4 years down, 4 more to go...

Last Friday Scott and his sister, Heidi, graduated from Brigham Young University. I am so proud of him (and her). Scott has worked hard to keep up his good grades even though he has already been accepted into dental school. Graduating is a huge accomplishment. I keep asking Scott how he feels and all he can think about are the 4 years of dental school ahead of him. I know that when I graduated I felt liberated, and wish that he felt some sense of accomplishment. When I walked in August I was still finishing up an online class that I needed to meet my last graduation requirement. However, I still remember the relief I felt walking out of my last class EVER at BYU. The day of my last class was the day I received a promotion and the day that I went from working the graveyard shift to working day shifts. It was also my 1 year anniversary of being married to Scott.

Scott and Heidi graduated at the same time but on different parts of campus so we had it arranged for Scott to walk with Heidi at hers. When they got to Scott they hesitated because they were trying to figure out the relationship between him and Heidi. Scott just stood there on a stage with an, "Well, this is awkward" face. Man I love that boy.

Scott & I

Steve & Heidi

The wind kept blowing Scott's tassel.

Scott was mad that the cap was going to mess up his hair, and kept complaining about how stupid he looked in the cap, but I think he looked much better with it on. 

Being at their graduation made me think about the time I spent at BYU.  I loved my time at BYU. That is where I met some of my best friends Suzanne and Allie, and it is also where I met Scott. I was challenged spiritually, mentally, and sometimes physically depending on where I parked. I was able to gain a stronger testimony and meet people who lived the same standards as I did. BYU had a major role in helping me become the person that I am today. 

I am grateful for how everything worked out for me to come to BYU. In high school I knew that I wanted to go to College but I didn't really know where I wanted to go. All I knew is that I didn't want to go to BYU. Being from Provo, only the kids who were too afraid to leave home or the really goody-goody kids went to BYU, at least that was my excuse for why I would never go to BYU. 

I remember one of my friends, Marinda, telling me that the deadline was coming to apply to a few schools and thinking, "What? You've already applied to college?" I didn't realize that you applied so far in advance, so I scrambled to set up an appointment with one of my counselors so they could help me figure it out. He urged me apply to BYU, even if it wasn't a school I had intended to apply to. 

I applied to only 4 schools, Arizona State, University of Utah, Utah Valley State College, and BYU, hoping that I would make it into at least one of them with my mediocre grades.  My first acceptance was to UVSC, I was just relieved to know that if all else failed I would at least be able to go to college somewhere. Then I received my ASU acceptance and then my U of U acceptance. My step-mom, who I was really close with at the time, urged me to go to U of U, her alma mater. She even took me on a tour of the campus. I was having a hard time choosing, should I move far away from home and back to Arizona or stay in Utah and go to University of Utah? I had forgotten about my application to BYU until I came home from school a couple weeks later to find a letter waiting for me. I knew that a few of my friends from school had already been wait listed, so I was expecting to get the same letter. When I read the first line of the letter Congratulating me on my acceptance I was overwhelmed with the feeling that BYU was where I needed to be. I was a little frustrated. That was the school I didn't want to go to in the first place. In time I got used to the idea and made plans to go to BYU. Looking back on it and knowing what I do today I wouldn't have had it any other way. 

It's Gonna Be an Adventure

Step 1: Getting into Dental School

Scott has been able to interview with many of the schools he applied to over the past 6 months or so. Once the interviews were over we had to play the waiting game until December 3rd rolled around.  Dental schools can't send out acceptances until the December. Scott and I were in Florida and he was so worried that he would miss a call from one of the schools letting us know what our application status was. Luckily we didn't miss any calls, even though we were on roller coasters for a good majority of the day. We got exciting news from from a few schools, but not all the schools had made their decisions yet. Out of the schools we got accepted to UNLV seemed like the best choice, and we were excited to live in sunny, warm Las Vegas for the next four years. Scott has family there and one of my best friends from high school lives down there with her husband. As soon as we got the acceptance packet we made out a $750 check to hold Scott's spot for the entering class of 2013.

