Nog on the Blog

The holiday season is nearly over, surprisingly enough I didn't cry the day we took the tree down. Brad and I enjoyed this holiday season trying to out-gift each other. I got a Toshiba laptop, several good books, lots of yummy chocolate treats, an alarm clock that I love, and a funky teal cover to keep my laptop safe in my backpack. Brad got a playstation 2, xbox, yummy treats, and an "I love Katie" t-shirt. Brad's parents came up to spend Christmas time with us. Julian and Ashley also came up for a pre-Christmas gift exchange. Christmas day we had Brad's parents, Kristen, Nate, Joey (my nephew not brother), Brian, Tia, Lydia and Ben all in our two bed-room apartment. It was slightly overwhelming but nice to have someone around for the holiday, unlike Thanksgiving.

To fulfill my promise to Brad I will now retell a story about egg nog during this holiday season. One evening after Christmas we were all sitting in the living room playing some of our new games. We decided to take a quick break to get some snacks to finish off the game. Tia asked Brian to get her a big cup of nog while she changed Ben's diaper. Brian poured Tia a cup, but also added a bountiful helping of Tapitio sauce to the cup. Tia drank a bunch of it before she realized that her nog was burning on the way down. Brian then took a drink after being accused of the debachery. He said you couldn't taste it. Then Brad took a sip and also proclaimed that the Tapitio did not kill the taste of nog. I finally took a drink to settle the dispute. Surprisingly enough you really couldn't taste the Tapitio! The only way you could tell there was Tapitio in the nog was by the red flecks and the strange burning in your mouth after you swallowed it.

Katie's Adventure at Southland Elementary!

So my first day of being at a real school was on Halloween, 2007. It was wild. I dressed up as a waitress. Most of the first graders didn't get my costume, they thought I was dressed up as a teacher. (Part of the confusion is because one of the kindergarten teachers wears an apron every day at school.) I have learned so much during my stay at Southland. One of the biggest things I've realized is that the personality of the teacher sets the mood for the classroom. Some of the classes I've been in I have just hated, but I realized it was mostly because the teacher was putting off a weird vibe that affected all of the kids. I have one more week after the Thanksgiving break and three more lessons to go. Overall my lessons have gone really well. I've been told by two of my observers that I am a "natural teacher" and that my lessons are really well prepared with good ideas. Everyone has been impressed with Liz and me. (Liz is the other cohort student, we carpool to the school and have the same mentor teacher so we're in the same class everyday, teaching and observing together.) Liz and I have also had a good time getting to know each other during our daily commute. It's been really nice to have someone to talk to on the way up and back each day about how my lessons went and different things that we notice in teachers and our new situation in general. The month of November has been wild because of this wonderful experience. I'm so excited to be done with school and start teaching! This picture is of me on my second day of school, notice I'm not wearing an apron.

Thanksgiving Day!

Today Brad and I had our own Thanksgiving meal. I made the turkey and green bean casserole, and Brad made the mashed potatoes and stuffing. It was a fantastic meal, but a strange feeling to have so much food and only two bodies to feed. Of course after cooking for so long and eating such a fine meal we did what most feasters would do, we napped for 3 hours. We were lucky that after we got people checked out of the motel no one came in or out while we cooked, ate, or napped...lucky us! I've included a picture of us and the gang during our delicious meal!
In other exciting news, Brad has decided on a major and "graduate" program. Brad is now majoring in philosophy which will only take him 3 more semesters! YAHOO! After that we will be moving to Phoenix, Arizona so Brad can attend a mechanic school called UTI. It is the best mechanic school in the country and is very prestigious. Since we know that Brad will be done in a year and a half, we've also decided that I will do an internship. This is also really exciting because it will give me some really good experience as a teacher and refine those skills I've been practicing. Then after Brad and I graduate we'll move to AZ the summer of 2008. We are way excited and both feel really motivated about school and work.

Preparation and more waiting

The latest occurrences in our family are not very happy. We have spent the last month looking forward to being pregnant. We are excited to have children but this pregnancy was not meant to be. Katie had a miscarriage last Saturday. Although we understand that it doesn't mean we won't have any children, it was still a sad and draining experience. We are on the bounce back now however, and have the opportunity to watch Lydia, our two year old niece and Joey, our one month old nephew. This adds a little light to the house and we enjoy playing with them. Lydia will pick up or leave on the floor anything she can reach. She also refuses to eat vegetables even with the enticement of a cookie. Joey does little but look around and make little noises. He looks just like his father Mr. Nate Nevins. Other than that we are both enjoying school and do little else. So I close this.

