We enjoyed this weekend so much! Besides my always needing to sneeze and having a Rudolph nose from blowing my nose so much, anyway. I don't know what's wrong with me, but I think almost every sickness I've had in the last three years has turned into a sinus infection! Despite not feeling well, I got my best score EVER on an anatomy quiz! Ask me about any of the muscles, their origins, and their insertions in the legs/abs/back. :) We also took a drive up Provo Canyon to see the beautiful leaves and take some pictures.






I have one good-lookin' husband!

Laura and I spent Saturday night with Aunt Dana and her girls. We ate at JCW Burgers (have you ever been there? You should go) and then roamed around at Roberts and Simply Splendid boutique. We had such a great night, talking and laughing and pigging out. One of my favorite things about conference weekend is all the food! We had lots of fun traditions growing up, and I wanted to start some of our own. I made monkey bread muffins, scones and chili, and ugly chicken. The only downside to all this is that I can't taste anything! So disappointing. But I hear that it was yummy. :) Here comes another week! Maybe I'll get my taste buds back for some leftover ugly chicken tomorrow....

Big dreams and other stuff

I had a dream the other night that I was meeting Tyler for lunch, just like every day. He ran in, and was so excited to tell me that he had purchased a house in Hawaii! And then he added, "And I didn't even have to use any money!!" Ha. Maybe someday. :)

Tyler is feeling much better, but unfortunately, he passed it on to me. I thought I had slid under the sickie radar, but it hit me pretty hard yesterday. My voice sounds so funny-- I sound more like Tyler than like me! I decided that being sick as an adult is way worse than being sick as a kid. Adults can't really take days off and lie around all day watching tv and movies and having meals magically brought to you! If you do take days off, it takes weeks to catch up, and sometimes the catch-up process can bring on yet another sickness. Bah for being grown up sometimes.

The good news is, I knocked out my Anatomy midterm today, and did better than I expected. Plus, Gen Con is this weekend, and cooler weather is on the way! I've been waiting to bust out the cold-weather clothes and boots!

Over it

I have a cute little bowl, perfect for ice cream. It is a Hersey's bowl and even has fake chocolate dripping down the side. It was a gift from a friend in jr. high, and I loved it so much I even kept jewelry in it, combining two of my favorite things-- chocolate and jewelry. But today, something unfortunate happened. I used the bowl to mix pancake batter in the morning, then was washing the bowl in the afternoon. I had it in my hand, then suddenly it slipped out! I dropped it in the sink and it cracked. It didn't shatter, but the crack runs all the way through! You'd think that I would be heartbroken because of the sentimental value of the bowl, but my first thought was, "Sweet-- one less dish to wash!" Apparently I have a subconscious wish to just throw all my dishes away after using them. :)

Anyway, it's been a good week. Can't believe it's already over. It was a busy one full of tests and quizzes. Tyler has been pretty sick this weekend, poor guy. The lack of sleep and working so hard has finally caught up to him! Thank goodness Laura is in town this weekend-- I needed someone to keep those crazy kids under control in Primary! We had a visitor in our class, and she added a whole new level of excitement. Our lesson was on talents, and when I asked the kids what talents are, and one of them answered, "It's when you're popular." These kids are awesome. After Church, I came home, made Tyler wake up to drink some water and take some medicine, and spent some time with Laura. We watched "Emma Smith" and I made us chocolate chip pancakes. Did some dishes, started dinner, and relaxed a bit with Tyler. Poor honey is so stuffed up. I made some peanut butter bars (mega YUM) and then we ate dinner-- BBQ chicken and mashed potatoes. I spent an hour or two searching for new recipes on my new favorite blog-- letmeplandinner.blogspot-- and I'm so excited to try them! I'll let you know how they go.

This week will be great! I'm SO excited for General Conference. I have so many memories and traditions (a lot of them centered around food haha) associated with this weekend. Kim and I are praying that there will be a freeze sometime this week so we can pick grapes and can grape juice this next weekend... but we're supposed to be in the 90's this week, so I kinda doubt it! Oh well. It will be a great weekend anyway. I'm so excited to see baby Sam again-- the kid has grown so much! Plus, Laura, Kim, and I get to have a little GNO when the boys go to Priesthood session. I'm also hoping to finally go on that drive with this guy up the canyon to see the leaves.

