My Favorite Niece

I love Ansleigh. I just want the world to know how lucky I am to be an aunt to such a cute little munchkin. Travis and I couldn't get enough of her. I even changed a fresh, poopy diaper. That's how much I love her! haha.

Ansleigh loves the dog. She walks around saying, "Hi Sadie. Hi Sadie. Hi Sadie" all day.

I love that girl so much and I wish I could see her all the time. She is so smart and funny. So now you all know, I am the luckiest aunt in the world.

Our Busy Week

I love Travis's family. They love being active and busy. Last summer I learned how to wakeboard, and over Christmas break, I learned how to snowboard. Wakeboarding came pretty easily to me. I figured snowboarding would be similar. Boy was I wrong. I came the closest I have ever come to purposefully swearing. It was HARD stuff. The first day was crazy. I wanted to scream, cry, throw things, and give up. I actually did do a little of all of the above. haha. But I learned. And the second day was a lot better. I didn't fall as much and enjoyed it so much! I loved it! I wanna do it again soon. It was a blast. And I got to meet Taylor, Travis's brother that just came home from his mission at the beginning of the month.

We spent the first few days snowboarding at Snowshoe Mountain in West Virginia. Then the next few days we were busy too.

We went to see the Christmas lights at the DC temple. They were beautiful! And we also went to a performance in the visitors center. The performance was a bunch of kids playing flutes. It was cute. I also saw my old roommate at the visitor's center. She is a missionary there! That was pretty cool. 

Travis and Taylor. Awwww so cute!

 
We went to see a play at Ford's Theatre in DC. (Lincoln was assassinated there!)

That upper right room was where Lincoln was killed.

We watched The Christmas Carol in the theatre. It was so awesome! Definitely the best play I've ever been to.

After the play, we all went to a African restaurant. Everyone tried the chicken with the special sauce or whatever on it. I'm not brave enough. So I got it plain. haha. It was a yummy plain tasting piece of chicken though.

We saw the movie, Arthur's Christmas. It was super cute. Definitely recommend for kids and adults. So cute. Hopefully it becomes a classic Christmas movie for every family. It was really good.

Isn't the tree pretty?

Spending Christmas break with the Simmons was a blast. I love them so much (even the dog and I bonded this time). It's always an adventure when we're around Travis's family. Travis and I are so grateful for their generosity and love. Thanks for such a great Christmas break! We already miss you all!!

And So We Begin

Travis and I went to Virginia for Christmas this year. It was Travis's mom's year for Christmas. We're going to Washington next year. I thought it would be hard to spend Christmas away from my family in Washington, but it wasn't as bad as I thought. I think I'm getting more and more used to Travis being my family. As long as I'm with him, I'm happy.

We flew to Virginia. We had to ride the Salt Lake Express from Rexburg to Salt Lake at 6:30 in the morning to have time to catch our flight. 














We had layover in Denver. We had two hours to spare between flights, so we walked the whole airport. And I mean the whole airport. Let me try and explain what we did. It's pretty funny. We somehow started this game. We would ride the straight moving escalators. You know, the ones that go slower than the people walking next to them? Well we'd ride them and chill. We had all the time in the world. We noticed tons of paintings lined up along the wall as we rode the escalator things. So we started naming the paintings. We took turns making up a name for every other painting. I'm pretty sure we looked loony. We were riding the escalators, facing the wall, and taking turns shouting whatever the first thing was that came to our mind when we looked at the painting. Many times we ended up laughing uncontrollably. I bet people chose not to ride the escalator thing because we were on it. haha. It was a fun game.

We also sat and watched a football game that was on. It was my first time in Denver. Now I know that Denver has a lot of really nice paintings in their airport. I should write the airport and let them know they did a nice job decorating their walls. I bet the majority of the time they feel unappreciated. haha.

Whaaaaaaat? One Year?

Sunday is our anniversary. One year! Crazy. Every month-iversary has been exciting. I can't believe we're going to have a real anniversary. haha. Marriage is the best. I love being married to a man that understands me more than I understand myself. I love being married to a man that takes his priesthood responsibility seriously. I love being married to my best friend!

Last night, Travis and I were talking about what we've learned this past year.

Travis has learned:
- He needs to be sensitive and patient.
- When I say "leave me alone" I mean "hold me closer". haha.
- By small and simple things are great things brought to pass. Every day it's important to do the little things that mean you love your spouse.

