January Thus Far

Man, life is crazy sometimes. After coming off the long high of being down in Utah with friends and family for almost an entire month, we found out that the internship program with Murex was cancelled completely. So.... that's great. As soon as we got the call, Michael and I both were at peace with it. There was no freaking out, tears, or swearing. It was just a "well, that sucks. Lets look for the next one," moment. (There has been freaking out, tears, and swearing since, but hey, we are human.)

But back to the main point, we know that it will all work out and we KNOW that it will be a great summer and Michael will get great experience. We just don't know when or how that will happen, and that is the part that somedays drive me insane. Dang having to remember to have faith and patience. But all teasing aside, I am looking forward to how we are going to be spending our summer. 

2014 In No Particular Order

Drum roll please. Here is the list of top 10s for each of the Vineyards in year 2014. 

Michael

1. Got his first Geology job in North Dakota and made bank. 
2. Getting into grad school at Montana Tech.
3.  Sold the Mazda. 
4. Sold Mitt the motorcycle. 
5. Bought Vicki the Honda Element. 
6. Moved to Butte, Montana.
7. Traveled A LOT.
8. Get to go to school for free. 
9. Got a job working with 3D printing while in school, thus the free part. 
10.  Learned how to cook for himself and is quite good at it.

Catie

1. Moved out of Utah! Living in Butte has been wonderful to us and we love our little adventure. 
2. Grandpa Dee's passing and funeral. I am so grateful to have that man in my life and am at peace knowing he is with Grandma Ila again in a better place, eating all of the gummy bears his heart desires. 
3. Was a single parent for three months. This could not have been possible without the awesome support system we have. Our families outpouring of love and generosity made these months bearable. 
4. Went to Hawaii with Olivia and babysat the Canlas kids for a week. 
5. Worked full time with iCentris and adjusted to working remotely all the time. 
6. Was called as a Secretary, in RELIEF SOCIETY, and love it. Who woulda thought?
7. Hosted Gammie Camp 2014 at Mooder's. The sleepover, homemade root beer, fireworks, and giggles were a hit.
8. My baby turned 1! I can't believe how fast the time flew yet it feels like she has always been a part of our life. Little cuddle bunny has stolen all of our hearts and we are so lucky to be her parents. 
9. Went to my dear Kayla Marie's wedding in Arizona. It was my first overnighter-out-of-state-leave-my-people-alone trip. I had a ton of mommy guilt going, but it was so great to see friends I hadn't in years. 
10.  Getting into grad school after a year of waiting. Though Michael is the one going to school, I like to think it was a joint effort. It is crazy how everything aligned together so we ended up where we needed to be, from our trip to the temple telling us to go to grad school instead of starting our ranch, to Michael getting his job in North Dakota, to actually getting into grad school - it has been one heck of a ride. 

Olivia

1. Turned 1 and celebrated with a cupcake in a hotel room in Butte with the parentals.
2. Says "oh NO?!?" and it is super cute. 
3. Loves dogs - gowgs, sharks - showks, and fish - shish. Max is affectionately known as Mac.
4. Grew more teeth. Only one more year to go. 
5. Went to the ER for a dislocated elbow, also known as a nursemaid elbow. 
6. Went to Hawaii. 
7. Tricked us into thinking she would sleep through the night for a week and then reverted back to her old ways. 
8. Gives hugs and kisses without being asked. If you are lucky, you will get a closed mouth one.
9.  Learned how to walk. She actually skipped walking and now just runs everywhere very determined like. 
10. I'll Love You Forever and Bye Bears, Bye Bears are her favorite books; she loves walks in the stroller, playing in the snow, and going up and down her slide over and over and over. 

Family Goals for 2015

1. Get Olivia sleeping through the night and at nap time without a bottle. 
2. Get healthier by eating better and training for our MARATHON in September. 
3. Internship in Houston for the summer, go Cowboys. 
4. Save up for our Peru trip in 2016. 
5. Continue daily family scripture study, prayer, and weekly family home evening. 
6. Kick the 2nd and 3rd semester of grad school's butt. 
7. Explore more on the weekends. 
8. Be more kind and loving to each other and those around us. 
9.  Pay off the Element. 
10. Camp more.