Step 2: Choosing a School

Last week Scott got an email from the director of admissions at Marquette letting him know that his acceptance letter was in the mail. We really had to think about what school would be the better fit for us. There were so many different things to consider. This was hard for me because I didn't go with Scott to Milwaukee when he interviewed and I have no idea what life would be like living in Wisconsin. After a lot of thought, and maybe a few tears (on my end), we decided on Marquette. (Too bad that deposit on UNLV is non-refundable)

If you don't know where Marquette is that's okay we had to look it up too. It looks like we will be moving this summer to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. If you still don't know where that is see the map below, Wisconsin is in red. The current temperature there as I write this is 1° F. So much for moving somewhere nice and warm for the next 4 years. Other than the weather we are very excited to be going to Marquette. It will definitely be different from what we are used to right now.

Step 3: Going to Dental School

We will be moving out to Wisconsin this summer, probably July or Beginning of August. That means I have 6 months or less to make plans with people before we leave. This may sound like a long time, but it seems like a lot of the time it takes that long to actually find something that will work between multiple people. 

Here are some of the things that make us excited to move to Wisconsin:

• We will have a place of our own, we have been living with my parents or Scott's parents since we have been married. It will be fun to finally have a place of our own, although it will be a bit more expensive. 
• Marquette has a good basketball team, it will be nice to be able to cheer for our school's team not just because we go there, but because they actually play well. 
• Wisconsin has the GreenBay packers to cheer for. They don't play too close to Milwaukee, but after Scott's favorite team, the Philadelphia Eagles, played so well this year we need a new team to cheer for. 
• It will be an adventure. We don't know anyone that lives out there so we will have to get outside our comfort zone and make some friends. 
• Chicago is only a couple hours away. I have only been to Chicago once when I was younger and Scott has never been. It will be fun living close enough to visit. Plus that is where the closest LDS temple is, and we have an excuse to go down every once in a while.
• Scott is excited that he gets to start working with patients his first year at Marquette instead of waiting for his third year had we gone to UNLV. 
• We get to make friends together. Right now it is my friends or Scott's friends (I like Scott's friends, and now consider them my friends too, but they will always be "Scott's friends"). With the friends we make while in Wisconsin they won't be just mine or just Scott's friend, we get to share them.

I don't know anyone in Wisconsin or anything about it. If you know someone who is familiar with Milwaukee and can give me the low-down on the good, the bad, and the ugly I would love to get some advice before we head out there. 

I'm Mormon, I know it, I live it, I love it!

I was raised in an LDS family, and growing up the whole family attended church regularly. However, over time the majority of my immediate family no longer would consider themselves "Mormon". Because of this, I often found myself in situations agreeing with them or not standing up for what I believe. Not because I was ashamed, but because I didn't want to have to defend myself against anything they might say. I bet that if you ask my family or some of my friends to describe me they might use the words "goody-goody", "safe", or "churchy".  I'm okay with that, there are much worse words that people could use to describe me.

I go to church every Sunday, and I enjoy it. I like learning about the gospel, and I like the principles that are taught. As mormons, we are expected to keep high standards, and I like keeping these standards. I'm not saying that I haven't ever broken a rule or two, but nobody is perfect. When I do something that isn't within church standards I don't feel guilty because I was taught not to do it. I feel guilty because it isn't aligned with who I am and who I want to be. 

I wake up every day and make a conscious decision to live my life the way that I want to live it. I don't live this way because I think I am better than anyone else or because I want people to think that I am just a really great person. I choose to live this way because this is who I am. I wouldn't feel comfortable living the way some of my family members are. I don't look down on the decisions my family has made and the way they conduct there life. It just isn't who I am. I know who I am and what I stand for. I think that is more than a lot of people can say. 

I am grateful for the influence that the church has had in my life. I have a testimony of the gospel and I am grateful for the understanding that it has given me. I know that Families can be together forever. I know that the Book of Mormon is true. I know that by following the standards outlined for members of the church I am becoming the person that I want to be. 

I'm Mormon, I know it, I live it, I love it.  

School... a thing of the past.

I graduated on August 10th, 2012. It's crazy to think that I don't have to straight from work to school every day. I have enjoyed the past couple of months being able to hang out and not have to worry about tests coming up or homework that is due.

Almost my whole family came to my graduation. It was great having everyone together in one place. I am so blessed to have both my husband's family and my family be so supportive of me. I love you all!

