Big Changes!

Big changes on our horizon! Well, closer than the horizon actually because sometimes life happens so fast and its difficult to stay on top of it all, let alone stay up to date with blogging about it.

We are moving! About a month ago right before school started for Matt, we had a discussion about how nice it would be if we lived closer to his work/school. We really love everything about living in South Jordan, but the commuting deal is no fun and such a time-sucker, especially with Utah's never ending road construction. We agreed to start thinking seriously about it and maybe looking around for a new apartment. More quickly than we expected, one quick discussion about maybe moving turned into real decision and action. We found a great apartment in Orem that is less than 10 minutes from both work and school for Matt. After walk-throughs at several other places, after seeing this place we instantly knew we wanted it to be ours! Thankfully, within days the landlord contacted us with the good news - we got it! By October 1st we will have a new place to call home.

SO that meant that if I kept my current job, I would be the one commuting every day, and that was no good either. When I accepted my job at Aspen Ridge last summer I told myself that after a year or two of nursing experience there, I would start looking again for a hospital job. Its hard to pull myself away from such a great company, but I always considered it my foot in the door to nursing, and I wouldn't let myself stay there too long. I have learned so much from my first nursing job. I have been blessed to work with many fabulous nurses, CNAs, and other employees who have helped me so much. But with our decision to move, it was a no brainer to find a new job. So I am very happy to report that I have been hired to work full time on the med/surg and ortho/neuro floors at Timpanogos Regional Hospital in Orem! I start this week and I am crazy excited (pretty dang nervous too) for what lays ahead in this next step of my nursing career.

Within the next 10 days we will be packing and moving, starting a new job, playing with family in town, attending a family wedding, and welcoming a brand new baby in the family with cuddles and kisses. Also i'll probably miraculously squeeze in 50 or so episodes of 30 Rock during that time. All big and exciting stuff! We are very aware of the strength of prayer, fasting, blessings, and family support in our life, and we feel so grateful for all we have.

And i'm so lucky to have my hubs to go through all this with me and absorb my stress like a sponge and squeeze it all back at me with hugs and laughs (too weird?). Whatevs, love you!

Pillow talk

One of my favorite times of day is bedtime. Winding down time with my husband - picking up the apartment, brushing teeth, making each other laugh, and reading scriptures while we hold hands. Then praying together and cuddling in bed as we talk about the day and life and how blessed we are - and how crazy awesome life is going to be when we have a bunch of kids and a big car to hold them all and spending all our money on braces and soccer teams and school supplies and drivers Ed and family trips to Disneyland. I just love bedtime and pillow talk.

So I really dislike nights like tonight when I'm stuck at work and Matty is home getting ready for bed and drifting off into sleep without me. He's long gone and snoring by the time I get home and am ready for dreamland.

I don't want to take for granted the fabulous bedtime that involves just the two of us. Because someday all those kids we dream of are going to need stories and tucking in and kisses and monster checking and just one more drink of water. I am SO EXCITED for that phase of life too, but for now we must embrace the peaceful present! Sometimes our pillow talk is lovey-gushy-gross, and other times our "pillow talk" goes a little something like this:

Matt: I really like my pillows.
Me: Good because you can't have mine.
Matt: What if you die, then can I use your pillows?
Me: Are you counting down to my death just so you have have my pillows?!
Matt: Well, that's not the only reason.

I'll be home soon, love! But there best not be man drool on my pillows when I get there.

St George

Last weekend we joined in with some of Matt's family for a final summer hurrah to St. George!

 Thanks to family connections, we had the hookup to stay in a super nice house that easily fit everyone, and we partied all weekend. Friday night I had my first exposure to Tuacahn Theatre, which is such a cool place, and we enjoyed a fabulous live production of Beauty & The Beast. Saturday was spent with a trip to Zion's National Park, yet another part of Utah I hadn't seen yet and totally loved! We spent the day hiking and eating and swimming and enjoying the beautiful redrock and mega hot weather.

My father-in-law Keith loves to take pictures of wildlife, so I couldn't resist taking a picture of him in his element!

When life gives you empty water bottles... stuff them into the back of your pants for safe keeping.

Greatest mystery of the weekend: why is this fake fruit so gigantic?!