Scott Family

Christmas

2012-01-12T21:13:00.001-08:00

We had a wonderful Christmas this year with family and friends in Spokane! We were fortunate to be able to spend about two and a half weeks in Spokane and enjoyed every minute of it. It was packed with lots of family time playing games, eating and having parties!! It was especially fun having Braden celebrate his first Christmas as well as meet a lot of family that he hadn't met. We were also lucky to see lots of friends from home. I don't know how I didn't take any pictures of my friends. But it was so fun to see Melanie, Kristi, and Michelle. We also had a fun get together at the McCoy's house with a bunch of our friends from high school. It had been a while since I had seen some of them. So this post is a flood of pictures, but believe it or not, it was just a fraction of the ones we took!!

These were Braden's first Christmas jammies and I loved them. They have little reindeer on them and were just fun! Oh, and that is Freddy the firefly he is holding. He has been Braden's favorite toy and is becoming even more fun now that he can hold him.

Aunt Amy loving on Braden. One of the first things we did in Spokane was head to Amy's house to do some holiday baking. We made tons of holiday treats and had such a fun day together. I just wish I lived closer to do these kinds of things with my sisters more often.

We also wished we lived closer so that Jason could have more sword fights with the kids. Jason is such a good uncle and I think he loves playing with the kids as much as they love playing with him.

Kade takes his sword fighting pretty seriously. Unfortunately he didn't make it through this battle!
Cute cousins making Oreo truffles...yummy!!! They dipped so many, I think they were a little sick of it by the end. But they were good sports about it!

Josh and Aunt Becca baking away!!

One night we had a sleep over with the Thomson kids and Braden. I didn't have to take care of Braden much with Abby and Ellie there. They were so good with him and were so eager to help change his diaper and entertain him. And Braden loved every minute of the attention!! What sweet girls!

Weston was also very sweet with Braden and kept him asleep while he held him.

More cousin fun! Mary was a little natural with Braden. Every time she came over she was so excited to hold him. I think this is a really sweet picture of the two of them.

The Thomson kids with Dad at our Christmas party. We had such a fun night eating lots of great food, playing with the kids, and exchanging presents. Becca also shared a Christmas message that made the night extra special. Thanks Becca. :)

It was so fun to see these two together. Emmett and Micah were hilarious. They are only two and a half months apart and are both so dang cute!! They would babble back and forth and went around pointing at stuff and showing each other things. I guess there was something cool about the edge of the fridge!!

We had tons of yummy sugar cookies, thanks to Katya. She spent one whole afternoon cutting them out and baking all of them. Then we all decorated them and enjoyed eating them. Thanks Katya!

Amanda and Katya busy decorating the cookies!

This picture was just to cute not to post!! Mae just might have been the most festive one out of the entire family. I loved listening to her sing Christmas songs over and over!!

Mom making Christmas breakfast in her new kitchen! Our traditional cheese blintzes tasted extra good this year since they were made in mom's new kitchen!! ;)

Braden, so excited about his first stocking!! He was even the first one up...I guess he was every day. But we like to think it was because he was excited about Christmas!

Austin in his new Thomas jammies Christmas morning. What a cutie! He's definitely a mama's boy but he finally said my name the day they left. woohoo!

Braden just chillin' with Uncle Kirk.

Jason and Kirk, hanging out at the family Christmas party. I think they enjoyed talking dentistry for hours and catching up a bit. It had been almost two years since we had seen them. We miss them so much being on opposite sides of the country!! Who would've thought we would be in L.A. and they would end up in New York for school...crazy!

Falycia and I. It was so good to be together. I just wish it could've been longer. The time flew by, but I am so glad they were able to come home!!

Dad, Jason and Braden at the family Christmas party. Braden loved hanging out with Grandpa.

David and Jeff just waiting for dinner to start!

Some of the cousins- Mae, Micah, Anya, Kade, Braden, Katya, and Emmet. Man we miss these kiddos!!

Micah was so fun to have around. He is so full of life, has SO much energy, and is such a sweet boy. Braden watched him very closely. I'm afraid he was trying to learn all of Micah's skills and is going to keep me very busy in this next year or two!

Our trip was so fun and it was especially hard to come back to L.A. this time. We miss family a lot and can't wait to see everyone again. However, we hope some family will come visit us in our last year and a half here. :)

Friends

2011-12-06T13:30:00.001-08:00

Braden is lucky to have lots of friends already!! Here he is Noah and Evalyn. Noah is a few months older and Evalyn is six weeks older than Braden. It was fun to watch how unique their little personalities are from the beginning!! I love how interested Evalyn looks!!
Evalyn liked checking out Braden. Noah was just chillin' watching the other two. And Braden just went along with Evalyn poking and holding hands with him!
I think Braden already likes the attention from the ladies!! Uh Oh ;)
What cuties!! I love these babies!!

Utah Trip

2011-12-06T12:39:00.001-08:00

On the 27th of November we were able to bless Braden. Since we have a lot of family in Utah and Jason's parent were moving out there that weekend, we decided to bless him there instead of here in L.A. Jason's Aunt Denise and Uncle Rob let us use their brand new beautiful home for the blessing and it turned out to be really special. I have never been to a baby blessing that wasn't in a chapel, but I thought it was pretty cool. We started by singing I am a child of God. Then Jason's dad gave the prayer. After that, Jason and I both bore our testimonies before the blessing. The blessing was beautiful and overall Braden was very good. After the blessing everyone stayed for dinner and visited. It was so fun to be with everyone and to feel all of the love and support.
The little guy all dressed up in his white tuxedo. Boy did he look handsome!!
It was hard to get all the men in the picture that stood in the circle, but here are most of them. Uncle Rob, Spencer, Dad Scott, Josh, Joey, Victor and Jason. The two missing are Kevin and our friend Ben White.
Jason and Braden after the blessing. He was kinda tired after it all, so it was hard to get a smile. But he was a good boy all day with everyone passing him around and playing with him.
We also made it to Temple Square to see all the lights. It was chilly, but we bundled up and Braden was as warm as can be in the wrap. In fact, he slept through the whole thing. It was fun to see the lights and be with family. These are some of the things we really miss about Utah.
Josh and Holly looking a bit cold! I love the red lights. So pretty.
Victor and his little Eskimo wife Jannae all bundled up.
Jeff and Micah hanging out. Micah was a such a sport and didn't complain the whole time. I think he liked all the lights and crowds.

Jason and Mae played in the backyard with all the leaves for a long time one afternoon. Mae loves his Uncle Jason!!!

We got to help decorate Jannae and Victor's Christmas tree with the kids this year. It was so fun and simply magical when the lights were off.

Kara loved her cousin and wanted to hold him all the time. She held him nice and close and sang I am a child of God to him. What a sweetie!
And of course we had to get our first family picture with Maya.

Braden Pictures

2011-11-19T19:43:00.000-08:00

We have taken SO many pictures of Braden so far, it's really kinda crazy...hundreds. So, I thought I would share a few. We just got him this little jungle play mat and he really likes it. He doesn't intentionally grab stuff yet, but occasionally he will make contact with it and he gets excited!
He LOVES his baths!! I think he would stay in his bath forever if we let him. I love it when he gets all wrinkled...so cute! And he doesn't even cry anymore when he is cold afterward! :)

He really enjoys his swing these days. And unfortunately this week it's the only place he will let me lay him down to take naps!

All bundled up for a jog with mom. He loves being outside and going on jogs with mom.

I love it when he smiles in his sleep. He really likes having his right arm up by his face when he is sleeping, eating, or just hanging out. We even have a picture of that arm up by his face in one of his ultrasounds. Cute.
Sorry if this next picture grosses some of you out, but I thought it was hilarious! I was just taking a bunch of snap shots and he happened to spit up. I don't think you could plan that if you tried. We love our little guy!

2 Months Old!!

2011-11-16T14:53:00.000-08:00

Braden is two months old today!! He is setting a record as we speak for the longest nap time yet...he just hit the two hour mark and is still fast asleep. This is awesome because he hasn't been the best napper until the last couple of days. You may see more blog posts if this continues!! He has been sleeping 5-6 hours consistently at night for the past 3 weeks, which has been wonderful!! Braden is getting more and more fun each day. He is starting to smile and coo more and more. He is getting stronger and holding his neck up longer. At his doctors appointment today he weighed 11 lbs 10 oz and was 22 1/4 inches long!! This means he gained 4 1/2 lbs in the past 5 weeks!! What a big boy!! Braden's favorite place to play is his changing table. He loves to lay there and look around (I'm not sure at what, since the walls around him are simply blue), but he loves it. He will lay there close to 30 minutes sometimes. He especially likes it if he is naked or just in his diaper.

This was our one and only attempt at "tummy time" so far. And here's how it went...

The first few seconds he thought it was kinda fun. But that didn't last long.

Then he was just plain mad. And don't worry, I am not a mean mom, I only let him scream like this for a few seconds. And he was as happy as can be once he was on his back again. :)

I just had to add one of him sleeping. He is so sweet and I love his little ducky jammies a friend in Utah gave us. Just plain adorable!

Braden Robert Scott

2011-11-14T12:08:00.000-08:00

The past two months have been the most wonderful, hard, and amazing months of my life!! Braden Robert Scott joined our family on September 16, 2011. He weighed 6 lbs 11 oz and was 21 inches long. He was born two days past his due date and was absolutely perfect!

I love his fuzzy hair in this picture...it was after his first bath in the hospital. As you can see, from day one he has been a very alert baby.

