Snow, Snow, Everywhere

On our trip home to Rexburg, things looked promising as we saw snow melting on the sides of the roads. I hoped that it would be just the same where we lived. I had false hopes because as we pulled into the city, we were overwhelmed with the amount of snow in the city. The roads are still being cleared and as it turned out, the roads were cleared right onto our sidewalks... and into one of our parking lots. Our main lot was cleared enough for us to pull into our parking spot, but Jarod's truck will have to be dug out as well as the two other cars that girls left behind. I dropped Jarod off at work yesterday and set about shoveling our walk way. It took 1 1/2 hours to do a small trail from the garage to the door. Today I spent 3 1/2 hours laboring to clear stairways and parts of the sidewalks. I haven't measured exactly, but there are areas that I have shoveled that have gone well above my knees. Since Jarod has to work all this week and next, I am the snow removal machine... and since we are such a small complex, the managers or owners refuse to rent or buy a snow blower. I for one would find it a great investment. Hopefully I will be able to get everything cleared by the time School starts in a week. At least I will get a lot of hours as I struggle to strengthen my poor muscles. The city does remove snow in every lot I guess.... but in this case, they blocked 2-3 parking spaces in our big parking lot. We do contract out to remove the snow in the lots... and since our small lot was completely blockaded... I can hardly wait to have them come and clear it.

If you can see it... the walk way I started today

My next project

The snow from the parking lot piled up by the city... uurrgggh!

Hold On Tight!

So on Saturday Jarod and I headed off early to visit with my in-laws in Boise. The weather was supposed to be bad and we wanted to beat the storm due to hit that afternoon. About half-way there, we were cruising along and Jarod was very confident in his speed. There was an SUV in front of us in the fast lane and Jarod wanted to keep up his momentum. Now on our way to Utah, something rusted through on our muffler and we now sounded like a bunch of teenagers in a suped-up car. So when Jarod got up closer to the guy inching along in the fast lane... it was no surprise that when he finally moved over into his designated lane that he flipped us off... What a great way to continue our trip.
I turned to Jarod then and told him not to go too fast because as we pass people we don't want something to happen to us that they may think it served us right. You always see those speed demons flying down the freeway and know something will happen to them in the horrible weather... and then what do you know? You see them in some kind of 16-car pile-up.
Well I self-prophesied our outcome... for as Jarod passed another car at a higher speed than was necessary on the drifting snow... we did a complete 360. All I could think about as I saw the snow fly right outside my window... and as the plate of fudge we were bringing to share flew from the back seat into my lap... was PLEASE DON'T ROLL, PLEASE DON'T ROLL. We landed in the ditch facing the right way to get back on the road. Jarod climbed out of his seat and realized just how deep the snow was, and when we tried the gas we couldn't move at all. I knew we needed to start digging ourselves out as well as getting some kind of traction beneath the smoking tire. We were able to move ourselves about 4 feet when a kind man stopped by and used his chain to pull us out. Needless to say, if our tires weren't already bald enough after this adventure... they were sure smooth enough to feel like plastic.
We continued on our way much more slowly and noticed a large amount of vehicles who had also run off the road and which were in much worse condition. We gave a small prayer of thanks and decided we couldn't go home without new tires. Thankfully, a few members of Jarod's family got us new tires and we will be able to start our trip home safely on Tuesday. I hope to high heaven we will arrive with everything intact.

Everyday Preschool

I decided that with all of the things I make for preschool and the things that I learn through my experiences that it would be a good idea to share them with anyone who is interested. I created a new blog that I can add information and activities and hopefully describe them in a way that is user friendly. I will put patterns with some activities and as people become more interested in others they can email me with requests. This will be a fun project that (when I graduate and have more time) I can compile all of the things that come into my head and out through my fingers. The site is everydaypreschool.blogspot.com and it is also on my sidebar for easy access.

Academic Scholarship

This semester I attended more classes than I have ever done in my whole college career. I worked as hard as I could to get the grades needed to get at least some form of scholarship. Out of my 18 credits, 18 were A's. I now can qualify for the quarter tuition scholarship. I am now registered for my second to last semester of school, and if I get all A's again I will be able to qualify for a half tuition scholarship for my final semester. I just have to keep on working hard so I can graduate easily.

Business Plans

As I continue in my schooling, I start thinking about my future in preschool. I know I want to start up and own my own center, and Jarod said we would need to start creating a business plan. He took this class this semester where he had to help create a business plan and he got an A grade. Because he did so well, the teacher asked for his help along with a couple other students to work on getting some grant money for the local library. This next semester he will be working on that business plan and getting the experience to put on his resume. This will also help us in our endeavor to create my center.

The first thing I had to do was come up with a name. Enlisted the help of my cousin for a logo and she ended up giving me a name I loved. As I thought about what I wanted in my center, I started coming up with unique area for children to participate in. One such area would be a creativity room where the children could create works of art with no concern to mess. This room would have a drain in the floor and any mess could be hosed down. The name that Emily helped me put together is Lil' Da Vinci Academy. This combines the creative and intellectual experiences that I believe all children should have the opportunity to participate in. This coming semester I will also be expected to create a business plan... is it cheating to have my business major husband help me out to make it more real?...

Spell Check

So I just got a few emails from my father about my blog. I love that he is reading it and staying involved... I just didn't expect his response to be a spell check. Typical. But really, I am glad that someone has the courage to let me know of my mistakes. I usually get so involved in something else I don't bother to make sure there are any corrections to be made. But then, that's what dads are for.

Early Christmas!

Jarod was so excited for Christmas that he wanted to start decorating as soon as there was a chill in the air. I told him typically you wait until the day after Thanksgiving, but said that as soon as Halloween passed we could decorate. True to his interests, November 1st we went to Walmart and K-mart to get a few things to spruce up the tree that Jarod has year round in our hallway. He painstakingly hung up all of his BOY ornaments and I found the three ornaments that were even slightly feminine. The end result was great. I made a star out of tinfoil and cardboard and a little bit of glitter glue.