I've learned:
-When Travis is losing his temper, I just need to be quiet and let him get over it. haha
- Love is not only a feeling, it's an action.
- Marriage is all about being selfless and serving your spouse.

We've learned a lot. Way more than the list above, but I can't remember what we talked about. I love my husband more every day. I appreciate how hard he tries in school. He is focused and doing his best to provide a future for our family. I love him so much and am so thankful for him in my life. People have always told us that the first year is the hardest, but it's been the easiest thing ever for us. Yay for love!

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree...

Travis and I are going to Virginia to celebrate Christmas with Travis' family this year. We decided that we wouldn't invest in a tree, since we won't be here for Christmas. All of our friends have big, beautiful trees, so I've been feeling kinda left out. So I splurged and got a tree. Except our tree is a little different. I made it..... haha.

It's only about a foot and a half tall. But it works, right?

I made it out of construction paper and paper towel tubes. I already had that Santa bucket, so I just stuck it in there and surrounded the paper towel tube with tissue paper. Now Travis and I are feeling the holiday spirit.

My Kankle: A Blessing in Disguise

I sprained my ankle on Monday. It was a DUMB thing that I did. I walked off a elevated place without thinking I was stepping down. So... I landed on my ankle and it seriously bent 90 degrees. I heard a lot of popping so I was scared that it was broken. But luckily it's not. And it hasn't been too painful. I couldn't walk on it for a day or so, but we found crutches at the D.I. for $4! Boo yah! And I've been walking on it since Tuesday afternoon. I actually liked having an injury. I've never really been this injured before. It was kind of exciting.

I took pictures of my ankle every day or so. Wanna see how it looked throughout the week?

This picture was from Day 2 of having a bum ankle. You should have seen the first day! It was HUGE!

Wednesday: Starting to bruise! 

Thursday...

Today: From above my ankle to my toes is a big bruise!

So it doesn't hurt too bad. I can walk fine and I'm hoping it heals all the way quickly so I can snowboard with Travis' family in a couple weeks. I've never snowboarded before and I can't wait to try!

It's been good having all these things happen to me lately. I've had kidney stones, a cold, and a sprained ankle within a week. Travis has been in training. I've been teaching him how to be patient and sensitive to someone that doesn't feel that great. haha. He's been so good to me. Now he's all trained, so when I'm pregnant he'll be a perfect, sensitive, and patient man.

Curse You Kidney!

So... the doctor's office called me back and said that they noticed some things in the cat scan of my kidneys that weren't normal. They sent me to a urologist. When Travis and I were in the waiting room, I noticed that we were very out of place. The other patients there had walkers, hearing aids, canes, etc. They were all stinkin old! haha. Here I was, at 21 years old, in a doctor's office specialized for pee problems. Of course I'm going to be surrounded by people that are super old! I wonder if their problems were worse than mine. I can only imagine.

So when the doctor called us back, he told me to change into the little night gown (which I have never done before... so I admit I was a little excited to do). He then pushed on my stomach and my back and told me to tell him when it hurt. He pushed on my bladder area a lot. He says my kidney stone might still be there. Trust me when I tell you it was an interesting experience having an old guy push on my bladder area and stare deeply into my eyes. He was trying to see if I was in any pain, but I wish he didn't stare to intently into my eyes. haha

So he told us that I have a few more kidney stones and that I also have cysts in my kidneys. He says they're most likely benign cysts, but he wants me to get my blood tested to make sure. He's also wants me to try and save my kidney stone if it comes out any time soon. He says we can figure more out if I can get a kidney stone to analyze. Easier said than done. He gave me a funnel with a screen to pee in when I'm going potty. Travis thinks it's hilarious watching me pee all over myself. Sorry if this is gross. But I hate it. Anyways, I have cysts in my kidneys and more kidney stones to look forward to. The end.

No Pain No Gain

So let me start off by saying Thanksgiving was great. Travis and I went to Washington and spent a few days with my fam. The Bullock home was crowded, but super fun! It was great seeing my family.

So story time. My back has been hurting on the right side off and on for a couple weeks at least. I haven't thought much of it because my backpack I carry is super heavy. So I thought that was the problem. Then last night my back starting hurting like crazy. It happened all of a sudden and the pain was so intense. It was definitely the most pain I've ever been in. I don't know if I'm strong enough for child birth after this. haha. Travis was in the middle of making his dinner and I told him we had to go to the doctor NOW. My back pain wasn't normal muscle soreness. So he brought his bowl of ramen in the car with him as he drove me. I was super nauseous and could barely walk because of the pain.