Braden and Daddy just hours after birth. It was so fun to see Jason with Braden. He was a natural and I didn't have to change one diaper in the hospital!

Mom, Braden and Grandma King. He had a bit of a cone head, but it resolved quite quickly. He is so precious and such a sweet little guy.

Braden was born at the UCLA Santa Monica hospital, where we had a really great experience. Most of the reason was because of this wonderful woman. Meg was my nurse the day Braden was born and she was amazing! Overall my delivery went well. I was admitted to the hospital on Thursday night around 6:00 to be induced since my body was not showing signs of labor at all. They gave me a medication to help prepare my cervix. That had to be in 12 hours before they could actually start the induction with pitocin. However, over night the medication really kicked in and it helped my contractions become more frequent and intense. Braden was still very high up and hadn't descended at all, but they decided to start the pitocin anyway and see if it would help bring him down. Well, apparently I don't need much pitocin at all because they gave me 1 unit, which is the smallest amount possible and I went from being dilated to a 2 to a 9 in one hour!! After that, things wen fairly fast and Braden was born at 2:18 in the afternoon. I feel like all in all it was a good experience for a first baby. He is worth the wait and all the discomforts of pregnancy and labor for sure!!

Finally, an update!!

2011-09-11T16:06:00.000-07:00

Obviously, I am a horrible, pathetic blogger!! So, today I have decided to add some highlights of the past oh, 6 months or so. Sorry if it's a lot of stuff spewed out at once. I figure it's a good thing to do while I sit here waiting for this little guy to make his appearance in the world! He is due September 14th, so we are getting very excited to see him and have him join our family. The pregnancy to this point has been good overall. But it wouldn't be pregnancy without some complications, right!? We are making it through and still just feel very blessed to have a sweet baby boy coming to us!

So, I have been a horrible picture taker as well during this pregnancy. I need to round up pictures from everyone else from this summer and things we've done. So for now here's just a few. This first one is of my sister Deborah and I at my baby shower in Utah. Jannae threw me a shower with lots of family and friends in Utah and my mom and several of my sisters were able to be there too. Deborah was there for Michigan for a family reunion, which was awesome! The shower was so much fun and we got some very nice things for the baby. The shower was just the kick off to a really fun week. We had the first Scott family reunion, which was a lot of fun. Everyone in Jason's family was there, but our sister in law Shawna. Hopefully next time she will be able to make it! We spent lots of time together and made some great memories camping, taking family pictures, and playing lots of games!! We can't wait for the next one!

Thanks Aunt Denise, Jena, and Jeni for the adorable diaper cake!! I loved it, and I'm sure the diapers will come in very handy here real soon!

Right before our Utah trip, we moved to a two bedroom apartment so we have more room for the baby. Once we got home, we got to work on the nursery. We painted the room "bibbity bobbity blue", which we thought turned out pretty cute.

We also purchased our crib and dresser set, which we love!! Jason had fun and was excited to set it up. He did a great job, and it is all coming together nicely!

Here's the final result:

We also painted a green accent wall in the living room and got new curtains. Jason did a great job of putting them up! It makes the apartment feel more like home and adds some variety! We've had fun getting the new place all in order before the baby comes.

Here's a couple random pictures of me last week. They are not my favorite, but everyone keeps telling me I have to post a couple...so here ya go, unfortunately, they are the best we have!
My belly kinda blends in with the armoire in this one...

This was just a little sewing project I had fun with last week. It's a grocery bag holder/dispenser. I've been wanting to make it for a while now and I was excited with how it turned out for not being much of a seamstress!!
This was me a couple of weeks ago after Jason brought home my awesome rocker/recliner!!! I am so excited about it and love it already! It's so comfy and will be great for rocking the baby. It helps me sleep now too, so it's great!!

Like I said before, sorry about all the random updates. I hear people become better bloggers once they have kids...so we shall see. (I'm not quite sure how being busier with a new baby will help, but I'm sure I will want to share all of my cute pictures with everyone!)

How Blessed We Are

2011-03-17T21:17:00.000-07:00

These past few months have been so exciting and amazing. Jason and I found out January 12th that we are pregnant with our first baby, due September 14th! Most of our family has known, but we now feel it's a good time to share the news with everyone else. My heart has been so full and I have felt so blessed, that I want to take a few minutes to write about it.

As I have pondered over this great blessing, I have come to really know and believe that each and every life that is created really is a miracle. After trying to conceive for nearly three years, we feel as though this new little life truly is a miracle for our family. Although I don't want to dwell on the challenges of having a hard time conceiving, I do want to say that it has definitely been a test of faith and trust in the Lord and His time table. After countless prayers and many fasts, and in the Lord's own time, he has blessed us with the wonderful opportunity to become parents. Even though it seemed to us like a long time to wait, I know there are those who wait much longer. Sometimes beyond this life. My level of love and compassion has grown immensely for these couples. I have also learned once again, that Heavenly Father really is the master creator and that things happen in His time for reasons often unknown to us. However, it is clear to me many of the blessings that have come from having faith in His time table for Jason and I. One of these being the amazing 5 years that Jason and I will have had together as a couple. We have been able to do so many things together and learn so much in that time. In fact, at times I find myself being a little sad that this time with just the two of us is almost over. But that feeling doesn't last long. Especially when I think of what a great dad Jason is going to be. I am so blessed to have a husband who can't wait to be a dad and who looks forward to playing with and teaching his children. I am very excited for this new stage in life!! We truly have been blessed.

San Diego Fun

2011-02-23T16:59:00.000-08:00

As we all know, I am a little slow to post, so this fun weekend was back in January. We spent the weekend down in San Diego with some of our good friends. We did a lot of hanging out and wii playing, but we also did a little site seeing. We checked out Old Town San Diego, which was pretty cool. It is a very historic part of downtown San Diego and we had fun looking around and enjoying the old fashion candy shop!! Of course we had to get a picture in front of the old dentist office. Unfortunately it was closed though, so we couldn't see what it was like back in the day...maybe next time!

Apparently one of the most haunted houses ever is found in Old Town, so we had to get our head shots in these cool skeleton outfits!

We spent some time just hanging out on the beach and the boys had a great time playing football and frisbee.

Earlier in the day we found these cool cliffs overlooking the ocean. We thought it would be cool to hike down to the arch, but there wasn't really a path and the tide was starting to come up, so not the best idea, but it was really pretty.

Georgia Christmas

2011-01-07T19:01:00.000-08:00

For those of you who don't know, Jason's parents moved to Roswell Georgia this past year. We were fortunate to have 2 weeks to spend with them over Christmas and we had such a great time! We can't wait to go back. We spent many hours around the piano singing Christmas carols together. We also made lots of yummy treats, did a lot of Christmas shopping, and played lots of games...especially Rook. I played countless games of it and still want to play more. (I guess that probably doesn't surprise a lot of you!) We also got to go to Greenwood restaurant the night we left Roswell. It was awesome southern cookin'!! Definitely the best fried chicken I've ever had. I also tasted black eyed peas and sweet potato pie for the first time. The southern hospitality was amazing. I loved how kind and inviting people were. I've decided I like the south!

Just a few friends and family enjoying Christmas carols with the piano and the oboe.

Jason made a great Santa...might need to gain a little weight for next year, but he did well. :)
Sweet little Lincoln with his mommy, Jess on Christmas morning. He is so darn sweet, we really wish we lived closer to these guys!

Dad loved having everyone around for Christmas and was sure happy!! He was like a little boy with the helicopter we got him.

My cute husband with his new coat on Christmas day. It snowed on Christmas day for the first time in over 120 years!! It was so beautiful!!

I loved how excited Esther and especially Emily were on Christmas morning! They are sweet girls!

We loved the fireplace! (especially Jason) I think we were the first to build the fire each day. It was a perfect touch to Christmas morning!

Josh and Holly...so cute! We were so glad they came from Utah and they made great Rook opponents!!

Family

2010-12-08T10:46:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I've blogged, so here's a little recap of what's happened in the past 6 weeks. We've been busy with work and school and lots of family fun!! This first picture is at the Getty Villa Museum in Malibu. Jason took me there for my birthday and it was really fun. This was a pretty cool mosaic.

Jannae, Victor, and kids came and stayed with us the weekend before Thanksgiving. It was so good to see them. We had lots of fun playing at the beach, visiting UCLA, and playing games. Kyler, Alyssa and Kara had a great time getting to help Uncle Jason at the lab. They thought it was pretty cool.

I think Kara's more into the photo shoot than the skilled dentistry being performed by her brother!! What a cutie! We hope they'll come again soon!!

Since I had to work Thanksgiving this year, we headed to Ridgecrest the day after to be with Grandma and Grandpa Grattan. We had a nice visit and were able to help make pear-raspberry jam with Grandma, watch lots of football, and do a little black Friday shopping!!

This past week I went to Spokane to see family and get my fill of winter, and it was a blast!! I loved every minute of the cold and snow. My sister Becca was also in town with her two kids, so that was a bonus. Micah and Emmett were so dang cute together. They are both such sweet little boys and were so much fun to play with. I already miss them!!

We had the Thomson and Deakins kids over for a slumber party one night. It was a little crazy, but super fun making crafts, playing Monopoly, and eating lots of pizza!! I wish we could do this more often!

Since Sarah was in Hawaii, we were staying at her place with Josh and Hailey. They live in such a beautiful area. This is their backyard, where the kids played in the snow for hours! We saw deer, quail, and wild turkey. It was so peaceful and relaxing there. A bit different than L.A.!!