The End is in Sight... Well, Almost

Tomorrow at midnight I will register for my second to last semester of school. I am so excited! I went to my advisor today to make sure everything was in order and I even applied for graduation. I can't believe it! I may have one extra class that I didn't plan on, but it is still workable into my schedule. Since I will be the first to graduate with a bachelors in my family I really want to walk. I think it would be so neat to have that experience for myself and my family.

First Date

I was going through some old pictures and found pictures of the first date that Jarod and I had while knowing each other... here's the catch. Jarod was on the date with my roommate and I was on the date with his dorm neighbor. We had a fun time and gathered pictures of random things for a scavenger hunt. My hair was in the process of becoming blond again and didn't look it's best, but Jarod looked great and so did Becca.

John Me Becca and Jarod

Jarod doing a hand-stand - I just noticed the Batman Belt Buckle

Me with an East-coast license plate

Jarod with a 'sunflower'

Me and Becca

Those were good times. Times when we didn't know what was ahead of us, but we were enjoying every moment of the unknown. I miss the times I had with my best roommate. Who knew when I walked into Emily's apartment the first day I moved to Rexburg and met the girl with two braids that we would turn out to be unseperable. My dad did give me a hint to some degree. He said that I should go talk to her and get to know her better... I thought she was too cool for me and it would just be weird... now look at us.

Distracted

The last few days have been on a scale of 1-10 about a 3. It isn't the end of the world, but it sure isn't neutral. So many things keep coming up to wear me out more and more. I guess it doesn't help that I am taking 18 credits at school and trying to cover one shift a week at Apple Tree, but things like keeping up on the house work and trying to stay up to date with school work are just hard. It's not that I am not rising to the challenge, but I think it would be nice for a break... which is probably the reason I am writing this post rather than doing my homework. I feel so distracted that I can't sit still enough to read a chapter in a book. Then again, what would you rather do?

Joining in the Festivities

Jarod likes pumpkin carving. I like pumpkin seeds... well, and I like to carve things to show my 'artistic' talent. Jarod had to work every night this week besides Monday, and so we were unable to carve the pumpkin together. Instead, Jarod told me to surprise him. I thought about how I could do it, and came up with a great idea. Those of you who know Jarod's fetish with action figures and comic book characters will recognize this pumpkin a little quicker, those of you who do not and need a little help because my abilities are limited in the pumpkin carving sense I will give a little clue under the picture. Here are my sad attempts at recreating something I saw online.

