The Shurtz Family

Photos!

2012-01-02T15:36:00.000-08:00

I decided it would be much easier to catch y'all up on the last two big events in our lives (Thanksgiving and Christmas Break) through picture albums on Facebook.

To see pictures on my Facebook page of our Thanksgiving trip to Branson, Missouri, click the link below:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100272985846149.2500573.17820577&type=1&l=415f6ca4c9

To see pictures on my Facebook page of our trip to Utah over the Christmas Holiday, click on the link below:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100273019553599.2500583.17820577&type=1&l=f963ea20a0

"So, What do you do?"

2011-11-22T10:49:00.000-08:00

Sometimes people ask me, "So what is it that you do at work? What is a clinical research coordinator?" In conversation, it's often somewhat difficult to give a good explanation of what it is that I do, mostly because I think people want to hear about it in about one sentance and I simply can't break it down that quickly. My answer usually goes something like this... "I coordinate and facilitate all sorts of things so that those who are interested in doing research can even if they have busy lives (Doctors, students, and professors)."

SO- if there's any of you interested in knowing what Natalie does at her job through photos and a little more detail... read on!

I assist researchers in planning for and carrying out their studies and each study has me doing very different things! Over the summer, I assisted on a project that four medical students wanted to accomplish about the reliability of medical students using palpatory skills to make diagnosis concerning assymmetries of the human pelvis.

So, I went to their meetings and listened to everything that they wanted to do and then got busy.

Take the following image, for example. Here are two of our medical student researchers working on data processing during the data collection phase of the study this summer.
Prior to this phase of the study, I:

Ordered four new laptops and installed the software they would need on each of them,

ordered a jump drive for each of the students to be able to transfer their data,

set up data bases on each computer and laptop for the data to be stored in an organized fashion when collected,
created a power point and presented it to the students to teach them how to use the equipment they would be using during data collection,

created and printed out the help sheets you see on the table,

created the ID bracelets they are wearing, and

calibrated the simulated human pelvic models you see behind them.

Here's another shot of the pelvic models with my co-worker, Ken. He and I spend a lot of time with these things. They started out as research prototypes and now they're being mainstreamed into the academic arena to help train medical students with their palpatory skills.
Ken and I have proctored those tests over the past two years.

We hired two undergraduate students to assist with the summer research project and I trained both of them on their responsibilities with the study and taught them how to store data on the databases and forms that I created. Here's one of them at the computer running the 2D and 3D imaging cameras that we have in this room while the student researcher makes his diagnosis about the covered human pelvic model.

Me and Allison

The student researchers wanted to work with pelvic models first and then advance to human subjects, so I recruited, screened, scheduled (and rescheduled) 60 human subjects.

It was also decided that an ATSU tee shirt and a pair of shorts would be given to each subject, so I researched pricing for those on the internet, designed a logo, and ordered clothing.

We often times get group photos of everyone that worked on a research project.
So, here we are- the student summer research group and ATSU research support staff.

Here are photos from another study that we're just beginning on women with chronic low back pain! We are doing this study in conjunction with a research team at the ATSU Mesa, AZ location.

So I got to go on a work trip to Arizona in October with five of my co-workers

to train the Mesa research team on the equipment and protocol for this study.

Most of these photos are of the researchers going through the study protocol with me acting as a subject for them to practice on. This study will require that I, and a research coordinator in Mesa, recruit 120 women. That's the biggest study I've been assigned to.

So, take a look at this photo below.

Anything special going on here? Well, yes! What you see in this photo is two very busy individuals who's schedules were aligned to be in the same place at the same time (One of them being a physician in the state of Colorado and the other a professor in Arizona).

There's equipment that was ordered, tested, and transferred to the Mesa site,

a research lab that was scheduled,

and computers that were set up with printer and internet access on foreign servers.

This picture actually took me a lot of work, despite my relaxed disposition!

I thought it was rather comical when they put an actual spine over the top of mine as they were discussing different bony landmarks that they would palpate during their examinations!

Training a student technician again on storing and transferring data across campus networks securely.

Now, here's day 2 in Mesa where we went over the surface electromyography (sEMG) set up and activities that the subjects will do for this study.

Getting all wired in.

I had 14 electrodes put on my back and buttock muscles and goniometers on my knees.

Then, I practiced doing simple exercises that the subjects will do while the researchers tracked the data on the computers you see in this photo.

One thing I love about my job is the variety. In addition to doing research studies, we get to be involved in promotional activities like research symposiums and continuing medical education courses.

Here's some of the research support staff at the last research symposium that the school put on in October this year. I manned the registration table and helped with take down of the event. I somewhat feel like I have a celebrity in this photo because the President of the medical school, President Jack Magruder, is in it (white haired gentlemen standing behind me).

In September, we hosted four OTM fellows, two medical residents, and four physicians from Portugal who came to the University to obtain some continuing medical education credits. That was interesting to plan for! We really had no idea just how well (or not well) the Portuguese guests would understand English so I sought out some translators! I actually found four return missionary medical students that could speak Portuguese and scheduled them to be with us throughout the course so we could communicate!

To our surprise, the Portugese gentlemen spoke and understood English fairly well and conversation was relatively easy to make.

Here we are giving the attendants a tour of the campus. I spent every chance I could talking with one of the Portuguese guys. In this photo, I was speaking with Edgar about his country. He told me about the debate going on in Europe right now about standardizing currency across nations and what that would mean for his country. They were all fascinated by our facilities and said you would never find anything that large in Portugal for a medical school.

I was nervous about this presentation because half of my audience spoke Portuguese and the other half spoke English. I didn't want to go so fast that the Portuguese couldn't understand me, but fast enough that I didn't put the english speakers to sleep. It went pretty well. :)

Walking around down town Kirksville on our way to lunch.

This was a funny experience. We took the Portuguese physicians to a chinese buffet for lunch. They were appalled that no alcohol was sold there. They were confused by the buffet style of obtaining food. They ordered their drinks without ice. I really enjoyed this relaxed time to chat with them more about their lives and their country.

...and here's our Continuing Medical Education attendants and the Research Support Staff.

For those of you who read this post all the way to the end, I hope you enjoyed that pictorial glimpse into my occupation. Putting together this post has made me reflect on just how fun this job is and how many awesome people I've gotten to work with. It definitely has not so fun, really stressful moments, but overall, it's been a great job that has taught me a lot about coordinating events with lots of people, networking, thinking ahead in great detail, computer skills, technological skills, creative and technical writing skills, etc. etc.

I figure no matter what occupation I have next in life, it will, to some extent involve coordination.

It's been a valuable skill to focus on and magnify.

Lil' This & Lil' That

2011-11-12T17:39:00.000-08:00

OCTOBER RECAP

Joe and I played in the annual dodgeball tournament again this year.

It's a fund raiser for the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Club and it's tons of fun.

Me, getting out... again.

Every team was supposed to come up with a team name and costumes, since the tournament was held on Halloween weekend. Our team name was, "Breathe, Stretch, Shake, Let it Go" inspired by the old time Mase song and obviously, we dressed up like white thugs.

Didn't we pull the look off well (we all being very un-thug, white, Mormon kids)?

My Home Slice!

Everyone had to sign waivers to play in the tournament and we found out why. Joe actually got hit in the face with the ball and got a purple and red bruise on his eye from it later that evening.

Although our team didn't win and Joe got abused, both mine and Joe's names were pulled for door prize drawings. Our prizes together amounted to $60.00 so we definitely felt like winners!!

We celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary on October 26th by going out to dinner at a fancy place in Bevier, Missouri called The Pear Tree.

I think Joe has only gotten more handsome since I met him five years ago.

(Thanks Des & Danny for the gift certificate that Joe is holding in his hand,

which made affording this place swallowable!)

An older woman dining with her husband at the table next to us offered to take our photo. She then asked, "Is it your anniversary?" When we replied yes, she told us it was her anniversary that day too only she had her husband were celebrating number 43! She said, "His Mother never thought we would make it this far, but look at us now!" After chatting for a few moments, she asked if she could take our photo with her camera as well so she could remember the little couple she met in Missouri who shared her anniversary (They were visiting from Florida).

It was fun to meet them and see how much they still smiled at each other after 43 years.

My Mom sent Joe and I a beautiful bouquet of flowers for our anniversary. The bouquet contained 5 huge gerber daisies... my favorite!! My Mom is so thoughtful. I took lots of pictures of the flowers so I could continue to enjoy them after they passed away.

We just finished up another season of ATSU intramural football! This is one of mine and Joe's favorite sports to play together. We both LOVE flag football!

The school photographer came out to snap some photos one day and

got some pretty cool action photos.

One of my main responsibilities on offense was to chase after the quarter back.

I get such a thrill sacking the quarterback or blocking his throw.

Joe's out to get 'em.

I'm sad the season is over, but thankful we had such beautiful fall weather here in Missouri this year so we could play every Saturday for nearly two months.

One big change that came for me in October was I got released from working in the youth organization at church. Therefore, I will no longer be hanging out as much with these beautiful young people, whom I came to know well and love over the last two years.

Bishop felt that instead of being in the young women's presidency,

I aught to give the relief society presidency a try. So, I have accepted a calling to serve the Lord by way of serving the women of my ward now (counselor over additional relief society meetings).

I went to my first relief society training meeting at our stake center in Nauvoo this weekend with the Presidency. Boy, was it helpful for a girl that really has not been in relief society very much at all. I feel like I have a lot to learn and that's one reason I'm grateful to have this new calling. It's going to help me grow and learn by leaning on the Lord a little more (once again) to teach me all things that I should do.

Here we are, the relief society presidency (+ a few other fine friends), in front of the Nauvoo temple.

Yeah, they're going to be a fun group to work with!

Nicole. What a hoot!

Found It | Rocked It | Ripped It | Finished It!

2011-10-07T10:53:00.000-07:00

FOUND IT!

I finally found a recipe for homemade granola that I like. It has good flavor, great consistency (crunchy!), and was easy to make. I've enjoyed it with yogurt and fruit, mixed with various cereals, and even on salads.

Granola by Marie Orton
Ingredients:
3 c. rice crisps
4 c. raw oats
1/2 c. pumpkin seeds
1/2 c. coconut
1/2 c. sunflower seeds
1/2 c. walnuts (I used pecans)
1/2 c. craisins or raisins
2 T. molasses
4-5 T. honey
1/3 c. canola oil

Instructions:
Turn oven on to 350 degrees. Put all the dry ingredients into a bowl in the order that they're listed except the craisins/raisins and do not mix just yet. Boil together molasses, honey, and canola oil for 2-3 minutes. Pour the liquid mixture on the ingredients in your bowl and then stir. The reason for the hold on the stirring is because the rice crispies suck up all the liquid before it has a chance to cover the other stuff. So the crispies are on the bottom waiting their turn! :) Pour the mix out onto a rimmed cookie sheet. Bake for 20 minutes. When it's finished, add the craisins/ raisins. So good!

ROCKED IT!

Last Saturday I made a coupon run to Walgreens and when I came home, I told Joe, "I just rocked Walgreens world!" Thank you to Pam Morgan for giving me multiples of the same coupons. It paid off this time, especially to get me some new make up! A lot of these items were B1G1 (Buy one get one) 50% off. For example, the edge shave gel... it was B1G1 50% off and I had a coupon for each of them. The razors were B1G1 50%, regularly $8.99 each... so there's a $4.50 savings right there, plus I had a $6 off coupon when you buy 2! So, two packs of razors, regularly $18.00 for $7.48. And I just have to mention the make up deal because it was sweet! It was also B1G1 50% off. I had 6 coupons so I was going to get 6 items and each would be half off already. Well, there was also a Loreal make up coupon in the Walgreens monthly coupon book so I actually was able to stack 3 deals into one!! B1G1 50% + $1 off all Loreal make up out of the Walgreens book + 2 manufacturer coupons= new foundation powder and eye shadow for $10.50, marked down from $19.00. Rocked it! Total savings= $47.54.

RIPPED IT!

Intramural football season has begun and somebody on the opposing team last week took the phrase, "rip it up," a little too literally. It's flag football so you can see what happens when your flags are mistaken for your drawers and tugged on! When the incident occurred, I heard somebody whistle and I knew my pants had bit the dust! So, I borrowed somebody's pants, put them over top, and finished the game. I love flag football. Last week I played in an annual powder puff game + my intramural game and had 3 touchdowns between the two. So fun... so fun!

FINISHED IT!

I finished my flannel quilt last night!! It's made completely from circle cuts! It was the fastest quilt to cut out, but took a good amount of time to piece together. I started it in July. Finished it in October. It was a lot of fun to make. I just drool over quilting patterns these days.

Each circle was 10" in diameter with a different color flannel on each side.

I folded the four edges of the circle to the front to make a square.

With all the circles folded over on to the front, the back is checkered with cute top stitched circle patterns.

Photo Update

2011-09-19T20:03:00.000-07:00

Ready for a total photo update of the past three weeks?

First of all- we got an iMac, which is the reason why I have not been putting up any photos for a few weeks. This thing is different. I've never used one before (really, only one time previously) and it has me scratching my head a lot, but I'm getting it slowly.

Our bigger screen now allows for Joe to have both ESPN 360 playing on one side of the screen while his power point that he's studying from sits on the other side. Also notice, he's texting his brother about the football game with his iPhone at the same time. He is an apple man!

Which do you think you'd pay more attention to? :)

My crafts this fall have been mostly focused on pillows and another quilt....

I have a handful of pillows that I want to remake. For example, this bad boy. It's huge, although the picture doesn't really show it and I have three of them.

So, I slimmed it down to a smaller size and put a more colorful quilt pattern with buttons of the front! I like how it turned out.

My quilt project is made completely from flannels. It's going to be so cozy sitting on my couch in this thing this winter. More photos to come when it's all finished up.

We've had some get togethers for the BYU football games. Here we are at the Robertsons!

Tyler, the master barbequer. Did somebody say hamburgers?

So many of my friends have the cutest little babies around!
Playing with them is as fun as watching the game!

Twinners- Luke and Anna

Miss Saylor Robertson. It's so cute when she says her own name.
It's sounds like, "Saylo Wobetsun."

Brinlee and her baby.

