reminded him of just how lucky he really is to have so many blessings and good people in our lives! (I threw my name in there a couple times too). 

 

With that, I have had thankfulness on my mind a lot this week and have been counting my blessings! (I could list things all day but I chose just a few for now!)
1.  I am thankful for my husband! He makes me happier than I ever imagined possible and I love him more and more each day! He takes great care of me and does everything he can to help me in any way.  He is so supportive of me in all the things that I do and is my best friend! How did I get so lucky?!
2.  I am thankful for my talents and that I can play the piano.  I currently serve in the young women's in our ward and since none of the yw can play the piano I get to play each Sunday for them as well as for any special musical numbers they perform.  We had young women of excellence night this past week and the girls sang a beautiful song called, "Like the Stars".  Listening to their voices as they sang made me tingle inside for the wonderful blessing of music, it blesses my life everyday! 
3.  I am grateful for my education and although it's not always easy, I love learning and look forward to one day being able to help people as a Dietitian! I am grateful for Kevin's education too and all the hardwork he is putting into getting good grades!
4.  I am grateful for my health.  Some of you know that I have been having some health problems the last few months and after many tests the doctor has concluded I am severely lactose intolerant, so much so that I should treat it as a milk allergy.  This has made cooking and eating difficult at times because there are so many delicious things I can no longer eat.  I do finally feel better, most days at least, and I am finding more and more foods and recipes I can have!  This has been a great learning experience for me and I have to give a big shout out to my awesome husband and family members who have been by my side, caring and taking care of me through these last few months.  Kevin has been there the whole time, making me feel better on those days I feel sorry for myself and when I feel awful! My parents and in-laws are great about making sure I have things to eat when we go to their house and they care so much! It has meant the world to me and made it that much easier!  Kevin even offered to elimiate milk/dairy from his diet but I told him there was no sense in both us being miserable.  I am happy to say however that this is feeling less and less like a burden and the Lord has blessed and helped me to do realize that.  I read a scripture in Helman 5:3 today about trials and that they are given to us so that we don't forget the Lord.  It is so true!!

This past weekend Kevin and my dad ran in the Phi U 5k!  At school I belong to a sorority/club type thing called Phi Upsilon Omicron, that focuses on family and education.  We hosted a family 5k fun run/walk in Pocatello and my family came out and supported us.  It ended up being cold and snowy but we still had a decent turn out.  Kevin and my dad ran it in about 26 minutes and they were the first ones to cross the finish line. It meant so much to have my dad, lynn, Abby, Natalee, Adam, Austin, and Brody come out for it! 

 This is right at the starting line and when Joanna yelled "GO!" Kevin and dad were the only ones that took off haha. 

                                  They were really excited to be running in the cold and snow!

 Just before the finish line.  Right after this pic was taken, Kevin sprinted to the finish line a few steps ahead of my dad!

                                                             Almost to the finish line!

In this season of thanksgiving I hope we all remember what we have to be grateful for and to not forget all that the Lord has done each of us!  We hope that you have a wonderful Thanksgiving! 

Boise State Game!

Fall for us means back to school and less fun for us. With work, homework, and classes, we don't have time for much else.  We spend every evening doing homework but at least we get to do it together.  We always look forward to Sundays, the one day we take off from homework (usually) and just enjoy the day together.  We enjoy going to the haunted attractions at Halloween with our friends Mary and Ty, and it always brings back good memories for the 4 of us.  Kevin and I started dating during the fall of 2010 and we often doubled with Mary and Ty who started dating  not much longer after we did. 

Last weekend we were able to go to Boise and see my dad, Lynn, and the kids.  My dad has been back east for work since July it's been June since we saw him last, so we were looking forward to spending the weekend with them! My sister Natalee, and her family came as well.  Kevin and I were so excited to go that we took off for the weekend Thursday after our classes got out.  It was a much needed break for both of us.  Austin and Brody, Natalee and Adam's boys were a hoot and kept us all on our toes.  Natalee and Adam didn't get into town til later Friday afternoon so Kevin and I got to spend Friday at my dad's house.  It was a treat to have that time with him!  He's a great example, a hard worker, an awesome dad, and so good at his job!  He wears his testimony on his sleeves, whether he knows it or not, and I love seeing that side of him.  I'm proud to call him my dad! :)

Saturday was a busy day for all of us.  It was my dad's turn to clean the church so we all loaded up in the cars and drove up.  Austin and Brody even helped vacuum!  It was fun to do that service as a family!  After that we went home and got showered to go to the BOISE STATE GAME!! My dad and sister Abby stayed home with Austin and Brody and Lynn, Hunter, Adam, Natalee, Kevin, and myself went to the game.  Boise played Fresno State and we pulled a W!! It wasn't the most exciting game but being at the stadium with all the fans was so fun!  The endzones wore white, one side wore orange and the other side wore blue. It was awesome to see a whole side of orange!  That was Kevin's first BSU game and he was in heaven!  Him and Adam were like little boys at Christmas haha! 

After the game we met up with dad, Abby and the boys to visit Uncle Bill and Aunt Carolyn before going to the Boise LDS temple openhouse.  It was so beautiful inside!!  When we went by the Bride's room Kevin was like, "Did you get to get ready in a room like this?" I was like yes and he was jealous haha!  I never went in the temple before the remodel but on the video we watched we learned that the original temple was built simply because of costs and so I guess this new remodel has just made it that much more beautiful with the chandeliers and earth tone colors used.  The Spirit was so strong there and it made me think of how grateful I am that families can be together forever!  That was the first day the temple was open to the public and over 20,000 people had visited just that day, how awesome!  After the temple we went to Fudrucker's for dinner and then home to bed, we were all pooped!



Austin (Brody wanted to try it too!)

Brody and his cute little smile!

Kevin with "the blue tarp"!

Adam, so excited to be there! Natalee surprised him with the trip!

Me my cute husband waiting for the game to start!
You can see the sun was shining on us and we all got sunburned and raccoon eyes!

Boise LDS temple entrance

Temple from the road, kinda blurry..

Sunday we went to church, ate, hung out for awhile and then headed home.  We stopped in Pocatello and saw grandma and grandpa Reese and what a treat!   We just love them!   It was a great weekend and being with the family was so fun!  I think a new tradition is in order... :)