I also got to spend a little time with my Dad and Peggy. We ate some yummy Mexican food and then spent the afternoon shopping. It was nice to see them and their new place.

Mae and Micah and Me by Sarah's Christmas tree!

My last night there, I got to make sugar cookies with Amy's kids. Kade had a blast rolling out and cutting the dough. He also had a great time piling on the frosting and licking his sugar covered fingers!! What fun! Can't wait to go again.

Happy Halloween!!

2010-10-31T16:00:00.001-07:00

Happy Halloween!!
We celebrated Halloween last night with a group of friends from the ward. We had a lot of fun and everyone did a great job dressing up! We started the night out by stuffing ourselves at BJ's (which is always super delish!), then we went back to Kylie and Daniel's apartment and filled ourselves with more yumminess. We made gourmet caramel apples and ate lots of yummy desserts then let it all settle in during a movie. We had lots of fun!!

The whole gang at BJ's. The kids at the restaurant loved our group and I think the other adults were surprised we weren't drunk! ;) I'm just kidding. However, I do think some were trying to figure out what group of sober adults wear modest Halloween costumes and no one in the group is drinking!

Waiting for our meal while Jason enjoys a little cigar.

Pretty sweet cigar, huh?! Nothing like a little second hand smoke in my face.

Matt and Ashley Marianno, our cute Irish couple. They looked awesome in their sweet green attire!

Steven and Keeley Johnson made an awesome Popeye and Olive Oil!!

Ms. Frizzle (from the magic school bus) with her jack-o-lantern side kick. We were all impressed by Cheryl's creativity and Kirk was a good sport for dressing up and even sticking out his stomach for the picture!!

Daniel and Hope made the best Mr. Miyagi and the karate kid. We especially liked Mr Miyagi's goatee!

I'm pretty sure Kylie and Daniel made an even cuter Jessie and Woody than the originals!

Yes, we are alive...and well

2010-10-04T19:49:00.001-07:00

After numerous messages, e-mails, and missed calls from my best friend wondering if I am still alive, I decided to let everyone else whom I have neglected to keep in touch with as well, know we are still alive. (And of course, I did call her back and talk for a good hour!) Life in the Scott household has been rather busy. Jason is working his tail off in dental school and is doing quite well. Today he came home from school with his mouth completely numb after he and his buddies practiced injecting each other- what fun! (and I thought the things we did to each other in nursing school were bad...) As for me, I have been working a lot and enjoying life in L.A.

Luckily, during Jason's break in August, we were able to take a week away from L.A. and visit family in Spokane. We had such a great time, it was so hard to leave!!

Huckleberry ice cream...heavenly!! It was so fun to hang out with mom. We all stuffed ourselves at the annual Pig Out in the Park at Riverfront Park and enjoyed every minute of it!!

Now this is vacation!! One of our favorite things was spending Labor day weekend at Sullivan Lake with two of my sisters and their families. There was hardly anyone around, making it a night and day difference from L.A. and we loved every minute of it!! We had such a great time just chillin' with family! We enjoyed the sun, the slight rain, eating lots and lots of yummy food, and most of all, just sitting around the campfire and catching up.

My cute sister Sarah and her son Josh just hangin' out.

This picture says it all!! Kade is such a fun, energetic kid. I'm not sure I've met a funnier, more mischievous, sweet (on his terms) kid than Kade. I miss this little boy so much!!

Emmett was such a trooper. I think he loved being outside as much as the rest of us. What a sweet boy!!

Hailey, Katya, and Josh enjoying the fire and drying their pants after fishing in the creek with Uncle Jason. They were also quite worn out from shooting their bow and arrows all day, that their Uncle Jake made them.

Me and the kiddos. The smoke from the fire kinda messed this picture up a little, but at least we got one together. (my camera battery died after the first few hours and unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures with my sisters or with Jason)

Of course we had to do a silly face picture. (funny that we all stuck our tongues out!)

After camping, we were able to visit with my sister Amelia and her family for a little while and catch up with their busy lives. Man have her kids grown!! That night we met Dave, Lori, and the kids for dinner. This was the night before they started home school and they were all ecstatic!!

The girls were both missing several teeth and had to show Jason!!

The rest of the pictures are of Jason's 6 day backpacking trip in the Sierra's. This fish above is the reason they went on this specific hike. The golden trout is a beautiful fish that is native to California and is only found in certain areas, especially at high elevation. Jason went with his buddy Kirk and they had a great time hiking and fishing.

Very pretty. (who knew California could be so pretty... ;)
What a stud!!

Kirk and his prized golden!!

Big Bear

2010-07-10T18:51:00.000-07:00

Jason had a two week break in June between quarters. Unfortunately, I still had to work, but we were able to escape for a few days up to Big Bear Lake here in California. We had a wonderful time and loved every minute of being in the mountains. The air was fresh, the lake was beautiful, and you could see the stars at night. It was great!!

Jason fished a little bit, but only had his fly rod, so it didn't last too long, especially with the breeze that day. But we still had fun hiking along the lake and eating our picnic and simply enjoying the outdoors.

One day we went to the local farmers market and saw that there was a forest fire not far from us. It was neat to watch the helicopter and the plane work to put it out. Fortunately they were successful and the fire was contained pretty fast.

You can't see too well, but the helicopter is dropping the water on the flames. He would then quickly fly down to the lake and hover while he sucked up more water to drop. It was amazing how accurate they were. Pretty fascinating for some reason.

The last night, our friends Kylie and Daniel came up. We went out to dinner and a local BBQ restaurant and played games. The next morning we watched the U.S. world cup came, then went to the lake. We decided to rent a little fishing boat and headed out on the lake for a few hours. It was a little windy, and unfortunately we all got our thighs fried! I guess the reflection from the boat and the lake was a nasty combination or something. My muscles even ached from the sun burn for the next few days. But, we had a lot of fun and were glad the Johnson's were able to join us! We also found a little candy shop in town that became one of our favorite places. They make homemade everything there! It was yummy and we can't wait to go back! It's nice knowing there is somewhere relaxing, in the mountains not too far from here!! Big Bear was a huge hit for us!!

One Year Down

2010-06-15T18:20:00.000-07:00

Congratulations Jason!!

The first year of dental school is officially over and Jason did awesome! After watching Jason's dedication at BYU and preparing for dental school, I knew I had married a hard working, self-motivated man. However, after watching him work so hard through his first year of dental school, I have seen a whole new level of persistence and dedication. I could never study the amount of material and for the length of time that he does. But his ability to exceed the demands of an intense dental program isn't what amazes me the most. What I don't understand is how he is able to excel in such a challenging program and still make time for me. I feel so blessed to have a husband who always makes me feel loved and important even when he is under a great deal of stress. I couldn't ask for more. Way to go Jayce!!

Gardening in Southern California

2010-05-30T13:53:00.001-07:00

We are so excited!! Yesterday we planted our garden. Small, yes. But it's ours and we are excited to try out our green thumbs (or lack of...who knows) here in L.A. The apartments we live in offer few of these little garden spots. We got the awkward shaped one on the end, but we're ok with it. We had fun picking out our veggies to plant yesterday, and then it only took about a half hour to fertilize and plant it all- the benefit of having a small garden (and it won't take long to weed either!!)

Looking down the row of gardens. You can't really see ours too well, but these will be our fellow gardener's plots. Maybe this will be a good way to meet some of the neighbors we haven't meet yet. I'm sure our harvest will be plenty to share with all, right?! ;)

We only planted 7 plants. Of course we did 2 kinds of tomatoes, 3 bell peppers
(we eat lots of bell peppers), 1 zucchini (Jason made me choose between zucchini and squash), and.....

STRAWBERRIES!!!
We probably won't get much from just one plant, but we had to try it out. We hear they grow great here in Cali. So, we'll see. Hooray for our first California garden!!

Our Escapes

2010-05-14T16:41:00.000-07:00

Since my last post, things have been rather busy for us. Jason's been super busy with his classes, research, and leadership positions (which have him flying all over the country!). I've also been pretty busy with work and required educational classes. So, it seems like we haven't seen each other a whole lot until the past week or so. We decided since it's been kinda crazy, a little "vacation" might help us make it through this quarter. So Wednesday afternoon, we escaped L.A. and headed down to Anaheim to do a little R&R. We were lucky to be able to use my parents condos for a night and way lucky to have free passes to Disneyland from some friends! I really think everyone needs to take a few days at Disneyland to remind them how to be a kid again!!

Here we are with one of our favorites, Goofy! When we saw Goofy, I got a glimpse of what Jason must have been like as a kid. Jason says if he were to work at Disneyland, he would for sure be Goofy!

Outside one of our favorite rides... Indian Jones!

This band of pirates was awesome!! They were pretty funny and had some great pirate jokes as well. Can you imagine being a pirate as your career? I'm so jealous!!

Last weekend we took another escape with our friends Kirk and Cheryl. We hiked Timber Mountain, near Mount Baldy in the Angeles National Forest. It was kind of a steep hike, but really pretty. As you can see, there were patches of snow, but it was melting quickly with the sunny weather. We're glad to have friends here who like the outdoors too!