Not quite ready

for this week to start. My weekends are precious. Except for the fact that Saturdays feel like part of the week. So I guess it's more appropriate to say that my Sundays are precious. My dad-in-law is in town, so we spent some of the weekend with him. Friday night I made ugly chicken for 4 big-eater guys... quite an accomplishment. I'm just glad our rice cooker held up! :) Saturday Tyler and I helped clean the church and then I went to my anatomy lab for 3 hours while Ty went golfing with his dad and brothers. I turned green with envy when they kept telling me how pretty Hobble Creek Canyon is right now! Sounds like I need to take a scenic drive. I got some more homework done in the afternoon and then we went to Pizza Pie Cafe for dinner with the fam. I love that place! If you've ever been to Craigo's in Rexburg, then this is the place for you. It's delish. Sunday was my favorite day. Church was a little tiring (those kids have upped their doses of crazy, I swear) and we went to my cousin Dan's mission homecoming. It's so cool that all my friends from high school and cousins my age are coming home! It's fun to see how people have changed. We had the best afternoon, in part because it included a nap. :) I love being with Tyler and not having homework or other things to do getting in the way. We talked for a good few hours about everything and nothing, and it was just what I needed. I made chocolate chip pancakes for dinner (Yes, don't I deserve a gold star for making healthy meals) and relaxed while Tyler caught up on some reading. Sundays are perfect.

But then, whether or not you're ready, Monday comes! I think it'll be a good week though. Fall officially hits us on Wednesday, which is pretty exciting. We haven't been great about taking pictures lately, in part because studying and doing homework is not picture-worthy. But for all the complaining I do about school and studying, I want to say that I seriously love being back in school! I am so fascinated by everything I'm learning. This morning I have a lab for my acoustics class and we get to go into the anechoic chamber here on campus. How cool is that?!? Also, Saturday was my first time working with cadavers, and it was such a cool experience. I gain a stronger testimony every week that we were created by a Heavenly Father who loves us so much! I recently finished reading "The Happiness Project" by Gretchen Rubin (which I recommend to everyone, by the way) and it really made me want to work on being more grateful and happy and content with my life. It's hard to balance that with having ambition and setting and achieving goals, but a balance that I need to get to. Anyway, random thoughts.

*This is what I hope to do again in the fall leaves. SO much better than in snow :)

Learning something new every day

Did you know that you can rent bones at BYU?!? I went down to the stockroom to purchase gloves (we are starting to work on real live, or should I say dead, cadavers), and a girl was walking away with a bone model to study with! So, here I am, sitting in the library with a scapula, getting ready for my test on Saturday. I feel pretty awesome.

Here's your sign

Finally it's Friday! This week has felt pretty long, but overall it has been a good one. One highlight of the week: I was allowed to drop my grammar class and still get credit for it!! A part of me felt sad, but just the part that loves grammar... not the part that hates busywork. That I won't miss. Other highlight of the week: I got a bus pass! Now I won't have to ride my bike to school and arrive out-of-breath and "glistening." Now if I can just figure out the bus system, I'll be golden.

You know you have too many books when you put your backpack on the passenger seat and the "fasten seatbelt" light comes on. Seriously, this happened to me yesterday!! That must be why my shoulders ache at night. I also knew I had too many books when I put on my backpack to leave, then remembered I hadn't brushed my teeth. Left the backpack on as I went into the bathroom, turned sideways, and sprayed toothpaste everywhere laughing when I saw that my backpack is thicker than me. If I ran around campus, I'm sure I would look like one of those little high school freshman who runs to class and has a huge backpack. I should seriously consider an on-campus locker.

All this U.S. Open has inspired me, and I just want to play tennis all the time! Tyler and I went for a bit on Monday just to hit around for an hour, and we were both hitting so much better after watching! I really think watching the pros helps me. Too bad cold weather is comin' fast, and there's not much time to play anymore.

Weekend plans: Date night with the hubby (dinner and a temple session), 3 hours of Anatomy lab tomorrow, which will include a quiz... ugh, and hopefully some tennis. Maybe I'll squeeze a haircut? Stake Conference on Saturday night and Sunday, which will be a nice break from exhausting Primary. Happy weekend to you!

Are we really back here again?

Having hair issues, yet again. I have been trying to grow it out, but then I walk around campus and see people with way cuter hair that's shorter than mine. And cuter people with longer hair too. So basically I don't know what to do, because I want to be cute too.

Pros of long hair:
-Just learned to french braid
-more ways to style it
-Easy to cut if I get sick of it

Pros of short hair:
-Cute and spunky and fall-ish. Is that 3?
-Headbands... don't need to say anymore here
-My hair grows fast so if I don't like it, just wait a month

So should I go short, cut bangs and keep the length, or just wait??

To cut or not to cut? That is the question.