Dark Knight

Love's Dying Question

By Kari Shuey and Emily Christiansen

Once upon a time not so long ago, there lived a very old very rich man on a very large island. Now, the extraordinary thing about this wealthy man was not how much money, property, or expensive “toys” he owned, but his very lovely daughter. She was the most beautiful woman for miles around, and was very much sought after. With eyes like sapphires and long, sleek hair, the color of ebony, it was no surprise that even the dead found her irresistible.
However there seemed to be a problem, for as suitor after suitor (or as the daughter would say “hotties”) was turned away, the people of the neighboring islands began to wonder if all the talk of her attractiveness might have been some kind of rumor. Though it injured the pride of all the charming young suitors to be turned away, not one of them could deny just how stunning she really was. Plus, since she was beyond their reach, it made her all the more enticing. (wink) The rejected suitor’s main complaint was the pickiness of her old father. She being his only child presented problems for the aged man. She was his only heir, thus the entire fortune would fall to her husband. The beauty’s father had come up with a plan. He would ask each suitor a question to determine if a young man was worthy of his daughter, So far not one had been able to answer to his satisfaction which in turn aggravated the daughter as well.
“Gosh dad! I just want to get married to one of these hotties! Who cares about your stupid question as long as I have a husband!” Every time she would voice her opinion, her father would return with a rebuttal. “Oh, but darling, you know I just want to be sure he loves you for you and not for the fortune.” The argument always ended there, for the daughter could only sigh.
Months went by and young man after young man came and went. The woman soon grew weary of her father’s attempts to find a man truly in love with her. As time passed, she declined to see any of the suitors at all. The old man was worried for he saw his daughter’s unhappiness. The people of the islands were losing hope of someone ever satisfactorily answering the question. Eventually, everyone lost hope of the daughter ever getting married.
Meanwhile in one neighboring island, there was talk of a magnificent suitor, with wealth beyond that of the old man. The suitor was determined to win over the hand of the infamous beauty, and take her away with him to live out their days on his island.
The suitor arrived just as the stars were appearing in the sky. Surrounded by his numerous family, friends, and servants, this young man made quite an impression. Astounded at the amount of people present, the old man ran to fetch his daughter. “This is the one my dear. The one that you are going to marry… I can just feel it…” He was interrupted by the loud hammering of the knocker. In his excitement the old man left his daughter behind and raced down the stairs. A little too rotund to move very fast, he would trip down a few steps, gain his balance and tumble down a few more. Never in his life had that grand staircase seemed so long.
Red of face and out of breath, the old man got to the door and swung it open. Standing before him was a tall slender silhouette of a young man; his back was turned as he spoke to someone out in the dark. Slowly the stranger turned around and the old man came face to face (well not quite, for the old man was a good foot shorter and wider than the young suitor himself) as I was saying… came face to face with a mysterious, dark-eyed stranger.
“Good Evening good sir! How goes it this fine night?”
“Well… quite well in fact. I have heard of your daughter and her beauty. They say her exquisiteness outshines the stars and is far brighter than the moon itself.” The suitor’s voice seemed somewhat hollow, but as he flowed over the words so smoothly it was easily passed off as an accent.
“Well yes, some have said that very thing my good man… but it isn’t her beauty that really matters is it.”
“Quite true. Let’s get down to business. May I be so bold as to ask for your daughter’s hand in marriage?”
“Well sir, if you can answer me one question correctly, I would happily let you wed tonight.”
The stranger just stared at the old man from beneath his black, wide-brimmed hat. Faltering for a minute at the suitor’s silence, the old man hesitated for the stranger didn’t seem at all exuberant. Quickly getting over his uncertainty, the old man posed the question. Taking a deep breath the suitor gave his answer.
Raising his eyebrows, the old man was astonished that the answer was exactly what he was looking for. Slowly he smiled and extended his hand, taking the suitor’s cold hard hand in his, they sealed the deal. For the first time the stranger smiled, as his bride to be had entered the room. Ignoring the old man, the suitor made his way toward the girl.
“M’lady, would you care to go for a walk around the grounds with me this evening?”
“Well, of course I want to. Has anyone ever told you that you have mysterious eyes?... I like them a lot.” Then with a giggle, the beauteous creature took his cool hand in hers and they went for their walk. That evening they were wed. After partying for a couple hours, the assembly of people headed home, to the island from where they had come. The group then had a few more drinks, dances, and fun until the newlyweds were so exhausted they decided to go to bed.
The beauty was happy for she was finally married. As she fell asleep to the sounds of laughter and fun loving excitement, she happily dreamt of her new life. The next morning the light from outside penetrated her closed eyelids. She laid with her eyes still closed, waiting to hear the noises of the guests from the night before. There were no sounds, no joyous playing or celebration. The eerie silence made her heart beat a little faster and slowly she opened her eyes. “EWWW!”
Now, waking up to a new spouse for the first time, you have to be prepared for the fact that your partner might not be the most handsome creature in the morning. But waking up to find your husband’s skeleton resting on your arm… lets just say this young woman had every right to be second-guessing her marriage. There were empty sockets where his dark mysterious eyes had been… vacantly staring at her. she ran form the bridal chamber only to be met with a more horrid sight. All around her were bones. The bones of the many people (now ghosts) she had entertained the night before. Their lavish clothing was gone, the spacious mansion was in long neglected decay, and the beautiful bed with silk linens was now full of holes and moth-eaten. The only object that hadn’t lost its grandeur was her gown. The air smelled of death and the want of sound spoke of lifelessness. All the woman wanted to do was get away from the nightmare her father had married her into. What answer could this ghost have possibly given to her father’s question that spoke of true love?
The beauty lifted her skirts and tip-toed between the bones, fearing to disturb the sight around her, lest she be cursed. Soon the bones became too numerous. No longer caring, she needed to push her way through them to reach the outdoor. As she got to the shore, she tried to set sail on one of the docked boats. But as she pushed each boat into the ocean, it sank. Discouraged and beyond hope, the beauty fell to her knees and wept. There was only one boat left to try, and seeing as it wasn’t too worse for the wear, so she pushed the boat into the water… surprisingly it didn’t sink. She quickly set sail.
The woman arrived home soon after; the island of death had only been a few miles from home. She ran inside to her father and told him everything. Near hysterics, the daughter broke down in her father’s arms. Grief stricken he assured her that she was safe, and admitted he had heard of a strange land where the dead “lived”. He apologized for the pain he had caused his daughter and continued to comfort her. As soon as the tears stopped flowing, he sighed. “Honey, if you don’t leave today, you know he will be back for you.” So together they prepared for her departure.
“Be safe dear. Be strong. I love you.” the father gave his daughter one last hug and watched her depart for a country across the world where his sister lived. Comforted only for the knowledge of her safety, the old man returned to his empty home.
Not even a week had passed since he sent his daughter to safety when the old man started hearing noises. First it sounded like a grand party, like the night his daughter was married. Then the noises turned to pitiful howling, like the weeping of a heart-broken man. Once the old man swore he saw the mysterious stranger, his once dark eyes red in rage.
On one of the nights that he saw the lone ghost, the old man demanded of him. “WHY!?!... Why do you haunt me like this?!?”
“I answered the question. I proved I loved her. Tell me where she is.”
“You can’t love, you’re dead, and the dead can not marry the living, it just isn’t done.”
“True love knows no bounds. I answered the question correctly. The pain you have caused will be repaid. I will make you pay for it every night of your life… unless you tell me where she is.”
Heart pounding, the old man didn’t know what to say. He knew the ghost spoke the truth. If only he had seen through the dark eyes and cold exterior his daughter would still be with him. But there was no changing the past. He had to live with the consequences of his mistake. He had to sacrifice his happiness, even his sanity for the happiness of his daughter. She was safe now and that was all that mattered. He looked up at the ghost, resigning himself to the wrath he knew we would receive for defying the ghost’s command. “Do what you will.”
The ghost’s word’s echoed in his head… “True love knows no bounds.” Until the day he died, the old man was haunted by that heart-broken ghost. Who had proven his love though no one had accepted it for what it was.
Now, the question you ask?... Would you die for my daughter? The answer… No sir, I would live for her.

Recipes Galore!

For my preschool class I have been collecting things varying from recipes to activities for 3-5 year olds. I probably have 15 recipes for different play doughs. I have some activities but I am always looking for more. I collect websites, games, ideas, and anything else that children can do. If you have any good ideas for language, math, art, science, social studies, social development, nutrition, music, movement, or just plain fun games... please shoot me an email or comment. I will be forever grateful.

Non-Stop Craziness

School has been in session for about a month and we are coming up on Midterms. YIKES! Well, actually it isn't as bad as you would think for me. Despite me taking 18 credits, I have done fairly well keeping up in class. This semester is almost like not taking classes at all. I teach preschool, make crafts for me and for children to use, and I make a mess on the floor in the middle of the living room. Jarod doesn't like that all too much. The bright side is that I am pretty much done with most of those kinds of projects and that makes the remainder of the semester a breeze. I just took one of my midterm tests with hardly any studying and I did better than the first test I took for that class. I guess that's what starts to happen when you take a bunch of child development classes and all the classes are repeats of things that you already know. I have 3 more midterms to study for, but I am less than worried.

Jarod is doing well also. He gets stressed which is normal seeing as he is working and going to school. However, he does seem to find the time to make dinner for us, clean up after my messes, and get in a little Lego Batman. He loves me so much. Every moment of every day seems to be me buzzing around getting one thing done or another and I need to give him the attention he deserves. I can't wait to be done with school so that I have more time to devote to loving him back.

