Wedding Pics... Some Favorites

We finally have our wedding pictures! Yay! It's been a crazy semester, so they are a little late. More to come, but I thought I'd atleast put some on to start. I think that in order to fully appreciate these first two, you might have to know my sister Sarah (a.k.a. Biff). They are great! We opened these two up, expecting no one to be looking (I didn't even know that our photographer had taken them! Oh, and by the way, our photographer was Linsey Hale. She's amazing and I would definitely recommend her to anyone! Check her out... http://linseyhale.com -I have yet to figure out how to do that snazzy thing where you make her name as a link to her website. I'll have to work on that. But Linsey is awesome!) I don't even know if Linsdey was expecting this first one... But there she is... beaming front and center!! I love my sister!!

Sorry about the kissing picture... but I think that this is one of my favorites!
Yay! We're married! Danny says I look like I'm floating....The classic...

My sister Sarah took this one. It's definitely another of my favorites!

Here are my grandparents-my mom's parents. They are such wonderful people! I attribute my love for rootbeer and occassionally peanut M&M's to my grandpa for always having a stash in the back of his van and for always sharing with me!

I think these ones portray their relationship quite nicely. :)

Danny's family! I think Lincoln get's the award for Best Smile! What a stud.

Here is my family... Tom even showed up! What a good looking bunch (above and below!)

More to come!

Halloween Costumes!

I apologize that I've been so bad at posting. I look forward to next semester when I'll hopefully have a little more free-time. (I would hope so, going from 17 credits to 6). Anyways, I do admit I was a cowgirl for the elementary school carnival. I love getting paid for playing at a carnival. Anyways, Halloween night Danny and I had the best costumes ever. With our awesome homemade shirts and Mexican masks we went as.....

BATMAN AND NACHO LIBRE!!!!!

Aren't these capes great? We've been waiting ever since our honeymoon for Halloween to be able to wear them. When we were in Ensenada there were tons of wrestler masks- and they had these great ones for kids! They were a little tight... but well worth it! They even had pictures on the capes. Can't wait till next year.

Peanuts

I would say that, to a certain extent, I have always been a peanuts fan. I have read the comic and occassionally watched the show. I always loved it when they would talk to their teacher and the teacher would respond by saying "wa wa wa." My second grade teacher LOVED Snoopy, and had a mailbox with Snoopy on top in the classroom, and we could write letters to him (and he'd write back!!!). I thought that was pretty neat. But compared to Danny I would have to say my past interest in the Peanuts has been very small, and without realizing it, he has made me a bigger Charlie Brown supporter. When I got home from my mission last year in October, one of the first movies we watched (after Cars) was It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown. We watched it again a few weeks ago. We also watched "You are Not Elected Charlie Brown" in honor of the elections. In the next coming weeks we are going to watch A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (which I have yet to see). On top of that, it being the start of Christmas music season, we bought the Charlie Brown Christmas CD on Saturday and have been listening to it all weekend! I definitely recommend it. It's good stuff! And best of all, our parents got us a Christmas tree permit so that we can go chop down our very first Christmas tree! We were laughing though, that with our appartment being the size that it is, our tree might not be much bigger than Charlie Brown's!

More on Pumpkin Carving

My dad supplied me with some great pictures from our pumpkin carving, so I thought I'd add them on...

Here is a side of Danny that you would never expect to see...

You would probably expect it more from Fred and me...
Fred adding on some final touches... And his finished product (I'm sorry if you have a weak stomach).The victims put up a fight... notice their spears in the pumpkins cheeks...

Then here is Biff with her mad pumpkin-carving-skills... (notice Bob in the background)

Here are some we took of ours infront of our appartment:

And last but not least... the coolest picture of them all... the grand finale...

The Art of Carving Pumpkins

Tonight my mom invited us over to carve pumpkins with the fam. I can't remember the last time I carved pumpkins! It was probably just before my mission, but I just don't remember. Last year, about a week after I got home, Danny and I painted pumpkins, but that was as close as we got. So tonight we dug in with Ted and Sarah and my mom and dad.

I was very impressed with Sarah's skills. I wish I had taken a picture of her pumpkin! Maybe I'll get one later. She did a wolf howling under the moon. How cool is that? (Note: the first picture was my dad's pumpkin)

I won't tell you where Ted got his idea from, but he sure did a good job of it!
I also wish I had a final picture of Ted's pumpkin. He poured karo syrup with red food coloring around it's mouth and hands and stuck army guys and starwars figures in it's hands and mouth. It's pretty funny!There are our pumpkins! (missing a few details still...)

One of the best parts of the night... yummy pumpkin seeds!