Probably the newest arrivals.... Erika with baby Elliana and Chelsea with baby Oakley.

Chelsea, Me with baby Oakley, Lacey with baby #2 in tow, Mindy with baby #1 in tow. Yeah for babies!

Me & my Man sporting our BYU love.

We watched the BYU vs. UofU game in the school's big rec room. There were probably 30 people there from Utah to support the cause. Too bad, BYU didn't really show up to our party.

Half time show.

Foozball fun!

We finally got out to go kayaking at the state park 10 minutes down the road from our house! We went with a really fun group on a perfect day. The water was even warm!

I started this game to see if anyone could go from in the water to standing on the kayak and rowing.

It cought on pretty quickly with the guys. Poor Joe and Kevin... I don't think they ever got up and they knocked themselves in the adam's apple a couple times trying to pull themselves onto their kayaks!

Last Sunday, we had the Gillette's in our ward over for dinner. Afterward, Tamra and Joe worked on planning out the rest of the year's choir numbers (they co-op the choir director position in the ward). Their daughter, Annalisa, played with the one toy that we have in our house: Tigger.

Nathan and I worked on figuring out my computer since he is a wiz with the Macs!

I've been having regular craft nights at our house every Thursday night for a couple months now. Usually, about 2 girls make it, but last week, we had 6 come! It was so much fun. The more, the merrier! Everybody brings whatever they want to work on and we have a great time chatting away while we craft.

To all my female friends in town reading this blog post... you are invited!! Every Thursday night at 8:00pm-10:30ish. I will hold it every Thursday except when Maegan and I are hosting sewing club night at the school, which is September 29th this month! You won't want to miss it!

And that my friends, is a rap.

"Brainiack" Inferiority

2011-09-05T20:43:00.000-07:00

I had a meeting this week that made me feel very, well, not smart. It's a regular meeting that I attend concerning the progress of a study that I have been assigned to assist with at the medical school. It's on cranial rhythmic impulses. Thank goodness I was there to assist with the actual data collection for this study or I don't think I'd ever be able to understand just how we got the data that we've now been discussing for a year.

I typically meet with the biostatistician and a DO (doctor), who is the primary investigator of the study, and we talk about tons of different ways to look at the data (gobs of numbers on an Excel spreadsheet) to come up with different findings. This week, a Truman professor also joined our meeting, making our cozy accommodations around a tiny four-person round table even more cozy. My world seemed very small as I sat there face-to-face with three geniuses (all of which are probably twice my age). A WHOLE LOT of words were being thrown around that I recognized from my statistics courses, but did't understand well enough to keep up... bayesian statistics, goodness of fit, slope & regression, dependent and independent variables, boot strapping, etc. It seemed to me that all the other participants at this meeting were taking in the discussion and processing the information rapidly. My brain, however, was catching words here and there and then trailing off to try to remember anything that I once knew about what it meant.

An eight page progress report with graphs and paragraphs was handed out to each of us by the Truman professor of Calculus (aka "brainiack") who had been working on the statistical implications dealing with entrainment between the subject and examiners during data collection. My first observation was that the graph's axis were not labeled. How was I to know what the graph was representing without labels? He went through each of the graphs, explaining them. I watched the eyes of the biostatistician to know where exactly on the page I should be looking and when to flip to the next page. I could not follow his points at all. It was so over my head. The best I could do was nod my head as if something were going into it.

You can imagine, with an hour of this, how one's brain could wonder. "I want to redo the pillows on my couch. Where could I find a cute tutorial or picture of one to make it from? Better Homes and Gardens? A craft blog? I wonder how long it would take to get a flatter stomach? I need a plan... without a plan it won't happen. I think I'll do an hour of cardio four times/ week and maybe train for another half marathon. When will I have time to set up a meal plan with recipes?" Then, I would realize that my mind had been trailing off and I hoped that I wasn't just staring at the wall for the past two minutes! Back to inside my brain, "Okay, Natalie. Focus. It's just an hour. Try to get it..... Okay, I don't understand a thing. BUT I'm a motivated girl! How could I begin to understand this? Get out my old text books? Ask for personal meetings with the biostatistician before meetings so I could have a better idea?" The thought of trying to understand sounded exhausting and way too much effort for the reward (probably still being able to contribute very little in these meetings).

Sometimes the people I work with make me feel like I know so very little (and that's after eighteen years of education and a post-graduate degree). They make me realize just how much the human mind can be developed. As much as I learn from the subject matter of the meetings I attend and studies I'm involved in, I learn perhaps even more from observing the way in which things are done amongst highly intelligent people. What might sound like this between lower educated persons, "Your idea is illogical and I think it's stupid, so we're not going to do it," sounds more like this amongst highly educated individuals, "Your reasoning is well put and I have taken note of it, however with our understanding of the situation at this point, further discussion about other options would be premature." I marvel at how well highly educated people can express themselves, their opinions, and communicate professionally without getting anyone on edge about personal preferences and shot down ideas. I've learned that the key is to be able to back up thoughts with reasoning and logic using clear communication, free from emotional extremities (highs or lows).

There are some days when I wish I didn't work and I didn't have to stretch my brain and motivational powers to amount to what is asked of me. I day dream about being at a park with my babies and other Moms, enjoying the sunshine and a picnic lunch. I day dream about being at home in my family room just staring at my baby as he/she sleeps and being perfectly content to be far away from statistical jargon and monotonous data processing.

I even day dream about having enough time at home to do the laundry and the dishes, clean my car, and reorganize a closet. Sometimes I think that what I do at my job is irrelevant and I'm wasting my time... my twenties.. my only twenties, but then I snap out of it and remember that I wouldn't have any money to craft and run races and pay for our needs if I wasn't there in that office. I know there will come a day when I miss working... that day when I have multiple kids that keep asking me why the sky is blue all day and wipe boogers on me and scream when I won't get them happy meals because of how unhealthy the chicken nuggets are. Then, I'll remember my quiet days in my office where I, for the most part, enjoyed what I did and felt good doing it.

One of the great challenges of life is being happy with the here and the right now. There are pros and cons to every situation... single/married, house/ no house, kids/ no kids, mini van/ no mini van... and the great lesson that we have to learn through it all is to be grateful for what we have and patient to obtain the things we want, being content with what's been given and always striving to develop ourselves, whatever the circumstance. The grass usually isn't greener somewhere else; it's greener when you water it.

Family

2011-08-28T20:15:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine and Joe's (who is our home teacher) came to visit us today and gave us a message about the importance of the family in God's plan for our happiness.

As I was looking at some pictures tonight, I thought more about his message to us.

Being part of a family is a big blessing to me and is foundational to my happiness.

It's family that supports us and cheers for us through our biggest moments in life.

Family gives us good people to raise us.

Then people to look up to and aspire to be like.

Family traditions give me things to look forward to every year.

Family gives me people to go places with (and usually plans the whole trip for me!)

These are the people that we do crazy things with.

Here's Joe and his brothers having a great time cliff jumping off a 15 ft. cliff at Quail Reservoir.

and here's my sister and I scared to death, jumping off a 20ish ft. platform in Idaho.

It's your family that you're the most silly with and therefore, have the funniest memories with.

When it's time for fun, the family is always good company!

Family gives us people to celebrate birthdays with.

and see the world with.

Of course my sweetheart is my best friend and his existence in my life brings me endless joy.

He's always doing things that make me laugh :)

and make me feel loved.

Thank you God for my family!

They make my heart smile.

California

2011-08-28T18:48:00.000-07:00

I had the lovely opportunity to go to California about two weeks ago now. I met up with my family there for a four-day filled adventure.

We went to Sea World

Here's me and Jared

and Megan and Evie

They had some pretty cute shows there with the seals and dolphins!

We went on one ride... the one that gets you wet! Here we are, Megan, Brandon, Aaron, me, Dad, Jared, and Nate.

This party didn't just involve my family, but many of my family's best buddies.

All together, there was about 30 of us there.

We organized and played a tennis tournament one morning.

Here's everybody!

This blog post doesn't begin to describe the fun times we all had together, but I wanted to post up something about it. We played sand volleyball & wiffel ball, got pedicures, played games in the evenings, sat in the condo hot tub, etc. etc.

Other than the five hours I got to see my niece the week she was born, this was the first time I really got to spend time with her. Evie is my favorite!

Keepin' it Real

2011-08-03T07:40:00.000-07:00

This is Jane, my coworker and good friend. Jane and I both have a strong love for ice cream so we decided to hit up the DQ one day on our lunch breaks. Best idea we ever had!

Cookie Dough blizzard on a hot summer afternoon= Mmmm, happiness!

Last weekend, I went to my first auction and first demolition derby. Both of these events are very "Midwestern" like activities. The auction was held at a big barn-looking warehouse. Both on the lawn outside and in the warehouse were mounds of stuff. Furniture, christmas lights, little kid's toys, knives, guns, kitchen ware, mattresses, and cowboy gear were all in abundance. Joe and I (and our friends) got a number that we could hold up if we wanted to bid on something. It was really hard to understand the auctioneer though. He spoke so quickly and I never really knew what price he was calling out for things.

Joe and I were each going to see if we could find something (just for fun) for like $5.00 and we went around discussing the items we were interested in. Well, I was surprised when Joe unexpectedly started bidding on an air soft gun.

He got it for $4.00! Don't be fooled... it's way old and will probably barely work. It's not nice whatsoever. When I walked over to him to ask him why he just bought an airsoft gun, he said it was to hit the cats that poop on our yard. And yes, he's very excited about it.

Joe also got a hand held table saw for $12.50. It too is old, but it works and he has wanted one many a time for home repair projects. I didn't end up getting anything. I kind of wanted to get a small rocking chair just to have a wood project to sand, paint, and stain. I have been wanting to try doing that with some kind of furniture and a I thought a rocking chair was a small enough first project and it would fit in our house. (We are pretty full up in our house, if you can believe it.) Sorry no pictures of the auction.

On Saturday, we went to the demolition derby at the state fair. I had never been to one, but I guess Joe had been to a couple in bear lake when he was a teenager. It was crazy.

A bunch of junker cars putted their way out into a dirt pit arena, waited for the count down, and then played bumper cars in an attempt to ruin each other's vehicles to the point that they wouldn't run anymore.

Only one caught fire a little bit. Most of them shredded their tires and smashed in their rear ends completely. Bumpers fell off, fluids sprayed from the hood, and two cars actually got stuck together when one went up on top of the other's bumper end.

It was very entertaining... something I had never seen the likes of before.

Joe really wanted to try a funnel cake. He had never had one before and I don't think he'll ever have one again. There's just something about fried food that is not very appetizing.

Here we are: Maegan, Dan, Joe, and Me sweatin' it up in the heat!

Before it was over, big gusts of wind rolled in and dark clouds.

It was amazing how quickly the stands cleared. Joe looked on his iphone to look at the doplar reading and saw a nasty storm coming, which could just miss us or hit us right on.

People in the Midwest don't mess with storms. We were out of there fast and watched lightning stretch out both vertically and horizontally across the sky as we drove home.

Funny thing is, it just sort of blew over, never really becoming of much more than that.

Speaking of Joe and his iphone... that thing is a chick magnet!! There we were, helping out in nursery on Sunday, and I look over and see this. He's every three year-old girl's dream now!

Some Things Don't Come Easy

2011-07-18T13:00:00.000-07:00

There are things that each of us can do that come relatively easy to us.

These are gifts from God.

They are talents that are ours to share with others.

Then there are other things that don't come so easy and God
asks that we embellish upon what was given.

These are also gifts.

Try and fail and try again.
Challenge yourself and see how you can grow and improve.

For the past four years, I have steadily been working on one
of those things that does not come so easy.

It has required that I be uncomfortable.

It has demanded that I regularly pray to see benefits.

It has taught me to be patient and continually try.

The design of all of God's gifts are wonderful.

It has brought me great joy to be able to look back
and see that I have progressed.

Mile stones make me smile.
They help me have confidence that I can do things
that are not easy at first.

The gift that I speak of is singing.

My goal has never been to have a beautiful voice
or be capable of singing solos.
My goal, for four years, has simply been to get to the point where
I can read and sing the
alto line confidently when I sing the hymns at church .

First, I learned where the alto notes were in the music.
Then, I learned how to follow another alto singer.

Through participating in my ward choir, singing with Joe's family,
and singing the hymns on Sundays, I have found opportunities to practice this gift.
I actually sit by myself through sacrament meeting hymns
because Joe is the ward chorister.

Being alone on the bench helps me to focus in on just my part
and has been a great time to practice.

Though it is a small step, I have been elated to be able to
sing the alto line by myself
through even just parts of the hymns in the past few weeks.
I've finally been able to hear it in my mind
and then my heart and voice can sing the notes.
But only on familiar hymns...
unfamiliar hymns make me look at the words instead of the notes
and I can't do it.

I can't even make large leaps in notes by myself,
but I can follow "stepping notes" that go C,D,E,E,D,C.
Occasionally, I can even hit an accidental note.
I now know how my voice is supposed to change
when I get to a G on the scale
and I'm so excited to recognize that difference.

While these may seem like the smallest baby steps, they are steps.
For which, I am thankful and smile about.
Giving what I have, even if it's not much of a strong talent,
by performing in church with the choir has blessed my life.
It's a good gift.

I live for the Weekends!

2011-07-17T19:17:00.000-07:00

Working during the summer months is a drag. Let's be honest, we would all rather be outside enjoying the sunshine, right?! So, right now I am living for the weekends! We have had a really fun July.

Fourth of July weekend we went to watch the parade in our town. It's a good thing we weren't late because it only lasted 15 minutes. No marching bands. No floats. Just people on cars of all sorts and lots of candy being handed out to those 4 ft tall and shorter. It was a good time though.

Here are our little friends, Nadya and Sam with their parade booty.

That night, we had a BBQ at our friend's the Woodhead's house and then watched the fireworks from a nearby church parking lot. Here we are with our new found friends, the Hiltons....

and Brigid

and Ben Woodhead!

The next weekend, Joe invited the young men from our church to sleepover at our house. I was really excited to see what a teenage boy sleepover consisted of and it was exactly what I thought it would be....

First, they all went to Wally World (Walmart) and bought lots of junk food (and they ate every ounce of it!)

