Sunbeam Party!

In February we had our Primary class over for their very own party. We showed off our turtle, played at the park, and decorated cupcakes! Good thing we planned on getting messy, cuz it sure was :).

so much time, so little work...

Now usually it's the other way around but for some reason work has been really slow tonight ( now i'll jinx myself!). I've been waiting for a 4th patient but no one wants to volunteer. I'm fine with 3. This slow pace has given me ample time to get all my charting done and visit all my favorite blogs to catch up on the lives of others.
We woke up Wednesday morning intending to go to the temple, but as it turned out we bought a plane ticket for Nate instead and I dropped him off at the airport on my way to work. He flew to Oregon to go see his Granpa Brown in the hospital. They just found cancer in his lungs and brain and don't think he will be around much longer. So, we decided it would be better to see him while he's still semi-awake at times. I'm glad he got to go.
I should briefly recap the 2008 holidays for us: we worked and slept. Yup that pretty much sums it up. We worked Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Years Eve, and New Years Day. And I've decided that the extra $800 in the paycheck (even though we grossed a lot more than that) wasn't worth not being awake for any of it. So, I refuse to work Christmas Eve/Day this year. I was bummed that Uncle Sam got so much of our money even getting paid time and a half for working the 2 holidays.
2009 hasn't been too eventful for us yet. We drove to Utah with my mom, Travis, Cory, Abby, Katie, Ryan and Trisha to drop Katie off at the MTC. It was a quickie. I had looked at the weather but obviously not close enough. The snow was beautiful up near Flagstaff, but once we got past Panguitch, not so pretty. After sliding over into the oncoming lane of traffic, Nate was able to fishtail us back to the right side of the road. Then he got the chains out for the tires (nice part of having previously lived in snow country) and with the help of a wonderful man who stopped to help (okay the man pretty much whipped those chains on in no time all by himself) we were on our way followed in the rear by my mom in the Tahoe with 4WD. The rest of the drive up to Salt Lake was snowy. Next time I'll do more in depth research of the weather. It was neat to be at the MTC again. However, so glad it wasn't me staying there. Maybe in another 30 years or so. When it came to the part where they said to say your goodbyes and don't drag it out, we all did just that. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be, not for me at least. Abby had a hard time and was pretty teary eyed on the drive home. A few days later I realized I was sad and missed Katie because I had one less sister to call when I was bored. But, I do like writing missionaries, so it's a good trade.
I'm anxious to paint our house. Nate keeps reminding me how boring our walls are. I kind of refuse to put up pictures on our white walls, because I think if I do, then it will be easier to put off painting them. Once we buy our food storage in this next week or so, I won't feel guilty about spending the money on paint. And we both have the same schedule for the next 6 weeks so this would be the perfect time to paint. Wish me luck on that one.

Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

So, we are on our way to buy chains for the rental car (go figure they don't provide them). Nate's busily shovelling the sidewalk, yet it may be a fruitless feat since it's still snowing. It started snowing Saturday and has been off and on. Funny how it picks up when you're going to be driving in it! Fortunately we have given ourselves lots of time to get to Portland. Our flight doesn't leave until 6pm and we're heading out the door here at 9am for our 3 hour drive. Let's hope it doesn't take too much longer than that. It's at times like these that I'm glad we live in AZ. Talked to my mom this morning who was telling me how cold she was there in Mesa. I let her know we've been in the teens for 3 days! She stopped complaining. Enjoy the pics and be happy you're not in it!

Katie at the temple

My sister Katie is going on a mission to Omaha Nebraska in January and so we went with her to the Mesa AZ temple while she was home for Thanksgiving. It was a neat experience to be in the temple with my mom, Brandon, Wendy, Ryan and their spouses all supporting Katie. She's going to be a great missionary, we're very excited for her!

Beautiful Columbia Gorge

While driving to Nate's brother's house along the Columbia River, we were blessed to see God's artwork. These pictures do not do justice to how amazing it really was. Cars were pulled off the side of the road for several miles while people took pictures of the masterpiece. It's been a long time since I've seen something that beautiful. Arizona has beautiful sunsets but this one definitely takes the cake.

Nate's 29th Birthday

Nate was very excited about his birthday (November 24) because not only did it mean eating cake, but it also means he's one year closer to being 30. He claims he's tired of being in his twenties and can't wait to get out of them. We'll see if he's still saying that in a few years. We splurged on his cake and bought a Cold Stone gingerbread ice cream cake. It was delicious. We couldn't justify eating the whole thing ourselves so we invited Brandon and Jackie Lee and their boys Carson and Boston over and Ryan and his wife Trisha. Thanks for helping us eat it!

Our House

Our house is wonderful. After some minor plumbing issues it is in really good shape. We got a smoking deal on it. It was a bank owned property in super good condition. Our realtor (my brother Brandon) did a great job and was a huge help and support. Since we were either working or sleeping he did a lot to keep us informed about what was going on. It was a huge relief to be able to trust him so much with a huge purchase. We recommend him to anyone. He really worked hard to make it as smooth as possible for us. The house is obviously a 2 story, 2368 sq. ft with 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, and as big of a backyard as you can get nowadays in the crampacked communities. It has a nice living room/dining room which I doubt we'll use for eating, but it's great for the piano. We're just not formal people. Nate has been collecting superhero stuff for many years and now he finally has a bathroom for it all. Nate has been busy installing ceiling fans (yes we still use them and it's December), fixing the pantry door, and many other little things that keep popping up. So, it's keeping us busy and we love it.

So, they say this is supposed to be easy and fun. I guess we'll see about that!