Putting Religion Back into School

You know when you find yourself getting so caught up in all that has been going wrong rather than what is going well? In the last few weeks it seems like there has been way too much to do in not enough time, and way too much of it wasn't going the way I had hoped. In my first class on Monday we went over our midterms. Unfortunately, it all made sense after we went over it, and I didn't do nearly as well as I had hoped (luckily it doesn't influence our grade as much as I had thought it would). It became just another item on the list of things that were influencing my stress level. I went to my classes with anything but a positive attitude, but that all change when I went into my last class of the day: Human Exceptionality.
Originally I took this class because it counts for two requirements and I figured who cares what class it is...you might as well hit two birds with one stone! But this class has been one of my favorites. It is about people with disabilities (any kind of disability), and how they are capable of living full with the help of family, schools, and the community. My professor is amazing, which I think is, in huge part, due to her passion for helping others. So I get to class, and she announces that we have two guest speakers coming to talk to us about burn trauma. A few minutes later, in walked a woman and her husband. He was missing most of his fingers, had very little hair due to scars, and one of the biggest smiles I've ever seen. They sat down and told us their story, of how sixteen years ago, as he was working at a chemical plant, there was a chemical explosion and he was standing right in front of it.
As they shared their experience, I found myself tearing up. It wasn't so much that it was an emotional or sad story, but more that as he spoke the spirit filled the room. He talked about his first moments after the explosion when he felt an intense loneliness until he turned his thoughts to his Heavenly Father. As he did so, he was filled with an incredible peace, knowing that he would be OK. His wife explained how hard it was for her and her four small children. She continually expressed gratitude for wonderful nurses, doctors, friends, family, and neighbors. People would show up at their house at the moments they felt the lowest. She said on one particularly hard night, her husband was struggling, and she didn't know how to help him, because she too was hurting. So she said a prayer, asking for help, and within a half an hour they heard singing, and as they looked outside, the cubscouts had come by singing Christmas Carols. It was just what they needed to get through the night. She encouraged us to follow promptings we have to help others.
Leonard explained that because of the intense pain, the doctors put him into a medically induced coma for the first 2 months in the hospital. He said that he'll never forget the day he woke up. Because burns covered his arms, his arms were in slings, spread out like airplane wings. As he opened his eyes, the feeling in the room was as that in a church or a temple, and he felt as though if he spread his fingers out even an inch he would touch the robes of his Savior. He compared himself to the man who tells the Footprints poem-that during those hardest times he felt carried through it.
Leonard was one of the most positive people I have ever met. He had an incredible sense of humor, and told his story in such an upbeat and hilarious way. He was blind for the first 10 months, and couldn't work for 19. He laughed at how he'd been "toasted", and joked about how his hands were like hamburger. But he brought a very strong spirit into the room. I was amazed at their presentation.
At one point, out of curiousity, I glanced around to see how others were responding to their references to the Savior. Many of them are not members of the church, and I wondered if they would be offended at this couple's openness, but everyone's eyes were locked on them, completely absorbed in what was being said. It first of all amazed me that he had lived through it all, and second that this couple could share such an incredible story, in a spiritual way, in a university classroom. It is sad to me that so many people (including myself at times) would leave such an important part of their story out because they'd be scared of offending others. It was so uplifting to hear their story. Many people were teary-eyed.
One of the most influential moments for me was when he said "you know, sometimes we get caught up in how bad things are for us. But when we do that, all we have to do is look at how bad someone else has it, and we'll realize that we really have it quite good. I'm alive, have a beautiful wife and wonderful children and grandchildren..." saying he had it good. Wow. All of a sudden I realized just how insignificant a midterm really is and how little everything else that has been going on really matters. I'm alive and have a wonderful husband! I really do have it good. It was definitely what I needed to hear.
I would like to say "thank you" to Leonard and his wife for sharing their amazing experience with our class, and for not leaving out the best parts because people might have been offended. I hope I can follow their example!

May the Astronaut Protect You...

I apologize that this is the third post that mentions our car accidents on a blog that has about five posts, but I've been thinking. Isn't it funny that our accident happened during the time period that our astronaut was MIA? He wasn't there to protect us! There is, however, good news. He's back! Ted was very kind and returned him to us. The story behind this astronaut, Homer Hickam (who could also be called Fred Z Randall A.K.A. Rocketman), starts before I was back from my mission. Ted, my youngest brother found him in the street, picked him up, and found that he fit quite nicely next to the glove compartment opener and it became his home. Look how nicely he fits in. The slot is a perfect size for his body, and his legs hang down so comfortably!

That's where he was when I got home from my mission (about a year ago), and has been there ever since. That is, until we got married and Ted took him from us. And then the accidents began. But as you can see in the pictures, he's back, and the protection has returned. There will be no more rear-ending (I mean to say being rear-ended).

Giddy Up!

I thought I'd give you a taste of just how festive Danny and I (and Spencer) can be on Halloween. I think I've been a cowgirl more than any other costume throughout my lifetime. But I love Halloween costumes! Just wait till this year...Don't we make good cowboys?

Hooray for October!