We have been married for about 9 1/2 months and it seems to have flown by. Before you know it the year will have come around the corner and we will no longer be newly weds.

Lack of Updates

Jarod got on me about not having updated lately. I guess he checks the blog more than I thought. From here on out, we will be trying to update at least once a week while we are in classes. Things don't seem to be as much up and coming as they used to be, but I guess that is all in the opinion of how things are panning out.

What Weather am I?

What type of weather are you? Rain You are rain. Misunderstood. No - You arnt gloomy! You're romantic and

Click Here to Take This Quiz Brought to you by YouThink.com quizzes and personality tests.

Settled in Finally

Jarod and I finally moved all of our things over to the new apartment. The floor looks awesome and everything is looking up. School starts on Monday and we will be getting back into the swing of things. Pictures will be coming shortly. I for one have to say that I don't want to move again for a long long time. If it comes down to it and we are still working with the housing maybe we will stay at the place we are at and let the new people move into the other place. Who knows at this point. I am just glad to be done with all the drama for the time being.

Inappropriately Crossing the Line

The day after the girl at work and I had that super natural experience I hadn't slept well the night before and I was not excited to go to work at 6:10 the next morning. I came into work and sat down. I was fighting not to fall asleep as I sat in a dark gym with Pinocchio playing on the small television screen. 15 minutes after I had sat down, I was just about to go to the kitchen to heat up some tomato soup I had brought to work when I heard something in the hall again. It sounded like a little girl laughing. I turned to Kimber and my heart started to beat real fast as I next heard an incoherent song or tune. I immediately stated I had heard it and we both froze. Next we heard a low almost growl-like sound that got increasingly louder. My heart jumped in my throat and started to beat even faster. "Do you think it is the air conditioner?" Kimber asked. I shook my head and said I didn't know. We continued to hear it and she asked again what it might be. I was at a loss for words. We heard the giggling louder and then the song once more but this time we recognized it. The hollow and haunted tune and words sung by a little girl rang out louder and louder, "Ring around the Rosies... Pocket full of Posies..." If it was even possible my heart started running at an imperceptible rate. I didn't know what to do and so I turned to Kimber and stared wide-eyed at her. Earlier in the month I had watched ghost hunters and there was a story about two girls who would sing that song just like that. The story on the T.V. was scary at best. Kimber immediately told me to turn on the lights and I darted across the floor. Again we heard the low groan-moan sound coming louder still. I felt like bursting into tears. I wanted to grab all the children and run. I wished I had put my cell phone in my apron pocket so I could call for help. I was shaking and frozen at the same time. I scrambled back to a curled up position on the floor next to Kimber and she asked if we should say a prayer. I told her I would do anything that she thought we should do. She said her prayer and all was quiet for a few minutes. Then the noise came again and the feeling to flee overtook my body. Kimber sat there with me confused and just as scared as I was because her house back home is haunted not to mention her best friend back home had gone missing and then been killed. It then dawned on her that this whole experience had to be a prank. I asked if she was sure and she assured me that a spirit cannot stay in a place it has been asked to leave. She went out the door and asked me to stand watch. We both looked down the hall and I asked why the light was off down the hall. She knew she had turned it on so she went out the front door to investigate.

Kimber went around to where the kitchen was to see if anyone had parked there and then saw two cars parked in an adjacent lot. My director and a guy, 27, who is getting his masters in Utah and comes to work at a daycare during the holidays and summer when his family is from Texas, both had parked their cars a few yards away. Kimber was about to go to their cars when she noticed the kitchen door ajar and two sets of shoes outside. They had sneaked into the building, took off their shoes so we wouldn't hear them, and put a cd player between a table and the wall to create a wind tunnel effect when playing the sounds. Kimber, now furious turned off the music and turned on the lights. She came and told me what had happened and we both shook from the traumatic event yet fumed with fury. The two pranksters didn't stop there, they HAD to turn the lights off again and start the sounds just one more time.

When the director came into building that day, Kimber let her know just how bad it had been and that it was inappropriate. To make two employees scared to the point of not being able to sleep at night and to be terrified to come into a dark and empty building in the early hours is not how you keep them. My director was of course remorseful, but the other culprit just laughed. I have lost all respect for him in fact I will probably never talk to him again even if he comes to work for the holidays. I did come home that day and cried on Jarod's shoulder. I still have a hard time walking out to my car in the morning now that it is dark in the early hours. And everything I hear makes me jump and makes my heart beat a little faster than normal. Jarod said he will get what's coming to him. Not to sound vindictive, but I hope he does. This is not the first time he has been cruel to me (sometimes accidental sometimes not), and though we were friends before I got married, it is no excuse to treat me the way he has recently.

Super Natural Experiences

I went to work one morning and sat next to the girl who opens the daycare. We sat there for a little while and my coworker turned to me out of nowhere and said "did you hear that?" I looked at her and said no. A few minutes passed and again she turned to me and asked if I had heard a noise. I answered in the negative and she told me how she had heard some sort of noise earlier and thought it might have been a baby we put down right when he arrives. She thought he had woken up and when she went to check up on him, he was sound asleep. I agreed with her that it was weird.

15 minutes pass and we hear someone out in the hall. The loud front door hadn't opened so we were confused why we heard someone in the hall making a lot of noise. It was some sort of shuffling sound and when they didn't come into the gym... which normally parents come into the gym right when they get here... I went to make sure it wasn't someone roaming around to find children. There wasn't anyone in the hall nor in the two rooms with lights on. I went to the front of the building to see if there was even a car in the parking lot to give proof that a parent was dropping off a child. There was no car.

I told the girl that there wasn't anyone there and also no car. We both got concerned and she asked if all the doors had been locked from he night before. We both checked all the doors and found only one door that could have been gotten into but it was unlikely. We waited until our directors arrived and found out that they had not been in early at all. We were both more than a little freaked out. Both myself and that girl do not watch scary movies or go into haunted houses. We both HATE being scared. And we still don't know what was really in that hallway.

