Life...

I am really good at not blogging and then blogging a huge post... so with this post I'll continue my oh so famous trend.  Here's a look back at the past six months.  

Caleb and I took a much needed break at the end of August to the Caribbean.  I'll never forget my first experience snorkeling in the ocean at Sting Ray City.  I've seen lots of pictures of the crystal clear blue water, but never imagined that the Ocean could really be like that in real life.  Go watch Finding Nemo and put yourself in the movie.  And bonus, the water was warm!!  I remember the water in Cabo from our H-moon was cold, so the warm water was so nice. 

 (I know the quality of this picture is horrible... it was taken with an underwater disposable camera and then I scanned it into our computer.  Beats paying $60 to the guide for his picture.)

I freaked when we first got in the water and saw the dozens of sting rays swimming around us and the only thing I could think about was how the crocodile hunter died... and then our guide told me the only dangerous thing to do around these animals would be to freak, so I freaked out some more because I couldn't stop freaking out when they would swim right against my body, but somehow I survived and can't wait to go back.  

Here's a picture of our table.  The babe and I totally lucked out with who we sat with and have since made 8 new facebook friends.  Wahoo!  No really tho, these people were a hoot.  We will probably plan another cruise reunion with the same crowd.   And bonus, the two couples behind us just happen to be from North Carolina, and just happen to be LDS...  so Caleb and I weren't the only ones on the ship who didn't drink the night away.  We became pros and meeting for midnight cone runs and boggle throw-downs.  And funny story... these fun and crazy people also went to Sting Ray City when our ship ported at the Cayman Islands.   However, when they got in the water they saw ONE sting ray (member how C and I saw dozens?!) and it was bleeding...well their guide proceeded to tell them that just meant there was a shark in the water close by! Right, just a shark.  Good thing we didn't get stuck with that group, I would've had a heart attack right then and there, seriously.

Caleb pays for a cruise to do this all day and all night.  Sit on the deck and watch the waves go by.  He loves the Ocean.

And I pay for a cruise to get me some chocolate melting cake.  And two cups of ice creams is so much better than one.  

And everyone knows I can't talk about our cruise without posting a towel picture.  And don't mind my lovely fried skin.  And just in case you were wondering, I finally faced my fear and went to the dermatologist this week.  Thanks to a story from KSL, and my idiotic epidemiology professor, I thought for sure I had skin cancer and was going to die.  Just ask my mom, bless her soul it has been quite the drama filled week thanks to me.  But long story short, I do not have skin cancer.  Moving on...

 The week we got back from our cruise, the whole job thing went down.  Now that one semester's down I can honestly say I'm living my dream job.  Love going to work everyday.  Plus chasing 7th and 8th graders all day is a good way to burn calories.  Bonus!  We may or may not play tag some days for P.E.

Cindy snapped this picture right after I got off the phone with the boss and accepted the job.  Talk about being on cloud nine...

Then Haloween came, I know I know, you've already seen this, it's not like I just posted about Halloween two posts ago!  :)  But I figured since Caleb is so proud of his job well done, I'd score bonus wife points by posting his lovely work for a 2nd time.  Love ya babe!

And then Thanksgiving came.  We spent the day with the Perks and it was lovely.  We played Indians and Pilgrims.  My new favorite food is sweet potatoes.  I never liked the orange potatoes (potatoes shouldn't be orange) with marshmallows on top growing up, but for some reason this year I couldn't get enough of them!  Thanks Sarah for the picture.

And sometime between then and now, Caleb made this lovely cake for Luke and Sarah.  It's CandyLand, but I'm sure you could tell.  After all, Caleb calls himself a pro. now and you better not call him anything else.  Cake Boss has nothing on him.

On Friday December 3rd, I turned 23!  I don't know why I put an exclamation mark because 23 feels old.  I spent the day at work.  My cute sister Aubrey made a poster with pictures and gave it to Mr. Endicott, who is in her ward, to hang on the gym doors.  By the time I saw the poster, everyone else in the school saw the poster and the word was out.  So pretty much, I was wished Happy Birthday 888 times that day.  Best birthday ever.  (Yes, Roy Jr. has 888 students right now and I know because that's how many newsletters I print off...)  When I got home I felt like crap.  I think a case of Pneumonia hit me.  I went to bed and didn't get out of bed until the next Tuesday.  Caleb was bummed that I was such a bummer on my birthday that we celebrated my birthday for pretty much the next two weeks straight and then Christmas came.  So you could say being sick (which has happened way too many times this winter, negative of being a teacher) finally worked in my favor.   I was definitely more than spoiled this birthday.