A Little Shake

2010-03-20T11:44:00.001-07:00

This past week Jason and I became true California residents- we felt our first earthquake. I was sleeping and poor Jason was studying at 4:00am Monday when the earthquake hit. My bed rocking and the shower doors rattling woke me up. By the time I came to and got up, it was over. Jason didn't feel it as much on the couch, and so we were both a little unsure if it was an earthquake, due to our groggy state of mind. But sure enough when we turned on the news later that day, a 4.4 earthquake had hit the LA area. I was very grateful that it wasn't any larger, in fact, it was kind of a good thing for me. How you say? Well, it fixed a little maintenance problem that has been annoying me. Our bedroom door hasn't been latching for some time now and Jason hasn't had time to look at it and I don't want to call maintenance about such a small thing. But, it really bugs me. However, after our little rumble the other day, the door shuts like a beauty!! Who new earthquakes could actually be in your favor? Hopefully this is the largest one we feel while we are here. Unfortunately, LA is due for a bigger one any time now! :(

The Bridge To Nowhere

2010-01-11T09:31:00.000-08:00

We had an awesome day on Saturday. Some friends in our ward invited us to go hiking. Something we've been wanting to try since we've been here in Cali. We've been a little sceptical about finding good hikes and places to "get away". However, Cheryl and Kirk helped us realize that there really are pretty places to see here in So. Cal, besides the beach. We did an 8 mile hike called The Bridge to Nowhere. It was in the Angeles National forest only 45 minutes from our place. In the 30's, a road was built through the San Gabriel Canyon, with a large bridge toward the middle of the canyon. However, shortly after it was destroyed by floods. The road was taken out, but the bridge remained. So now there is a bridge out in the middle of nowhere. It's kinda funny. It is now used for bungee jumping and sight seeing. Here we are next to the river that we followed the entire hike. It was very pretty. Different terrain than we are used to, but very pretty.
Our guides, Cheryl and Kirk. Thanks for opening our eyes!!
The Bridge to Nowhere. (with people trying to get psyched up to jump off the bridge!!)

We ran into some awesome mountain goats along the way. I think they liked the photo shoot because they stood up there for a while looking in different directions and waiting for us to get our pictures!

As you can see, they were pretty big. We saw 3 total. It was a really fun day!! We are excited to start exploring other canyons and hikes around here!!

Oh What Fun!!

2010-01-04T20:41:00.000-08:00

I know it's only January, but I figured I would enjoy a Valentine background for a little while before that holiday flies by...like Christmas did!! Although it seemed to fly by much to fast, we had such a great time in Washington!! It was so nice to have a long break and to be with so much family. Here are just a few of the highlights from our trip.

-Visiting Emily and Ryan's home in Seattle for the first time
-Playing with Maya...thanks to Falycia and Kirk- you guys are great for bringing her!!
-A girls day out (plus Jason) at the Olive Garden and The Nutcracker
-Caroling with my sister Amelia and her family
-Spokane Discount (one of Spokane's best kept secrets...being so great, it must not be a secret anymore)
-More shopping
-A wonderful Christmas and New Years with several family parties
-Family Flag Football with minimal injuries and lots of fun
-Games, Games, and more Games
-Oh, and lots of partaking of delicious holiday treats!!

We really did have a great time. We also loved getting a taste of winter. We miss being able to cozy up next to the Christmas tree and enjoy the lights and having everyone around. Here's a few random pictures from our trip.

Jason and Brandon at Pike Place Market in Seattle.
Maya being lazy and spoiled on the bed...where she got to sleep every night.
Amy, Sarah, Peggy, Becca, Lori, and I on Christmas Eve. Peggy taught us how to make her mom's yummy fudge!!
Me and my bro.
Our fun girls night out at The Olive Garden and the Ballet! (Jason felt a little out of place, but there was an extra ticket that couldn't go to waste!!) It was my first time seeing the nutcracker and it was awesome! Thanks Mom!!
Our little Christmas Baby!! Mae loves Elmo, so I couldn't really pass up this little Christmas dress at Spokane discount...especially for 2 bucks! She's just so darn cute and so fun too!!
Some of our cute and maybe a little crazy nieces and nephews.
Beth and Avery at the Christmas party!!

A Much Needed Visit

2009-12-10T19:43:00.000-08:00

As some of you may know, this week Jason is wrapping up his first quarter of dental school!! What a stud! So this week he has been taking finals, which has been pretty brutal. With finals this week, it meant that last week Jason was gone a ton studying and preparing for his 7 finals this week. Luckily, my sister Becca decided that she and Mae would come visit while Jeff was in Houston. She was here for a week and we had a great time. This first picture is the only one with Jason in it because he was only around on Sunday really. The LA temple has beautiful Christmas lights up, so we took a stroll around the grounds and Mae loved it all the lights! It's definitely the most Christmas lights anywhere in LA!!
Although the weather is starting to get a little too chilly for playing at the beach, we picked the warmest day and headed to the ocean. It was really low tide, so it was great sand castle material. Mae had a blast playing in the waves, gathering sand dollars, making sand castles, and most of all, eating the sand!! Not too appetizing if you ask me!
I loved how the wet sand looked like glass. Their reflections are perfect.
Being a kid!
Mae had a great time playing on the toys at our apartment. She was much stronger than we thought. She would hang on these rings for quite a while and not get scared. It cracked us up!
Mae helping me get ingredients out to make banana bread. She's really into cooking and baking- which I love too!!
We went to the original farmers market here in LA. I think it's the oldest in California too. We browsed and ate lunch there. Lots of fun stuff to look at. Mae enjoyed the fish pond.
As you can see, this tree was ginormous!! It was really pretty and helped me get more into the Christmas spirit...it's kinda been hard since it's in the 60's and the closest thing we get to snow is a little rain.
Proof the we were here together. I like the sign in the background too. Definitely a motto I live by. :)
Thanks Becca for playing with me all week! It was so fun to have other people around and especially a little one full of energy!! I love you guys and miss you already. Good thing we'll see you in couple weeks!

Another Year Older

2009-11-09T16:58:00.000-08:00

Although my birthday was on Sunday this year, there were some definite advantages to this. A two day celebration instead of one day, and Jason didn't have school either of those days!! So we had a great weekend together. Saturday night he took me to Natalee's Thai Restaurant for dinner. It was really yummy and had a fun atmosphere. Afterwords, we went to the 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica. The street is closed to cars and is lined with shops and restaurants. There is lots to look at, including crazy and interesting people!! While there, someone tried to sale us "fresh homemade cookies", teenage boys asked Jason to buy them alcohol, we saw lots of brake dancing and street musicians, and we watched a lively debate between an atheist and a christian (which was pretty heated). Lots of entertainment! This picture is kinda hard to see because it was dark, but it's a big dinosaur. They have a bunch down the center of the road. Kinda fun!!

After browsing 3rd Street Promenade, we went to the Santa Monica Pier, which is always fun. That is a big ferris wheel in the background, whic is on the pier. We haven't been on it yet, but maybe someday. There's other carnival type rides and lots of vendors to watch. It is one of my favorites.
On the second day of celebration, Jason got up early and made me breakfast before our 8:30 church! He made me bacon, eggs, toast, and orange juice, which was delish!! Thanks hun! That night our friends Daniel and Kylie came over as well. They made me a yummy multi layered chocolate pudding, whipped cream cake! It was tasty!! We also played some pit and Settlers. It was a fun night for sure!!
Our camera battery died after pictures of the cake, so I couldn't get pictures of anyone else. So here's one of Daniel and Kylie from a few weeks ago. Thanks so much for the cake and for playing with us, you guys are great!!

Halloween Fun in Utah

2009-11-06T14:21:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I was lucky to be able to go to Utah while Jason was in St. Louis for a dental convention. It was so fun to be there for Halloween and to spend time with family. It seems like there are so many people to see and so little time.
Luckily I was able to spend lots of time with my nieces and nephews. Mae was so much fun!! She is so happy and full of energy! Becca and Jeff took me to Costa Vida, which was so yummy!! Mae loved the beans and rice the most!
I spent a couple nights with Falycia and Kirk as well, which was great! We ate caramel apples and spent lots of time chatting-can't get much better!! Falycia also made some delicious rolls for Halloween! mmmm mmmmm!!
The weather was beautiful on Halloween and we were able to spend lots of time outside. I think the sun must have followed me from LA or something. Carving pumpkins was a lot of fun with Kyler and Alyssa. Maya liked it too...eating it anyway.
Of course I had to go to the park while I was there and enjoy the openness there. It was great to play ball with the dogs and swing with the kids. I wish there were big parks like that here!
Man do we miss her. It was fun to see Maya again and spoil her a little more. She is very well taken care of at Jannae and Victor's though! Thanks you guys! And thanks everyone who ran me around Utah County. It was so fun to see everyone- we miss you!

Our Haven

2009-10-28T08:50:00.000-07:00

Although Jason and I really miss the mountains and the open spaces found in Utah (and pretty much anywhere else), we are really enjoying the beauty of the beach. We have been to several beaches and are figuring out which ones we like the most! There is something different at each beach. Some have very little people, others are great for people watching, and some will be great to take Maya to. This beach is actually up north close to Ventura. It's called Mandalay Beach. We really liked this one. There were hardly any people there and the ones that were there were playing with their dogs in the ocean. Our kind of beach! ;) There was a big black lab that acted just like Maya. Never wanting to quit playing fetch and just full of energy! It was great.
Jason and Daniel doing a little studying for their first anatomy midterm. (and Kylie enjoying the sun!)
This pictures isn't the clearest, but it was so pretty that day. This was at Santa Monica and there were so many sailboats out that day. We counted 21 from where we were sitting. The pelicans were also diving for fish. It was really pretty! So pick your beach and we'll take you there!! ;)

Fall is here...right?