Managers: 1 Tenants: ...

well, tenants 1/2. Being the manager, I have tried the best I can to show my tenants that I am not the bad guy even though I will enforce the rules that are set forth for housing. When I do clean checks, I bring treats for those who completed their job, I always have a smiling face, and every other clean check is a little more lenient. In the beginning it almost felt like some of the girls were hostile against me... but they warmed up to me.

The incident that took place for this post happened about a week ago. One of the tenants was out sweeping off the porch and she even weeded a little before I went out to do some yard work. Her roommate asked me if I had seen her and I said I hadn't but it was nice of her to do part of our 'job'. I immediately went inside and wrote a little thank you note and attached it to a pop. I found the girl and told her thanks for helping us keep the apartment looking nice and then went back to work. Jarod says that we did it to make an example of what happens when someone does something really great. I say we did it because any time a tenant takes the time to do something that is not expected to help maintain where we live. that girl is deserving of some sort of reward. Especially because she didn't expect anything in return for her work.

Outrageously Overdone

My cousin Angelle and I always had this funny thing about the perfect date. The thing is that we were well aware that the guys we knew would never go to the extremes that we were willing to do. So we set out a plan to create that real romantic yet spontaneous date to win the hearts of our guys... though they had already been conquered with Angelle engaged and me with a new but firm relationship. This is how it started. We compiled two discs of our favorite fast songs and slow songs then went about planning dinner. We saw italian with pina coladas and all the trimmings. I even found some great candles to put on the table for dinner. Next was the entertainment. I used to work at a dinner theatre called Desert Star and our plans led us to the performance of Less Miserable (a spoof on you know what). At last we came to the definite ending of our perfect date... the dance that the music would be for. We scoped out the options and settled for a gazeebo at Murray Park. Last but not least, we asked our Aunt to take a few 'dance pictures' for us so it made it kinda official... yes, overdone... but at the end of it we had no regrets.

The men showed up in their suits and we got all dolled up in our dresses, make-up, and of course up-dos. They didn't have that great of an idea of what was planned for them and it was probably a good thing. We did dinner, pictures, show, then dance. And it will definately make one of the best memories of my dating experience. One of my dreams came true.

Lies, Despise, then SURPRISE! - Compromise

We lived at a pretty good place for newlyweds right after we got married, the only thing we didn't like was the management. In one of my previous posts, the managers didn't make sure our apartment was cleaned and ready to go when we arrived, and when we left there were a lot of complications. We sold our contract to move into our new place and when we moved out, we asked where we should leave everything. The manager told us to leave it in the apartment and someone would come and check to see if the apartment was clean. We left and Jarod researched the renters laws to find out we should get our security deposit on the 4th of August. Well that day came and there was no deposit in the mail. Jarod wrote a letter to the managers stating he would give them 3 days then he would take legal action. (We feel this was necessary after all the things the management did that was wrong, or even against the law)

When he dropped off the letter they said a whole bunch of things that were contradictory. They said a cleaning crew and matinance crew needed to come to check it out - that would have been nice if they did it before WE moved in. They said that they were aware that cleaning people had checked it out a few weeks before then said later they didn't even know we had checked out until a few days ago. They said that we checked out wrong and didn't put things where they were supposed to be when the manager told us to do things and we did them exactly. They threatened to take more money out of our deposit because WE did everything wrong and the law states that the only reason that money can be taken from a security deposit is if we did more damage to the apartment than normal wear and tear.

Basically they were trying everything they could to cover up for things they did wrong. They didn't like be attacked and were probably not used to the words LEGAL ACTION. Like I said they have done and not done a lot of things that make them poor management. During the winter they plowed the parking lot maybe a total of 3 times - tons of cars would get stuck in the snow and often you could hear the screeching wheels of a car that couldn't move. The stairs were partially covered from the roof of the apartment but water would melt and ice the cement stairs all the way up to the third floor. We would see poor men who were the husbands of pregnant women out on the stairs chopping away at the ice so their wives could go to work or class and not hurt themselves or their growing child. They over-booked for the fall and failed to notify many of the tenants that apartments were filling up quickly - more than 10 couples will be kicked out by September 4th which is also against the law not to mention we would have been one of those couples without a home if we didn't get this manager position. There are a lot of things we can also complain about, but you get the idea.

In the end the managers called and said we would get our deposit, but if anything major happens there will be more updates.

The only thing I regret about this situation is that the owner works very well with us when things were going wrong - like our dirty apartment and getting money off our rent for cleaning - but the fact of the matter is that he is responsible for the actions of his managers and something needs to be done.

Miracle Cleaner

I am a skeptic of some of the products that Jarod's sells at his job, so when Jarod insisted on getting some form of laundry cleaner I didn't believe that it would work as well as he said it would. Then I started seeing the 'miracles'. Jarod had a stain on his pants that have been washed and dried a couple of times already. He used this stuff called PreSpot and it came out. That was when I decided to put it to the test... I have a few white t-shirts that have that yellow stain under the arm from being worn too much. I took the cleaner to it and just rubbed it in a little. The stain vanished. Granted there was a tiny bit if you looked hard enough for it, but I hadn't even tried to wash it with laundry soap yet. If you have something on one of your favorite articles of clothing (probably not silk) I would definitely recommend trying this stuff on it. It's no guarantee, but it is worth a try. Take my word for it.

melaleuca.com

21 and Over it

My birthday finally has arrived and I am at another legal point in my life... though not something I really looked forward to for the typical reasons. It is so weird to finally say that I am over 20 even if it isn't by much. Crazy how life goes by so fast and all of a sudden you are looking back at the life you have experienced so far and wonder if there are any reasonable regrets. Were there things that I wanted to do or needed to do that I didn't? Mostly I can answer in the negative. I start another year with more plans and more adventures that will await me. I can only work on being a better person and learn from past mistakes.