So we get inside the office and the girls at the desk were college students. I could just tell. I was moaning and pretty much crying because I was in so much pain. They gave Travis some paperwork to fill out and I remember thinking, "Can we just skip this step? I need a doctor now!" haha. So I was pacing around in front of the desk. The poor secretaries were watching me wide-eyed. I probably looked like a loony. A couple times I said, "Can someone please help me?" haha. Which doesn't make any sense, because obviously we're there for someone to help me. Travis was just laughing at me... in a nice way.

So we get with the doctor and he tells me I probably have a kidney stone. He said since this pain has been lasting for a couple weeks, I should probably get a cat scan to see how big the booger is. So we went to the hospital and got a cat skan. Oh yeah, they gave me a couple shots of pain meds, so I was pretty loopy. Travis got a wheelchair for me at the hospital cause I could barely walk and I was just sleeping as he signed paperwork and stuff. I also slept through my cat scan. haha. Travis realized that he accidentally left his dirty ramen bowl at the doctor's. We had to go back anyways, so we weren't worried. When we got back to the doctor's office, the doctor told us the hospital called and said I have multiple kidney stones. He told us that I was probably someone that creates kidney stones really easily for some reason. I'm a kidney stone producer! Lucky me! He said I will probably experience this pain multiple times in my life. I just have to stay away from soda (DANG!) and always drink water like crazy and maybe they'll pass easier. Oh and the nice nurses washed Travis' nasty ramen residue bowl. How nice!


So ta da! That's my story. Last night was horrible. I was up sick most of the night. But the most recent kidney stone has passed as of a couple hours ago. Sorry if this is too weird for you to read. But last night was CRAZY!! I just wanted to share my experience with you. =) Oh and I'm feeling much better now. I hope you enjoyed my story. Love you all!

Muskateer Mayhem

Travis and I got a coupon for buy one get one free admission to the cheap theater. So we went to see Three Muskateers last night at 4:15. The theater was so empty. Out of like 300 seats, only probably 30 were taken. So everyone was spread throughout the whole theater. Travis and I chose the short row where the wheelchair could come sit by us. (It wasn't a nice theater where those seats are the front of the section. They were in the middle of a large mass of seats.) We figured we made a good selection. The movie starts and all of a sudden, a couple comes and sits right next to me. FOR REALS? There were 300 seats and the theater was so empty!

Okay, so I humble myself and try to relax and enjoy the show. Then the guy that sat by me is chillaxin and taking over my arm rest with his elbow hanging way over on my side. Okay.... I humble myself again and let him have the arm rest. This guy is pushin my buttons though. Alright, back to trying to enjoy the only date out of our house that we've been on in like a month. Then my nose identifies this terrible stench. The guy smells like B.O. And I think to myself... how did he get engaged? (She had a ring on, he didn't.) Then I humble myself again, try to ignore the nauseous feeling I have and relax to, once again, try and enjoy the movie. So it's going pretty good, and then I hear a voice. His fiance is straight up talking and asking questions about the movie. I don't mind whispering. I do that. But she was not whispering. She did it throughout the movie. How she could straight up talk and not have any clue that she was being disruptive was beyond me. She was seriously commenting about every part of the movie. "Oh yeah, like that would happen" or "Like they had that kind of technology back then" or "Why would they do that?". So that was the last straw.

I got up, turned to them, and yelled, "Who do you think you are!?"

Just kidding. I just kept trying to humble myself (cause I was getting pretty annoyed). The movie was decent. Maybe it would have been better if we didn't have Smelly and Chatty sittin by us. But it was good to get out of our basement and do something.

Cheapskates

So it's been a couple weeks since I last blogged. It's pretty much because life is super busy and boring. We're both working our tails off trying to finish this semester strong. Our motivation is dwindling. At least mine is. I'm having to fight myself to get things done every day. Travis is battling with our TV. haha. He's having a hard time saying no to NCIS, football, HGTV, and DIY Network. He's a real man watching HGTV and DIY. =)

I think our motivation and money are dating. Our motivation is disappearing and I think our money is sneaking away with it. At least those are my suspicions. Neither of us are working this semester because it's an intense semester for both of us. So we have been living off what we earned this last summer and some financial aid. And it's all disappearing! We're fine, we just have to be smart with our money for the rest of the semester. So we are eating top ramen, spaghetti, tacos, etc. If you have any suggestions of other cheap meals, feel free to share!

