Aloha

We had an Aloha family party with the Clarke's and Hewlett's today.  It was a fantastic party and it was SO fun to see my cousins that we don't get to see very often, run around wearing beautiful leis, eating Hawaiian Haystacks, water balloon games and fight, and goodbyes.  We will be in Aloha Oregon in just a few days....AHHH!

Kayak

Erin and I had a 'final' hang out day before I move to Oregon.

We had Indian food for lunch, she helped with our broken car situation, we also watched the olympic opening ceremonies.  Between all of these things though, we trucked up to Mantua with a lovely yellow kayak and went kayaking.  It was a beautiful day, and super relaxing.  It was a lot of fun talking, chasing pelicans, and just enjoying being out on the reservoir.  It was a very needed stress reducer after what has been a few very stressful days.  I am so grateful to have a friend like Erin, we have been friends a long time, and it is nice to always have that kindred spirit and bosomed friend available no matter what.  She gave me a beautiful gift, in honor of the changes that are taking place that is amazing too.  Picture to come.

Goodbye Couches

It may be silly to dedicate a post to this, but I am already missing our couches.  We have been selling what we can before moving, and a friend from high school wanted our couches, we are grateful, there is no way we could have fit them into our new apartment, but these couches were so comfortable and it wasn't uncommon for me to wake up mid night and come sleep on them for a bit (I am not a good sleeper).  The first evening with them gone, I woke up, grabbed a pillow and went to sleep on the couch, I stood in the spot where they used to be, very confused and a little sad. It will be nice when we have a couch again, hopefully just as comfortable, but not Christmas colored.

Pioneer Day

Happy Pioneer Day!  We packed a lot of my kitchen today, followed by lunch with my family and Grandma Ann.  We went to the rodeo with the Speth's and I got to use my firework setting on my camera, that made me excited, though in general I don't think I am a very big fan of rodeos.  Call me dumb, but I feel bad for those little cows being tipped, tied, roped, and ridden.  It was a good, productive day off though, it would be nice if Oregon celebrated Pioneer Day, oh well.

Goodbye Herefordshire

Today was a very sad day.  It was my last day working at the Herefordshire Pharmacy.  I have been there for more than 6 years, not long after I got out of high school.  I love my coworkers and with no turnover since right after I was hired, we have become a family.  I didn't make my official goodbyes since Earl wasn't there, but it was still hard. 

Lara Nye...Val Martinez...Earl Snyder...Deb Omer...Karen Barnes...Todd Snider...Sye Speth....Kale Bettolo...Roxanne Arave...Kyle Kitchen...and the other pharmacies I have been able to fill in, South Ogden with Betty Yamashita, Shaun Wheeler, Joe Bergen, Morgon Poll, Natalie Martin, Ryan Scott, Addie Keller-fill in extrodinaire, North Ogden, Layton, and Bountiful Pharmacies.  A lot of amazing people and a lot of amazing opportunities.  I am so grateful for their friendship and to work in an enviroment like this for so long.

Packing

 Packing has begun, and we are in a mess! 

Thankfully we are starting to get a better handle on it....sort of.

Messy Room by Shel Silverstein

Whosever room this is should be ashamed!
His underwear is hanging on the lamp.
His raincoat is there in the overstuffed chair,
And the chair is becoming quite mucky and damp.
His workbook is wedged in the window,
His sweater's been thrown on the floor.
His scarf and one ski are beneath the TV,
And his pants have been carelessly hung on the door.
His books are all jammed in the closet,
His vest has been left in the hall.
A lizard named Ed is asleep in his bed,
And his smelly old sock has been stuck to the wall.
Whosever room this is should be ashamed!
Donald or Robert or Willie or--
Huh? You say it's mine? Oh, dear,
I knew it looked familiar!

The Mountains

Ben Lomond, Panoramic Series July 20, 2012

I think, besides family and friends, it is the mountains that I will miss most.

Joint Team

Today was my 'last' day working at the Calton Harrison Clinic .  Last is in quotes because I will be staying on as a PRN employee while I am in Oregon, but as far as every Tuesday and Thursday, manage surgery films, Dr. Calton's only x-ray tech, I am done.  I have worked with the "Joint Team" for 2 1/2 years and have learned a lot about myself, joint replacements, and am an absolute pro when it comes to hip and knee films  It will be weird not spending Tuesdays and Thursdays with Dr. Calton, Nurse Joni, BSRN/team mate/friend, and Joe-P.A. I am definately ready and excited for a change too though.  So, so long joint team, until next time.  

Done!

