New Feature

I made a new page that takes you to a photo gallery of sorts showing our Oregon adventures.  It is still under construction and I have more to add, but it is easier to keep it up to date starting now then play catch up and be behind all the time.

Portlandia

We explored downtown Portland today and had a great time.  We started at Pioneer Square which was having an Italian Festival complete with band playing songs like "Amore"-when the moon hits your eye like a big-a pizza pie, that's amore- we went to the Old Town Farmer's Market, walked along the Willamette River, saw China Town, and went to Powell's City of Books.  I love Powell's.  Today's highlights included a 1st Edition Adventures of Tom Sawyer and 1st Edition Stuart Little (that is the one I am holding in the picture).  There was also a book from 1512 with a $4,800 price tag.  I love walking through all the rooms and levels and seeing all the different books everywhere.  It is awesome.  We explored Jeld-Wen Field a little bit and enjoyed the sites and sounds of all the people, there is definately a reason that Portland's Motto is: "Keep Portland Weird", there were plenty of different things and people to watch.

Small World

JD & I went to the Portland Temple yesterday and decided to check out the Visitor Center before heading back home.  I love how the backgrounds change behind the Christus statue depending on where you are!  In Los Angeles there is ocean, in Portland a lot of trees and waterfalls.  While we were wandering around, a van pulled in and a bunch of girls piled out of it, we saw that they were sister missionaries and when I looked even closer I recognized Ally, the daughter of one of my coworkers!  It was fun to see her even though we don't know each other very well, more just passing by while she was running errands for her mom or bringing Deb's glasses to her at work, but still super neat.  She was so happy doing what she was doing and the only complaint she had was how fast time was flying by.  I love how small the world really is.

Long Distance Relationships

I love technology!  It is so nice being able to Skype my sister in Wyoming while having my mom in Utah on a speaker phone at the same time. It is pretty neat if you ask me.   

 

Phineas & Ferb

JD has been studying super hard after long days of class.  This usually entails him coming home in time for dinner and then studying after dinner until bedtime.  I am so grateful he is dedicated to school and wanting to do well, but sometimes you just need to break up the day and relax a little bit.  This week began what has become one of my favorite parts of my day.  After we clean up dinner we sit down and watch an episode of Phineas & Ferb.  It is a good chance for JD to relax, and it is a great time for me to cuddle and watch a fantastic cartoon.  This has turned into our mini daily date night-dinner and a cartoon.  I love it!

The Speths

International Rose Test Garden

It is still so strange to me that we can drive to downtown Portland in 20 minutes.  After a long week, JD and I went to the International Rose Test Gardens for a change of scenery before he spent the rest of his Saturday studying.  It was overcast and cool, a very welcome change from the 100 degree sunny weather we have had the past week.  We had fun walking around taking pictures, sniffing roses, and looking at the names of all the different roses.  They have everything from Fragrant Cloud to Betty Boop to Ketchup and Mustard.  I was a fan of the Octoberfest Roses (second ones down on the left), and that was even before I knew what they were named.  It was a quick get away and it was fantastic.

Mi Casa

My mom really wants to see pictures of the apartment, so while we aren't done with everything, and some things have already changed from when I took these this is the overall gist of where we live!

Top Left: Dining Area

Top Right: Bedroom

Middle Row: 1 & 2 Second Bedroom, acting as JD's library/study area/office

Middle Row: 3 & 4 main bathroom and master bathroom

Bottom: 1 & 2 Living Room, wall cutout looks into the kitchen, Right: Kitchen

The couch faces out onto our patio that is a lovely view of a bunch of trees.  We are so happy here and it feels more like home every day. I will post more pictures when I finish some projects up.

Olympic Withdrawel

I love the olympics.  I think they are wonderful.  I love watching the athletes do amazing things.  I love muting the dumb commentators.  I love that once every two years political agendas can be pushed aside and that athletes can compete for the love of sport despite wars and grudges and all of the crap that goes on.

The olympics this year have been a bit of a lifesaver for me.  While I was packing I was able to follow the events during the day.  When we got to Oregon and JD started classes three days later I had something to preoccupy my time.  Now they are over and I am in trouble.  I went from being a full time graduate student working two jobs to only having to worry about what to cook for dinner.  I need a job, and a hobby, and a project or I am going to go crazy.

So, thank you London Olympics 2012, for keeping my sanity a little bit longer, for inspiring, for taking up my time, and for just being the cool thing you were.

Portland Temple

We made it to the Portland Temple yesterday and it was wonderful!  Per the usual standard here, it is surrounded by trees and forest, so it was hard to get a full picture of it because of how big it is and the trees all around, but it is beautiful.  With Ogden closed we have had a minimum 40 minute commute to a temple this past year so it was really exciting to find that we were only 20 minutes away.  We are very grateful to have a temple so close and for the blessings that come from these sacred places.

White Coats & Badges

JD had his white coat ceremony this evening.  It was a pretty neat event, personnally I am glad that they started on time and that it didn't last forever.  So now he is as official as he can get until he passes his boards in three years and can have fun studying, testing, and working at clinicals in the mean time.  We are super excited and are looking forward to what this experience has in store.