On date nights, we've been trying to be creative coming up with activities that don't cost too much. We've found some interesting ideas online. Last night, we tried out an idea we found.

Make outfits for each other out of newspaper and then do a fashion show. 

What the heck, huh? Who would think that sounded like fun? We did. haha. So we went and "borrowed" tons of the college's newspapers that are all over campus. I'm sure they wouldn't mind. Then we created outfits for each other.

I think Travis is going into the wrong field. He designed a great outfit for me! haha. And I'm definitely not meant to be a fashion designer. There is just too much wrong with my creation. But here they are. Enjoy our weirdness.

It's a little immodest, but hey.. you know how the fashion industry works.

I tried to make a loin cloth....

Daring Dinners

So I've been trying new recipes. I've made a new kind of chicken enchiladas and was successful, tried to make cinnamon pancakes and failed miserably, and then tonight I made bowtie pasta with crispy chicken and creamy Italian sauce and it was successful! So two for three. Not too bad. I'm trying a new recipe for broccoli cheddar soup tomorrow. I'm pretty excited. =)


Well, this is what my pasta was supposed to look like.
 

Doesn't it look scrumptious?

 This is what my attempt actually looked like...

I cut the chicken too small... oh well.

Not so pretty..... haha. But it still tasted pretty good. I'm not a big fan of Italian food, but Travis loved it. So that's good. Yup. Have you tried any new recipes lately? I'm trying to learn new meals so we don't eat the same things every week. And I've already learned some new lingo. I've learned about spices that I never knew existed, and there are a lot of different names that say how to cook something. I love being a wife and making my husband happy with yummy meals.

Pancake Problems

Travis and I are enjoying life. We're both incredibly busy. I've never had a semester that is as demanding as this one. And I think Travis is in the same boat. But I guess that's what happens when you're close to graduating! I graduate in April, and Travis starts applying to dental schools around that time. Life is moving along nicely. Travis and I have been married for almost 11 months! It actually feels like it's been a lot longer than that. We've lived in 3 different apartments, lived in 2 different cities, worked full time for 4 months, and gone through 2 semesters. We love married life and are always being goofy and laughing.

My brother, Cameron, and his (and our) friend, Seth, came over for dinner on Friday. Travis and I thought we'd impress them and make cinnamon pancakes for dinner. A friend gave me the recipe and I've actually heard a few people talk about how yummy they are. So what the heck? Why not?

This is why not. We fail. At first, I was making them. Travis saw that I was failing miserably, so he booty bumped me out of the way and attempted to save the day. But nope. He failed too. We just got rid of our skillet cause it was no good, so we were cooking it on a pan over the stove. That's what we're blaming. haha. It wasn't us. Cameron and Seth were over for dinner, so we had to feed them something. We ended up ordering pizza. haha. And the pizza was yummy. Success.

A Big Burger for a Big Boy.

Travis and I went to Bug Jud's on Saturday with some friends. If you haven't heard of Big Jud's, you're missing out. It's about 10 minutes outside Rexburg and has the biggest burgers I've ever seen!! Travis and my friend's husband each got a 1 pound burger. Being a lady and all, I just got 1/4 pound burger. Pretty normal. Except for the fact that it had ham and bacon on it, along with the regular burger toppings. Now that's good stuff!

 Travis and I decided that we need to save money, so we made a pact to stop eating out. Big Jud's was probably the last place we'll eat out at for a while. It was a good last hoorah!

WE LOVE FOOOOOOOOOD!

We love food! haha. We made cookies on Sunday and froze the extra cookie dough. So we've been enjoying fresh chocolate cookies all week. Deliciousness.

Travis is pretty excited about the cookies. haha. I've been more adventurous in what I am cooking up lately. It's fun and it makes Travis happy. I love trying new recipes and making Travis say, "Mmmmhmmmm!" All those hours I spent slaving in the kitchen is worth it when I hear that sound.

Terrible Television

Travis and I finally got our Dish Network working in our new place. It's definitely fun having TV again. We haven't had it for 6 months. I feel like we spent a lot more time doing simple things like playing games and talking when we didn't have TV. We really don't have much free time to watch it; when we do have an hour or two free, the TV is on. It's okay though. Travis and I both have a crazy intense workload. TV helps us wind down after a long day of using our brains. Travis is out of his mind excited to start watching some football. He's been whining lately about how his dad is watching the best game ever and he's missing it. haha. Now Travis' manhood is saved. No more whining.