Here's the only picture I snapped of the celebration.  My mom took me shopping and to Cheesecake Factory a week before.  Which makes the celebration three weeks long.  I love some just me and mom time.  Really I  tell her everything and am always asking her for advice, because her advice is like no one else's.  She knows everything there is to know and she's always right.  I am so lucky to call her mom.  

Then we celebrated Christmas.   #1 perk about being a teacher, summer, #2 perk, Christmas break!!!  I loved being lazy and hanging with the fam everyday.  Santa came again this year.   This guy doesn't say a word as a school bus driver, but once that Santa suit is on him he comes alive.  I laugh about that every year.  The nieces and nephews are lucky to make memories like this, and I am lucky to watch.  It really is so magical. 

Caleb spoiled me again for Christmas. He got me an I-phone.  Poor guy tried so hard to surprise me but he forgot the small fact that my parent's cell phone account (yes I'm still on their account, please don't judge) is linked to my email.  No matter how hard I try to act surprised when I know the truth, it doesn't work.  But I did pull a sweet surprise off by getting C an I-pod touch.  He had no idea and he loves it.  We spent Christmas Eve at Sarah's and then slept at my parents.  I loved every minute of the holiday.  Caleb also got me a hot pink electric razor scooter.  This one was a HUGE surprise.  Caleb did get bonus points for this present.  My dad has a red one and said C could borrow it this summer.  I dream of the day when it's warm enough to ride our scooters and get some snow cones or ride to the parade on the 4th.  Oh summer...

And then New Year's was here.  Caleb and I went to a party up at the Cowboy's (a.k.a. C's bff, Sam Yarbrough) condo in Park City.  I was dreading the party because we've done this in the past and I wasn't a huge fan, but this year it was great.  This isn't a picture from the party, (forgot camera for the 1,214th time) but you get the idea of what our midnight looked like.  :)

 

And now it's today.  Martin Luther King Jr. day and life is grand.  

-My Grandma, who is slowly slipping to the "other side" and is officially now on Hospice, still finds a way to make us laugh by wondering why my sister D would buy her two-year-old shoes that have bud light on them.  (Buzz lightyear apparently sounds like Bud Light when you're close to 90 years old...)  

-My niece Tessa called and is expecting her mom to come pick C and I up so we can go to nursery with her on Sunday.   Don't worry Shay, we only live 2,394 miles away, and I know because I

once drove every single one of those miles.   And if you're ever bored, go here and look at pictures of Tessa.  Caleb and I spent an hour doing this the other night.  Every face she pulls is different.  And her smile kills me.  I just wish you could hear her laugh or say Caleb's name.  Miss her. 

- Caleb is putting his mad engineering skills to use by rebuilding my parent's kitchen.  He has been there a lot, which means I have too.  So much that my mom used the word "freakin" the other day.  I chuckled inside.  Love it.  And mom sorry in advance for posting this. 

-I finally switched my Provo gold's membership to the gold's up here in L-town.  Which fyi, I now pay close to twice as much!  Gold's is such a rip off.  But paying that much every month sure is a lot of motivation to go to the gym.  Plus, I'm preparing for this and would love for someone to join me in the crazy journey... http://www.laytonmarathon.com/register.html. 

hint hint to all you runners out there.  You know you want to.

-  And the greatest news of all, Caleb and I have seen the true power of what fasting and prayer can do.  Caleb's dad will finally get to come home this week, after spending more than 40 days in a California hospital, and being "paralyzed" (term the nurse used when Caleb answered the phone back on Dec. 9th).  He is kicking Guillan Barre Syndrome's butt.  Go Paul!!  We love you!!

-And I now remember why I hate writing freaking long posts.  Here I am 2 hours later, 10 proof-reads later, just finishing.  I thank Mrs. Haslam, senior year English class, for my OCD-ness of perfecting my blog.  The end.  

- And P.S.  I always have a hard time finishing a blog post!!  Anyone else struggle with this?  I feel like I need to say amen or something...  It just feels weird ending, like I am writing the end to my life's story, cuz we all know our blogs are pretty much our life's stories.  So I'll end with this...

-The end...  :)