They turned up the tunes and danced about as they played Wii sports until the wee hours of the morning.

Joe was in his element, it seemed. A bunch of boys, all competitive, being kids.

I tried to stay out of their way most of the night by isolating myself in my craft room with a chick flick and quilting, but I did come out to enjoy the festivities a couple of times. The stuffiness of the room and "boy smell" was enough to get me back in my craft room rather quickly, however. :)

In the morning, the boys did Wii yoga to keep up their boyish figures after all the junk food from the night before.

and we had pancakes made by Joe! He is a master pancake maker.

This weekend, we took off for two days to lake Thunderhead in Northern Missouri. We were invited by some friends in our ward, the Aulds, to go boating with their family and we couldn't wait to go! We invited Megan and Dan Hilton to go with us. We love them! We camped in their humongous tent, which we referred to as the "Hilton hotel" and stayed up way late playing Settlers of Catan and eating Megan's peanut butter bars. Mmmm.

We went boating Friday night and most of the day Saturday. We stayed on the lake on Friday until after dark and went for a night swim. The lights from the houses all along the shore made for an amazing sight as they twinkled on the lake.

The Aulds loved that Joe was a "boater." He knew how to drive, how to rope up the tubes, how to get the boat into the dock, etc. and they were so happy to be able to relax on their boating outing more than usual.

Most of the time, we had 2 tubes hooked up behind the boat. They're big enough for 2 people each, but it was really fun when one person got on each. Especially the weightier men had a lot of success in bumping into each other and knocking off each other.

There goes Joe. Wade beat Joe 3 to 0 on knock offs.

Meagan, Aubrey, and Dan soakin in the sun.

Here is the whole Auld family. Possibly one of the funnest families to hang with. Good times.

I'm an Aunt!

2011-07-11T06:37:00.000-07:00

I have been waiting for a few days to put up a post on my blog about becoming an Aunt because I wanted to snag a photo off of my sister's blog of the newly introduced Evangeline (Evie) Mei Valantine! Megan (my sister) is a professional photographer and I just knew she would take far more awesome photos of little Evie than I did when I was in Utah . Evie was born on June 28th and I am so happy that I was there to get to meet her when she was only about an hour old. The time was definitely not long enough that I had to spend with Evie, Meg, and Brandon, but I was so thankful to have been there. What a doll she is. We all love her immensely!

If you want to see more of Megan's darling photos of Evie, click on this link to her blog. If you live in Utah and would like to make an appointment with Megan to do your baby's photos, this is her webpage where you can see more of her work and get her contact information.

And the Sunshine Continues...

2011-07-09T08:31:00.000-07:00

Here's the second update to our trip to Utah to see the family. We spent some time in St. George, Utah with the Anderson clan to be right ready for when Megan and Brandon's baby made her appearance.

On Saturday night, we went to Tuacahn, an outdoor theater set in the red rock mountain side. I had never been there before and it was awesome! We saw the performance Grease! Something that made the experience really neat was one of Megan's best friends from High School, Molly, was in the performance and it was fun to get to see her.

We took cutsie couple pictures by the fountains prior to the show. Here's Mom & Dad....

And Joe and I....

And Brandon & Megan (& Evangeline)....

And Jared and his significant other breakin' it down!!

I told J I would be his significant other. :)

Brandon's parents, Jody and Matt joined us for the performance!

And here's the stage.

We also got to go boating with the Valantines while we were in St. George. We went to Sand Hallow Lake, which I had also never been to before and LOVED! It had a beach, warm and clean water, and the temperature was wonderful!

This was actually Megan's due date, the day we went boating. No baby yet... so we continued the fun!

Me & Brandon's Mom, Jody.

Brandon & his Dad, Matt.

All of us (except Mom and Megan, of course) did some water sports behind the boat.

Jared tried wake boarding for the first time and GOT UP! We were all so impressed!

Dad definitely won the trophy for the day. I have never seen my Dad do any kind of water sport behind a boat and he wake surfed like a champ. He tried it multiple times and stayed up for a long time!

Tubing... Jared and Dad

I also tried wake surfing for the first time and found a new love. It was a blast!

Even Megan and Brandon's Dog, Charley, tried the wake surf and succeeded!

The Summer Break Story So Far

2011-06-21T08:51:00.000-07:00

We have been in Utah for only 4 1/2 days and we have already done so much and had a blast!

The day we arrived, we got together with my roommates from BYU from my freshman year!

As we took this picture, I thought about how amazing it is that the 6 of us girls were placed together randomly in Heritage Halls our freshman year at BYU and 8 years later (yes, 8), here we are still best of buddies! This was actually the first time that all 6 of us have been in the state of Utah at the same time for about 5 years and so we definitely had to get together!

Not only have we all gotten married in the past 8 years, but many have also had some pretty cute kiddos too.

The next day, we started our Ragnar race... the Wasatch Back with some of my other roommates that I had while in my Jr. and Sr. year at BYU. (Also, my best buddies).

Here's Liesel and Darin, Joe and I, and Kitty and John.

Our team name was, "The Runzz. We're number 2."

This race was definitely unlike any other race I have ever ran. Our team was actually 12 people in size, but I never got to meet the other six runners until the race was over. Each runner took turns passing on a slap bracelet and together we ran 190 miles from Logan, UT to Park City, UT.

If the trail that we ran was actually stretched out in one direction, I think we could have ran from Logan to Provo. We did a lot of winding through small beautiful towns on the east side of the Wasatch Back.

We saw a lot of beautiful territory during this race. I was excited for this race for a number of reasons and one was definitely for the time we'd get to spend in the mountains that we miss so much in Missouri.

Another, was for the time we'd get to spend with friends that we don't get to see near enough.

There goes Kitty up the mountain side!

When our other half was running (the 6 people we didn't meet until the end), we got to hang out resting at snow basin and east canyon reservoir. At least, I think that's where we were. I was somewhat unawares as to exactly where we were throughout the entire race. I just kept following the other runner vans everywhere.

Our van got to run our second legs from 8:30pm to 3:30am. We all had to wear reflective vests, head lamps, and bum lights for safety. My second run (at night) was my favorite. It was a 7 mile run that was mostly down hill. Without the sun out, I had lots of energy and I ran at a 7:45 pace for the first 5 miles of it.

Here we are in Park City on the second day. This was the last exchange from Joe to Kitty for the final home stretch. Joe's last run had a 2,000 ft. drop in elevation and it left him walking like an old man for the next 3 days. It was a hard one on the body, but he completed it and did a great job!

And here we are at the finish line with our medals. Joe and I now have numerous medals and t shirts that are the same. I am so proud of this guy for getting into running. When I first met him, he hadn't run more than 4 miles at a time. After nearly 4 1/2 years together, we've now ran 10 races together. It's kinda funny doing the laundry because we have 2 of so many shirts.

We spent Father's Day with both of our Dads, which was so nice. So many times, we Skype in for such occasions, but this time, we actually got to be part of the festivities with both families!

On Monday, we hit up Deer Creek for some boating with Joe's family!

I was so happy with how my camera captured the colors of the sky, snow capped mountains, green hills, and lake water! I definitely forgot just how beautiful Utah is. As we pulled skiers around the lake, I spent a lot of time just taking in the sunshine and beauty of the surroundings.

The water was rather cold for those who dared to get in it. (I was not one of them. I was perfectly content on the boat in my jacket.)

We've had a blast and already have sunburns and the trip has only begun! Aaaaaah.

May= Awesomeness

2011-06-05T10:03:00.000-07:00

May was a very busy month for us. Get ready for lots of pictures & fun....

We threw a Going Away Party for some of our best pals that will be leaving in the next couple of weeks.

All these wonderful people (plus so many more) have made our Medical School experience enjoyable!

Our group of friends has grown by 3 in the past 5 months with....

Carter, Paige, and Nora. So cute!

George & Jack wanted their pictures taken too. We will miss our friends!!!

We celebrated Joe's 28th Birthday this May.

He was served up a very delicious Belgian waffle and omelet on his birthday morning. For dinner, we went to his favorite restaurant in town, El Agave Azul. After digesting for a bit, we had cake and ice cream. He requested a chocolate & peanut butter chip coffee cake this year. (You can tell the way to this man's heart is definitely through his stomach!)

Afterward, we skyped with Joe's family as he opened all his presents. His family had put together a really fun package of gifts for him. This year, I made him a quilt out of our old BYU shirts and some of the shirts that he used to wear when we were dating.

This was the first quilt that I paid someone to do the top stitching with a long arm quilting machine and it looks fabulous! I chose to do footballs and stars. This quilt is the perfect size for taking to a game (if and when we ever get that chance again.)

My family arrived late on Joe's birthday. They planned to come visit us for my Graduation and it conveniently worked out that they would be here for Joe's birthday. We had originally planned to go to dinner and have cake and ice cream with them, but bad weather forced them to drive the last leg of their trip (from St. Louis) instead of fly on the small charter plane to our town. We were happy they arrived safely and we made up for their absence by having another birthday party for Joe the following day out at the Lake with a yummy BBQ.

We Celebrated my Graduation with my Masters Degree

Now, it is official. I have completed my Masters degree with the School of Health Management at A.T. Still University in Health Administration (MHA).

My wonderfully wonderful husband! Isn't he cute?

Feels good to be done!

We had 5 fun filled days while my family was in town, going to Nauvoo, the mansion house boutiques in Centerville, Iowa, and Columbia, Missouri.... Not to mention, the tour I gave of our amazing little town!

Yes, I was almost falling asleep during the blacksmith's presentation because I think I've heard that speal about 5x now.

I finished another quilt for my Sister &

Brother-in-law's baby on the way

I wrapped up this beauty and sent it with my parents when they left so Megan could open it at her baby shower.

I love the way it turned out. The pattern was called "Roses." Each rose had 4 layers plus leaves that were appliquéd on top of each other. After washing the finished product once, the edges all frayed for the perfect final touch. The baby's nursery is decorated in yellows and grays.

Thanks to modern technology and my Dad, I got to attend my sister's baby shower via skype and watch her open her gifts. It was lots of fun and I really kind of felt like I was there as I got to chat with lots of friends and family. The only down side was I couldn't help myself to the assortment of fruits and cinnamon rolls at the shower... although many tried to feed me a bite through the computer.

Joe finished his 2nd year of medical school and has since been studying for the Medical Boards

It's been 2 years since this day when Joe began his medical school journey.
I will not say that it went by fast. It didn't. It definitely has felt like two years. In that time, Joe has learned SOOOO much and he's been through SOOO much. We both agree that choosing this career has definitely put us through some of the most difficult times of our lives thus far.

The demands and expectations placed on Joe over the past two years have far exceeded what any high school coach, mission president, or undergraduate professor asked of him. It's been hard to watch a loved one go through such trying times, but we continually lean on each other and the Lord for support and look forward to fulfilling our dreams together. My Dad always advises to, "Enjoy each season of your life." We have definitely tried to look at this period of time as a part of our lives, not a chunk taken out of it. We have enjoyed making new friends, serving in the church, establishing a home of our own, traveling on occasion, and continuing with our hobbies as much as possible!

A family friend of mine asked me yesterday what exactly are the steps for Joe to become a doctor. I replied, "2 years of bookwork and classrooms. 2 years of rotations. 1 year for an internship. 3 years for residency. and finally, 1 year for a Sports Medicine fellowship. That =9 years."
(Not to mention the 5 years of undergraduate training as well).

I never used to look at my doctors as heroes, but I think I forever will in the future.
Although not every doctor is perfect or well-intended in their practices, they have been through so much to train themselves the best they could to become a doctor. On the really grueling days, it's those future patients and the hope of being able to serve that gets them through the educational experience. If there wasn't that glimmer of hope of finally living that dream, many would not make it.
We count our blessings that Joe will advance to rotations this month and he is done with the bookwork and continual tests, etc, etc, etc, etc.

We have also been training for the Wasatch Back, Ragnar Relay
One thing we're really looking forward to in June is running the Wasatch Back together. Although we've been training since January, we really kicked up our mileage and hill training this month to total around 75 miles.

We're about 2 weeks away now. We'll be running this race about 24 hours after we get to Utah. We're really hoping our red blood cells quadruple in that amount of time so we can get enough oxygen during the race! The elevation difference between Missouri and Utah will be about 4,000-6,000 feet.

We Purchased a Second Car
We feel that it's time for a second car since our schedules are going to start varying more from each other's with Joe's rotations beginning. Found on Autotrader at a dealership that restores slightly damaged vehicles and brings them back to manufacturer's standards, we found this beauty in Utah. The dealership showed us before pictures of all sides of the car. Obviously, it had been hit on the left side. We did a lot of homework to make sure that this car would be a good buy and a quality vehicle for us and then asked my Dad if he wouldn't mind going to test drive it and check into any problems it may have on the left side as a result of its restoration.

After the vehicle passed my Dad's approval with flying colors, we put money down on it and it's now ours... just sitting in my parents garage waiting for us when we get to Utah in two weeks! I'm so excited!

It's a 2007 Lincoln MKX.

A Real Perspective Adjustment

2011-05-12T07:40:00.000-07:00

Are you up for a good cry? Here's a story that just might change the way you look at your life. I just read the Mack family's blog and cried for this family that I don't even know. This is a husband's account of losing two angles in his life. It happened just this month. It's a long blog post, but well worth reading.

Grab your tissue box.

http://dennyandwendy.blogspot.com

This story has truly changed my perspective on my day-to-day life.

What is It Worth?

2011-05-11T12:41:00.000-07:00

In the past few months, I've been tempted to be dishonest numerous times. Normally, dishonesty would not be very much of a temptation to me, but in the past few months, I've been tempted through the medium of money... a material possession which is hard to come by these days.

It was interesting to me that one of the speakers in the young women's general broadcast chose to speak on honesty. Quoted from the thirteenth article of faith, "We believe in being HONEST!" It's not a topic that is taught very often, but something which we were all taught from a young age. At the time that I listened to the talk, I evaluated my life and realized that yes, there was something I needed to change (and repent of) so I could say I was living this commandment.