2009-10-22T11:13:00.000-07:00

So, like I've said before, California is different. That's the best way to put it. We are still enjoying the beautiful beaches that are so close and the warm weather is a definite plus. However, Jason and I are both missing that fall feel. The cool crisp air, the leaves vibrant with color, and the excitement of college football- especially BYU football. So, to make it feel more like fall, I have been making some of my favorite fall foods. The other night I made some yummy potato soup and homemade rolls. I think I will make some pumpkin cookies this weekend too. Mmm mmmmm.
It made a huge pot, so we have been eating lots of left overs!! I should've fed the other poor dental students. ;)

I love adding pictures of my hubby. Poor guy is always starving when he gets home from school. I guess he needs a lot of energy to feed that big brain of his while he studies!! :)

For Our Mothers...

2009-10-13T09:00:00.000-07:00

As many of you may know, this past month has kinda been a whirlwind for us. We moved out here to LA and were in one place for 2 weeks, then moved again! We ended up moving into the University Village (student housing) at UCLA. It's cheap, closer to campus, and we are around lots of other dental students here. As sad as it was having to take Maya back to Utah (temporarily) it is best. We are mostly settled in here and really enjoying it. So, as I said in the title, this post is mostly for our moms, who want to see our new place. :) It's the smallest place we've been in since we've been married, but it is good. This is obviously the kitchen. Man do I miss my pantry!!
This is the view when you walk in. Our dining area, then our living room.
This is our "office". Jason studies here when he's home and I like it because it's right by the kitchen. I guess it's all "by the kitchen" though! Anyway, it's nice when he studies at home, even if we aren't talking. It's just nice to have him around!
This is Jason enjoying a nice Sunday nap after a long week of studying- He definitely deserved it!! Overall, we are adjusting to this new jungle we live in. We have gone to the beach a few times and love walking the shoreline. It is also starting to feel more like fall, so that is nice. We do miss Utah and all of our friends and family there. Hopefully we can see you all sometime soon! Don't forget, we love to have visitors!!

Official UCLA Dental Student!!

2009-09-17T11:03:00.000-07:00

Tuesday was Jason's White Coat Ceremony for dental school. It was a great day. After each student received their white coat, they introduced themselves and stated what school they attended for undergrad. Here's Jason introducing himself. Way to go babe, officially a UCLA dental student. As Dean Park said, "the first day of your dental career!" I am so proud of you!!

We had a lot of support this week. Both of our parents were able to come for the ceremony, as well as Grandma and Grandpa Grattan. Thanks for everything, we had a great time!
Jason with his fellow BYU undergrad students. Smart lookin' guys huh?!
My future dentist and I!!

Sea World

2009-07-15T12:19:00.000-07:00

Last week Jason and I went to California for a little vacation as well as to scout out the area for housing and jobs. The first part of the week was definitely the more fun half. We stayed in Oceanside, Ca with Jason's sister Jannae and her familyat a condo where we were right next to the beach and only 30 minutes from San Diego. Along with playing at the beach, we decided to visit Sea World for our first time, and man did we fall in love with that place!! If you have never been to Sea World, you will have to come visit us and we'll take you. It was amazing! The animals are so intelligent and do such awesome tricks! It was GREAT!!

Dolly the dolphin actually touched that flag with his nose! So high!

Watching these trainers made me rethink my career choice! :)

It was awesome being so close to these huge animals. this guy was about 9,000 lbs!

victor, Kyler, Alyssa, Kara and Jannae at one of the nights shows. We had so much fun together.

This was a cool show. These guys climbed the poles and did amazing stunts and then flipped off into the ocean for more crazy acrobatics! It was really cool!

Ahhh....Green

2009-06-20T12:27:00.000-07:00

Although it may look a little patchy, we are SO excited to finally get a sprinkler system and new grass!! We are still trying to help it green up and grow, but it looks so much better than before!! You can't see it very well, but there is a cute tire swing on our big shade tree that Jannae's kids love!
The first fruitling in our garden. :) We eat a lot of green peppers, so this will be great!!
Our new garden spot! When we redid the yard, we made a garden spot and put a little fence up so the dogs stay out. They are doing great so far.
Our soon to be flourishing garden!! I'm glad we can at least have one season to enjoy the fresh veggies before we move to Cali!!

Dreaming and Drooling

2009-06-18T14:18:00.000-07:00

For the past few years Jason and I thought it would be fun to go to the Utah Valley Parade of Homes. So we decided to have some fun and dream a little this year. Jason thought it was good motivation to start another 4 years of school! ;) We had such a fun time. There were some really neat homes. They varied in size from 1,500 square feet to 13,000. There were lots of fun ideas. If you've never been, it's a fun thing to do! Here's a few samples.
I though this little boys room was really cute!

We saw lots of beautiful kitchens...someday huh?!
This was the backyard of the home that was 13,000 square feet. It was amazing. Built on the river. This home had an indoor pool, racketball court, and a home theater. It was really cool, however, I can't even imagine living there. It was crazy!!

Congratulations Jason!!

2009-05-18T12:10:00.000-07:00

After much hard work and dedication, Jason graduated from BYU last month. I am so proud of Jason and all that he has put into his schooling thus far. I am so lucky to have a husband who is motivated and dedicated to his goals. He'll do great at UCLA!! Way to go babe!
Jason with his brother Joey
Jason's parents were able to come for the graduation. They have been a huge support to us- thanks for being there!!

Jason and Eric have been study buddies for the past 2 or 3 years and have gone through the whole dental application process together. We're going to miss Eric and Mirjam lots! Good luck in Oklahoma you guys!

Fun in the Arizona Sun!

2009-05-18T11:31:00.000-07:00

This past week we spent the week soaking in the sun in Arizona. We had a great time visiting family and just chillin'. We went to the DeWitt ranch and went horse back riding, which was a blast. Sonny and Gracie were great, except when Gracie tried to buck me off...they knew it was feeding time and were ready to go home.
we were also able to go the the Mesa temple and do some family names, which was really neat!
My Dad and I at the Mesa temple.
Poor little Maya. Does she looked picked on or what? Of course she had to go into heat the week before we left on vacation. We didn't want her making a mess on my grandparents carpet, so we had to buy her doggie diapers. She was such a great sport and never tried to take them off. kinda pricey things, but worked like a charm!
Our little baby girl!
Me and Grammy. Jason and I had such a fun time with my grandparents. We didn't do a whole lot, but that's what vacations are for right?! The weather was great and we had fun going out to eat and doing a jigsaw puzzle. Thanks for everything Grammy and Denny!

The New and The Old

2009-04-17T12:57:00.000-07:00

So our life has kinda been a whirlwind recently because we thought we were going to Louisville, KY for dental school until recently. But then Jason got an interview at UCLA, which was his #1 school and he got accepted, so now we are going to Los Angeles, CA. Quite the difference huh?! I am so proud of Jason for all of the hard work he's put in here at BYU. He is so dedicated and determined. We feel very blessed for this opportunity and know we could never have gotten to where we are without the Lord's help. We are a bit nervous for this big change in our lives, but are also very excited. It looks like we will be moving sometime in August or early September. We are glad we get to have one more summer here in Utah to play and be with friends and family nearby. We will miss everyone here so much!!

It has been way to long since I have posted anything on my blog. So, here's one big update on what's new...and what's not quite so new. We've done a lot of fun things and have a lot of exciting times ahead, so here's the update. :)

oops, these got a little bit out of order somehow. Oh well. Becca and Jeff threw a great Murder Mystery dinner party for Becca's bithday. We all dressed up and had a lot of fun! Thanks you guys!!
Part of our trip for Jason's interview included visiting Grandma and Grandpa Grattan. We are very excited to live closer to them and to see them more often.
me at the beach. We'll live about 10 minutes from here.
UCLA School of Dentistry!!
Victor and Jannae got Jason one of those heavenly cakes from Costco to celebrate his acceptance! Thanks you guys for being so excited with us and for the yummy cake!
We finally got a new car!! For those of you who have been in our other cars, you will be glad to I'm sure! We feel very spoiled and are so happy to have a reliable car.
Goodbye to our little blue. We were able to sell the Corolla and are sad to see it go, but we were happy someone else wanted it. :)
Jason and I ate the murder mystery dinner. Fun stuff!
Kevin and Charisa looked awesome. Kevin was the detective and Charisa was my Grandmother. lol, we had a great time. Glad you guys were there!
What cuties! Falycia was a babe and Kirks slicked back hair was stylin'!
This goes back to February when I went to Casper to watch Amy's kids for a few days. Amy and Jake had a medical conference at Jackson hole, so I went and stayed with the kids. We had so much fun and i had withdrawls when I left. They are so fun! Kade was quite the drummer!
What cute girls huh?! I love you guys!

Enjoying it While We Can

2008-12-17T21:15:00.000-08:00

Since this is our last Christmas in Utah, Jason and I decided to try to make the most of it by going to as many of the Christmas events at Temple Square that we could. I think we did pretty well. We were able to start the season out by attending the play Savior of The World. We've seen it before, but for some reason this time was even better. For those who haven't seen it, it's wonderful. It tells the story of the Savior's birth and his Resurrection. It is well done and such a great reminder of what Christmas is all about. Following that, we went to the first presidency Christmas devotional, which was amazing, as always. The last thing we went to was the Mormon Tabernacle Christmas Concert. They sang with the Orchestra on Temple Square as well as with two guest performers. It was awesome!! There were some amazing numbers including an organ solo of "Go Tell It On The Mountain". We absolutely loved it. We truly are going to miss all the things that Utah has to offer. We are also going to miss family greatly when we move. We've been so blessed to live so close to many of our siblings and love having them near.