Exploregoning

We were able to get so much done yesterday we had the opportunity to sightsee a little bit.  We took Jeff and Dad to see Pacific University and the Hillsboro campus where JD will be going to school.  The campus was half college half botannical gardens, the grounds were beautiful.  We then drove out to the coast.  We went to Cape Meares, ate extra sharp white cheddar cheese at the Tillamook Cheese Factory along with icecream.  We drove up the coast to Cannon Beach and enjoyed the ocean until heading back home.  Again we are so grateful for all that our dads were able to do to help us and we had such a great time with them while they were here. It was fun showing them where we will be the next while and to enjoy this beautiful state with them for a few days. 

We're Here!

.We made it to our new apartment in Aloha this afternoon!  We stopped at the Bonneville Dam on our way to Portland and watched fish swimming up the steps that have been built around the dam.  We also got to see the giant sturgeon.  I have learned that dads are the absolute best people to take with you on a move.  They are strong and good at moving a lot of boxes and furniture.  They are good at fixing things and putting furniture and lamps back together.  They are also VERY good at emptying boxes.  The past two times we have moved it has taken me at least 2 weeks to get done what we did in a few hours today.  I may be looking for things for a while, but in general everything is put away in the perfect spot and we are not living in a cardboard jungle like the picture shows.  There are definately more things to do, but the bulk of it is done.  We had a great dinner at Chevy's to celebrate being here (really we were just very hungry) and picked up our Civic from Ben too.  It was a very busy but good and productive day.  Our dads ROCK!

My dad helped pick out the shower curtain and Jeff helped hang up.  Talk about teamwork!

Oregon Bound

After a stressful few days wrapping up packing, tying up loose ends in Utah, saying goodbye, and getting ready to move to a different state we are ready to go!  We woke up super early after staying up super late to finish packing up the UHaul, clean the Robert's basement, and start our drive up to Oregon.  We had a really good time spending time with our dads on the way up.  I drove in the Corolla with my dad and JD was the lucky duck who got to drive the UHaul with Jeff.  We are so grateful that they were both willing to come and help us with this move.  First day we have ended up in Pendleton which took us about 9 hours, we will finish the rest tomorrow.

Pharmacy Goodbyes

We both had to say goodbye to our coworkers and close friends at the pharmacies this week as we get ready to move.  We will miss our friends at Herefordshire and South Ogden.  How blessed we have been to work with such amazing people at such amazing places!

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.

USA vs Canada Soccer

We went to the United States vs Canada game today and it was a blast! The game was great, we had super close seats (not from where my picture was taken) and we had a great view of the United States team, Hope Solo, Abby Wambach, Amy Rodriguez, Megan Rapinoe, Lauren Cheney, etc. USA won 2-1. We got a ton of sun, but it was worth the high temperatures to get a London Olympic Games preview.

Archery World Cup 2012

We went and watched part of the compound finals for the Archery World Cup today, it was VERY VERY hot, but fun watching some, now official, 2012 olympic athletes compete for the World Cup gold.  This is probably the last time that the Cup will come to Ogden, we have great memories from all three years that it has been here.

What just happened?

We had a wonderful time playing with friends up at Bear Lake over the weekend.  Upon coming home the list of things to do before moving was started and can I just say how insane just 3 days have been?!?  I was so stressed Monday night (poor JD) that I didn't know what we were going to do about any of the 'little' unknowns: what city to move to, where we were going to live, how we were going to get ourselves and our stuff there....nothing all that important, I can't imagine why I was so stressed.  I haven't applied to very many jobs because it is hard to interview and start working when you are two states away, so that has been stressful too, combine that with JD getting student loans in order and that whole aspect has just been so much fun as well.
Then today happened and things got a little more interesting.  While packing up winter clothes I received a phone call with a 626-0000 number, this is Weber State's line, I figured it was my committee chair asking where my final thesis draft is.  Well, it was her, but it wasn't about my thesis, she was offering me a full time adjunct faculty position at Weber!  Ultimately that is what I want to do and where I want to be.  It was so sad and hard to tell her that I couldn't accept the position (one I didn't even apply for, they had an application in their pool from a position I applied for 3 years ago) because I was moving to Oregon in a month.  So my ultimate job and set up on hold for a few more years I guess, this would have been infinately worse if we both hadn't felt so sure about choosing Pacific University.....To make up for that moment of insanity, 5 hours later I got an e-mail from a Forest Grove bishop's mother who offered to rent out her house to us.  It is twice as big and has 2 extra bedrooms, 1 extra bathroom, and costs $100 less than what we were planning on.
I feel like I am riding a roller coaster.  I am definately grateful to know that we are being watched over and to know that as crazy as all of this is, we know that we are going where we are supposed to go, and that we are being helped along the way as we make this move.

Bear Lake with Friends

We spent the weekend up at the cabin with some of our closest friends.  It was a weekend of intense mini golfing, delicious food, swimming, watching groundhogs, talking late into the night, playing games, and hanging out.  We are so grateful that we were all able to make it work out and spend some time together before we leave for Oregon, and Garners to Iowa.