I am the owner of a community discount card, which offers various discounts at stores in my area. At one particular store, the discount is to receive $2.00 off a $20.00 purchase of groceries. Well, last year, the deal was much sweeter... $5.00 off of $50.00 of groceries (which I typically top on my weekly trip to the grocery store.) Over a number of weeks, I watched the cashiers consistently giving me $5.00 off of my purchase without looking closely to see that the amount of the discount had actually decreased with the new year. Somehow I felt like this extra $3.00 off was not a big deal and I even verbally affirmed that the coupon was $5 off of $50 a few times. During the general conference broadcast, this instance was brought to my attention and I decided I would never be dishonest about the discount again. The very next trip to the store, the cashier did as I thought he would, jump right into punching in -$5.00 when I showed him my discount card. Ready with my response, I softly interjected, "Actually, it's only $2.00 off. The discount has been changed." There was an old farmer standing behind me in line who commented, "Ya know.. there's not too many people in the world that would demonstrate such honesty anymore" and he nodded his head at me with a smile. I was also thanked by the cashier for being honest and I left the store feeling so good! The old guy was right, honesty must start with me if I want to live in an honest world. I felt as though I had restored his faith in the decency of people. More importantly, I could feel that my Father in Heaven was proud of me.

The price of my integrity that day was $3.00. Certainly, my integrity is worth $3.00!

This experience was perhaps a stepping stone for another experience in which the price of my integrity would cost much more. Joe and I have been looking over the past couple of months for a new/ used vehicle. On Saturday, we found one that we liked and I called the dealership to make an offer on it. As we would be purchasing the vehicle in a different state than the one in which we live, the salesman faxed me the deposit form and contract so we could sign them. When I received the fax, I was confused by the numbers indicated for the final price of the vehicle. The total amount written was not the number that the salesman and I had agreed upon; in fact, the total was $953.00 less than what I had agreed to pay. With the salesman's signature already on the document, all I had to do was sign it and send it back and I would save myself nearly $1,000.

Of course, I couldn't do it. I thought about the salesman and had compassion for his mistake on what seemed to be a very busy day at the dealership. I thought about how that extra money might have to come out of his own paycheck and how that might affect his family. I pictured his day turning into a nightmare as he noticed what he had done.

I knew that the Lord would not want me to cheat this man. As much as I could use that money, I knew it was more important to be HONEST. I wanted to be honest with this man the way that I hope others would be honest with me. So, I called the salesman and notified him of the error in the contract. The response that he gave me was much different than the cashier at the grocery store. Rather than thanking me or showing any type of appreciation, he stammered and stuttered and abruptly stated, "I'll send you a new contract right away!" And he hung up the phone. Then, I was the one that felt cheated!! I didn't have those nice feelings I expected to have from helping someone out in a major way. He was not appreciative at all... or at least, he didn't express his appreciation to me! I was happy that I did what I knew I should have, but disappointed that the act received no thoughtfulness from the one it could have hurt the most.

I think I relearned from this experience that we have to be true to our principles and the Lord's commandments whether we receive praises for keeping them or not. I know that God was happy for my decision and I was certainly happy that I may live my life knowing that I am an honest person. It's not always easy to keep our principles; but I know that the Lord will bless those that remain faithful to his words.

The price of my integrity on that day was $953.00. Certainly, my integrity is worth $953.00.

Phenomenons

2011-04-27T08:08:00.000-07:00

GRAPES
Who decided that it's ok to sell grapes in open bags at the grocery store? Seriously, what else would you buy that is already opened... and wide open at that? You wouldn't buy a bag of chips that were opened. I just don't get it.

TIPS
Who decided who we would tip in this world and who we would not? Waiters/ Waitresses, pedicurists, valet parkers, luggage carriers, etc. Why do we tip these people and not others? I used to work in an orthodontic office as an assistant to the doctor. Nobody ever gave me a tip when I did an awesome job scraping the plaque off of their kids teeth and being extra nice about being thrown up on while taking impressions. Don't you think that would deserve a little something extra? How come restaurants feel justified in not paying their employees, but leaving it up to the customers to support those who work there? Can you imagine the doctor I worked for not paying his employees, but making us all earn our living from those who brought their kids in for braces? No way! Wouldn't happen.

When Joe and I were in Chicago, we got pedicures. Before our pedicure was even over, the Vietnamese woman told us that she preferred her tip be in cash rather than on a credit card because some of the payment goes towards paying for the use of the credit card machine if paid that way. I was so chapped about her telling me exactly how she wanted her tip that we didn't leave one at all. She didn't do a very good job either and I didn't like that she just expected us to pay her extra for a crappy job.

TREATS

Most people love sweets... women, perhaps, most especially! Sometimes when a woman gets a craving for something homemade, she'll spend an hour preparing it, 2 minutes enjoying it, and then thirty minutes wrapping it all up and giving it away to the neighbors. What? I understand sharing, yes, but give all your hard work away just so you won't eat the calories? I think if you're going to commit to a batch of cookies, then you need to commit! On occasion, many women will show up to an event in which treats are provided them (hence, the hour and half process to prepare one cookie for themselves is extracted) and suddenly, it's as though treats mean nothing to them. Women walk past gobs of delicious treats when in a social situation pretending that they are stronger than the cookie... guaranteed to get in their car on the way home and think about nothing else than the cookie they did not eat the entire way. Take advantage of free deliciousness women!

THE BATHROOM KNOCKER

Ever been in a public bathroom with just one toilet? You know, the one roomed kind. I was in one just a few weeks ago, when someone rattled the knob (luckily I had locked the door), followed by a knock. What are you supposed to say when somebody knocks on a public restroom door? "Uh, yes, your first assumption that this bathroom was occupied when you rattled the locked handle was accurate." or "It's me!" or "Uhhhh, yeah. I'll be approximately 45 more seconds. I hope you can wait that long." It's an awkward situation every time because I feel that a knock deserves some kind of response. I just don't know what that should be.

Sometimes as I'm going about life, I have "Jerry Seinfield" moments where something happens or I observe something and it immediately makes me want to submit a script for the Jerry Seinfield show, such as the bathroom knocker. I usually share my "scripts" with Joe and he nicely says he thinks I could be a stand up comedian. No way, but I hoped you enjoyed a sampling of them on the blog here today. :)

Am I Old Enough to Be in Charge?

2011-04-25T09:56:00.000-07:00

I have come to a sad reality since moving away from my immediate and extended family that if I want a holiday to be special at all anymore, it's up to me to do something about it. All my life when I woke up on Easter morning, it was Mom, Dad, and Grandma that had everything under control. The colored eggs, the Easter baskets, the gourmet Sunday dinner at Grandma's house.... I showed up and had a great time! I enjoyed my easter candy for days on end and had another great Easter.

This Easter I woke up and asked Joe, "Do you think the Easter bunny came to our house this year?" Sure didn't! Why? Because I'm 26 years old and I live four states away from my Easter bunny! That's why! We stuck our bottom lips out in sadness and then Joe agreed to make us some Easter pancakes so the morning was somewhat cool. Thankfully, our good friends, the Shepards, invited us over to enjoy their gourmet Easter dinner with them. We were spoiled with good food and good company.

At church, Joe and I got to sing "This is the Christ" in the choir. This is a beautiful piece and tribute to the Savior. We have performed it with Joe's immediate family before and I was delighted to actually be familiar with the song on the first day of practice some weeks ago. The spirit was very strong as we sang our testimonies of the risen Lord. The talks in Sacrament meeting were also amazing. The topic: of course, Christ's atonement and resurrection. I was reminded in a very personal way that the atonement is for me and it's not just for remission of sins; it's to be used for comfort. Christ knows how to comfort each of us, better than anyone else, because he went through every pain we feel. I could barely keep myself together (without crying) during the entire meeting. Last night, I read the allegory of the olive tree in Jacob 5. This was another reminder to me of Christ's mercy and love for us; He never gives up on us. If we're having trouble, he moves us to a new place or tries to help us be-rid of that which is slowing our progress and our ability "to produce fruits." Christ never says, "You're just not worth it" no matter how carnal and derailed we may be. As our sacrament meeting speaker said yesterday, "YOU are the one He sacrificed for." I believe I reflected more on the true meaning of Easter this year as I was without some of the usual traditions. In that way, it was an extra special Easter.

PS- Is it ridiculous that I'm 26 and still want an Easter basket?? I just don't think I'm old enough to be the one in charge of holidays. Miss you Mom and Grandma!!

I heart Organization & Savings!

2011-04-19T17:21:00.000-07:00

Joe and I have a small pantry closet and this shelving unit to store our food on. A few weeks ago, I decided it was time to add a little more shelving since I have been working on building up food storage in the past few months. Plus, I was wanting a little better organization than the current status.

I went to Walmart and bought these handy, shatter proof if dropped, containers for lots of the items that I have been stocking up on. Corn meal, rice, pasta, baking chips, wheat germ, oats, flour, etc.

So, here's the final product with added shelving and my new containers! I love to organize something and then stand back and look at. I really stared and smiled at this for a few minutes, thinking how much easier it's going to make my life in accessing things. :)

I also decided that I was finally a serious enough baker to stop buying the tiny bags of flour at a time and go for the big daddy bag! That's commitment to baking since they say flour can go bad in a matter of months in Missouri (if not put in the freezer.) You'll notice in the picture above that I bought a few containers for freezer storing, but I'm going to have to be on my toes to use this whole bag before it goes bad. (PS- I got a steal of a deal on this 50lb bag... $19.95 at the little grocery store on the square, fellow Missourians.)

Here's a picture of my counter top (yes, my oh so tiny counter space) with my basket of bananas and flour/ sugar containers.

In other news.... SAVINGS WITH COUPONS!!

I mentioned last week that some of my friends are having crazy success with coupons, etc. I have chosen to focus on Walgreens first and just learn the system there.

First attempt to Walgreens with coupons last week (sorry no picture. I took one, but somehow it got deleted), I saved $26.13 on a $69.85 total = a 37% savings. Not bad, for a beginner.

My second attempt to Walgreens this week with coupons (see picture below), I saved $84.74 on a $162.53 total= a 52% savings. Improvement.

I know I will get better with time and practice. I probably spent 4 hours searching for the coupons and reading to understand the system, then I spent an hour and twenty minutes at Walgreens today going through 5 separate transactions. Painful, somewhat, yes. (Just glad I didn't have a screaming baby to tend to during my shopping outing.) However- I think it's really cool that I figured out how to get free stuff this time! I got the 3 headbands, 3 toothbrushes, the napkins, and 4 things of tape totally free! I also walked away with $7.00 in register rewards to spend on my next purchase. If you add that to my total, I saved $91.74!

So, friends of mine who are veteran couponers.... how do I take my couponing to the next level? I did this haul without purchasing a single paper. I think that's my next step.

Krazy Couponing

2011-04-14T14:19:00.000-07:00

For months I have been following my friend Tara on facebook and watching her do the unimaginable...save $100's of dollars with coupons. She posts pictures like this about once a week and gives the total amount that she saved. It's usually at least over one hundred dollars. I'm pretty sure she saved $350.00 on this stack (sorry the picture is blurry. I kiffed it from facebook).

So I've been doing some researching and trying to figure out how this works here and there when I have time. At first I thought, "This will never work for me because I live in a rural community with few resources (places to shop). We don't even get major weekend newspapers that have the biggest collections of coupons." I still think that has some merit, but for you Missouri friends of mine, there is hope at Walmart and Walgreens (and probably more that I just don't know about yet). I don't think I'll ever get the deals that my friend Tara gets, but that doesn't mean I can't get some!

Here's what I have learned after looking on about two dozen sites for printable manufacturer coupons, wondering if it's worth making usernames and passwords, etc... the Krazy Coupon Lady site is the place to go! They do all the searching for the coupons for you and post them on one site. I think my time is well spent just familiarizing myself with one website instead of dozens. I don't know how to navigate the whole thing yet, but I'm starting to understand. Also, on the Krazy Coupon Lady home menu bar, there's a tab called, "Beginners." Finally, some of my questions were answered! They have a 10 step process to becoming a krazy coupon lady. The Krazy Coupon Ladies refer to their book a lot on the website. I feel as though I have read a few chapters from it without even purchasing it.

Again, I don't think I'll ever be as crazy as the stories you hear in the news and on the internet, but I did save about $33.00 on my shopping last week. I just started with some hygeine items and something that I always buy every week when grocery shopping... cereal and yogurt. I'm starting slow, but I now find myself thinking of Tara every time I'm in the grocery store and wondering how much cheaper I could buy things if I took the time to learn how.

Another thing I have been worried about is ticking cashiers off (not to mention the next customer in line) with lots of coupons and trying to get deals. So far, I've had a good experience at Walgreens. They say they have regulars who come in and cash in with coupons and register rewards. They were very helpful. I have found at Hyvee and Walmart, you have to watch the deductions of your coupons really carefully. I've had cashiers forget to scan some of them or they scan in at an incorrect value.

It's also helpful to know what the stores coupon policies are before you walk in with your buy one, get one free and find out they don't accept it (like at Walmart). For those of you who live by me, here's the coupon policies for Walmart and Walgreens.

TIPS ARE WELCOME, from those of you who are already krazy coupon ladies!!

Afraid of My Own Backyard

2011-04-14T07:38:00.000-07:00

It's time to get the lawn mower out around here and start sprucing up the flower beds.

I'm excited to see if any of the seeds I planted last year will actually turn into flowers.

I know it's really unlikely that they'll work without me doing anything but sticking them in the ground and allowing the rain to nurture them, but we'll see. (By the way Utah readers, nobody has sprinklers in Missouri. It rains enough that you don't need to water things.)

Last week after work one day, I decided I would start with the front yard and sack all the dead leaves that somehow were still remaining in our flower beds and around the fence from last fall.

As I was shaking one of our bushes free of the leaves, a very quick little furry friend sprinted out from underneath it, nearly running between my legs!

I shrilled like a little girl, of course, not knowing exactly what it was.

When I looked around, I realized the little furry friend was a baby bunny.

Bunnies are so funny because they believe their best tactic for not being seen is to hold perfectly still.

While it was now in plain sight, it froze, looking at me, and panted speedily in fear.

I felt bad for how scared it was of me. Little did it know that it sent my heart into a beating frenzy as well.

When I had finished with the front yard, I walked around to our side gate that leads to the back yard and hesitantly opened it. You just never know what's in our backyard.

