LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! I am now a graduate of my online college algebra class! After a year of procrastination and confusion I am free!!

How Cocoa saved my life

Last night I was craving a delicious sweet treat. The Easter candy sitting on my table was definitely calling my name. Starburst jelly beans are one of my favorite Easter candies and they just sat their teasing me. Since sugar is out of the question I had to get creative. While I love fruit I needed something that didn't taste so healthy. :) I settled on a banana shake which is an all time favorite but decided to add some cocoa and vanilla in for a twist....mmm...talk about a sweet treat! It definitely satisfied my sweet tooth and left me sugar free! For a delicious treat I definitely recommend throwing together a banana, some milk and ice, a little vanilla, and some delicious cocoa to top it off!

Words that get my through the day

Be positive
I am asking that we stop seeking out the storms and enjoy more fully the sunlight. I am suggesting that as we go through life we “accentuate the positive.” I am asking that we look a little deeper for the good, that we still voices of insult and sarcasm, that we more generously compliment virtue and effort. I am not asking that all criticism be silenced. Growth comes of correction. Strength comes of repentance. Wise is the man who can acknowledge mistakes pointed out by others and change his course.
What I am suggesting is that each of us turn from the negativism that so permeates our society and look for the remarkable good among those with whom we associate, that we speak of one another’s virtues more than we speak of one another’s faults, that optimism replace pessimism, that our faith exceed our fears. When I was a young man and was prone to speak critically, my father would say: “Cynics do not contribute, skeptics do not create, doubters do not achieve (from Ensign, Apr. 1986, 2–4).
Let us go forward in this glorious work. How exciting and wonderful it is. I do not know how anybody can feel gloomy for very long who is a member of this Church. Do you feel gloomy? Lift your eyes. Stand on your feet. Say a few words of appreciation and love to the Lord. Be positive. Think of what great things are occurring as the Lord brings to pass His eternal purposes. This is a day of prophecy fulfilled, … this great day in the history of this Church. This is the day which has been spoken of by those who have gone before us. Let us live worthy of our birthright. Keep the faith. Nurture your testimonies. Walk in righteousness, and the Lord will bless you and prosper you, and you will be a happy and wonderful people (from Ensign, Aug. 1996, 61).

What color are you?

you are paleturquoise #AFEEEE

Your dominant hues are green and blue. You're smart and you know it, and want to use your power to help people and relate to others. Even though you tend to battle with yourself, you solve other people's conflicts well. Your saturation level is low - You stay out of stressful situations and advise others to do the same. You may not be the go-to person when something really needs done, but you know never to blow things out of proportion. Your outlook on life is bright. You see good things in situations where others may not be able to, and it frustrates you to see them get down on everything.

the spacefem.com html color quiz

Here are some pictures from our Moab/Canyonlands trip this March. It was a much needed vacation!



Eric is a cone head! Behind us is the green and colorado river. Can you tell which one is the green river? Suprisingly it wasn't the green river....

There wasn't a lot of water in Moab when we went...but whatever water there was we found it!

This is Eric's Michael Jackson pose....feel the wind baby!

Crawling the rocks...I thought this was a cool view.

This was one of my favorite things we did.....who needs roller coasters when you have sand dunes!

Ahhh! We are stuck! These are the mazes in Moab.

If you are afraid of heights...don't look down!

I liked to stop along the way whenver we could find something to climb up on.

Apartment Search

We are once again on the hunt for an apartment. I think we waste more gas and more time looking for the perfect place on a yearly basis...we have definitely been lucky in what we have been able to find in the past but I am ready for the hunt to be over. It would be so nice to settle down and sit tight for a few years. Because we are college students and our family is growing it is hard to settle. I can't wait to decorate my own place and paint the walls whatever color I want. All good things are worth waiting for though! For now I will be happy not having to worry about paying all the utilities, keeping up a yard, or doing repairs on our house. There are definitely pluses to apartment living that I enjoy and I am glad to just have a roof over my head! I can handle living in transit a little longer. :)

Grow the Belly!