Now on to the more exciting stuff. This was the first birthday Jarod got to spend WITH me. Last year he was at a farewell in Arizona with his brother... I still give him a hard time about that... But in the end it was fine because he was missing me just as much as I missed him. He wanted to make my birthday real special this year and I couldn't think of anything that could make it better than him actually spending the day with me and giving me a surprise (which is hard for me to do with my intuition about most everything around me). My day started with breakfast in bed. Jarod then needed some sleep because he had worked and stayed awake for almost 24 hours. Later in the evening we took our free movie passes and saw a show. It still doesn't feel any different being one year older... like always, but I guess I am still one year wiser never-the-less.

I have to get another new drivers license now and I have to make sure that my picture is something I can live with for a while. Other things in the near future are things like getting used to school again. I have had such a long break this next semester is like suicide. 18 credits is what I am hoping to accomplish... when full time is 12. Wish me luck. What a great way to start out a new year.

Incentives

Jarod works at Melaleuca which is a health place. You can get the products from online or by catalog. He takes a bunch of calls during his shift and works pretty hard to promote the products. Each time he sells a special or a Melaleuca credit card he gets to put his name in a drawing for a really cool prize. Every time he works he gets a certain amount of points towards something awesome. Prizes range from X BOX's, flat screen TVs, Kitchen Aid products, cameras, air plane tickets... well you get the gist of it. This month there are some pretty expensive but big specials. Apparently, Jarod says that some of the people he works with don't try to promote sell so they don't have to do the extra work, but not Jarod. Yesterday he sold 3 specials for which there are weekly drawings. He was so excited to be able to put his name in drawings... well actually more excited that he was the first and so far the only one to sell any specials on his team.This job gives him so many incentives to go above and beyond it isn't even funny. His supervisor compliments him on his wardrobe (Jarod just likes to show off his cool ties), they already want to promote him to something else (normally they don't promote you until you have worked there for 3 months and Jarod started June 16th), and Jarod is always in for some good competition. He always looks forward to going to work (taking out the point that he has to leave me of course :) ) and I'm glad that he enjoys it. There have been few jobs he has liked so far and it's great that both of us can be happy at work.

Addictions

Every so often I get interested in something and I continue that interest until it wears itself out. Examples include crocheting, book-binding, journal writing, baking, and even blogging. I will keep that interest until something else comes along or maybe I forget to do it and lose my excitement for it.
Lately I have a new addiction. I was involved with a nutrition program on campus about a year or so ago and I was able to learn a lot about my body. I found the little pamphlet that helps me mark off the servings of different food groups and now I am on a nutrition addiction. It's not the worse thing I could be interested in I suppose, but it will probably last for only so long. Then it will be back to my other recyclable addictions. Maybe I will get back into the reading mode where I will stay up all hours of the night to take in 'just one more chapter'.

Unexpected and Early

Jarod new his time was running out for a birthday present for me and went shopping sometime last week for ideas. He found a few things he liked and chose one the day of. He came home and me, never having been able to be surprised, requested it stay a surprise. Jarod would tease me and mislead me and said what he did or didn't get. I ended up deciding that it would be okay to allow him to give it to me early as long as I got special treatment on my birthday. Jarod finally got out the gift and it was a total shock. I never expected a...We have been doing ok financially lately and Jarod wanted to give me something special just for me. He loves me so much. The one thing I will be looking forward to saving up for is the Wii Fit. We already invited a few people over to play the game that came with it.

A Fun Quiz I Got From Becca's Blog

I am a Daffodil What Flower Are You?

Please, Mr. Postman

It was the beginning of the month and Jarod and I were getting everything in order to move. We sent in the request to change our address on the 11th of July. It was set to go through on the 17th and everything was in order... or so we thought. We got a few confirmation emails that told us everything was in order, along with a confirmation letter. I thought we were set. The 17th came and went and no mail. A week went by and still no mail.

Jarod got tired of waiting and went into the post office. They said they would do what they could and Jarod left. Still no mail. Jarod went in to talk to the Post Master and he said he would see what was up... but he still didn't do anything. That was how it went until Jarod got real impatient. He went in and demanded that the Post Master work with him as he had done before with a Christmas Package. The Post Master said he wasn't in the habit of doing any such thing and claimed that he didn't remember helping Jarod out at all. He didn't believe that anything was really wrong because things like not getting any mail never happened. Jarod came home and sent off an email to the man higher up and suggested that the Rexburg Post Office go through a criminal Investigation (always the drama king). It turns out that Jarod had the right idea though. We finally got a hold of the people who moved into our old apartment and asked them to look for our mail. They ended up finding some mail... well to put it nicely, a lot of mail. Jarod picked it up and it all but covered his truck. There were a lot of important documents in the mail including a few pay checks we had been expecting. I was not able to go with Jarod to the Post Office to tell them they were wrong but I imagine he was pretty smug about the whole encounter. What surprised me was that as soon as they realized that Jarod was right, they all got more than a little nervous. Apparently this meant that someone was purposefully not doing their job. Even though we had the mail transfered, there were no forwarding stickers on our mail and none of it made it to our new address. There was something definitely wrong so an investigation may be a step in the right direction. Though I have never had a problem changing addresses in Rexburg, Jarod has had more than his share and so the results will be real interesting.

"I Like Your New Hair Mrs. Kari"

It is a sad day when the people you work with mention that they think your hair is different... especially if those people are children. I guess I have been slacking off quite a bit in the appearance department. I got real tired of my short hair real fast. I guess it just goes to show I shouldn't cut my hair that often. For the last couple months I think I could count the amount of times I did my hair down on one hand. I tend to make it easy and pull it into a ponytail most everyday. Today I wore it down and the first thing a child said to me today was: "Did you cut your hair Mrs. Kari?" followed by: "I like your new hair Mrs. Kari". I guess that is my hint that I need to actually take my time with my hair... just because I don't like to do it when it's short doesn't mean I should ignore it. I remember when I wanted to keep it short and it would grow WAY too fast. I felt like trimming it every other week. Now it wont grow fast enough. Isn't that just the way the world has got to be. Darn.