Last year, we had a liter of baby bunnies born in our backyard. I saw two snakes, a frog, enough bugs to make your skin crawl, and just last week, someone's huge black cat was lurking around our trash cans back there.

Needless to say, I am a little terrified to get back there and discover who else has been living with us these past few months. I told Joe today, he had to help me the first time we mow this year cause I don't know if I dare!

God Is In It

2011-03-30T15:16:00.000-07:00

I had a long conversation today with two of my co workers about a variety of things pertaining to the world we live in. Both of the individuals I was talking to are in their 50's and planning for retirement is very much on the forefront of their minds. They taught me a lot about social security and just what you have to do to "earn" your piece of that pie.

We talked about unions and how they used to be really helpful to workers who were not being protected from injury and even death on the job. Today, unions seem to demand the impossible from their employers and holler about it in the streets if they don't get what they want. On the flip side, there are employers in large corporations who take more than they should out of greed for a cushy life. How could one person take millions of dollars out of a corporation's pie when others are receiving hardly enough to get by? What happened to good values, love of others, and being fair and honest? I can see why hard working people could become outraged and protest under the protection of a union in that case.

Next, we discussed systems which pin the government against it's people, such as the health care system and taxes. There are definitely systems in our world today which need changing and people know they need changing, but we've got ourselves into a rut where those with the power to create change must take serious personal hits in order to do so for the greater good of a nation. Thus, little can be done when everyone's hands are tied.

I have never been too into politics because discussing topics of that nature tend to upset me. It seems like life is happier when I don't watch the news; when I go about my small town life doing my week-to-week things without worrying about the stock market, the nation's debt crisis, the war on Libya, and health care reform. But, it's the world I live in and whether I like it or not, I must abide by the rules and try my best to navigate my way through the systems that have been established.

It seems to me that my years from the age of twenty to my present life have been a rude awakening to just how many things there are out there that affect adult life in this nation today. I remember very clearly the day that I sat down with a health insurance agent for the first time to set up my health insurance underneath my employer's group plan. When we were finished and I sat there feeling totally overwhelmed about how to pay for monthly premiums and understand exactly what it was that I was getting for that payment, the insurance agent said, "Now let's talk a little bit about life insurance." "Life insurance?" I thought, "Isn't that what I just signed up for... something to protect my life?" I was blown away that there was a completely separate system to insure my life, which was somehow completely unassociated with my health. Just when I got one thing down, another manual was tossed in my lap.

All these systems can sometimes make us feel like we are merely chess pieces on a board, being moved about as we try to stay afloat with all that is demanded of us in a chaotic world that has surprisingly never been so organized as it is now. Perhaps we are too organized. We've been around long enough that there's a rule and a way for just about everything... it's knowing those rules and walking that way that's now the trial.

In the midst of our discussion, I thought about my faith in a God who's in charge of all this mess. Ultimately, He's in charge... not Obama, not China, not our State tax collectors. He made this world. He knows the beginning from the end. Knowing that, makes me have faith that everything that is established for our nation to operate is to sustain a land of freedom. We are free to live, work, pray, speak, own property, and drink out of water fountains no matter our race. We are a clever people, but nothing has been done here without the hand of God. Therefore, I know that I can manage my way through insurance, taxes, investments, retirement, Roth IRAs, unions, war, paying for my children's college education, and the laws of the land.

I am thankful for this nation and those who have sustained it's rules so we could have order, but most of all, I'm grateful to know that there's a higher being directing it all.

The Recipes Requested

2011-03-17T06:26:00.000-07:00

Here are the recipes that were requested from my "Kitchen Frenzy" post last week. Just copy and paste the recipes to a word doc and then you can print them out for your cook book

(or transfer to a card, whatever is your style).

Calzones

(Makes 6-10 depending on how big you make them. Takes about 1 hour)

Bread Dough (also good for quick breadsticks)
2 1/2 c. warm water
2 tbsp. yeast
1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp. salt
3 c. white flour, 3 c. wheat flour (Should total 6-7 cups total)

We have put many different things inside of our calzones. Here are the ingredients for the pizza calzone...
3 c. part skim Ricotta cheese
12 oz. Mozzarella cheese,shredded
12 oz. finely chopped cooked ham (we like italian turkey sausage)
1 tbsp. dried oregano leaves (tastes fine without these if you don't have them)
2 green peppers, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
2 tbsp. olive oil
3 c. spaghetti sauce for dipping

Directions
1. Dissolve yeast in warm water.
2. Add sugar, salt, and 6 c. flour
3. Mix to form dough. If more flour is needed, add enough until dough no longer sticks to bowl. Mix about 3 min. Let dough rest for 10 min. (It should raise a bit)
4. Meawhile, mix cheeses, ham, and oregano in a bowl.
5. Heat olive oil in skillet over Med heat. Add pepper and onion and saute until soft.
6. form dough into 10 balls. Roll each ball into a flattened circle.
7. Place a portion of the cheese filling and vegetable mixture in center of circle.
8. Fold circle and seal with water and fork. (Dip your finger in water and press lightly on the rim rim of the calzone to moisten it. Then, then fold the dough over the pizza mixture and seal it by pressing the fork tips over the moistened edge.)
9. Place on a baking sheet. Continue to form remaining calzones.
10. Let rest another 10 min.
11. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes
12. Remove calzones from baking sheet and let cool on wire rack if not eating right away (the bottom will get soggy if not)
13. Heat spaghetti sauce and serve with warm calzones.

For the Chicken & Broccoli Calzone, make up the bread portion the same and then fill them using these instructions:
Grill 3 chicken breasts. Slice up the chicken and then transfer it into a pot on the stove. Add one can of cream of chicken soup, 1 1/2 c. of steamed broccoli, and mozarella cheese. Stir until warm through. You can add whatever spices you like to this mix. I reccommend onion powder and/or lemon pepper. We made alfredo sauce for dipping. There's typically recipes for alfredo sauce in most recipe books. We used the one from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook.

(Relatively low fat) Coconut Banana Cream Pie

Ingredients:

2 Bananas

1/2-1 c. coconut

1 baked pie shell

5 tbsp. cornstarch

1/4 tsp. salt

2 1/2 cups skim milk

3/4 c. fat free half-and-half cream

3 egg yolks, beaten slightly (I used 3 egg whites- takes out the cholesterol)

1 tsp. coconut extract

1 tub of fat free cool whip

Directions:

1. Bake pie crust as directed on package (or from scratch.. and then you're on your own!). Let crust cool and then line the bottom of it with one sliced banana.

2. Mix cornstarch, sugar, and salt in a 3 quart saucepan.

3. Add milk and cream and cook over medium heat until smooth and thick; stirring constantly. (This takes about 5-8 minutes).

4. Pour small amount of hot mixture into egg yolks; blend thoroughly.

5. Pour back into hot mixture in pan.

6. Cook another 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and add coconut and coconut extract.

7. Pour warm filling into pie and cover with a aluminum foil in a dome shape.

8. Chill 3 to 4 hours.

9 When ready to serve, spread cool whip over the top and then add sliced bananas in whatever creative way you like. Sprinkle with coconut.

(The amount of cream made for this recipe would fill about a pie in a half. It may be enough for 2 pies if you didn't fill the pie to the brim.)

Granola Bars

Ingredients:
2 1/2 c. instant oats
1/3 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 c. what germ
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 c. whole wheat flour
3/4 c. raisins
1/2 c. honey
1 egg, beaten
1/2 c. olive oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 c. corn syrup (if not using peanut butter)

Some variations of the granola bars are as follows:
Omit the raisins, cinnamon, and corn syrup and instead use 1 c. peanut butter and 1 c. chocolate chips. (This is our favorite... and the only one we've tried.)
OR
Omit the raisins and cinnamon and instead use any combination of coconut, craisins, nuts, marshmallows, or M&Ms.

Directions:

Set oven to 350 degrees
Mix all dry ingredients together.
Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix.
Press into a well greased 9"x13" pan.
Bake for 15-18 minutes
Cool for 5 minutes and then cut into bars.

What a Sweetheart

2011-03-15T07:25:00.000-07:00

What a sweetheart my husband is!

I came home on Friday from work to find this surprise on our kitchen counter.

Joe had finished his last final of the quarter on Friday morning and instead of rushing out to go golfing or something for himself... he went straight to the store to buy his wife some flowers and candy.

Then he spent about an hour making that homemade card for me.

He just wanted me to know that he was thankful for all that I did to help him get through his finals week and another crazy, busy quarter.

I really felt like Joe was the one that deserved the peanut butter M&Ms (one of both of our favorite candies) and the card because of how extremely hard he has been working, pulling late and early hours, with little time to do much of anything else but study.

So, we shared the M&Ms together and basked in the thought of one more quarter being behind us!

Only one more to go before rotations begin!!!

Your Thinker for the Day

2011-03-09T10:39:00.000-08:00

My thoughts have been very focused today on the deeper meaning of some things about life... particularly change, happiness, and personal circumstances. Mind you, I'm not necessarily thinking about these things because I have a big change coming or because I am unhappy. I've just been looking deep into my life and the pathway it may take in the next ten years. As I reflect on where I am now and where I am going, one thing I can be sure of is this... I need to become very comfortable with change and harbor happiness that is not based on personal circumstances.

Change

It's peculiar to me that people are always so back and forth about change. We long for change, but then we look back and wish for things from yesterday. On the other hand, we can try to avoid change, but then we feel badly about a lack of progression and the monotony of wearing the same shoes and facing the same world everyday.

Change is hard. Change is good. Change is scary. The number of words that could describe change is endless, really. I do believe that change must be an essential part of Heavenly Father's plan because it's something that happens to everyone, sometimes without our control. Sometimes change is thrust upon us. Sometimes it comes because of a choice we made. That's when decisions are the hardest... when the result creates a lot of change to what we're currently comfortable with.

Change usually adds a little bit of friction to our personal comfort bubbles. Without friction, diamonds would forever be just ordinary rocks. Perhaps then we are all "diamonds in the rough" as we undergo the friction patterns of life to eventually be something better than we are now.

Happiness

Who are the happiest of people? What is it about their life that makes them feel so much joy? Are those with sufficient money happy? Are those with an abundance of money more happy? Perhaps those with children are the most happy. Are those that work happy? Are younger people happier than older people?

It seems to me that everyone in this world, despite their present circumstances, has reason to be joyful and they probably have reasons to feel sadness as well. So the answer is, present circumstances do not determine happiness, YOU do. I believe the key is being comfortable with who you are inside. When you are happy with the type of person you are, it does not matter if you have money, if you live in a trailer park, if you have 10 kids, or if you hate your job. It all comes down to being comfortable in your own skin, your ability to adapt to whatever it is that has come your way, and your desire to be positive about where you are NOW.

Perhaps what spawned this trail of thoughts today came from something Joe said to me this morning. He told me that he loved me. Sometimes when he says that phrase, I'll ask him why just to get an idea of his thoughts that led him to expressing his feelings. Today, his response was, "Because you're a fighter. You put up with hard times and difficult circumstances and you make the most of it." The response that followed in my head was, "What else would I do? Give Up?" That option seems far more daunting than pressing forward.

Even though life sometimes feels like we're pressing forward with our feet deep in mud, we have to to strive to be happy because there's just no telling if we'll ever walk on cleared streets. Heavenly Father rarely paints clear skies and a rut-free road to heaven, but he does offer his helping hand through every rut, pot hole, dip, curve, and detour. Knowing this helps us feel happier while in the ruts and lifts us to higher ground in the end. It's hope, optimism, and a reliance on our Heavenly Father that gives us the energy to endure the changes and allows us to feel happiness in pushing onward.

My Kitchen Frenzy!

2011-03-06T15:05:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I go on a baking frenzy where all I want to do is bake and cook one thing after the next.

This weekend was definitely that. First, I made

A Pumpkin Roll

This was definitely one of those recipes that turned out looking nothing like it was supposed to, but it still tasted yummy! Kill the blob!

Saturday afternoon I tried Enchiladas in a crock pot.

I really didn't think it would work, but it did and they were super good.

I made strawberry freezer jam (not pictured, sorry) and

Peanut Butter, Chocolate Chip Granola Bars on Saturday too. Joe really likes taking the homemade granola bars with him to school for snacks (pictured in the ziploc below). Sunday afternoon, Joe and I tagteamed a new calzone idea I had.

We made Chicken, Cheesy, & Broccoli filled Calzones!

Joe made some alfredo sauce to dip the calzones in and they were so scrumptious!

We made enough for about 5 meals and froze the extras for a later date. We love making lots of extras whenever we have time to make something really good!

Then, I made some Pumpkin Bread (with chocolate chips for Joe) with the left over pumpkin from the pumkin roll.

I also did some Crock Pot Chicken this weekend. Now, this has been an excellent idea that I've been doing the past few months. On the weekend, I crock pot 4-6 breasts of chicken in water, bay leaves, and whatever spices desired. Then I shread all the chicken and put it in tupperware in the fridge. Throughout the week we add it to tacos, salads, chilis, sandwiches, soups, rice or WHATEVER really! It's so handy to have already cooked, moist and yummy shredded chicken to cut down on preparation time during the week.

Last, but not least, I made a Cocoanut, Banana Cream Pie. This is a repeat from last weekend. I made it for Sunday dinner dessert and it was so good, I had to make it again.

(I just couldn't waste the extra half and half from last week's pie.)

When I was in college, my High Councilmen's wife gave all the girls in our ward a Gourmet Pie Recipe Collection. At the time, I thought I would never use it, but I've made a couple of pies out of it now and they always turn out so scrumptious!

First I baked a pie crust (store bought... not interested in making that part from scratch). After it was cooled, I layered banannas in the bottom. Then, I mixed the cream portion over the stove and filled in the crust. Topped off with whip cream and a few more sliced banannas, this pie is so delicious!

If anybody would like the recipes to anything that I made this weekend, I would be happy to send them to you. I thought about putting links on here for everything I made, but I'm not going to put in that kind of time unless asked. :)

I hope everyone also had a wonderful weekend doing whatever it is that you have a passion for!

Proud to be a BYU Alum

2011-03-03T08:52:00.000-08:00

Watch this Sports Center Clip to see what they're saying about the BYU honor code and the Davies suspension. I'm proud to be a BYU alumni today and it's awesome that people are respecting the honor code rather than knocking it!