Better Late Than Never

2008-12-17T21:00:00.000-08:00

I actually forgot that I took a few pictures on Thanksgiving, so here they are. A bit late, I know. I figure since it's not Christmas yet, they are still fair game. We had a great dinner with Kevin, Charisa and their family as well as Falycia and Kirk. Here's Sam enjoying his yummy roll- what a cutie!

Emma had to fight Uncle Jason for the HUGE drum stick and it looks like Emma won. She thoroughly enjoyed it! Go Emma!

The Wasson clan eating Thanksgiving dinner! Mmm mmmm.

Falycia, Kirk, Jason, Charisa and Kevin carving the turkey and making the last preparations! It was the first time Jason and I have hosted a Thanksgiving dinner and it was great! Thanks for coming everyone!

Nothin' But Love

2008-11-18T14:43:00.000-08:00

Who would've thought that one little puppy could bring so much fun and love into our family? As most of you know, in place of children, Maya has become out little baby. She keeps us entertained, is quite funny, and gives so much love. Becca and Mae came to visit today and Mae always loves seeing Maya, so I thought I would share. Occassionally Maya gets to full of love and can't help herself from kissing Mae. At first Mae flinches, but then she giggles. She never wants Maya to leave her side when she's at our house. They're quite the pals!

A Quick Visit

2008-11-14T21:54:00.000-08:00

We were so excited to have Emily and Ryan come for a quick visit yesterday. Unfortunately the circumstances weren't the best, being here for Ryan's Grandmother's funeral tomorrow. However, we loved having Emily, Ryan, Carter, and Brandon here for a night. They drove from Seattle and we had a great visit. The boys are getting so big and are so much fun. We just wish they lived closer!! Maybe some day huh?! On the other hand, we are so grateful for the family we do live by!! Thanks for coming Emily and Ryan, hopefully we can see you guys again for New Years!

Happy Hauntings!!

2008-11-01T20:36:00.000-07:00

Last night we had our Second Annual Halloween party. It was fun to see everyone's creative costumes! We had a good turn out and enjoyed seeing everyone! We had lots of treats and enjoyed just having fun! Eric and Miriam looked pretty tough...or something like that. ;)

Jason and Castro a.k.a Joey hanging out in between eating chili and donuts.

Miss Hotty Marilyn Monroe and Little Miss Pumpkin Pie!! Aren't they adorable.

It was so fun to see Amber, Glenn, and their little guy Tyce (the targeted deer). Amber and I were roommates about 4 years ago and haven't seen each other for a long time. It was so good to see her and catch up a bit!! Thanks for surprising us Amber!

Isn't Jason a hot cowboy? I think he needs to wear the hat and boots more often! Maya was a good sport too and wore the bandana all night. She was so excited to see the trick or treaters that she made two little ones cry. She's just so full of love, but they don't realize that. It was fun to have trick or treaters this year too.

What do you think? Classy Marilyn with her white trash husband?

Farmer Jeff with his beautiful wife and cute little pumpkin!

What do you think of these sexy men? Lookin' hot Kirk, but not quite as hot as my little cowboy in the middle.

Cinderella (Alyssa), Maya, and Mickey (Kyler) hangin' out at the party after trick or treating. They looked really cute and loved all the candy and goodies!! (Maya especially liked all of the donut crumbs and frosting drippings.)

Jason being taken hostage by his crazy brother Joey and his fiance Jess! They took us all by surprise, but only made Kyler cry. ;) We're glad they made it!

The Rest of My New York Trip

2008-10-05T20:53:00.000-07:00

So here's the rest of the New York pictures. There were so many to choose from, as you can probably tell. Aren't Melanie's kids so cute? We had fun playing together. I miss you Owen, Tyler, and Halle! The crazy caterpillar bug that Halle found outside. Kinda crazy huh?
Tyler's 5th b-day party. We worked pretty hard on the monster pinata one night, but they held up pretty well for the kids to smash with light sabers!
Melanie's apartment. I loved it! I loved that everywhere in Ithaca (and NY for that matter) is surrounded by trees. You always feel like you are out in the middle of no where... which I love. We went the perfect time of year too. The leaves were changing color and the weather was perfect. I want to go back.
One day Gary watched all the kids, including Logan, so that we could go see the church history sites. This is the Whitmer Farm, where the church was first organized. I want a peice of land like that someday!

Ok, so I fell in love with the Amish people. I love their farms and seeing their horses and equipment. There were quite a few of them in NY. We stopped at this one and got some yummy homemade baked goods.
Bread and Strawberry Ruhbarb jam. mmmmm
Yup, pumpkin whoopies. They were alright, but the name was quite entertaining to us. They were pumpkin cookies with about 2 inches of frosting in the middle.
Mel and I at Hill Cumorah. It was such a beautiful view.

Here we are in front of the Sacred Grove. The Smith farm was very fun and interesting to see. I learned so much and gained a new love and appreciation for the Smith family.
The Palmyra Temple. It overlooks the Sacred Grove. Aren't the trees just amazing?
The Sacred Grove. We were so lucky because there were no other tourist that day, so we had the grove to ourselves. The Granden Press, where the Book of Mormon was first printed. I didn't know Palmyra was such a cute, small little town. I loved it.

Taking a walk through the Sapsucker woods. This is pretty much Mel's backyard. We saw tons of deer in there.

Owen having fun with his sticks... I mean swords and wands.
Here we are at Taughannock Falls. It was a gorgeous walk and once again, beautiful fall weather. One of my favorite things about or trip. :)

From Our Catholic Neighbors

2008-09-30T13:02:00.000-07:00

My Aunt Kris e-mailed me this link and I thought it was great. Definitely worth sharing. So, take a minute and watch this short video. There are good people out there, trying to do good things, and stand up for what is right, so let's all do our part.

http://www.catholicvote.com/

In Love With New York

2008-09-30T08:03:00.000-07:00

WARNING: This post may contain A LOT of pictures!!
(sorry if they are way out of order, but I'm still not very good at uploading them in order)
This is St. Patrick's Cathedral in NYC. It was huge and very pretty. almost compares to some I saw in England. I loved all the stain glass windows.
This is the place we stayed in NY. After MUCH searching, we found a clean, cheap room to rent. It was the master bedroom in someone's apartment. They were very nice and it was in a safe, clean neighborhood, which was great. I suggest looking into this kind of place to stay if you plan to go to NY.

Here's Ground Zero. There's really not a whole lot to look at right now, other than a huge construction site. However, the feeling there was neat. I was glad I had the opportunity to take a few minutes and remember what happened and those who have lost their lives.
One of the murals nearby. They are working on a memorial, but there really isn't an official one yet.
We did stop at the fire station across the street and looked at their memorials and fire trucks. The firemen were all very nice and they got called out while we were there. It was crazy to think that they were right there on the front line when it happened. They lost many friends and co-workers. I'm grateful for men and women who serve in these professions.
Ahhhh, here we are at the Top of The Rock (the Rockafeller Building). That is the Empire State building in the background. The view up here was phenomenal! I recommend this to anyone who goes to NY, even if you are afraid of heights. It took my breath away! Definitely one of my favorite stops!
Another view from Top of The Rock. This is Central Park...another one of my favorite places for sure!! Isn't it amazing how the buildings go right up to the edge of the park? You can easily spend hours, or even days here.

The Center walk way at Central Park. You may recognize it from movies and pictures. So pretty. The leaves were starting to change, but it's hard to see in this picture.
The skyline is amazing here. I LOVED the park!!
The Manhattan Temple. Kind of crazy how it's in the middle of downtown. There are high rises all around it. Really cool.
Logan and I chilling in the subway. He was such a good sport!
Lombardi's famous pizza in Little Italy. I guess the first pizza place in America. Expensive, but yummy!!

Kristi and I had a wonderful trip to New York! Our first night there we went to Times Square and checked out all of the shops and restaurants. Times Square was amazing! If you go, definitely see it at night. Someone told us that within just a few blocks, there are over 80 million advertisments. Crazy!
Kristi at Bubba Gumps, where we ate for dinner. Very fun.

Can anyone tell I have a sweet tooth?? M & M World was cool, a lot for one chocolate lover to take in. We also stopped at Serendipity and tasted some of their famous Frozen Hot Chocolate. Mmmmm was it goo. Dylan's Candy Bar was also fun, with tons of old fashioned candy. I was sooo tempted by their carmel apples.

Mmmmm Berries

2008-09-12T00:20:00.000-07:00

This Tuesday my sister Becca and I (and Mae, her baby) went berry picking. We mostly picked raspberries, but we also picked some blackberries. I decided that since the peaches were a success, I would try jam; which was MUCH faster and quite yummy. There's not much better than homemade raspberry jam. Don't worry, I also ate some on vanilla ice cream and have some frozen to use in other recipes too! Someday I will have my own raspberry bushes!!

The blackberries where huge! They had a ton coming on, so I may go back and pick more for blackberry jam. mmmmmm.

Peaches for me!!

2008-09-03T08:39:00.000-07:00

Yes, I learned to can yesterday!! I had a lot of fun canning peaches yesterday. I decided that since I can hardly eat store bought canned peaches (since my mom spoiled me with home canned peaches), I had better learn how to can them myself. So, that was my day yesterday. I spent from 2-11pm canning. My sister Becca and my sister-in-law Jannae helped off and on between taking care of kids. It was a lot of fun and I'm so excited to have yummy peaches this winter!! I'm going to try rasberry jam next week, so wish me luck!