Pinterest Took My Interest

Boom! Pinterest. My new found friend. If you haven't experienced it yet, give me your email and I'll send you an invite. It's basically a website that people get on and share their ideas about food, clothes, crafts, house decorations, and anything and everything else! I love it for the recipes I find. We just made chicken enchiladas last night based on a recipe I got off pinterest. It was yummy!! Kinda spicy for my liking, it makes me sweat! But definitely yummy. Travis loves it because I have all these recipes I want to try. They're simple recipes that even I can do. So he's looking forward to all the yummy food in our near future. And there are tons of baby ideas that I want to refer to someday. I can't wait for that someday, by the way. Somedays I just want to yell, "I WANT A BABY!". haha. But I know now isn't the time. But who knows when that time will be? Hopefully sooner than later. ;)

Anyways, Pinterest. Do it. You'll love it.


Oh, last night Travis went to grab the sour cream to put on his enchilada. He accidentally grabbed the cottage cheese (which we accidentally bought instead of sour cream forever ago). So the cottage cheese has been sitting in our fridge for about a million years. He grabbed it, opened it, and found THIS!

Gross, huh? I wanted to touch it because it looked so interesting. But I didn't. =) Well we love you all and hope all is well.

No Snow, No!

So.... it's been snowing all day! We thought it was crazy in Rexburg. But when we drove home to Idaho Falls, everything was already white washed! I couldn't believe it. Travis was gitty like a little school girl... and I was plain angry. Snow!? For reals. It's only October 6th! So Travis somehow convinced me that we should go on a walk. So here are some pictures we took on our walk today.

Travis is eating the snow....

Snooooooow!

 

Idaho Falls Temple

This huge branch totally snapped from the weight of the snow! Crazy!

Rexburg Here We Come!

So.... I bet you're all on the edge of your seat wondering where and when we're moving to Rexburg. I bet you haven't slept for the last couple weeks because of it. So I'll ease your mind and tell you! We decided to go with one of the basement apartments. It is really close to campus, like REALLY close. It may have some bugs, but I hear it's not as bad in the winter anyways. And winter looks like it might be sneaking up on us soon. Poo. It also ended up being cheaper than the weird handicapped one that we thought we would go with. And we get to move in earlier than we planned. We're moving to Rexburg...... this Friday!! We get the key Thursday and get to move in Friday. It's an older house... made before 1975. Yeah... it's probably as old as my dad ;). But it'll work. We're pretty excited to be close to campus. Life will get a little bit simpler in a couple of days.

Life is wonderful! I'm loving my Senior Practicum in a fifth grade class. My teacher had an appointment yesterday morning, so I was in charge of the class from 9:30 to 12:15. At 12:15 the kids went to lunch. My teacher came back during lunch recess. So then after lunch the kids came in and went to 2 elective classes (Spanish and computer). And when they got back, I taught social studies. And then the day was over! So.... I was pretty much their teacher for the day. And it was the best day ever!!! I know that teaching is the right major for me. The Lord blesses Travis and I everyday. We are loving life and loving each other.

Love you all!

One of Those Days

So this is probably something I shouldn't post on my blog for all the world to see, but I'm going to anyways. I want people to know what I have gone through, and I want to look back and laugh about it. So.. posting on my blog is a must. 

Today has just been "one of those days". Do you know what I mean? Everything seems to be going wrong for you? Well this morning, I scraped my toe and my toe nail polish came off on one toe. I planned on just painting that toenail real quick right before I walked out the door. So I got ready for the day, put my sandals on, and left. As we were driving, I suddenly remembered my toe and shouted "Oh no!". Travis thought we were about to crash, so he kinda got freaked out. He wasn't happy to hear that my yelling was just because I forgot to paint my one toenail. But I think this situation deserves a "getting into a crash" kind of yell. I'm walking around with sandals on, bright blue toe nail polish, and one random toenail is blank. Yeah.

So I'm already feeling pretty lousy cause my toe (who wouldn't, right?). My stomach starts to act up in class. The kind of acting up that will get you in trouble later. It started making gurgling noises that I was afraid would come out the wrong end soon. So after class I make a trip to the bathroom. I go in the stall (don't worry... there won't be too much detail) and I'm doing my thing. Then another girl comes in and goes in the stall next to me. Who does that? There are plenty of other stalls to choose from. So as I'm thinking this, she starts chuckling to herself. Not really the normal type of chuckle. Like a creepy, "I'm a weirdo" chuckle. So I decided to cut my business short and leave. No success there.