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=6174077

Ultimate Trust and Frugality

2011-02-28T18:50:00.000-08:00

Last week, I got that sudden urge to cut my hair... and cut it now! I didn't have an appointment and I knew I couldn't afford a hair cut and weave this month anyway so,

I thought to myself, "there's no reason that Joe couldn't cut my hair!!"

So, I gave him some hair cutting scissors and began to coach him through what I had seen done dozens of times.

First, I gave him a ruler and told him to use it as his guide to cut off four inches. I put down the bottom layer, tipped my head forward, and away we went.

Joe was literally breathing heavy throughout the entire hair cut; he was so nervous! I had confidence in him though! I also knew that if he really messed things up, I had plenty enough hair to get more cut off by someone who was actually trained to do this.

When he was done with the bottom length all the way around, I took a try at some layers and trimming around my face. In all honesty, he did a much better job than I did.
Nobody look too close at those choppy layers I'm now styling.

Here we are the following evening... and there's the final product of our hair cutting experience.
Not too shabby, really!

This picture brings me to my next blogging topic... the funnest night of our 2011 lives thus far.

We went to a dinner and dance in a barn just outside of town.
This wasn't any barn though, it's a fancy barn and winery where people actually get married and have parties! There was also karaoke!
Joe was not shy at all to get up and kick off the evening with
Shania Twain's "Man, I Feel Like a Woman!"
Nobody was dancing until Joe started singing. It was awesome!

Oh, I love that man. He brings so much joy and laughter into my life.

I also took my first shot at karaoke with 3 of my girlfriends.

The food was good... the dancing was awesome. The night air was perfect! The campfire outside was picturesque. Made me feel like a true country girl to be barn stompin' to country line dances IN the country... not at Trolley Square, not in a parking lot off University Avenue in Provo, but IN the country!

I wish we could do this on a regular basis.

I just kept thinking over and over the entire night... this is SO FUN!!!
This is one of the funnest things we've ever done in this tiny town!

Here's a picture of all the true dancing queens and kings who stayed until the very last song was played!

We are the ultimate party animals!!!

What is Mitering, you ask?

2011-02-28T18:00:00.000-08:00

Mitering is what I learned how to do a few weekends ago over at my good friend Audrey's house.

See, I have been working on a quilt... a real quilt.

We're talking creating the design, doing the geometry, cutting and piecing the pieces, top stitching, binding, and MITERING.

Mitering: To create a diagonal seam at a corner to make a right angle.

It's not the simplest thing in the world, but Audrey made it look easy. She is a professional quilter... which she would deny. I figure when something you've quilted is hanging in a museum in Georgia,

you're pretty high up there!

She helped me take my quilting skills to the next level.

So, here's the picture of the quilt I found on the internet for inspiration....

An here's my final product! This dark picture doesn't do the bright colors justice.

Boys Will be Boys

2011-02-20T17:04:00.000-08:00

Here we are last Sunday evening playing over at the Sandgrens house. Jackers wanted to show us how his new hotwheels track worked, so we set it up and began to watch the cars go down the tracks. It wasn't long though, before this was too amateur for the big boys. They needs faster and bigger jumps.

So the ramp height was made taller (with children's Curious George books) and the slope got steeper (6ft. steeper)! Now, we're talking. Two feet of air for those cars!

Jackers also showed us his new Dr. toys. He listened to cowboy Woody's heartbeat and took his own temperature with the thermometer under his arm pit. So cute.

Bits of Everything

2011-02-18T08:16:00.000-08:00

Bits of Everything is a blog that has been put together by my most talented cousins! I visited their site for the first time today and was so impressed by their tutorials, craft ideas, recipes, etc. that I just had to share their link with everyone that I know!

It's updated very frequently and has so many good ideas on it for cooking, hair, sewing, photography, crafting, cards, exercising, eating, design, scrapbooking, organization, decorating, singing, etc.

They are a very talented group of women! Check it Out!

bitsofeverything.com

Don't you Love Exciting Mail?

2011-02-14T09:48:00.000-08:00

We got a lot of exciting things in the mail last week...

First of all, my diploma for my Masters Degree finally came! So, I guess it's official now.

Second, Joe got an iphone 4. He got it on a deal for existing Verizon Wireless users. He has had so much fun with this thing already. Everyday, he shows me new tricks that he found he can do with it. Yesterday, he prepared his entire church lesson on it and said that preparing a lesson was never so much fun! Joe says this is not a want, but a need for his next phase of medical school. For now, I call it his new toy.

This little red package has actually become quite exciting for me in the past month. Joe got me a subscription to Netflix for Christmas and I have really enjoyed it. I had been told before that it was the best deal ever, but now I'm a believer. It's amazing. This week's movie: Dispicable Me.

We got a Valentine's package from Grandma and Grandpa Jarman last week and I also got a few birthday packages! Thank you to my two Moms for remembering me on my birthday. I love everything!

While we're on the topic of my birthday, I just wanted to thank everyone who sent me facebook messages, emails, texts, and phone calls. I so appreciated everyone that took the time to make it a special day for me.

Especially, my wonderful Joe.

Thankfully, my Birthday fell on a Friday this year so Joe had some time that evening to be with me. He surprised me with balloons, a banner, and my favorite flowers: Gerber Daisies. I never thought he would be able to find some this time of year, but he did. He also got me a "too good to be true" watch to wear when I run. It has a GPS in it, which means it has a lot of awesome features!

He made me an awesome dinner, complete with sparkling cider and the fancy glasses. Then, we had a little cake and ice cream with the Sandgrens.

Little Jack had a birthday last week too, so we both got to stick our fingers in the frosting first.

Happy....

2011-02-14T09:01:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Here's Joe and I in our purple matching shirts this morning... not intentional, really, but very festive!

We love all of our friends and family to pieces!

A Song is a Memory

2011-02-02T12:22:00.000-08:00

For those of you who went to High School in the 1990's and 2000-2005 era, you'll likely remember how awesome it was to make burnt cds!! How cool was it to put all of your favorite songs onto one cd and share your songs with all of your friends?

Almost everyone I knew had huge cd cases, similar to these in their cars. It was always the passenger's responsibility to never let the tunes run out, but continually feed the cd changer.

Can you believe that people used to break into cars to steal these enormous things?!?

Well, today I realized that I hardly ever listen to cds anymore and yet, I have them all over my house... tucked here and there in random cases and taking up my space on bookshelves. So, I decided it was time to purge through all of them and get rid of those ones that I'll definitely never listen to again.

Little did I know how much fun this would actually be!

What followed was a two hour walk down memory lane.

I got out my old running walkman that my Mom bought me my freshman year of college and reflected on the day I got it. We were at Target and I remember I thought it was totally awesome: bass options, no skip technology, and a hand strap that tucked it right in my hand while I was running. I told my Mom that if she would buy it for me, she would never have to buy me another walkman again because this one was the ultimate music playing device!

...and it was the last walkman she ever bought me because the ipod came out just a few years later!

One by one, I stuck my old burnt cds from high school and college into my walkman to see what was on them. It was amazing the memories that flooded back to me with each and every song.

High school dances

Stake dances

House dance parties in college

Driving around with my friends in the car

Pool parties

Spring break trips with my Mom and Sister

The high school locker room before a big game

Old boyfriends & the hurt of the goodbyes

It was like I was there again and something inside of me said, "You can't just throw away these cds! They're your past! They're your memories!"

Then, I thought, "OK so lets say I do keep these." When would I listen to them? At home? I could only do that when Joe's not here because it has to be quiet for him to study. In the car? Well, I live in a town where you're to wherever it was that you were going before you even have time to listen to one full song.

I KNOW! I'll throw a 90's Dance party with all our friends for one last hoorah and then throw them away! No, no... Most of my friends have young kids and seeing their parents jump around in the dark would likely scare them for life.

Sigh.

So, I decided to throw away what was probably an entire case of new cds at one point.

And I sadly concluded, "I'm too old for this kind of music anymore anyways."

I don't go to dances, I'm the chaperon at them.

I don't drive around in the car with my friends just to drive around anymore. And I would probably feel silly pulling up somewhere with my Usher, Wycleff, Snoop, Nelly, or Blink 182 tunes bumping.

I used to love hip hop, punk, and R&B! I've seriously tried to say goodbye to Nelly and Usher before, but I just couldn't do it. I had to keep them, but I think it was because I used to be able to relate to the lyrics a lot more than I do now. Have you ever noticed how 80% of songs talk about relationships? You can find the perfect song for every aspect, stage, and part of a relationship. So I liked them when I was on that dating rollercoaster.

One of my break up songs was "Let it Burn" by Usher. I listened to that song so many times during one of the hardest break ups I ever had. When it came on my walkman the other day, I had to listen to the whole thing.

Man, the painful emotions that I felt before all came back to me and then I looked over at an engagement photo of Joe and I on our wall and thought, "There was a time when I thought I would never ever find you."

Music is so powerful.

It moves us.

It makes us feel alive.

It can bring back memories in just the first 3 notes of a song.

In the end, I didn't throw away all of my cds, cause my parent's record collection is kind of cool and I know my kids will want to see what my walkman and cds looks like someday.

And my car does have a 6 cd changer if I ever go on a road trip! :)

We're about to Be Clobbered!

2011-01-31T08:44:00.000-08:00

My boss sent me an email this morning encouraging me to take some things home with me today to work on Tuesday and Wednesday because he doesn't know if I'll be able to get back to work for a few days. He then proceeded to give me this update on the weather forecast...

"We are under a winter storm warning from now until noon on Wednesday. There is a forecast for 12-15 inches of snow in our area between late this afternoon and Wednesday morning. The storm is supposed to start with up to a tenth of an inch of freezing rain this afternoon and evening. (So the roads will get a sheet of ice and then be covered in snow) Tomorrow, we are also supposed to have winds from 25-30 miles per hour with gusts of over 40 miles per hour, so visibility will reach white out conditions. Please do not risk your safety or your vehicles trying to come to work on Tuesday or Wednesday if the weather is hazardous. The other thing you need to be aware of is the extremely cold weather that will occur on Wednesday (high of 14 degrees and a low of -6 degrees - and these are straight temperatures, not wind chill readings). If you need to get extra supplies in your homes to ride out this storm, please do it today. Once the storm starts, it will be too late."

So Prepare yourselves, friends of Northern Missouri! We're about to be clobbered!!! I'm headed to Walmart for extra propane for our camping stove (in case we lose electricity) and I'm going to get out all of our flashlights, lanterns, and blankets for easy access. It's fairly common to lose electricity when heavy ice sits on the electrical wires.

Be Prepared

2011-01-26T08:18:00.000-08:00

I have felt an urgency this month to be better prepared. One day Joe and I had a discussion about what we would do if there was a massive snow storm and no trucks could bring food to our town? What if we couldn't get any of our money out of the bank? What if our electricity stopped working? We need to be prepared!!

First, I decided we needed food storage. We seem to buy a lot of food about once a year (cannned items, rice, noodles, etc.) and use it over time. Well, when we got back from Christmas vacation, it seemed everything from our last major purchase was all gone. So, I decided I would use the money that I got sort of as a bonus/ gift from work at the end of 2010 to buy food storage. I went to Hyvee and loaded up my cart FULL. Sadly, when I got to the check out isle (and luckily there was no one in line behind me or I would have been embarrassed), I watched the total rack up and I started feeling uneasy so I decided that I just couldn't afford everything I wanted to get. I nicely asked the cashier if she wouldn't mind putting back all that I had left in my cart after I had reached my limit on the money. So no flour, sugar, maple syrup, jellos, etc. They got left behind. So, I plan to get the rest of what I had in mind over the next couple of months (and hopefully nothing terrible happens before then.)

Next, I decided we needed some liquid cash for emergencies. I pulled some out of the bank and stashed it in the house. (Please, no one rob us after reading this post! It really wasn't that much and not worth your efforts).

Third, (and this doesn't really have to do with being prepared, but being organized) I cleaned out my house and got rid of clothes, towells, and jewelry that I didn't want anymore. I reorganized most of the closets and switched all of my decorations around. I wanted something different to look at. I changed the pictures in the frames, changed my flower arrangements, took some decorations in the front room to the bedroom and visa-versa and even changed the light bulbs to offer softer lighting. All the Christmas decorations got put away and were organized better than ever. My house was just how I wanted it (until the laundry came back to haunt me and the dishes piled. It's a work in progress!)

Through it all, I have had a nasty cold this month. I finally made myself a Dr. apt. today. I don't really want to go though. I've been trying hard to just "play it out," but the symptoms keep getting better then worse, then they change to something new. Confession: I have Dr. anxiety. Everytime I go to the doctor, I worry about how they are going to treat me. Will they listen to me? Will they address my concerns? Will I feel like they don't have time to talk to me about everything that I want to? Will I walk away frustrated that I just wasted my money and could have remedied myself? Will they ask if residents can attend my appointment? I went to the Dermatologist in April last year and I was surprised to find a sign in the waiting room that gave forewarning that you may not even get to see the doctor you made an appointment with. Special arrangements would have to be made for that. Most people just got to see the resident. Of course the bill was in the Dermatologists name, even though I didn't see him for more than 2 minutes and I felt that he didn't take the time to even understand why I was there. Bad experiences make my anxiety about going to the doctors worse.

I know what you're thinking... isn't your husband going to be a Dr.?? Rest assured, Joe does not give me anxiety! :)

We Ran Away Together

2010-12-16T08:29:00.000-08:00

For Thanksgiving this year, Joe and I decided to run away together on a trip- just the two of us!

When we moved to Missouri, we made somewhat of a list of places that we wanted to see while we lived in the Midwest and one of the big ones was Chicago! With our recent 3rd anniversary and my graduation from school, we thought now would be a good time to take one of those bigger trips to celebrate!

So, we planned a 5 day trip, packed up a lot of groceries to save on eating out, and drove the 6 hours through the rolling hills of Missouri, Iowa, and Illinois to get there.

Here's some of the highlights of what we did in Chicago...

SHOP

The Nike Store had us both drooling! Athletic wear is both mine and Joe's weakness. There were so many humongous shopping centers on the Magnificent Mile. We walked up and down the mile a number of times taking in all the sights and stores. It was all decorated in Christmas lights and garlands.

