Rain, Rain, Go Away

Michael and I have been staying at his mom's house for the last few weeks while she has her Japanese students here. One plus to being there means that I am down the street from Lexi! So we have been riding our bikes to work together and it has been muchos funnos. 

 Yesterday was the highlight of our biking adventures. Utah is bipolar and likes to be hot and sunny one minute, and then have a downpour rain and hail session the next. When we left in the morning, little did we know that we would be riding in the rain with hail pounding down on our poor bodies. 

I can't wait to watch that bike ride home on my movie in heaven because it was seriously so pathetic but HAlarious at the same time. 

 And of course we had to document it.

 You can't really tell, but we were super duper soaked.

 Lexi wears a helmet. Bwaha.

Kicks and giggles.

Running: The Half and Ragnar

 I just had a clouds opening in the sky experience. I was contemplating all that I wanted to include in this post, so I did my research my looking here and here. Looking through those helped me realize why it is I like running. It is because it is a goal that I get to accomplish with those I love the most! (The bragging rights may be a little part of it as well) 

I remember doing the first marathon with Dad and Sue and just how much love and support there was throughout the whole process. It was crazy how that experience brought my family even closer together. Running reminds me of everyone I love and how I want to be the best I can be for them. It pushes me to  try harder than I thought I could go. It reminds me that we can indeed do hard things, and after we do those hard things, we are better for it. 

DAH! I wish I could convey what it is I am feeling right now, but hopefully I can look back and remember.

(I may have cried at work today watching that video that Beal and Micah made.)

So, the saga continues. This time though, I get to have Michael with me! Yahoo. We are registered to run the Parowan Half Marathon together on August 6th. That is less than  a month away. Oy.

We were originally going to do the Top of Utah Half, but my procrastination did not pay off this time. When I went to register, it was full! So, we turned to Google to find our next best option, and Parowan won. One of my favorite relatives lives in Paragonah, which is right next to Parowan, so it has the potential to turn into a fam bam reunion of sorts. Joy!

I am so excited to run this with Michael. He has been the leader in our training, which makes sense because I don't run to run, I run to be with and enjoy the people I am doing it with  (I know this because of my clouds opening in the sky realization.) Even when we have an off week due to scheduling and crazy busy lives, he gets us on track. He is so patient with me and pushes me to push myself which is what I need. He always stays relatively close so I do not feel alone. He is my partner through and through and I just love him.

I can't wait to run it and see how it goes. 

 Next year I have the opportunity to run with some more people I love. Callie, Christine, Camille and I are on a team to run the Ragnar Relay Wasatch Back.  I am Runner #6 which at first looked daunting, but now I am a tad excited about it. I cannot wait to have this experience with most of my sisters (Sue will be missed for sure and could kick my butt with training if she were here). I can only imagine what silliness will transpire in those two days. 

Bring it on!

Bon Appetit!

Our latest Netflix obsession revolves around food. 

Lots and lots of food. 

and 

are our favorite. 

One of our dreams is to run a diner or restaurant of some kind when we are nice and old. 

We are getting an early start on our homework and have been studying up on yummy food ideas. 

Our first attempt was a yummy burger with cheese in the middle. 

Sounds simple, but it makes such a difference! We did our first round on the 4th, which turned out okay, but not awesome. We did much better in Round 2 late Friday night. (I mentioned the 4th, so this counts as my 4th of July post since I didn't take one picture, and blogs without pictures are boring.) 

They may look a little funny, but it was the best dang homemade burger I have ever had.

And yes, KoolAid is a constant drink in our household. We are mature. 

NEW JOB!!!

It is April 2011. 

I have finally graduated Cum Laude from UVU with a BS in Behavioral Science with an Emphasis in Family Studies. Exciting right? I don't know what it is exactly I want to do with that specific degree, because in reality, there is not much you can do with just a Bachelors these days. 

 

Grad School is definitely in the future, but not until after the Peace Corps. I would hate to start now in a program, leave for two years, and then come back and have the program either dissolved or the previous classes I had taken not count... and lets be honest, a break from being in school for 16 years sounded more than appealing to me. 

So what to do with my new schedule on my hands? I was convinced that once I graduated, I would get a job somewhere in the community at United Way or Community Action and do what I got my degree in, helping people and their families. Having my rose colored glasses on about how easy it would be to find a job and how much I would love working in something that I just spent 4 years and a chunk of money on. It would all pay off right? Sadly, jobs like that have pay that does not pay our bills and I want to work so Michael doesn't have to and can just focus on school.

So, the job hunt begins. Every single day, I would get to work, get all of my work stuff caught up. Once my list was checked off, I would open multiple tabs and go to sites that would help me find this new job I was hankering for. I would look at each job posting until I caught up with the ones that were listed the previous day that I had already looked at. 