So I'm waiting outside Travis' class with a gurgling stomach. So far the things that have "slipped out" have been silent. I'm reading my scriptures and there's a girl sitting in the hall across from me and a couple of girls down the hall. All of a sudden, I feel something building up inside my gut. It escapes and I know that everyone had to have heard. It echoed through the hall! I hope you understand that I just "let one". I'm trying to make it sound as lady-like as possible.

So that happened and I immediately said, "Oh wow, Excuse me." But guess what, nobody even looked up from what they were doing. Nobody even acknowledged it. I know they heard it. I wish they would have just looked at me and laughed with me. Cause I was laughing at myself. haha. So I felt pretty embarrassed at that moment. And I bet they noticed my toenail too.

So then after Travis' class gets out, we head to a building to go study. We made a trip to the bathroom, which I was grateful for. But I happened to choose a stall that the toilet paper wasn't working in. I could only get a piece that was the size of my eyeball. Not the best experience.

So that's my day so far. And it's only 10:30! What does that rest of the day have in store for me? haha

Commuting Makes Us Crazy

Hello there. Wanna know something? Travis and I hate commuting to Rexburg from Idaho Falls. Some people don't mind it... but we do. So what are we going to do about it you ask? We're going to move to Rexburg. That's what. It's a decision we decided about 2 days ago. And we've been calling around and walking through apartments everyday since.
We've looked at 2 basement apartments-- both very roomy. But we're in a basement apartment now... and there are TONS of bugs. When it's sprayed, it's not so bad. But still. And then we've looked at 2 regular apartments in apartment complexes. All these places have been walking distance of the school. Which we need because I go to the elementary school twice a week this semester and full time next semester. Poor Travis has to walk to school.

Anyways, so we've been contemplating what to do and where to go. Most of the places we've looked at are looking for immediate move ins. We don't mind that. We want to move as soon as possible, but we still have to pay October's rent at the place we're at now. So we'd be paying double rent for a month. If we have to, we'll do it. But we'd rather not. So there's this apartment we looked at today. It's the handicapped apartment in the complex. So everything is more open. The bathroom is  HUGE! But it also has no cabinet doors underneath the kitchen sink, no cabinet under the bathroom sink, and bars on the walls in the bathrooms (to help people in their wheelchair). But this place is "move in able" on Nov. 1st. So it's a little better of a deal for us. No double rent. So we're thinkin. And we're thinkin some more. And we're still thinking about what we just thought about. And then we'll probably think about it one more time before we decide.

So my point is, we're moving! We love the ward we're in now. We love our calling in primary. We love Idaho Falls. We love being walking distance from the temple. We love our nice big, spacious apartment with bugs. And we love the river close to our home. BUT WE HATE COMMUTING. And I guess that wins. So I just thought I would let you know what we're thinking about. Yup. Have a good day.

Double Duty

Travis and I don't mess around.

I rub his head as he rubs my feet. Life is gooooooood.

Dreams DO Come True

This morning when I finished my hair, I was not satisfied. It was too late for me to change my hair-do because we had to leave. I told Travis that I hope it rains today so I can have an excuse for my bad hair day.

We walked outside and BOOOM it's raining. Awesome. Dreams do come true. And now people just think my hair stinks cause of the weather. Boo yah.

No Pictures

I realized that I haven't been taking too many pictures of recent happenings- most likely because they're too boring to take a picture of! So sorry that my blog is getting more boring. I'll try and to take more pictures of life. I know I love posts with pictures.

Anyways, Travis and I started school this last Monday. It is actually an intense semester for both of us. We have been busy since the first day of school. We're still living in Idaho Falls, so we have to commute to Rexburg every day. We usually get to campus around 7:30 and leave around 5:30. Long day! Travis is constantly studying. He studies for hours on campus, and then comes home to study while I make dinner. He eats dinner with me and then returns to studying until 9:30ish. Then we go to bed. Isn't life fun?? I have homework to keep me busy for most of the hours of the day, but not until 9:30. That's why I make dinner and do the dishes and whatev. I know Travis will be blessed for trying so hard in his classes. We're hoping he can get some high grades in his hard classes this semester (Physics, Organic Chemistry, and Biology!). Travis has been so busy these past few days. We haven't spent too much time together. Yesterday, Travis and I got home from school around 2:30ish. We ate lunch together and then played Yahtzee! Twas fun spending some time with my hubster.