Proud BYU Alumnist

2008-08-26T17:06:00.000-07:00

So, after 7 years of college and getting my nursing degree, I finally have my bachelors! I graduated last week from BYU. It was so great to have Jason's family here. I was also very surprised when my Dad showed up at graduation! What a great surprise!

We had a fun celebration afterwards with our family and Jason's parents were very generous. They gave me a GPS, which I've been wanting for a while. I've had a great time playing with it and finding new places.
Jannae also graduated with her Bachelors in the same major- Home and Family Living. Way to go Jannae!! She got a a beautiful picture of the savior and some new computer software.
It's a good thing we have another year here for Jason to finish up because I'm going to need a little tme transitioning to not having BYU as part of my week. I'm really going to miss it when we leave.

It's so fun having Falycia and Kirk close by. It was great having them there. Thanks for coming you guys!!
Becca and Mae were also there to support us, as always. Thanks Becca!
Me and My Dad. Thanks for all of your support.

Maya's New Pack

2008-08-26T15:00:00.000-07:00

Maya sporting her new pack. We got her this awesome invention so she can carry her own things when we go camping and hiking, and so she can get a better work out on walks. We thought it would take some getting used to, but it was almost as if she didn't even notice it on her. This was her first time wearing it. We've actually found that she behaves better on walks when she wears it. It's like she feels as though she has some sort of responsibility or something. It's great! So, if you're looking for a way to wear out your dog (or maybe it would work for a child too...) load it down with water or canned foods and take a nice long walk. It's awesome!!

This is Layora, one of Maya's best friends. Ok, so she loves all kids, but Layora really loves Maya as you can see in this picture. They are really cute together! Layora was sharing Maya's ball and loving it. We also went hiking with them a few weeks ago and Maya was what kept Layora happy. It's pretty funny.

Summer Fun With Katya

2008-08-24T18:11:00.000-07:00

So, I ran out of time yesterday to make more posts, so here's a couple more pictures. We were lucky to have our neice Katya come and stay with us for 9 days. It was her first time away from home and we had a lot of fun! Here's a recap of some of the fun things we did together during that time.

Katya with her cousin Emma at Color Me Mine, a fun pottery place in town. They had lots of fun together painting their mugs.
Katya helping Uncle Jason get his fishing line all ready. We had a fun day at the park until Maya nearly dragged Katya into the river trying to get to Jason while he was fishing. She was a good sport. :)
Maya's first time swimming. She has been in the water lots, but not deep enough to have to actually swim. She absolutely loved it and we've gone back many times. I don't think she ever gets sick of fetching her ball in the water. She's definitely a water dog with her cute little webbed paws.
Maya longing to get back in the water. Man we love having so many parks near by and the canyon so close.
Jason fly fishing. He caught a fish on the second cast this day! It was fun to watch him with all of his new gear. He's really enjoying this new found hobby. What a stud!!

We took Katya to a John Schmidt concert in Sandy. It was at an outdoor ampitheater. If you haven't been to one of his concerts, you really gotta go! He's amazing and it's a fun atmosphere.
We took Katya to the duck pond and she helped chase some of the baby ducks. It was fun to watch her and Jason in the water wading and splashing around.
We met up with the Wasson gang and went to the Discovery Center in Salt Lake and had a good time there. This was a cool station where they could make up their own creature.
Savannah and Katya, the newly hired news anchors for KSL 5. Don't they look professional?
Maya joining Emma and Katya for a little sleep over. They were watching Homeward Bound, one of Maya's new favorites.

Where have we been?

2008-08-23T16:22:00.000-07:00

So I've had a few people ask me why I haven't updated our blog for such a long time. Basically, as my last post mentions, I am a slacker when it comes to updating my blog and I just haven't done it. However, we have had a very action filled fun summer, so I thought I would share some of the highlights with you all.

For the 4th of July, we were able to go to Sacramento to celebrate my Grandma's 80th Birthday! Most of our extended family was able to come and we had a great time. This is my sister Sarah, Johnathan (my cousin), Lindsey (my other cousin), Becca (my sister), David (my bro.), myself, my Grandma, and Amy (my sister). It was a lot of fun being together.

I think Jason and Anya have a continuous pillow fight between the two of them. Whenver they are together, there are swinging pillows accompanied by many screams and giggles. I think he had her pretty good here though.

We had a BBQ and fireworks at Aunt Mary and Uncle Joe's. Of course she went all out and had t-shirts and tatoos for all of the kids. They loved it and it was so fun to watch them together.
Jason kickin' it in the backyard enjoying his freedom from studying for the DAT.
Kade fascinated as always by anything that turns or spins. :)

Slacker

2008-06-10T21:48:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone! I love looking at everyone else's blogs, but I am horrible at making new posts on my own blog. But tonight I thought I would make a few. I know some of my sisters want to see updates of our house and want to see how much Maya has grown, so here are a few. I will put more of the house soon, when we have the details done. Thanks for being patient with my lack of posts.

Graduation

2008-06-10T21:31:00.001-07:00

Congratulations Maya! Maya graduated from obedience school last Saturday and did a great job. We are still working on a few things, but she is doing great. She is pretty well potty trained and is really good at shaking, giving high fives, and waving goodbye. She's a smart little pup for sure!

Maya with a fellow classmate Zulu on graduation day. :) There was only one other dog in the class, but he didn't show up for graduation.

Maya playing with her cousins. Jason was pulling Alyssa and Kyler around on a blanket, and Maya wanted on. So, on she went and loved every minute of it.
I just had to add this picture because it cracks me up. Maya was sleeping with her tongue out and didn't pull it in even when I touched it. I love this picture.

One last picture of Maya. (If you can't tell, she's our biggest source of entertainment these days!) This was taken a few weekends ago. We were getting ready to go up to the canyon with Jannae and Victor and Maya couldn't wait to go. It's definitely one of her favorite things.

Memorial Day with Dad & Peggy

2008-06-10T21:22:00.000-07:00

Dad and Peggy were in town for Memorial Day weekend and we had a great time. Sunday we went to Becca and Jeff's in Heber and took a nice drive. This picture is at Memorial Hill. It is a random little hille in Heber that overlooks the beautiful valley and has a war memorial at the top. It was a gorgeous view!

Dad and Peg relaxing on their vacation. We sure loved having them around for a little bit.
Unfortunately when they got to our house, we didn't have any furniture for them to sit on, but they were able to rest a little on the left over carpet pad. They were good sports about it!

Updates on the Home

2008-06-10T21:10:00.001-07:00

Jannae and Victor working hard to finish the basement the night before we had the carpet and linolium laid.
Our half wall. This wall is between the living room and kitchen and used to be a full wall, but we rebuilt it as a half wall and love it! It really helps open the kitchen up nicely.
Ahhhhhhhh, new carpet!!
Enjoying the almost finished basement. We did have to take the couch apart to get it in the basement, but hey it worked.
Our family in our newly finished basement.

Our New Home

2008-04-21T12:39:00.001-07:00

Our Backyard (I meant to have this later in the post, but have had some technical difficulties, so here it is). We really like the patio and can't wait to have BBQ's this summer using the big grill they left behind. They also left the trampoline and swing that the kids have been enjoying.

Jason and I decided that since we have a puppy now, we should probably have somewhere for it to live. So, we decided to buy a house. Well, it didn't quite go like that, but we did buy a home. It is a home that has an up/down duplex. We bought it with Jannae and Victor (Jason's sister and brother in-law) and are very excited. It is in Orem and is in a great neighborhood about 10 minutes from where we live now in Provo. There are three bedrooms upstairs and two downstairs, so Jason and I will be living downstairs since we only have one baby (Maya) and Jannae and Victor now have 3 (their two kids and new puppy as well). It is an older home and needs a few updates, but is well built. (the home would look a lot better without that little old Corolla in front of it, but oh well.)
This is the upstairs living room. It has a beautiful wood floor that was just refinished.
One of the bedrooms upstairs...sorry, I thought it was flipped.

The Remodel

2008-04-21T12:20:00.000-07:00

This is the basement kitchen where Jason and I will be living before we started. Where I am standing to take the picture is the living room. Both rooms are being redone. We ripped down the wood paneling, rewired it and added new outlets, framed several walls, and are now preparing to sheet rock, texture, and paint the two rooms. We will also be putting in new lenolium and carpet.
This is the same kitchen during the demolishing stage!! I will be sure to add the final product when we are done. We've been spending lots of time working on the basement!
This is looking from the kitchen into the living rom, and into one of the bedrooms at the end. What a mess!!
Yes, this is me. I was wiring the can lights that we are putting in. Don't worry, the wires I was working on were not "hot", the one hanging there is on a different circuit. :)
The man who taught me how to do the wiring. Jason's dad was kind enough to come help us this past weekend. We spent two very full days working on the basement and got a lot accomplished. We appreciate all of his help.

Our First Baby!!

2008-04-20T20:06:00.000-07:00

Ok, so it's not a human, but she might as well be. This is our little baby puppy Maya. She was born February 4, 2008 and is a purebread yellow lab. She is so much fun and is a good little girl. She is doing really well at the whole potty training thing and has tons of energy. This was her on the day we picked her up. She was all bathed and pretty. She starts her first day of school (obedience training) this Saturday. We are sure she will graduate top in her class!
The proud parents.
Our little angel. She doesn't quite fit her bed yet, but we are sure she will grow into it rather quickly.

Mae Kathryn Burghardt

2008-02-24T15:12:00.000-08:00

My new little neice, Mae, was born February 11th. She weighed 5lbs 14oz and was 20in long. She's a tiny little girl and so sweet!! I lucky to be able to be there when she was born, which was really special!