 

If something sounded like a possibility, I would contact them and send my resume. Throughout the process, my resume improved over time as I was better able pinpoint exactly what they were looking for. Let me tell you, it sucks selling yourself over and over, to just let a piece of paper define me as a person. What sucked even more is when I would get excited about a potential job, send them my info, then get a, "We're sorry, but you suck and we don't want you." They never really said that, but that is how each one felt. 

The point is that I was trying. I was looking. I was willing to apply for anything...ANYTHING at all that would offer at least the same pay that I am getting now and hopefully some benefits. This brings up another issue. The job I have now is great. Super flexible and pays well. There really wasn't a desperate need for me to get a new job, I just wanted one because, well, I graduated. Doesn't that mean you are supposed to get a new job and fly from the nest? My job with SolutionX  is what got me through college, so I felt this need to get a real "grown up" job and progress.

The next year or so before Michael finishes school and we go off to the Peace Corps kind of has the potential to put me at a standstill. I won't have a billion things to do like I did when I went to school, work, internships, tying in family and friends on top of that. Thus the need for something new, just so I felt productive again. 

Finally, one of my emailed resumes paid off. I received a call from Alicia at Noah's asking if I would be able to do a phone interview the next day. Of course I said yes and tried to think of what they would ask. Prayer works. The end. During the phone call, I felt comfortable about selling myself and they bought it because they are smart. So, I had a real interview the next day and basically did the same thing in person that we had talked about on the phone the day before. Then there was a walk through the next day to turn in my actual application. It was a long three days. They said I would hear from them either on Saturday or early next week. 

I felt good about the whole process and started seeing how this would change my plans. Noah's was just hiring a part time person to be there and help people with the various things that they do there. It is kinda like being the Lisa Swenson at the Rec, but without the grossness and it was only three days a week. The pay is pretty much what I am already making, so BENDICIONES! I would still work at SolutionX, but cut back my hours a bit so I wouldn't be killing myself. I also would probably be able to get insurance with SolutionX, so everything I had wanted in a new job would still come about, just not the way I had expected. I ran it past Dave and he willingly allowed me to stay on even though I told him I was wanting to leave once I graduated.

 

Now just to get the job.

Sunday afternoon I got the apologetic call for calling on Sunday, but the job offer was included! BENDICIONES! 

I was so excited and set up my schedule for the next two weeks. I have been in twice now and have already done a layout with a client all by myself. A layout is when we draw up how people want the tables and chairs for their event. I was able to watch Alicia do one, but as we were finishing it up, another group came in and I was thrown in to do their layout in a room I knew absolutely nothing about. I totally BSed it, and the clients had no idea that I had no idea what I was talking about. It rocked. 

The reason I am excited about working there is the new opportunity it is. I wanted to go into interior design and possibly event planning. With this job I get a little taste of both. It is totally not what I was thinking I would end up doing, but our prayers have been answered. Funny how Heavenly Father knows what is best for us and it is usually better than what we expect for ourselves. 

At that is the story of how I got my NEW JOB!!!

The End.

Preggo Thoughts

Warning: This post may be super boring or too detailed for you, but this is my bliggity blog and I want this written down somewhere, so, there you go!

There comes a time each month where I wonder if I am pregnant or not. This happens each and every single month, no matter what. You see, I would not call myself a glass half empty kind of gal, but I do like to prepare for things which are usually negative so that then if they do happen, I deal better. I like to think that this makes me appreciate more when the quote  unquote "bad" thing doesn't happen, I appreciate the positive outcome more. 

So as I said, a week before I get a certain present, the panic begins. The worry over the money it will cost, stress over my cankles getting even BIGGER, the excitement of actually entering that phase of our lives, the thought of being a Mooder and having our little tyke grow inside of me... There is also the completely legitimate fear that I have that I will be the one and only eternal pregnant woman; that for some reason they would not ever be able to get the kiddo out of me... a lot of normal stresses right? Right?

When I have waves of excitement about being preggers, I like to stick out my tummy and tell Michael, "Hey look! I am pregnant!" I usually have to arch my back to make it believable because Jillian Micahel's has become my new best friend and my tummy is finally starting to show it. (That was total bragging, but I am writing it down in history so that when I do get to where I don't want my body to be, I will remember that hard work will help it pay off.)

Last month when this fear crept around, I thought it was for reals this time. Like, the real thing. I was sick all morning at work and could not eat anything. I was a weird queasy that I had never experienced before, so I was convinced I was preggers. I ended up leaving work early for the day, which is something I never do, and called my love to tell him I was feeling bad and that he should come home and cuddle with me, since that always makes me feel better. He, being the smart man that he is, recommended that we get some food in my stomach to help me deal better. 