The belly is starting to form! Keeli or Sage is growing and growing. This week I hit the 24 mark! Maybe by the end of my pregnancy I will be able to stick my tummy out farther than Eric can. :)

51 days and counting

Yes I know my blogging skills have never been up to par; however, I only have 51 days of school left until I graduate and I am hoping that being homework free will allow me to focus my creative juices on different things in life such as blogging. I am still alive though and am hoping to revamp or vamp up for the first time by blog sometime in the near future. In the meantime I will be going to school, doing homework, taking tests, working, giving a church talk, trying to stay away, and getting ready for our little gal coming soon!

The month of Halloween

October has to be one of my favorite times of the year. The leaves are vibrant and gorgeous, the weather is crisp and not too warm or cold, and the promise of holiday festivities make it hard to sit still without smile. As we drive down the canyon everyday to head to school and work Eric and I pick out our favorite trees covering the mountains. My favorite tree is hot red and overlooks Deer Creek Dam. I love going to corn mazes, drinking fresh apple juice, eating chili with corn bread, and wearing my sweatshirts and sweaters again. Fall is just a comfortable season. I can sit by the fire with a good book and look out my window at the moutains that have flaming trees which look as if they are melting the snow beginning to settle on each peak. Yes, I will always love the fall.

Ah, ha, ha, ha, Staying Alive!

Yes I know it has been centuries since I have written last and no I was not touring Europe or sailing the ocean blue. Life caught me by the hand and has been taking me on a ride without any brakes. School has started again and with that comes less time to devote to the life of blogging and quite a few other things. Not to fret though, there is a light at the end of the tunnel and I believe I will reach the light around April 24th or 25th. That's right ladies and gentlemen, I will be graduating from college! While I have loved school and how it has helped me grow, I get quite stressed at times. Here are the things I am looking forward to doing after I finished with college:

1. Start having a family

2. Spend more time cooking

3. Read

4. Go to the pool in the middle of the day on a weekday with Lindsey and Sadie

5. Do my visiting teaching before 8:00 at night

6. Paint

7. Work out in the morning

8. Clean the house more than once a month

9. Take a dance or yoga class

10. Study the scriptures more in depth

11. Go camping with Eric

12. Plant a garden

13. Clean out the closet in our second bedroom

14. Sell junk from closet on EBay

15. Do a little jig just because I can.

Here are some pictures of Eric's endeavor over the last few weeks. I wanted to keep up on the blogging so I decided to go with some more pictures. Pictures are a lot easier to post than thinking of things to write!















Here is Eric two days before breaking his back. He is putting on his usualy charm for the camera! Gotta love the smile!

This right after surgery. Eric got a lot of good sleep in while at the hospital. The ice packs wouldn't stay cold enough to cool him down
though and around 4:00pm everyday he would wind up with a fever.

Eric is catching some more zzz's in between physical therapy. I am sitting on my lovely bed for the week. I will forever be grateful for my bed now. I am talking to one of the many that sent their love and support while we were in the hospital. Thank you again for all your support and love. We couldn't have done it without all of you! From the small to big acts of kindness, we will always appreciate your love!

This is Eric's back with his staples in there still. He finally got the staples out and he is healing great. He might not have much of a scar, much to his dismay. He wants a battle wound! :)
















We had to measure. His incision almost hit 10 inches.

The Breaking Point

The past few weeks have been molded into a blur. Today marks the two week anniversary of the day my husband broke his back. Eric fell off the second story of a house he was framing while at work. He landed on his shoulder, folded in half and as hit feet hit the ground above his head he broke his T12 vertebrae. The day after his accident the neuro surgeon fused his T11 and L1 to his T12 vertebrae. After a week of recuperating in the hospital we finally got to go home. We have been home for a week now and we are going to get his staples taken out today. Eric has an awesome attitude and he is making progress everyday. We are just grateful that he is not paralyzed. Time and time again our doctors told us that it truly is a miracle that he is not paralyzed. The way his bone broke, and the shards on bone surrounded the spinal cord should have punctured the cord, especially since he tried to go back to work after falling and then decided to drive to the emergency room without calling an ambulance. We feel truly blessed and have felt all your prayers and support. It has been so amazing to see how blessed we are with an unfailing support group. You all have kept us going through the good and bad days. We love you and thank you!