Jason, Me, Jocelynn(baby Rayne in her belly)

Mom and Me

Connor, Bella, Anna, Me Chase, Dad, Cat

Steve, Heidi, Dean, Lori, Me, Scott

One year down (plus 2 months), forever to go

So what if this blog post is a little late. Scott and I celebrated our one year anniversary back at the beginning of August. I still can't believe that it has already been a year and we are a couple months past the one year mark.

When we got married everyone said that it would be a big adjustment getting used to being married. For me and Scott it was pretty easy because we NEVER saw each other. You think I'm kidding, but there were weeks that we didn't see each other outside of me saying bye in the morning when I left for work and him waking me up to say he was home from work. I worked from 2am - 10am 5 days a week, and then went straight to school. He went to school and then he worked 2pm - 10pm. Which meant that I was in bed before he got home, and he was asleep when I left for work. Occasionally we got to study in the library together or one of us would have the day off. It all worked out though, we're as happy as can be.

What did we do to celebrate the fact that we reached the 1 year mark?

First we went to dinner at Red Lobster. Normally we go to PF Changs, but not this time. I had lobster for the first time, and it wasn't really what it's all cracked up to be. It was good, but I wouldn't say it was amazing or anything. 

Then we went to Fat Cats for a couple rounds of bowling. (Are they rounds when you are referring to bowling?) 

We even got matching shoes

He creamed me the first game so I didn't feel like it was a picture worthy score. I didn't do so bad the second time... 

Yeah, I got three strikes in the last frame, no big deal. 

Then we went home to enjoy a wonderful bit of this...

Frost bitten wedding cake.

 It didn't look as bad once it was cut. 

Scott kept asking if I was serious that we were each going to eat a bite of a year old cake. It was just one bite, and it actually kept pretty well in the freezer. 

August 6th also just so happened to be my last day of classes at BYU, as well as the first day of my normal 8-5 job. No more waking up at 1 in the morning!

Scott is amazing, and I am so happy to be married to him. He is the most patient person ever (he had to be when I was only getting a few hours of sleep at night). He is thoughtful, funny, always willing to help, smart, motivated, attractive, honest, hardworking, respectful, silly, confident, sexy, understanding, considerate, selfless, kissable, and best of all he is MINE. I love him so much and it has been great being married to him. I look forward to spending forever with him. 

We moved...

So this is probably old news to anybody who knows me, but Scott and I moved.

After Scott and I got married we moved into my mom's basement. It was great, we had our own space, I got to do all of the decorating and we didn't have to pay very much rent. My mom had told me that she was planning to go through and get the house ready so we could put a sign out front to see if we could sell it in three or four months. About a month after she started this project we were told that we had a buyer and a month to move out.

It couldn't have come at a worse time. I was trying to get all of my classes finished so I could graduate, and Scott was trying to get all of his stuff together for his dental school applications. We were just busy... and clock was ticking. This may or may not surprise you, but I put of getting all of my stuff packed up until the last minute possible. What I didn't realize was how much stuff someone could collect up until college. I had my room upstairs which contained all of my per-college life, and then the things I had collected since starting college that I kept in the basement.

It was weird to think that I no longer had a home. The place that I lived for half of my life wouldn't be a  place I would ever visit again. I think that half of everything I owned ended up going down to the nearest DI. Yet I still had plenty of boxes to take with me, and Scott still thinks I have too much stuff.

Well, we moved into Scott's parent's basement which has been great. It has been nice having a kitchen in the basement (although we still haven't used it much), their basement has a lot more space and we have a bigger bedroom. Rent is even cheaper here too. Moving was a pain, but now that it's all said and done it was definitely worth it.

The last day of the move we were packing up our bed and frame and we found this behind our bed.

We painted it on the wall when we painted the trim in our bedroom. I totally forgot that it was there until our bed was moved out of our room. I love Scott, and he was so excited when I told him I didn't care if he painted on the wall.

A Gift

Has it already been a month since my last post? I am happy to say that I am almost half way done with my  Spring term at BYU. After this term I will only have the few independent study classes and a 1 credit lab before I graduate. I am excited that I can finally start to see the end of the tunnel.

On mothers day Scott surprised me with a gift. You may be thinking to yourself, "I didn't know that Amber was a mom." I'm not.  But Scott's dad told him that Mother's Day is for your wife too, even if they aren't a mother. I have wanted one of these for a LONG time... now I just need to learn how to use it!