Catie-food=No Bueno.   

We are still on the phone trying to decide where to eat, and I continue to tell my husband that I am afraid it is the real thing this time, that we may actually be pregnant. I tell him all of my worries about it, that we wouldn't be able to do the Peace Corps! What about grad school for me?! We are going to be so broke! All of the things that had been running in my head that morning that made me afraid of entering that unplanned phase. 

The list went on and on. Michael , being the amazing husband that he is, let me vent and get all of my cards out on the table until I felt better. Then he said the cutest thing that he could have said. He said,

 "Well, babe, if we are, BENDICIONES!"

Words cannot describe how comforting that was to hear from my husband. It was exactly what I needed to hear and made all of my fears go away. I felt empowered and excited. I fell even more in love with him. I am truly the luckiest girl in the world to have married a man who compliments me so well. We are just so good together! 

Then, I actually wanted to be pregnant that entire week. I would rub my belly to give my baby love and affection. It was such a fun feeling that I had not experienced before. There have been times during my marriage that I felt that my womb literally ached to have a baby in it. I know that that is part of my purpose in life, to bring cute little Vineyard's into the world and to raise them in happiness and love. Now is just not the time. It is not that I don't want kids, it is just that it is not part of our plan right now. There are other things on our list that we want to accomplish before that phase of our life. 

Anyway, the time came and went that I found out I was not pregnant. I was actually more sad than relieved like I usually am. Don't tell Michael, but I think he was a teensy, weensy sad too. I know that there is a plan made by the Man Upstairs, and that everything happens in its own season, whether it is apart of my plans or not. 

So... when it happens, it will happen, and I can't wait. 

This blog post is in no way trying to announce that we are trying to get pregnant. That still is not part of our plan at the moment. It is trying to show that slowly, but surely, I am up for whatever comes. 

And to remember that I have the absolute most amazing husband in the entire world. 

Funny thing. 

The same time I thought I was pregnant, Lexi had a dream that I was. So naturally when there was a watermelon laying around at her birthday bash, we seized the opportunity for a photo op, thus the preggo pictures. 

Summertime in the BBC

Yes, the real lyrics are, "Summertime, and the livin's easy." but for years I thought they were saying, "Summertime in the BBC" and assumed they were a British band who enjoyed their BBC channel. 

Me so smart.

Anyway, summer has been so fun so far! We hosted a copy cat Family Home Evening that my family did for 2nd Sunday dinner together. We missed out sadly when they did it with all the kiddos because we were doing our Foster Care Respite that weekend. We did it with the Matheson cousins for FHE and celebrated Saryn's birthday with Costco Chocolate Cake. It was a blast. I am still waiting on some more pictures, but here is what we have for now. 

We played Face the Cookie, Beach Tennis, and the all time favorite Elephant March. I am proud to say that I was the winner of the Elephant March, but I made sure to cheer for everyone else who came close to beating my time; I didn't wish them bad luck at all.... :)

My husband is handsome and takes me to Real Soccer games. He also taught me what a Whale Tail was and let me tell ya, it was not pretty . 

For Father's Day, we gave Padre a really pretty picture of his posterity. I cannot wait to make fun of them for this when they are older. 

Lexi Butt got older and Brennon did a surprise birthday party to celebrate. We are cousins! YAY! Pretty sure there is a me looking preggo picture that I am still waiting for, because lets admit it, a watermelon under the shirt totally looks legit. We had fun anyway.

Nicki got older as well, so we did a combo birthday to celebrate her and Lexi's birthdays in style. We went to the Provo Resort at Riverwoods. After they opened their presents in the middle of a parking lot, we got a kind golf cart fellow to pick us up and drive us about 20 feet to the Resort place. He was highly entertained by our annoying presence. We had planned on doing a ropes course, but you had to have a strap on the back of your shoes in order to do it. Being as most of us never ever wear real shoes, we had to skip out and play an intense game of croquet instead. I ran into Julie Marshall and all of her grand kids while we were there as well.  I love seeing Mercedians!

We also got to babysit baby Jack over night. This kid is AWESOME! He is so funny and easy to watch. We also had Nigel and Bradley over that night, and all three boys played together and had fun, though Bradley's (or should I say Bratley's as Nigel calls him) idea of fun is throwing up... alot.  It was crazy going from zero kids to three, and I only had them all together an hour or two. Moms rock. Period. 

This is a super long post, so I will just highlight the other things I need to blog about. Remember how I am a list person and if it is on the list, it gets done? So here is my list:

-NEW JOB!!!!

-4th of July

-Running: The Half and Ragnar

-Preggo Thoughts

-Whatever other awesome things I can think of

Life is good! Read your scriptures and say your prayers. Brush your teeth too, it never hurts.