So long, sweet summer

Summer is pretty much over. Sad face. All the signs are pointing to it: not only is school back in session, but it's getting cold! I was riding my bike to campus today (how awesome am I) and my ears froze! But it's too hot in the afternoon to wear pants or jackets yet... I can't decide if I hate being cold in the morning or carrying around useless jackets in the afternoon worse. I guess I can switch off.

School is awesome. I love being able to study things that are interesting to me, and I love having stuff to do at night like Tyler. Last year, when he was in his super-intense year, I was just working, so once I got home, I was done. I feel much more empathetic now. :) I'm really loving all my classes so far, and I may even be able to drop one to lessen the load! Language Structure is super-fun for me because I'm weird and I love grammar and diagramming sentences, but I already took this class, just up in Idaho. It didn't transfer, so I'm petitioning to get them to count it. I just e-mailed the two syllabi (I always thought that word was a joke, but then I heard a teacher use it... who knew) to the department head and he's going to review them. I'd love to drop it, but wouldn't be heartbroken if they made me stay, either. I really do like diagramming sentences.

Despite my fear/dislike of the BYU Library before, I have found my spot. You can usually find me on the 4th or 5th floor (depending on how many stairs I feel like climbing) on the west side, in a little cubby/desk thing with its own power plug. Perfect for privacy, quiet, and laptop charging. Except I feel a little bad today-- I wore tinkly bracelets. You know, the kind that make noise whenever you move a finger, and that clang out with excessive noise when you actually move your arm? I always forget about how noisy they are until I'm in a quiet classroom or, worse, the library, and I jingle-jangle as I type. Sorry to everyone around me today.

My rockstar husband never ceases to amaze me. He works super-early in the morning and then has class all afternoon, then does his homework all night. Not sure how he does it all as well as he does, but I feel so lucky to be learning from him every day. Tomorrow will be an easy day for both of us, so hopefully we'll get to spend some time together. I'm having separation anxiety, going from being with him 24/7 to only seeing him for lunch, dinner, and the unconscious hours of the day. Hooray for Labor Day weekend!!

It's the first day of school,

so naturally, I'm here in the library blogging instead of at home. :) Don't worry Mom, I'm still getting my homework done. Actually, I'm kind of twiddling my thumbs here in the lib trying to find stuff to do. Not much studying to be done on the first day, and I'm stuck here on campus for a while before my next class. Luckily, I get to meet Tyler for lunch. Every day, actually. That will be so nice. But I thought I'd update and put pictures up from the last few weeks before the craziness of school takes over.

Last week ended up a little different than we planned, and we LOVED it. We helped Garrett and Mitchell move into the dorms on Monday, and got our books and my new ID card. Tuesday Tyler had two job interviews (he found a job and is currently at work right now-- hooray for employment) and then we left for Vegas! Baby Dean was born on Monday night (the story is on Steph's blog, for anyone who hasn't heard) and we went down to spend a few days with the kiddos while Andrew was at the hospital with Steph. We loved spending time with Eva and Leighton! They are the cutest things, and I feel so lucky to be their aunt. Eva calls Tyler and I her "uncles." We got home late Friday night after Grandma flew in and took over so we could get all the last-minute stuff ready for school. Saturday was spent grocery-shopping, cleaning, organizing, and cooking! I've got an army of freezer meals ready for late-night library days. And I have a feeling I'm going to be using them.

Okay, on to the last few weeks' pictures. Here we go.
Biking to Utah Lake:


Relaxing after a long biking day:

Trip to Manti temple:
Mexican food after the temple:
Cassie's amazing performance at the Scera:


Hike to Stewart Falls:



Trip to the zoo to visit cousin Jake:


And now school is here. Can't even believe it!

Update much?

No, not lately. Ever since my last day of work, we've been having so much fun! This will not be a full update, as we are off to have more fun. Tyler's dad and two of his brothers will be here anytime from Houston! Garrett and Mitchell are joining us Zionites to attend BYU. We are SO glad they're coming! It's going to be so fun being close to them.

Here are some of our accomplishments of the past week:

-Bike ride to Utah Lake
-Pizza night with the Wrights
-Trip to Spring City to visit my grandparents
-Manti Temple with my grandparents and the Crandalls
-Watching my cousin Cassie ROCK her singing competition!
-Completing the first season of Lost
-Playing tennis with Austin and Giselle
-Hiking to Stewart Falls
-Trip to the zoo, thanks again to Tyler's awesome cousin Jake
-COOKIE MONSTER with Tiki and her Tyler
-Date night at Nickel City with the Sevy's
-Reading "The Hunger Games" out loud to Tyler... seriously I'm addicted to these books

I can't believe we fit all that in this week! It's been non-stop fun. Is school seriously only a week away?!?