So this semester I'm in my Senior Practicum class. It's pretty much like student teaching but only twice a week. I was assigned to be in 5th grade at a charter school in Idaho Falls. Charter schools are different than public schools because they aren't connected to the school board or a school district. They have their own set of rules and ideas they follow. I'm interested to see how this school works. I'm kind of nervous to be in a 5th grade classroom Monday and Wednesday, all day! I'm also required to teach at least one lesson every day I'm in the class. So it's a little bit scary. I start going this coming Monday. I'll let you all know how it goes! I hope I do okay in the classroom all day.

Well life is rolling along for us. We're busy, but we're blessed every day. We hope everything is going well for you and we love you all!

Failure

I failed again at making no bake cookies. We were invited to dinner tonight so I decided I'd bring some cookies along. FAIL! They didn't harden. Travis bought the cheap, instant oats on our latest shopping trip. Do you think that makes a difference? It must not be me, right? haha.

Well other than my pride that has taken a blow, life is excellent. Travis taught a lesson on prayer today to our 4 year old primary class. They are so funny. Today, for sharing time, a missionary came and spoke to the kids. The little girl sitting next to me (who is the loudest, most passionate singer in junior primary) told me she's seen him before (talking about the Elder). I figured her family must have had the missionaries over for dinner or something, so I asked. Her reply was something I was not expecting. "I saw him in my dreams." I kinda laughed. I didn't really know what to think. Is she dreaming about her eternal companion as a 4 year old? Or was this Elder really in her dream. I don't know.. but it was a little funny. In class today, we were coloring pictures at the end of the lesson. The same girl mentioned earlier said she wanted to sing us a song. I didn't care since we were just coloring, so I said go ahead. She started singing some nonsense song and the girl next to her said, "That's a dumb song." She wasn't trying to be mean, I think she was just stating her opinion. But Travis and I both started laughing so hard. And the poor girl that was singing didn't know what to think. But she got over it pretty quick and entertained us for the rest of the coloring period with songs about Jesus and butterflies and church created by a 4 year old mind.

Travis and I start fall semester tomorrow! We are both pretty nervous. Travis is nervous because he has a crazy load of classes. He needs to get perfect grades this semester and that's probably stressful to think about. I'm nervous because it's my last semester of learning before I'm thrown into the schools as a student teacher. Freaky!! Life is fun and crazy! Hopefully this next semester allows us to have some spare moments to enjoy life and not be stressed. We shall see!

Washington Family Time

Travis and I have been in Washington since Aug. 26th. It's definitely a long drive from Idaho Falls to Richland, but it's worth it once we get here. It's fun seeing my family and getting absorbed into "the Bullock world" for a while. There is always something going on. We got to help with Ashley and Drew's reception on Saturday. It ended up being 100 percent perfect. (Besides the crazy bees flying around the food! But my brothers took turns catching them in cups, shaking them up, and stepping on them. haha). Her reception was held in the backyard of a friend's house and was so stinkin' beautiful! I want my backyard to be at least half as gorgeous someday.

On Sunday night, my grandma went into the ER. She started bleeding inside and her doctor told her to get to the hospital. She's still there today (Thursday) and the doctors at the hospital can't seem to find where the problem is. They're running a lot of tests and watching her. We're hoping they figure it out soon so she can return home to her little pet miniature parrot (Sky) that is missing her at home. She is so inspiring because she has the best attitude. I love her to death. My mom is also amazing because she is constantly over at the hospital sitting with her for 5 or more hours at a time. She's amazing. What amazing examples I have to look to.

Yesterday Travis, me, my bro Cameron, and my pretty much bro Kyle, went to Silverwood for the day. (It's a theme park that's a few hours away.) Cameron checked the weather and told us it was supposed to be 75 degrees the day we were going. Perfect, right? WRONG. Cameron was checking the weather for Richland, not Coeur D'Alene (the city Silverwood is in). It ended up raining most of the day and we were all dressed in shorts and t-shirts. I invested in a new jacket at Silverwood. haha. It was fun though. Going on the roller coasters while it's raining is an adventure! Someday, you should try it. Twas a fun day.

Today, I went to my dad's office and got an eye exam. AND I GOT SOME CONTACTS! AND TRAVIS AND I BOTH GOT NEW SUNGLASSES! Life is pretty exciting, eh? We are both soooo in love with our sunglasses. Sooooo in love. And I love love love being able to see and still be attractive. haha. I got sick of looking at myself in my glasses. So that was fun.

