Reflections on a Semester

I had my last day of classes yesterday and now I am preparing for finals next week. As I think about the past couple of months I've thought about:

1. The fact that I am a capable person, able to jump back into school no matter how much time has past since I'd last been in school. I was afraid of how I would transition back, but this semester has been such a positive experience for me to build confidence again.

2. How my mom went through school with two children (and probably one on the way) and still finished her bachelors degree in 4 years! Amazing!

3. What a great husband I have who has been the biggest supporter of me going back to school and finishing my education. Bryan is an angel.

4. How fast time flies by. I've already completed a full semester, Bryan and I have been married 8 months in a week, Brinley will be 1 year old in a month, and Cindel and Matt will have been married for 1 year in a month. It seems like just yesterday that Bryan and I were dating! We truly have to hold on to each moment and enjoy life as it is in the present!

5. How blessed we are with good family, good friends, and a good job. I couldn't ask for more!

I've learned a lot this semester both in school and in my personal life. I've learned how to prioritize things better and to remember to always put family first. I loved learning about Geology (especially volcanoes and earthquakes), British literature, writing essays better, and the history of dance. I am excited to continue to learn this summer and I will have my associates degree completed by August. It's just one small step to bigger goals, but it's a huge step for me. One semester down, only a few more to go!

Easter Weekend Fun

Since our 5K was cancelled, we decided to instead dye Easter Eggs. I forgot to buy vinegar for the dyes but found that you can also use lemon/lime juice and it works just as well. Bryan really enjoyed dyeing eggs (it's been awhile since he last did it). His creative juices were flowing and we came up with some interesting color combos. He, naturally, made a BYU egg in honor of Cougar sports. I made a football egg that said "Go Cougas" on the back. (I apparently forgot how to spell). Here's what we came up with:






We had a fun, quiet Easter weekend with an untraditional Easter dinner of Pork Barbacoa for "Cafe Rio" burritos. We had a fun day together and the Easter bunny even stopped by early on Sunday morning to drop off some chocolates, candies, and a movie. I hid the eggs around the house for Bryan and forgot where I hid one of them (I did such a good job hiding them I couldn't even find them!), so we had to break out into real Easter Egg Hunt mode. It took a little while, but we did find it in a candle jar. Close Call! (note to self: don't hide real eggs in the house.:)


Our Sunday School class is getting better. We had about 6 or 7 come on Sunday. I think we're making progress. They really are a fun age group. They have a lot of social pressures on them but they are making good choices and are good kids. We're still working on the stragglers, but hope eventually they'll want to come. Bryan and I made cookies and gave them Easter treats this week to soften them up. I figure the best way to get the stragglers is to "kill them with kindness". We've made a better effort to get to know what activities they like to do and to just get to know them individually. It's been really helpful (thanks for the tips, Rhi)


We wish we could've been with family for Easter! We are excited to start our own family and be able to start traditions of our own. Bryan and I did have a lot of fun spending the weekend together! We love you, family and friends, and hope your Easter was great too!

The 5K We Will Never Run

Yep, it's been cancelled. I finally talked Bryan into signing up for and running a 5K back in February and, to my surprise, he willingly went along with it. We've trained for it the last couple of months (not too rigorously though. There's always more training to be done...such is life), we signed up a couple of weeks ago, and now we both received the same email noting that the race has been cancelled.

And the reason?? Guess below. Is it because....

1. Bryan secretly called the organization as an attorney stating that it was not in compliance with Federal Running Regulations.

2. The US Geological Survey has determined that April 11th may be a possible earthquake day and stopped all road races from occurring.

3. The race organizer has a premonition about some recently married couples that think they are ready to run a race, when in fact they are NOT.

4. The organization actually is suffering, like so many Americans, from the downfall of the economy and there just isn't sufficient funding for the race.

5. The Utah weather system is predicting another "spring" storm--snowfall up to 10 inches in the mountains, and 5 inches in the valleys. (and 7 on the benches...where ever that is :)

And the answer is.......Number 4. The economy is not only affecting everyone's jobs, homes, and attitudes, but is also affecting the ambitious runners. All we want to do is to run as fast as we can for 3 miles straight with little to no water or breath. ....Why did we sign up for this again?? It is kind of funny that we pay to run long distances. Some one should pay us for traumatic impact on our bodies!

And so, no, we will not be running a 5K this Easter weekend. We will not be wondering at the bang of the gun why we signed up for self-inflicted torture. We will not be huffing and puffing and blowing any houses down. We will just be inside eating chocolate Easter Bunnies and Cadbury Mini Eggs.

Maybe next time! For now, our 5K will remain undone.

PS no blog is complete without some great cartoons. Enjoy!