I just loved how it made me feel like Christmas is here!

EAT OUT

Here we are at Gyno's East Pizza for some Chicago Style thin crust pizza.

RAN IN A TURKEY TROT 8K (5 Mile Race)

With 7,000 other runners running around down town Chicago, this event was majorly cool! We got to run around the Zoo and along Lake Michigan. Was it cold? Well, yes, but with all those runners, we actually stayed rather warm off the body heat.

STAYED IN A HOTEL ALMOST ON THE

MAGNIFICENT MILE

Our hotel was on Ohio Street and would you believe that Joe's uncle Kam lived on this exact street while he attended North Western University? Crazy!

ICE SKATING ON THANKSGIVING IN

MILLENNIUM PARK

This was surreal! We got hot chocolate (Joe) and caramel apple cider (Nat) and sipped it in the park while we watched the ice skaters go round. Once we were warmed up from our drinks, we hit the ice ourselves. The big buildings that surrounded the rink and the remaining fall leaves on the trees was picturesque!

GOT PEDICURES

I don't have a picture of this!

SAW THE VIENNA BOY'S CHOIR IN THE

SYMPHONY CENTER

We had to do something cultural, since Chicago has so many opportunities for that.

I couldn't believe how young those boy's were (Age 10-14) and how far they traveled from home without their Moms! Who reminded them to comb their hair before the performance, I thought??

Their voices were angelic.

SAW CHRISTMAS LIGHTS AT THE ZOO

On our last night in Chicago, the Lincoln Zoo opened their gates (free to the public) for their Christmas light festival! The lights were awesome and we even got to see lions and gorillas!

SAW A 40FT. TALL TREE LIGHTING

Introduced by Joan Cusack, the Mayor initiated the lighting of this 40 ft. tall tree! A big crowd gathered and sang Christmas carols together just before the lights turned on. Then fireworks shot off into the sky to celebrate that Christmas is here!!

In summary...

We LOVED our get away together!

Being with my best friend for an entire week was fantastic and I'd go anywhere in the world,
so long as I got to go with him!

KCOM PROM

2010-12-16T07:47:00.000-08:00

Joe's school hosts a Prom every year in December. It's a really nice event because everyone dresses up fancy, they serve a dinner, and then there's a dance. Here's the dance floor.

I think it's kind of funny that people don't put down their beers when they're dancing. They sip on it while dancing, getting more and more intoxicated as the evening progresses.

Here are some of our friends- Jenny and Dani.

Breakin' it Down!

I never knew what an awesome (crazy) dancer Joe was until the KCOM PROM last year. I guess we had never been to this kind of a dance up until that point.

Zac (a little drunk) asked Joe for a dance, so Joe obliged him!

The theme was, "A Night in London!" I loved it! Those of you who know me well, know I have a special place in my heart for London (I lived there for 4 months for a study abroad).

The eating part of the evening.

It was a fun date night for us, that's for sure!

My Modeling Career

2010-12-14T12:33:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine, who is a graphic design major at Truman State, asked me if I would be her model for her final project for this semester. She told me the pictures she would take would go on a poster that encouraged people to eat and live healthily! Awesome! I was in for it!

During the photo shoot, I determined I would never be a very good model.

I just felt too funny posing and pretending like I was laughing at something when really I was

just staring at the wall.

She did an awesome job on her poster though.

Here it is... too small to read anything, I'm sure, but you get the picture.

It says "When life gives you lemons... squeeze out the vitamins and life a healthy life!"

So there you have it. The closest I'll ever get to being a sports model like the girls in the Athleta Magazine (Which is one of my favorites!)

No, These are Not Halloween Costumes

2010-12-13T11:31:00.000-08:00

Joe and I played in a dodgeball tournament this weekend, hosted by one of the clubs that Joe is in a presidency for, the Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PM&R) Club.

There was a prize for the best team uniforms.

Our team went as K Town Country Bumpkin Hicks.

The team that won best jerseys wore "one-zie" Christmas Jammies!

Joe coincidentally found a lawn mower in the school's storage area and fulfilled his dreams.

So 8 teams and a bracket tournamnet later, we earned the title of #1!

We all won gift certificates to local restaurants.

Little Jack wanted a piece of that action for being our team ball boy.

So fun, so fun!

Faster than a Reindeer

2010-12-12T20:42:00.000-08:00

Joe and I recently ran in a 8k (4 mile) race called the Reindeer Romp. It's held annually in our small town and we quite enjoyed it last year, so we did it again! Everyone that runs in the race wears jingle bells on their shoes so it sounds like reindeer are running through town!

Here we are before the race at the Dukum Bar. It's apparently one of the best bars in town and we finally got to see the inside of it!

Some people dressed up silly for the race. Funny, it didn't even cross my mind to wear red and green..duh!

Here are some of running buddies- the Babcocks. Way to go guys!

So, were we faster than the other reindeers?

Well, not all of them, but both Joe and I did come away with medals for out weight divisions.

I got a gold medal for the over 135 lb "Diva" Category at a 7.8 minute mile finishing at 31:39.

Joe got a silver medal for the over 200 lb. "Cruiser" Catergory at a 7.5 minute mile finishing at 29:59.

Yes, Joe was a much faster reindeer than I was this race, but we both got a personal best this race!

I am so proud of Joe's running skills. The first race we ran together, I beat him by 15 minutes and now he's worked so hard to become a strong runner and is giving me a run for my money!

A Funny

2010-12-10T11:12:00.001-08:00

Joe and I have officially decided on the names for our first son and first daughter...

Boy: Levi Jean Shurtz

Girl: Polly Ester Shurtz

Ha! Happy Friday!

Done and Fun!

2010-11-14T14:49:00.000-08:00

This weekend was such a fun one. On Friday, I finished my last assignment for my Masters program, submitted it, and then texted all of my family to tell them the exciting news. I'm done, I'm done!

Many people have asked me if I am excited to have more time for other things now. YES! I have been making a list of the things I have been wanting/needing to get done, but never seemed to find the time for it.

1) Update my Journal

2) Change the playlists on my ipod for my workouts. I'm so sick of the ones that are on there.

3) Deep clean our house (we're talking base boards, blinds, etc.)

4) Begin Personal Progress (again). Our Young Women Presidency was asked to participate in this program which we encourage the teenage girls at our church to do. It's called personal progress. I know it will be a good experience for me to do with the girls and it strengthen my testimony of the Savior.

5) Make Christmas gifts

6) Read the talks from General Conference in October

7) Make Christmas cards. (I have never done these, but I think I'll try it this year)

8) Iron and fix all my clothes that have buttons missing, etc.

9) Find new recipees and try some new dinner ideas.

10) Spend more time with my friends by going to more of the church and club activities. (I would say spend more time with Joe, but it's not like we both graduated so that probably won't happen) :) I also want to go with my friends to see all of the cool Amish and shopping places around here that people have told me about.

On Friday night, Joe and I went out to eat with 5 other couples at a new steak house restaurant that just opened called Coltons. The rolls were so yummy and the atmosphere was so awesome. Most restaurants in Kirksville are, well, under-whelming as far as atmosphere goes. While we were there, I said over and over, "This feels like a real restaurant! It feels like the ones back home!" I had so much fun with everyone there. Thanks everybody that we got to spend time with!

On Saturday, I went to the worldwide leadership broadcast, which was very good and I will be reading the handbook over the next few months as a result. Then, I went for about an hour drive with two girlfriends to Centerville, Iowa. We had heard about these two mansions there that have been turned into boutiques and we wanted to check them out. Boy, was it worth the drive!

This picture is somewhat dark, but here's the first one; it's called "The Columns."

Both of the mansions were filled from floor to ceiling with the cutest holiday decor, women's accessories, furniture, canned foods, candles, etc. etc. We could have spent hours in each mansion if we'd only had that much energy and time!
Lisa.Me.Kenzi

Mansion #2. I think this one was my favorite of the 2. It was four stories tall and it used to be

used for large parties in the town back when it was owned by some residents. It is called "Bradley Hall." The inside was so elegant and it was completed covered in Christmas decor!

Down Town Centerville. Cute, right? It reminded me of the little town in "It's a Wonderful Life" with its old fashioned light poles covered in Christmas garland.

There were so many hats in the mansions! Most of them looked like they were from the 1920's and Kenzi tried on almost all of them.

This room was decorated completely in bright red and lime green Christmas decor. It seems overpowering (and it totally would be in a home), but it was so cool. We're definitely in the Christmas spirit now!

So what did I bring home? I'll show you when I have it all put together. :)

Worries for the Weary

2010-11-07T19:47:00.000-08:00

Today was fast Sunday.

When I was a kid, I used to shout "Hooray" when Mom and Dad said it was fast Sunday.

I cheered because I thought church would be shorter that day.

Today, fast Sunday means something much different to me.

Fast Sunday is a time to reflect on those extra blessings you could use from a loving Heavenly Father.

It's a time to think about others.

Last night before I went to bed, I thought about who I wanted to fast for.

To my surprise, I thought of quite a long list of people who could use a helping hand right now.

For different reasons and in various ways.

I put myself in their shoes...

And I worried for the weary.

I'd like to be their hero.

Many times I find myself thinking, "What can I do?"

and it's always been clear to me...

that no one, not even I, can lend the help that God can.

It's he that I must plead with to worry for the weary.

It's a weird thought to think that the act of going without food

could actually bless someone else's life.

But I know it does.

Last night as I began my fast, I prayed that every time I felt that twinge of hunger today,

I would think of those weary ones

and I did.

And I felt like I was helping them in a small yet big way.

I love this picture.

It shows that the Lord is there for us,

knocking at the door and patiently waiting for us to let him in.

But he cannot enter our hearts unless we let him.

When we do, there is joy.

Much joy, particularly for the weary ones.

3 Years Together

2010-10-23T20:24:00.000-07:00

Joe and I have been married 3 years this October 26th!

Here are a few highlights of our lives together:

2007

We met and stared at each other for hours through 8 months of dating.

We fell in Love

We went to Disneyland

And we got married

(Would you believe I don't have a single picture of the 2 of us on our wedding day in digital format?)

2008

Joe started playing Athletic Trainer at BYU

We ate lots of ice cream.

Joe grew out his hair way too long

and Joe brought me home a flower every month on the 26th.

2009

We played scrabble at my brother Ryan's high school graduation and Joe scored 85 points with one word! Unheard of!

I almost lost Joe in a mid-twenties crisis

We watched the sun go down on a Floridian Island.

We slept in the back of our car and played cards in the Nauvoo Camp Ground

Joe got upset about the absence of the Rhinos at the St. Louis Zoo

but we did get to see a rather large arch.

and Joe started wearing this white coat a lot.

2010

We learned how to treat mold

and swing from trees by a rope.

We mastered pancakes over a camp griddle

And we're the poorest we've ever been, but we're not stealing anything just yet...

cause we're living on love!

Happy Friday!

2010-09-17T13:47:00.000-07:00

It seems that I am always my happiest on Fridays because I feel like freedom from work and school for 48 hours is just around the corner and I'm in for a fun night with people!! I have spent so much of this week sitting in isolation in my office for 8 hours/day with numb bum and I miss the social interaction.

This past Wednesday we had a young women's activity where my Miamaids were supposed to come having completed one of their personal progress projects. I had assigned them to come prepared to speak for at least 5 minutes about what they had learned from doing their project . I was really nervous that they would be unprepared to share, but 2/3 came prepared and I was so impressed with them and their enthusiasm to have spiritual experiences by doing personal progress. As a leader, sometimes I feel like I and the other ladies just push and pull to get the girls to do anything with personal progress... so it was fun to watch them do it and do it on their own! I think I'm learning how to work with teenagers better. I went to Nauvoo last Saturday for meetings pretty much all day. Part of the meetings I attended taught me how to be a "shadow leader" for youth. I learned that I shouldn't do everything for activities and I shouldn't only plan activities which are seen as "fun" by the world's teenage standards. Mutual should be different than anything else the youth do socially and it should be a place where they, not just me, can learn leadership.

Tomorrow we have our first flag football game. I'm pumped. The air is crisp and the smell of leaves is in the air. We've been watching football games on Monday nights and I got out my bath and body works Spice wall scent last night. Ahhhh. I love it. I also started intramural soccer this past week. Basketball starts next week. Man, how I love sports. Joe and I have tried working out in the mornings this week. It's been awesome to not have to worry about it after work, but I definitely have not looked my prettiest this week as half the time I went off to work with wet hair or no makeup on. It's a trade off, I guess... and let's be honest, I sat in my office by myself almost all week so it didn't really matter too much!

Our Labor Day weekend was awesome! We went to Kansas City and stayed with my cousin, her husband, and two little girls. We went to a water park called Oceans of Fun. It was a blast.

That night we went out to dinner at a place that specializes in Kansas City BBQ at its best. Here's the plate that my cousin Teralee and her husband got to share!

We walked around down town Kansas City and did a little Christmas Shopping.

On Sunday we visited the Liberty Jail, which is only about 15 minutes away from my cousin's house. It was a wonderful and spiritual experience to again be where the Prophet Joseph Smith once was.

Here I am gripping the bars of one of the two windows that allowed air and light into the 14x14 foot cellar where the men were kept.

The Shurtz and the Aarons!

On Sunday night I made sugar cookies and the girls got so excited. This little one only wanted the frosting though. She'd lick it all off, stash the cookie, and go back for more, telling her Mom, "only had one Mom."

On Labor Day, Joe and I hit up Smithfield Lake just north of Kansas City for some mountain biking. The trails were really well marked for bikes and not too hard for us amateurs. Notice that Joe is wearing pants here. It's definitely not because it was cold, but to protect his legs from ticks.

I love that my husband likes to do what I like to do. He has never been much into biking, but said if it was something that we could do together, he would like it. We actually bought him his mountain bike the day we hit these trails. My cousin sold it to us for $25.00! Not a bad deal!

Osteo-Stache continued

2010-08-24T19:55:00.000-07:00

(Really, the post after this one was supposed to come first. Hence, "Osteo-stache continued!" If you'd like to see these in order, scroll down to see "Future doctors of America" first.