Okay.... this is ending up to be super long. I'll finish real quick. Travis, Cameron, and I went on a bike ride today. It was supposed to be a nice, leisurely ride along the river. But Cameron was determined to make it to a certain point down the path. For those of you that are familiar with Richland, we went from Columbia Point Marina to the Blue Bridge AND BACK! It ended up being 15 miles. Leisurely bike ride? Not really. Relaxing? Not at all! Super long? Heck yeah. Fun?? Ummmm... okay.. it was! And I got my exercise for the week. hahaha. Naw. I'll admit, it was pretty bad, but I'd do it again. So far this trip has been full of adventures and opportunities to spend money. It's been great fun.

Summer is Ending... Reality is Setting in.

For all of you that wonder what goes on in mine and Travis's life, (which probably aren't many), I will tell you! This summer has been the best ever. I seriously had the best job. I worked for the Salvation Army, with their youth program. I, along with two other girls my age, ran a summer day camp. It was pretty much a daycare for older kids (K-6th grade). Cameron found me the job posting on Craigslist and I applied and got it! It has been the best summer of my life. I've fallen in love with 20 kids. It was great spending time with those kids everyday. Most of them come from broken homes with abuse, divorce, or parents that just don't care. I loved being somebody in their lives that they could trust and depend on. Last Friday was my last day. I never thought I could be so sad leaving a job. Travis picked me up at 1:00 and we started heading to Washington. I said bye to "my children" before leaving, and we were off. I made it about 2-3 hours before I broke down and cried. I'm sad that I can't be a part of the lives of those kids anymore. I want to make a difference in their lives, but I can't anymore. I think, in like five years, I'm going to look them up on Facebook and see how they're doing. haha.

Travis and I start school on the 12th of September. It's my last real semester before I student teach. And it's Travis's second to last semester before he starts applying to dental schools. So life is happening for us. It's crazy!! I never thought I would actually be a teacher. I just went to school and learned about it; I figured I'd be in school forever. But it's coming to a close, for both of us. Reality is setting in (slowly) and we have to grow up. I'm nervous, but mostly excited. These next few years are going to be the hard ones. Dental school, teaching, trying to figure out the right time to start a family, and trying to support a family. But we're excited. We're ready for life to challenge us. Travis and I love each other and know that we can get through anything together. Every day is an adventure and we love going through each day side by side. We love you all and hope all is well!

Jacob's Fanclub

At work, I was in the classroom while the other two teachers were in the gym with the kids. They had some music playing and were having a "dance-off". The kids love dancing. haha. I heard the kids chanting Jacob's name over and over again. I thought Jake was too shy to dance in front of the others, so I was curious to see what he was doing. I went into the gym and found this...

I didn't know Jake could do the moonwalk!! The kids asked him to do it over and over again. It was awesome.

Our Visitors

This passed week, my siblings Savannah and Jacob came to stay with us. We planned it earlier this summer and I have been looking forward to it since. They came last Thursday night. We had a lot of fun!! Our house got messier a lot quicker, our food disappeared at the speed of lightning, our car was spilled in for the first time since we got it, and our couches are dirtier. But it was worth it! We had fun every day. We went to Matt and Brielle's reception, went shopping, went to a baseball game, went golfing, got pedicures (just the girls), and went and got pizza and ice cream. And that was just after work. They came to work with me and went to two movies, bowling, the zoo, a water park, made tie-dye shirts, and made tons of bead snakes and lizards. They also had snack every few hours. So we had a fun week!

Jake and Travis doing an intense ab workout

At the Chukars' game. ($1 hotdogs and drinks day!)

Jake did very good for his first time!!

Savannah thought she was a pro. =)

So they came on a Thursday and we left to head to Logan for Ashley's reception the following Thursday. So they stayed with us exactly a week. Travis brought back all of his Indonesian stuff from when we went to his parent's house in Virginia. We hung up the best looking masks around our apartment and I told him he could decorate the spare bedroom however he wanted with what was left. Savannah and Jake had to sleep in the room with a blow-dart gun, machete, and bow and arrows on the wall. Along with masks, maps of Indonesia, and a picture of the largest Buddhist temple. What I'm trying to tell you is it kinda a freaky room. They said it was fine, but I felt bad they had to sleep in a room full of intense weapons and masks watching them sleep. haha.

Ashley looked beautiful on her wedding day. The Logan temple is gorgeous and the weather was perfect. Ashley and Drew are amazing together and seem perfect for each other. I'm so happy for them. So now we're back at our apartment and it's quiet. It hasn't been this quiet for a while, but I'm sure somehow we'll survive. =)