Pictures, Desertion, and the Strike of a Clock

I have come to the realization that I need to take my camera with me EVERYWHERE I go. I start looking through the shots I took last and find out that I have very few that I could tell a story about. I want to be able to portray what is going on visually just as much as writing about it. I find it brings my stories to life. Then again maybe my lack of photos just means that I have nothing to talk about. I would more than willingly tell about my kids... the ones I could be considered a second mother to, but with the laws about photography of children (who are not my own and who's parents I have no written consent) I find my disappointment. I have some of the cutest pictures of my job and there is no way for others to see what exactly I get to do during the day without actually SEEING it first-hand... or I suppose that would still be second-hand.
The other thing is that I really don't do anything really exciting here in a town that now feels deserted and well close to a ghost town. Compared with all the hustle of the students who are now out of the city save for a few... this town really does seem empty... especially at about 9 p.m. Yes, in this town everything closes around 9 or 10 p.m. There are a few exceptions like the fast food places that stay open until midnight... but beyond that, we have nothing to do in town as soon as the clock strikes 9. Kinda a backwards Cinderella if you ask me.
Well now that I have offically gotten off topic, my updates will hopefully get a little more interesting as I find odd things to take pictures of.

Cheesecake!... and other stuff

Yesterday I had the time to finally make the cheesecake that all the ingredients in the fridge were for. 'It's about time!' It took a while to get back into the groove of things. I hadn't made anything in my new kitchen so far, let alone a cheesecake for at least a year. I miss being able to get to everything in my kitchen. Right now we are in a temporary apartment until our floor gets fixed and this kitchen is far smaller than the one at University Courtyard - If you can believe it for those of you who have been at University Courtyard. I have no storage space and I am pretty sure that I am using the cupboards down the hall in a way they are not supposed to be used. You see, they are right across the hall from the bathroom... I use it as a food pantry. We use some of the shelf space in the laundry room as a place to put our other kitchen things that don't fit.
This isn't the only thing that we would like to fix. The apartment is cute, don't get me wrong, however it just wasn't built for married people. The biggest bed that fits down the narrow stairs and hallway is a full. We have no idea how the people got the washer and dryer into this apartment. Beyond that, we like this apartment. Jarod says that if he could have his way and the apartment could fit a queen bed and if it had a bathtub, then he would like to stay here. I think that is just the anti-moving feelings stirring within him.
Anyway, back to the topic at hand... I hope this is just the start of my cooking creativity coming though. Lets hope...
That picture is the WHOLE kitchen minus the cupboard on the right you can't see and the bathroom cupboard.

HeArT aTtAcK !

My first semester at BYU-I was a ton of fun. I made a lot of new friends, developed a bunch of new habits, and adapted some new traditions. One that I remember and continue to do yet not as often was heart-attacking. My old roommate and I made it a tradition to heart-attack a member of our bishopric. We would spend some time writing funny things on paper hearts and then make cookies or have another roommate make cookies. Next was the long drive to their house in Idaho Falls and then the hard time of doorbell ditching. Of course after a few times they realized what had happened and knew it was us, but that didn't stop us from continuing the charade.
When that roommate graduated, I had to continue my tradition somehow... so when Jarod was away for a fireside devotional thing for a weekend, I convinced my current roommates to come and decorate his truck. We spent a little time coming up with funny things to write on the hearts along with pictures like the San Diego Temple... That one was an accident but funny at the time. It wasn't so hard or scary because there was no doorbell ditching... but in the morning by the time Jarod got back to his truck, the chocolate I had left the night before was melty and soft. He loved it... after he realized I was the one who did it and not the stalker girl he had previously turned down. Kayla also documented the event with great accuracy.

Financial Aid

I was told and prompted to apply for some grants to get me through the last shot of school. It required a lot of paper work and time... both in filling out all of he papers but in waiting for the verdict. I am happy to say that I got a grant for this school year that will pay for my tuition and get me out of school debt free. Jarod already had scholarships and money saved for school... so he is set as well. We are very excited and looking forward to the time when we are both done with school.

The Classes at BYU Idaho...

Going to school at BYU Idaho can be interesting and fun... yet in different ways than imagined. My first semester up at school I was adopted into a class by just going with my cousin Emily. She liked to sit in on a story-telling class and listen to what people had come up with. I was bored one day she was about to go, and decided to tag along. I ended up taking the class a couple times after that. In that semester I told in a few festivals, one being with Emily and one without. Those stories will be posted in time.
The class I chose to tell about is one I took last year in the fall. This class was about Special Education and in the class we learned a lot about what it took to be a part of that teaching group. Special Ed students have a wide range of special needs. They range from mental disabilities to physical ones. We had to have a few of those disabilities in this class. They included blindness, speech difficulties, and even being confined to a wheelchair. This class gave me a whole lot of new insights into the things that people have to deal with. The looks people gave me or didn't give me, the way I was stared at or ignored, and even the weird girl who followed me around with a camera documenting every single struggle I had to deal with. Who knows what people thought about her as she sat back and watched me almost roll into a street filled with speeding cars. The wheelchair in her words had to be Mormon... it always chose the right. The chair would drift to the right and make me strain even harder to stay in a straight line. In this chair I had to do an odd assortment of things. I needed to get a drink, go to the bathroom, and even go up and down a hill. The elevator was difficult in its own way. I found that the building I was in was not very wheelchair accessible.
The experience was in itself a learning one. I don't think I would ever regret going through this class and participating in the quirks that were required.