This is such a great month! There is so much excitement! Not only do we get a whole week off from school, but it's a month full of Halloween fun. My mom has already changed the flower box next to the front door into a fresh grave. Smaller neighborhood children cautiously approach the tombstone, slowly pushing their fingers into the dirt or pushing the toes of the shoes that are poking out at the end of the grave, waiting to see if they feel something... a body? Movement?? Ghosts appear in windows, candy is purchased, costumes are carefully planned. Little purple witches, Frankenstein, and ghosts fill homes and schools. Pumpkins are creatively carved for display and seeds are baked to be eaten. Leaves on trees follow right along as they change from their bright summer greens to golden yellows and fiery reds and oranges, and the fallen leaves crunch under your feet as walk down the street. Flip flops are put away for next year and jackets are taken out from closets. Maybe it's just because I work in an elementary school, but Halloween excitement is in the air!

An Unfortunate ReRun

Have you ever had the feeling of deja vu hit you so hard that it almost knocks you over? Well, it sure hit me yesterday. Literally. I was driving with Danny to drop him off to class in the morning, following behind a campus shuttle, when we got to that loop right above the stadium. As the shuttle was going through the lights were flashing that tracks was coming, so we stopped. I thought the lights were high enough and bells were loud enough to attract peoples' attention, but I guess not. Either that or they were hoping we'd speed through it. I always panic when the bells go off as I'm driving through the loop, thinking that I'm going to get stuck on the track and get hit, so I stopped. The next thing I knew I was thrown into the odd and uncomfortable sensation of being suddently and unvoluntarily jerked forward. My immediate thought was "Wait a minute...didn't this just happen? Is it happening again? You have got to be kidding me." But it was no joke. And it was no ordinary bumper, but rather two huge metal bars across the front of the jeep. Fortunately our rear bumper is still intact. We weren't hit nearly as hard this time, but hard enough to remind me and Danny of the back/neck pain that comes from such situations. I think our shiney new bumper (we got our car back just over a week and a half ago all fixed up and nice) was calling out to other drivers, begging for a scratch. Atleast now (for the moment... hopefully not for long) it's easier to identify in a parking lot full of four door tan/silver colored cars.

Welcome Home Homer Hickam!!!

Well, here we are sitting in the law school library. It's the first time I've ever been in here. Pretty exciting. But what's even more exciting is that something great happened today. We got our car back! A few weeks ago I got rear-ended on 13th and 13th after dropping Danny off at class. I don't have class on Friday mornings, so I was headed home. Luckily I got dressed that morning, because we were out sitting on the curb for forever until the police came. I was stopped, looked in my rear-view mirror noticing that a red car was flying towards me, not looking like it was going to stop in time, and the next thing I knew I was a lane over and my bumper was in the middle of the road. We were both okay (mostly just surprised). She mentioned that she had just got on her husband's insurance the day before. I was glad she hit me that day rather than the day before. Anyways, I have to put in the side note that my parents are awesome. She hit me pretty hard, but I pulled to the side of the road, and noticed pieces of car behind me. All in all I was a little shocked and was in desperate need of moral support. So I called my mom. Danny was in class, and didn't have a way to get there anyways. So my mom and dad came down. I know it's kind of pathetic, because quite honestly, I could have filled out the paper work and done everything myself. But it was nice that even though I could have, my parents still came to my rescue. It was nice to know that they would drop everything and come! Anyways, I have to thank Sarah, this girl who was behind the girl who hit me, because she pulled over and stayed the whole time, and was just awesome. I also feel bad for the girl who hit me because 1-her car was worse than mine, 2-she was on her second or third day of teaching at a new school (and who wants to be late when you just start out a job??) adn 3- I've been on her side of things, and the lady was not very nice. So I tried to be nice.

Anyways, to make a long story short, we've been driving a Kia Rondo for the last week and a half.

Here we are speeding down the freeway along the coast. It wasn't a bad car except for the fact that it is a gas guzzler.

But we got our car back today and it looks great! I'll have to post the before and after pictures. Next time. But until then, just know that it looks great! The only downfall is that we always used the scratches on the bumper (that have been there for years) to recognize it in a packed parking lot. Afterall, there are many tannish four door cars in every parking lot. So we might be stuck walking up and down the parking lot when we (I should say "I" not "we") forget where it's parked.

PS By the way, Homer Hickam is our little astronaut that fits perfectly in the glove compartment opener who has been our constant companion ever since I got home from my mission and started to drive the Honda. Well, actually he's not really in the Honda at the moment. My Mom has been babysitting him since we got married. I need to go pick him up!

Connected!

Starting a blog is a lot more complicated than one may think! But we finally decided to do it. One of my very favorite people in the whole world moved out of state, and as we've emailed back and forth a little she told me "I think you should get a blog, because I feel much more connected to people through their blog, even though I don't get a chance to talk to them much." In some ways I was a little skeptical in the beginning, thinking that people and relationships get lost in technology. And in some ways they do. But I agree completely with my friend in that sometimes life is crazy, and it's so fun to catch up on people's lives through their blogs...especially with friends and family that live out of state. Even though they aren't here, you still feel connected to them (as cheesy as that may sound). So we are joining the blogging world.