Words can not describe just how good it felt to drop my thesis off at the bindary.  I am approved, printed, and passed off.....

 I AM DONE!

Oregon Coast

We settled on a place to live this morning!  We are happy and excited about our decision and hope that things will work out well.  After finishing our application and getting that whole process started, we headed for the coast.  We had a late lunch at the Tillamook Cheese Factory and then drove up Highway 101 to Cannon Beach.  I don't think of all 7 times I have been to Oregon I have ever been to this beach when it was sunny.  It was nice to be at the ocean, we saw a lot of hikes and beaches that we will want to explore again sometime too.  We head home tomorrow and have a couple of weeks to get ready for the move to our new home.

Home Hunting

IHouse hunting is not very much fun I've decided.  It is tiring going to place after place after place, seeing a similar layout at each one, asking the same questions, and pretty much always getting the same answers.  I was getting them all mixed up too. I was starting to ask which place had shower doors vs curtains, and which one did not have the washer and dryer, and so on.  On the plus side, I think we found the place!  Everywhere here is green and pretty with big trees.  We went to an awesome park today called Noble Woods and it was quite literally a big forest in the middle of the city with paths to follow so you don't get too lost.  I loved it.  We did drive times to and from JD's campus, walked around where he will be living (his building) for at least the next 2 years, and debated about where we were going to move.  I am so grateful that we made the trip up here, it has been good to learn the roads, actually look at homes, and have a better idea of what things will be like.  Oregon here we come! 

Columbia River Temple & The Portland Rollercoaster

We made it to Portland!  The day started at the Columbia River Temple-which I loved-it is a beautiful building, the waiting area for weddings looks like you are inside a castle with marble from floor to ceiling and stained glass windows.  We drove to Portland after our session, stopping to see Multnomah Falls, another of my favorite spots in Oregon.  I don't like being places where I don't know where I am going especially when all the roads are twisty and windy and with so many trees visibility is not good at all for signs, it was starting to give me some anxiety so JD was kind enough to drive me through Forest Grove, Cornelius, Hillsboro, & Beaverton, it made me feel SO much better as I poured over the map and oriented myself.  It also gave us the opportunity to make a pretty good game plan for our house hunt-which starts tomorrow!

Four States

So our house hunt has begun.  We drove through nothern Utah, Idaho, Oregon, and are just across the Columbia River in Washington for a quick detour to see the Columbia River Temple.  It is actually pretty exciting being in the Beaver State, hopefully all goes well and we know where we will be living for the next few years!

07-08-09

Today is our 3 year anniversary!  We have had so much fun together the past three years, it is kind of crazy to think about.  We have been to Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Nevada, Utah, California, and Idaho.  Disneyland 3 times.  We have gone to 10 National Parks.  We have attended 23 different temples, after this week it will be 24 or 25.  I have graduated three times and JD twice since getting married.  We have graduated from institute.  We have dealt with a pulmonary embolism, and that recovery.  Applications, interviews, and acceptances to pharmacy schools and now we are getting ready to move.

I am so grateful for my best friend that I can adventure with and experience all of these exciting things with. He encourages me in all I set my mind to and is always there to help me.  I like to think that we make each other better.  Happy anniversary!

Miner Bear Lake Reunion

We had the Miner Family Reunion at Bear Lake this weekend and it was a lot of fun.  We played games, boated, ate milk shakes, swam, movies, watched all the little cousins play, and had fun spending time with family.  I am definately grateful we could go to the Hewlett cabin to sleep at night, with 24 grandchildren, it could get pretty crazy.  JD got pretty sick Day 2 which was not fun at all :(.  It was nice to be up there with no set schedule or ability to plan things out because from here on out it is going to get interesting.  It was a great time with the Miners, Marbergers, Durrants, Mikolashes, Murrays, Speths, and Neffs! (the Bryant, Jared, and Jason Miner families that couldn't make it were missed too)

Independence Day

Happy Independence Day!  I'm grateful to live in a country that supports freedom and promotes opportunity.  I am thankful for the sacrifices of the founding fathers and for those who continue to fight for the dream that they had, particularly my cousin serving in the armed forces. 

I also love a holiday that involves fireworks, friends, family, and food!  Hope you have a happy day too!

June

Life in general has been a little nuts lately.  Finding a place to move, arranging work, planning a trip up to Oregon to look at things, spending time with family and friends....  June has been a wonderful month, but a crazy one, and seeing as the actual moves takes place this month, I think that makes it qualify as potentially even more crazy.  That said, there have been some really fun things that have happened. And probably a lot more to look forward to this month as well.