The Harris Burdick Mysteries

In one of my children's writing classes, a teacher brought out a book called The Harris Burdick Myseries. This book was unusual and at first I wasn't in the least bit interested. Then she told the history of the book. There was a publisher by the name of Peter Wender. He was in his office one day when a man came in. He said his name was Harris Burdick and he had brought 14 pictures from 14 stories he had written. With each picture came the title of the story and a caption from it as well. The drawings were marvelous and the compilations were very intriguing. Peter told Harris to bring the stories the following morning so he could read them.
The next day, Harris didn't show up. A few more days passed and still no Harris. Peter went in search of the author but there was no record of any such man in existence. Years later the author Chris Van Allsburg sat visiting Peter and found out about this strange story. He too was intrigued by the pictures and the stories that went with them. He thought it a shame that there were no stories to close up the mystery from each picture. Peter then brought forth many stories written by children who's imagination led them to their own conclusions. Chris compiled the pictures with the titles and captions and created a book for children to read and write their own ideas.
I looked for this book and even tried to describe this book to people at Barnes and Noble, but no one knew what I was talking about. In a recent visit to the store, I was wandering the shelves of the children's picture books and came across this exact book. Jarod let me get it, and still I flip through the pictures wondering how they could have ended. Here is one such picture that seems to portray what it was like to read for me as a child. See if you can write a story to match the picture.
He had warned her about the book, now it was too late.

Jarod's Kryptonite

As many or few of you know, Jarod is a regular super hero. He has few weaknesses but there is one that I do find amusing. I used to be very ticklish but not nearly as ticklish as my cousins who giggle even when they aren't being touched. Jarod on the other hand is ticklish like no one I have ever seen. More so than my cousins and the the point that he either goes crazy or helpless. He gets tickled by back scratches that aren't very hard, and by light touches to the palm of the hand. He also can't help but laughing out loud when being tickled in all the normal places like the feet or the ribs. I love this aspect of Jarod. It is not only endearing but a fun way to spend time together... until he can't breath anymore. As for my ticklishness... I have gotten to the point where I can either hold in my laughter or ignore it to the point where the tickling doesn't affect me in the least.

To Dye For

My cousin who has gone to beauty school once told me that if you are a blond, you should go dark at least once in your life, and if you are a brunette (or dark) you should go lighter at least once in your life to see what it is like. Well, being a naive college girl just out of high school, I thought it would be fun to experiment with what she had said... ;)

I let her dye my hair (temporarily) to a darker color. But because my hair grows extremely fast and it doesn't need to be washed as often as some people wash their hair, the roots grew in fairly quickly. My hair looked cute and very different, and I loved it as long as it looked like my hair was supposed to be dark (without the blond roots). My cousin did a great job, but like I said, my hair grew too quickly and I wanted it to last longer. I ended up dying it dark permanently and it took a lot of maintenance to keep it looking natural. After about a month I decided I wanted my natural color back. I wasn't very patient and needed the change quickly, not really considering the damage it could do to my hair. I don't know how much I bleached it and dyed it in those few months, but within about 2 or 2 and 1/2 months, I was back to normal. I was able to have good pictures for my engagements and the best part, was what my hair dresser said. She said that my hair was basically horse hair. I didn't do any damage to it after all the dying was said and done. It was just as normal as it was before. If anything was changed, it was a little dryer than it was before and that could be easily fixed with moisturizing shampoos and conditioners. Now My hair is being grown out. I think I have sufficiently gotten my fix of dying my hair, I don't think I will ever experiment with it again, but I am glad that I did take the advice my cousin set forth. It is something I would never take back or change. It was a fun experience.

Hidden Talents

I like to think there are talents in everyone we meet that they know they have or may not even know they have... that they don't share with anyone... they could be embarrassing or the person may just be too modest to share them with anyone. I have talents that people don't know about and I just don't want to flaunt them. Jarod on the other hand likes to flaunt my talents to others as he gets the chance to do so. I may share my casually or I may show them to give ideas about enrichment, for example. I like to think that I am fairly good at crafts and artistic work. I hope I am getting better at my guitar. I really try to improve in being a good listener and friend.
As for the talents that Jarod has, I like to look for them. He is very good at making spaghetti. He is extremely good at being cute and old fashioned. On our 'first date' which wasn't really a date at all, he refused to let me open my door for myself. He is good at doing car care and body work. As for one hidden talent I found in Jarod, he can look handsome and make any article of clothing look good. His batman belt buckle, his many ties, and this apron of course. ;)
I for one want to work on finding my own hidden talents and develop more of them. I have always stated that I am allergic to sports because I am terribly uncoordinated and I have a fear of flying objects in a spherical shape. That is something I would really like to work on. One other thing is my need to make everyone happy. I have a perfectionist complex and I need to worry less about making others happy and just be content with making myself happy with what I accomplish.

Surgery

Jarod had a cyst on his temple and we think it may have been pressing on a pressure point and giving him headaches. He went to the Health Center on campus to see what needed to be done about it, and they decided to take it out right then and there. Jarod, being the comedian he is, came right to my work to show me and when he walked in with a bandage around his head, I thought the worst until I noticed that it was covering where his cyst had once been. "You have to baby me today" he said. I complied and made sure he was going to get home safely. The scar is going away, and there is no more bump on his head. Jarod is actually proud of his scar since it isn't too noticeable. I am just glad that he will be fine health-wise.

Six Month Anniversary

The 4th this month was our six month anniversary and it came fast. Sometimes it doesn't seem like that long, sometimes it seems like forever. Neither one is bad because we have enjoyed most every moment of it. No one likes the hard times when you have to figure out monthly payments and no one likes to have to deal with obnoxious people, but we have done it with the best of our abilities. We didn't do anything big for our anniversary, we got each other little gifts... like a book for me and a game for Jarod. We saw the fireworks in Idaho Falls, and even though we couldn't move into our new apartment, we were able to have a place to go home to. We ate at Chili's and Jarod wanted a Buffalo Chicken Fajita meal, but when he went to the bathroom, I pointed to the wrong picture and got him a Buffalo Chicken Salad. Ooops... ;)

The good thing is that it was a little healthier, and he said that he loved it. It was the best salad he had ever had. It was too bad that we couldn't save it, because he thought about it all night and all morning. He wanted to eat it for lunch on Saturday, but because it sat in a hot car all Friday night... we didn't want him to get sick. He had to settle for my steak leftovers. He will probably be craving it before long and I don't mind because it is a salad... though probably not as healthy as most salads. It was a fun night and I took lots of pictures of the fire works. We even beat traffic home and had a great drive back.