Mae was born on my mom's birthday, so she was pretty excited about that. We all know who the new favorite grandbaby is now. ; )
Becca, Jeff, and little Mae, just hours after she was born.
She's swaddled pretty good here, so it's hard to see her, but she's precious!!

Christmas in Spokane

2008-01-06T15:44:00.000-08:00

Jason and I were able to go to Spokane for a week and celebrate Christmas with my family. We had most of our family in town, and had a great time. Here are a few pictures that captured our fun time!

Ellie and Abbey at our family Christmas party in their beautiful matching dresses. What sweet little girls!!
Dad decided to do the story of the Nativity a little different this year. He had a nativity out on the table and took turn having each grandchild come up and place a piece of the nativity where they wanted, to create the scene. After they chose their piece, they had to tell why it was important. The kids were adorable and so eager to help and share their knowledge.
Jason with baby Brandon (Emily and Ryan's second son) in front of the Christmas tree.An intense game during our fussball tournament: The Hastings vs. The Scott's. The Scott's happened to be the tournament champions. :) We always have fun playing fussball, especially when Michael makes up the official tournament brackets.
I just thought this was adorable. Hailey was reading "How Much I Love You" to Josh through the stethescope.

If you can't tell, I have a lot of fun with my neices and nephews. They're the best.

Temple Square Lights

2007-12-16T13:42:00.000-08:00

Jason and I went to Salt Lake last night with our friends Erik and Mirjam. The lights were beautiful, as always. It was cold, but there was still a ton of people. We had a great time!!

Thanksgiving Fun

2007-11-29T14:18:00.000-08:00

Although it looks like christmas, we went to Colorado for Thanksgiving. It was so much fun having all of Jason's family home. All 9 kids were there for the weekend. Besides stuffing ourselves full on Thanksgiving, we also had a mini Christmas as well. It was great!!
Jason with 3 of his 4 brothers, Jordon, Josh, and Joey. They had fun wrestling, playing video games, and arm wrestling all weekend long! (something I realized I'm not quite used to with so many sisters) :) We had a lot of fun!

All Better

2007-11-21T19:12:00.000-08:00

I thought I would give a quick update on my surgery. This is Jason and I before the procedure with the teddy bear my Dad and Peggy sent me. Everything went very well. The hole was the same size as my sister Becca's, 12mm (about 1/2 in.). Pretty good size. I stayed one night in the new hosptial in Murray. The hospital is beautiful and has huge rooms. And, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, being on the other side of things. :) The nurses were great and Dr. Sorensen did a great job. Jason took some picutres after the procedure, but I thought this one of me was a bit better. :) I'm feeling pretty good and am thankful to have it all over so we can move on with life! I'm greatful the Lord helped us find the problem and fix it when He did. :)

Our New Toy

2007-11-15T20:02:00.000-08:00

So this is our new toy, a Kymco People 150 scooter!! I never thought I would buy anything close to a motorcycle, but I was wrong! A couple of months ago, a friend of ours bought one and let us ride it...and man was it fun. After much discussion about safety issues, we decided to buy one. Shortly after we decided that we wanted one, a friend of Jason's offered us a great deal on his. He is moving in the spring and can't take it with him. Anyway, we are having a lot of fun on it now before the snow hits. It gets great gas milage (about 80 mpg), so of course that was a big selling point for us. :) We would love to take anyone on a ride, so come visit!!
Don't we look good on it? And don't worry, the helmets are coming soon!

Katie's Birthday

2007-11-15T19:50:00.001-08:00

My Birthday was on the 8th and I had a fun day. I actually got to celebrate on several different days, so it was great! My sister-in-law, Jannae, made the cake for me and it was yummy!!
That night we went to the BYU vs. TCU football game with our friends Erik and Miriam. We won, so it was a lot of fun!

I'm married to Cosmo's biggest fan, so we were excited when we got this picture. Cosmo is a pretty big celebrity around here for those of you who don't know!!

Happy Birthday Dave!!

2007-11-04T21:28:00.000-08:00

So, it's my brother Dave's Birthday on Nov. 5th and I failed to mail his card on time. So tonight I was looking all over for some cool e-card to send him, but I found nothing! I take that back, I found a really funny cowboy that I put my picture as the face, and had the cowboy singing this really funny song. But after typing my message and all the info, they wanted me to pay an outrageous amount, so I decided to do something a little different...sorry Dave. I decided to do something I saw Melanie do on her blog, and do a little highlight on David and why he's so great.

David is the oldest in the family and the only boy. Some may think it's not too bad, but when there are ten girls, you are a bit out numbered! However, David's always been a great sport about it and has been a great big brother. Although Dave may seem pretty tough having been a marine, a bull rider, a great outdoors man, etc. , he really has does have a tender heart. I've always felt that David would do anything for me. I feel blessed to have a brother who, although he is 11 years older than me, is so fun to be around and has always been very protective and supportive in all I do. David is also a great dad and has a beautiful family. I just wish we lived closer so we could see each other more!! David's also been a good example to me of a hard worker and someone who stands up for what is right and good.

I hope you have a happy birthday David!! I love you lots!!

Here are a couple pictures of the man himself!!

ASD Closure

2007-10-28T16:36:00.001-07:00

Isn't this a cool little device? Well, it's going to be in my heart pretty soon. It's a bit of a long story, but I have been diagnosed with an atrial septal defect (ASD). An ASD is a hole in the heart that has been there since birth. There are two kinds of holes that are found in the heart. The first is a patent foramen ovale or PFO, which everyone is born with and closes up in the first year or two of life. In some people this never closes. The other kind is an ASD, which is simply a hole in the septum between the two atria of the heart. They are pretty sure that mine is an ASD, but won't know for sure until they go in and place the device. They did a Transcranial Doppler as well as a bubble echocardiogram to diagnose the ASD. Both tests showed significant flow of blood directly from the right atrium to the left (which is not normal or good). Because of this, there is a high risk for stroke. Therefore, I will be having the procedure on November 20th to have the hole closed. Because technology is so amazing, they will be able to go up through my femoral vein (in my groin area) and place the device through a catheter. I will only be in the hospital for one night and will be back to noramal life very quickly!! I know this is a lot of information and I probably didn't explain it very well, but if anyone would like more info., you can visit http://www.sorensenmd.com/ which is the website of the cardiologist doing the procedure. He is the best in the nation for this procedure and is second in the world. Another good website to look at is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atrial_septal_defect . Anyway, I don't want to worry anyone, I just thought I would fill you in on the latest here!

More Halloween Fun!

2007-10-28T16:18:00.000-07:00

Krista Maxwell danced the night away to our Halloween music. She was adorable! Her Dad, Bryce is the blind referee in the background and her mom, Karmen was a great nerd!

Some yummy eyeball cupckes and other goodies
Ben, Kristi, and Logan Parker. Quite the contrast in costumes huh!? Fun stuff!
Steve, Kat, and Savannah Powell all looked great! It was fun seeing you guys!

Halloween Party 2007

2007-10-28T15:40:00.000-07:00

We had our first annual Halloween party this past weekend. It was a lot of fun. This picture is my nephew Sam, Me, Jason, my sister Charisa, my brother in-law Kevin, my brother in-law Jeff, my sister Becca, my neice Savannah, my neice Emma, and my nephew Ben. Everyone did a great job dressing up and being creative! We had a good time! Below are a few pictures of the limbo. There was definitely some talented limboers! (The first is Kevin, Jeff, Kristi, then Jason)

A Quick Peek at Our Summer

2007-09-25T12:10:00.000-07:00

Jason and I went to Disneyland with my sister and brother-in-law, Falycia and Kirk. We spent two days there and had tons of fun on all the rides and being kids again!!

Over Memorial Day weekend, the parents came to visit and we all went to San Fransisco. We had a very fun filled, action packed day. We hit all the sights and had a blast!

The last thing we did in San Fransisco was going to an A's baseball game. We all had a great time.

We also did a bit of babysitting over the summer as well. This is Shelby, my Aunt Mary and Uncle Joe's dog. She was our substitute neice while we were away from all of them. She was fun to have around and as you can see, she made herself right at home when she stayed with us!!

2007-09-25T11:58:00.000-07:00

This picture was at early morning seminary for the high school age kids. They meet every school day at 6:00am to study the scriptures. They are great kids. Jason and I took them little book marks and pictures of Christ that they loved. It was great!

These were some of my favorite kids! They loved to sit, stand, or be anywhere close to me (probably because of the candy and stickers I gave them). They are sweet kids!

These bags were hand made by one of our favorite Bolivians. Sister Choque cooked for Jason everyday for about 6 months of his mission. She is a very strong member of the church and always serving others.

2007-09-25T11:46:00.000-07:00

One of the highlights of our summer was our trip to Bolivia, where Jason served a mission for our church 3 years ago. This is at the Cochabamba Temple. These families drove over 40+ hours in buses and cars to get here. They are incredible people!!

This is the Alanoca family, one of our favorites!! We took them to Dumbo's for ice cream and had a blast. This is one of the nicer restaurants in Santa Cruz.

Intoducing Us

2007-09-24T19:29:00.000-07:00

Jason and I (Katie) were married August 18th, 2006 in the Salt Lake Temple. We currently live in Provo, UT where Jason and I are going to school at BYU. Jason is getting ready to apply for dental school this coming spring, and I am going to school part time, working on my bachelors. I also work nights as a nurse on the medical oncology floor at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center.