Ergh, blogger is so difficult sometimes!)

So here's the final products after the beards were shaven down to what is called the,

"Osteo-stache."

This was the shaving party group. If you're wondering why in the world these men would shave such hick like facial hair onto their pretty faces, it is a tradition which is done at the medical school, to be done each year during the next incoming class's orientation. They put on a really funny presentation and everyone, including the women, had either real or fake facial hair just like the founder of the school, Andrew Taylor Still.

Finally, a place to kiss on that cheek!

Props to all the wives who put up with the facial hair madness

during the weeks of growth prior to the shaving of the osteo-staches!

Future Doctors of America

2010-08-24T19:27:00.000-07:00

Here they are, the future doctors of America...

They're Well Groomed...

and Well Mannered.

They're serious..

They're Intelligent...

They're Hairy...

And some have a few more years to graduation than others.

And there's one thing that all these men have in common....

Dedication to the tradition of the "Osteo-Stache"
in memory of Andrew Taylor Still

You Promise?

2010-08-12T21:14:00.000-07:00

Last night Joe left with his buddy Jed to go to the library and study for a test around 8:00pm saying he would be home around midnight. So I decided to go to bed around 10:30 and not wait up. Around 2:00AM he strolls in the front door, banged the kitchen table with his leg and knocked a water bottle onto the floor scaring me to death at the sudden eruption in the kitchen!

Minutes later he climbs into bed and being half asleep, this is the conversation we had:

Natalie: "You didn't go see show girls with Jed when you were done studying did you?"

Joe: (chuckling) "Of course not hun! There's not even a place to see show girls around here!"

Natalie: "That's what they all say. You promise you didn't go see show girls?"

Joe: "That's discusting. I would never dream of it. I'm a med student. I have a big test tomorrow and I was with Jed! What else would I be doing, but studying?"

Natalie: "All I know is when husbands come home at 2:00AM, you ask them about show girls!"

SNORE, the end.

I woke up today thinking that was pretty funny that I was so adament in my half consciousness to know that Joe was really at the school studying and not out with show girls!

Of course he would never do anything like that, even with Jed's influence. :)

Just kidding JED!

MHA SHM ATSU Almost Done!

2010-08-09T21:20:00.000-07:00

The program that I have been doing for the past year and a half is a Masters in Health Administration (MHA) through the School of Health Managment (SHM) at A.T. Still University (ATSU). This little project has been one reason that my blogging has dropped off the face of the earth for a while. It seems as though the work load this quarter has created an extra imposition on my lifestyle much more so than quarters past. The good news is, I only have 2 more weeks left of this quarter and then I get a break. The even better news is, after that break, I only have one quarter to go until graduation!! November 14th is the big completion day. Graduation ceremonies will not be held until next spring, but I will be officially done in November!

This degree has really gone by rather fast for me. It's been a good time of life to get it. I've learned a lot about the health care industry, including health care law, information systems, human resource management, finances, accounting, statistics, health care research, epidemiology, leadership, and health care economics (to cover the highlights). I'm excited to be done, but I know I will miss being pushed to learn. It has been nice to continue to learn.

A Duet!

2010-08-09T20:35:00.000-07:00

Joe and I have been so busy lately that I haven't had time to blog. I'm talking reading others blogs, posting on my own blog, nothing. So here goes (at nearly 11pm). Joe and a lady in our ward named, Sister Rogers have been practicing over the past couple of weeks to play a piano/organ duet for Sacrament Meeting in our ward. They performed this past Sunday and boy, was it a moving arrangement of America the Beautiful. They both played all 11 pages with vigor and did such a good job. It's always nerve racking to perform for others and I'm so proud of Joe for his willingness to share his musical talents often. He is very gifted musically and I love it when he (and his family) perform. I admire him greatly for this. I am a closet pianist and rarely feel brave enough to play when I know someone is focused on my listening. This is something that I'm working on. I actually recorded Joe's musical number and

will email it to anyone who has interest in hearing it. I couldn't figure out how to post it on here so email will have to do. Just leave me a comment if you're interested.

Has anyone ever successfully attached a music file to their blog before?

Anyways, the Rogers invited us over for lunch later that day and we graciously accepted the invitation. Here is Joe and little Sister Rogers. When I showed her this picture, she said, "Well, why didn't you tell me to stand up straight?"

Here's all of us in the kitchen of their home.

After dinner, we played a couple games together: Racko and Five Crowns.

Joe and I brought some homemade carmel popcorn to share.

It's my Grandma's recipee and I love it!

One of the young women in our ward once said to me, "I bet you and Brother Shurtz grow up to be just like the Rogers!" I took that as a compliment since I think the world of this elderly couple. They are genuinely kind to every person, young and old, in our ward. Both of them are always wearing a smile. Needless to say, we really enjoyed our visit with them.

P.S. If you happened to notice, Joe has grown out the beard again. He is doing it for an event at school called the "Osteostache" (Osteopath+ Mustache). The 2nd year Medical Students do it every year to salute the founder of their school, A.T. Still University, who always had a pretty good beard on. They also do it sort of as a spoof for the first year students. In a couple of weeks, the 2nd year students will be helping the 1st years to become oriented with the school by performing a few funny skits and things.

The crazy thing is, I can't believe we're already welcoming in the next class, making us no longer 1st years. We're on our way! In less than a few months, we'll find out where we get to live for the 3rd and 4th years of this medical school ride. We'll keep you updated.

Another Nauvoo Trip

2010-07-27T09:36:00.000-07:00

Two weekends ago, Joe and I took the youth in our ward to Nauvoo to go to the temple and to work at the concessions stand during the Nauvoo Pageant. The kids earn money for their camps by working there each summer. Of course it was a blast to hang out with them all day.

Snow Cones! They were good. If at first you can't see us, we're the tall ones. Our Bishop is on the far left, the YW President is in orange. The YW secretary is in the shades on the right. All the others are our wonderful youth!

Last weekend Joe got to go to youth conference with all these guys. (I didn't go on account of work). He said he particulary enjoyed being with the youth in Nauvoo on the 24th of July. They had all of the youth walk down Parley Street in Nauvoo like the pioneers did when they headed for the Mississippi River to begin their treck west. Joe made the interesting parallel that on that same day (July 24th), there were thousands of people in Utah celebrating the arrival of the pioneers in the Salt Lake Valley and there he was celebrating the beginning of their journey on the banks of the river in Nauvoo. Kind of cool. :)

(Sorry no pictures of youth conference. I wasn't there to take them!)

My Poor Nerves

2010-07-20T19:03:00.000-07:00

Last night was quite the experience. Around 11:30pm it began to rain quite badly and lightning filled the sky. In Missouri, it does not just periodically thunder and lightning. The lightning looks like a strobe light that lights up as far as you can see. With mine and Joe's bedroom having three exterior walls, it made for quite a noisy night. Around 1:00am we awoke to hail beating down on the outside of the house. It sounded like someone was throwing rocks at us! Joe popped up to check the internet for a tornado warning because they say that large hail is a good indication of a tornado. Turned out, there was a tornado warning, which means that either a funnel cloud had been spotted or a tornado had actually touched down near by. We listened for the tornado siren and could hear it going off throughout town. Feeling frantic now, Joe and I looked at each other with eyes that both said, "What should we do?" We have no basement and they say the next best thing to do is to get in your bath tub and pull a mattress over the top of you. Just as I was about to suggest the tub, my next door neighbor Debbie called and frantically warned us to seek cover. When we told her we had no basement, she invited Joe and I to run over to her house and get in her root cellar with her family. We decided we should go.

My mind suddenly felt incredibly alert and I thought, "If I never get to come back into my house again, what would I want to grab out of it?" I couldn't think straight, but quickly grabbed a jacket, my cell phone, and some shoes. Joe and I darted out into the storm and I pictured that scene in the movie Twister when the funnel is seen not far off whipping debris around in the air. We were soaked in just the 20 feet that we ran to get to the Munn's front door. Once inside, I heard their weather radio sounding off "tornado warning for Adair County from 1:00-2:00am, a tornado has been spotted, flash flood warning, 60 mile an hour winds, fatal lightning, do not drive, you are encouraged to seek shelter!" You can imagine just how much more fear I felt after having a detailed debriefing on the current events.

The lights in the house flickered on and off and I was very ready to get in the cellar. We again went out into the rain and climbed down into the ground through a door that opened from the backyard. The cellar was old and it seemed to be unstable, but I knew it was better to be underground than above it if a tornado was going to come through. I sat down on a turned over bucket next to Joe, clenched his arm, and began to shake uncontrollably because I was soaked and scared spitless. The door was left open as family members climbed in and out of it and I could see the rain and clouds roll over one another! I could not believe just how relaxed some of the family was about the situation. It was as though they felt it was not real (or they have just experienced this so many times that it's not such a big deal to them). After a few brief, but incredibly long couple of minutes, the weather radio informed us that the tornado warning was no longer in effect. We climbed out of the cellar and into the Munn's home. Then, each of the family members began to tell Joe and I about every tornado they have ever experienced. That was exactly what I did NOT want to hear at that moment, but Joe and I listened. As we left to go back home, Debbie said she'd be sure to call again if another tornado was reported on the radio.

Back in our room, I said a prayer and then got slightly teary eyed as I could not calm myself down. We turned off the light and again just laid there listening to the storm. I felt the house rumble every time the thunder clapped. I thought that Kirksville would certainly be swallowed up or washed away before morning. I wondered if God was mad at the people of Kirksville; I felt like we were being punished for something! Next thing I knew, it was 5:00am and we were again being pelted by hail. I woke Joe up and asked him to check for another tornado warning on the internet. This time, there was only a flash flood warning and severe thunder storms. Morning could not come fast enough.

I got up around 7:00am, got ready for work, and was ready to see all the damage around town on our drive there. To my great surprise, the cities drain system had drained most of the flooded streets. A pond near our home had flooded over and was spilling water down onto the road along with large stones. There was already a crew out to stop the spill over. I was amazed at how little damage there was. Joe read that a tornado did touch down about 2 miles away from our home. I do not know the extent of the damage it did, but I do not think it was as bad as the one that our town saw last year. I think there were quite a few basements that flooded, but nothing totally blew away. Thankfully and luckily, we are fine. Our house is fine; our friends and neighbors are fine. One thing is for certain, I don't ever want to live another night like that again! My poor nerves couldn't take it!

We're Back!

2010-07-12T10:26:00.001-07:00

So, if you were wondering why I have been completely absent from updating my blog for 3 weeks, it's because Joe and I have been on Holiday! We made the rounds through Utah, then on to Washington and then Alaska for a cruise! We had a blast seeing our families and spending time with all those people we love in the west. Joe has created an album on facebook which does a really good job of hitting the highlights from the trip.

To view it, click HERE

(After you click on the link, you must sign into your facebook account in order to view the pictures. Sorry for those of you who are not facebook people.)

It's Finished...Take the Tour!

2010-06-11T22:43:00.000-07:00

About a year ago, I was flipping through one of my Mom's Better Homes and Gardens Magazines and came across a design that inspired me. It was a room that was decorated in bright yellows, navy blues, wicker brown baskets, and white accent pieces. I ripped out the pages in the magazine and decided that was how I wanted to decorate our bedroom when we moved to Missouri. With excitement, I immediately began to pick up things here and there that fit the color scheme and I have added things as I've saved up to purchase and make things.

This has been a really fun project for me and I definitely want to share the final product so without further delay...

Allow me to give you a tour of the journey...

This headboard was inspired by my Sister Megan. She made one for her bed, which turned out so cute, I just had to copy the design. We made it from ply wood, upholstery foam, fabric, nails, and nail covers (the white dimples).

The shelf is stocked with items I've collected over the years. I purchased the blue piece on the left in Moscow, Russia. The blue vase is from Wales. We got the yellow motorcycle in Finland. Joe loves motorcyles so we have a number of these around the house to satisfy his craving for now! :) Thanks to my Mom, who got me outfitted with a sewing machine for Christmas, I was able to make some accessories for the bed. I embroidered "Now I Know What Love Is," with a border and appliqued a heart on the front.The yellow pillow cases are made from a design I got off of the Better Homes and Garden Website. For the curtains, I purchased some ordinary navy blue drapes from Walmart and spruced them up a bit with yellow tassles. The hardest part of this entire project was hanging those curtains!
The bedroom walls were brown when we purchased the home and with my parents help, we painted the room a soft yellow before we unpacked anything. Thanks Mom, Dad, and Joe!

The painting inbetween the windows was made by an artist in Croatia. He painted it of the city which I visited in the summer of 2007. I always like to buy decorations for my house when I travel because it creates a lot of memories for me on every wall. The yellow stars are from Nauvoo. They are designed after the ones on the Carthage Jail where Joseph Smith was murdered. These are all over the buildings in Nauvoo as well!Green is my favorite color so I really had to hold myself back from adding greens into the room, but I thought just a little wouldn't hurt. I made this floral arrangement to include the yellow and white theme. I love the little berries.

Of course, I needed a picture of my sweetheart on my night stand. I love that shirt on him. It makes his eyes look really blue. The table runner is compliments of my Grandmother. She made it by hand! I love it!
And here's the wicker brown baskets. The wood piece used to be in my room when I was a teenager. I painted it white so it could be my white accent piece.

And Voila! The finished Product!

I love it!

Special thanks to my Sister Megan, my Mom, Dad, Joe, and My Grandma for assisting me in making this come to life. Thanks also to my husband for walking in the room today and wowing over all my months of work. I'm so glad he appreciates the cute things in life. :)

A Journal Idea

2010-06-11T22:29:00.000-07:00

I have always kept a fairly up-to-date journal and recently decided to go about journaling in a new way. Because I type my journal 80% of the time, I decided that it was time to be rid of the print and paste method (I would glue printed pages into a bound journal) and switch over to a 3 ring binder. However, just a plain, ordinary 3 ring binder would not suit so I had to

razzle dazzle it up a bit. One thing I don't like about printing my journal is that it seems a little less personal than writing. To make up for that, I try to make the pages have personality with different color ink and fonts.To kill 2 birds with one stone, I'll usually write a journal entry and then post parts of it on my blog with added pictures (or vice versa). I just leave the more personal things to the journal. :)

Try it out, if you like!