The Beach

To end our wonderful vacation to Oregon we all headed out to the beach! We stopped in Lincoln City, stayed on the beach in a house called Festivus at Depoe Bay, and frequented the streets of the wonderful Newport bay. One of the best days was spent in Newport. Brad and I both got to pick up live crabs and then chuck them back into the bay. This old man was crabbing and every three minutes he'd pull in his load of crabs. But most of the crabs ended up being too small to keep so he'd throw them back into the water. Brad and I watched this and were fascinated with the way that the little crabs scuttled around and raised their pinchers at imposing shoes. So we walked up behind a couple crabs and nabbed them, along with wonderful pictures to remember the moment. After that we went to see the Sea Lions that hang around below the raised docks; they're huge! I really enjoyed watching their interaction. Most of the sea lions were sun tanning on floating docks. However there were two of them that were in the water, and every time these two sea lions tried to get up onto the docks to join his fellows, the others would bite and hoot and holler. It was really interesting. And after all this we had the pleasure of visiting one of our favorite restaurants, THE CHOWDER BOWL! When Brad and I got home we walked down to the beach where we flew our kites, found a dead seal, and built a small sandcastle. The next day we got to go to the aquarium where we saw the awesome crab exhibit and posed for a picture in a sharks mouth! To top the whole experience off, the last night we spent at the beach we all went down at sunset to start a fire. We roasted marshmallows to make smores and talked and laughed till late. It was perfect.

The Falls

Shortly after our return from Seattle Matthew took Brad and I on a trip to some hidden water falls. Unfortunately after we had picked up our Little Caesar's pizza to eat up there, we realized that there were tons of other people who had discovered the falls as well. After eating our pizza we headed over to the falls to get a closer look. It was great because we could walk right up under the falls and get soaking wet. It was great fun, and only a little treacherous on the slippery rocks!

Trip to Seattle

Tuesday and Wednesday August 21 and 22 Brad, my lil' bro, Matt, and I went to Seattle. It was a pretty good time. The first day we went to the top of the Space Needle, meandered through the EMP and Science Fiction Museum, wandered around Pike's Place a little and went on an underground tour of Seattle. We also stopped at the Seattle temple for a few pics and then drove out to Wallace Falls to spend the night camping. Camping was only great because it cost $20. Other than that it was not an ideal way to spend the night, especially since our tent is technically only a two person tent. Needless to say it was cramped and HOT. The next day we got up and our first stop in Seattle was at the Olympic Sculpture Park. It is an outdoor museum of modern sculptures, definitely worth stopping to see if you spend any time in Seattle. Then we started to walk over to Pike's place again, however, before we got there we stopped at Anthony's. An expensive but delicious seafood restaurant right on the boardwalk. Brad had salmon pot pie, Matt had shrimp linguine and I had halibut covered in pineapple-kiwi salsa. YUM! After an early lunch we continued our trek through Pike's place market. This is truly a magnificent place to wander around. All sorts of vendors line two sides of the street. Brad and I ended up getting a really great Japanese painting and Matt bought a cool turtle thing. After wandering around for a couple hours we grabbed some of the best macaroni and cheese on the planet from Beecher's Handmade Cheese and then walked over to catch a ferry ride to Bainbridge island. That's pretty much it for the highlights, it was a great time and we all would like to go back again.

Moved and Working

We have moved and started our new motel management Job. At first it seemed a little overwhelming but then we realized that it is really easy. We are paid now to sit in our apartment and attend to occasional customers. Friday was the first day we sold out and the next day we found a broken window! (picture below) It has been very interesting. It isn't a top of the line establishment and as a result you don't shelter top of the line people. They leave us alone though, so we only sit here and enjoy ourselves. The job makes it possible for us to go to school and get paid well,We are very grateful for it. That's all we have to report.

Copper Mines and a Clutch's Demise

Yesterday we went to the Kennecott Copper Mine...one of the only man-made things visible from space. It is a massive open pit mine. It was pretty cool and we enjoyed ourselves while there. On the way home however, our car went POW! and started smoking. We managed to pull over and get out of the way. I believe the clutch is shot. We have to wait until Monday to see what will happen. We pulled the car home using a tow rope and Brian's SUV. This was much cheaper than a tow truck. This comes two days after a visit to the mechanic who proclaimed our car well cared for. Oh well. It really didn't ruin our day, and I am glad that it didn't happen on our way to Oregon.

Rowling's Best Yet

I just finished the new harry potter book. Katie and I went to a late night party to buy it. I stayed up all last night and got to chapter 25 before I stopped. Then today after church I finished it. All I can say is that it was awesome. The creativity that book shows is just phenomenal. I have to stay quiet while Katie reads now but I look forward to discussing it with her. For those of you who want to read it, Be exited. For those who don't care, I understand. Really though, What a great piece of children's literature. How awesome it is that Rowling has succeeded in helping children feel the desire to read a 759 page book. I am impressed. I don't mean to sound obsessed because I am not. I am simply on a good book high. In other good news Katie and I are now Motel managers and as a result no longer have to pay rent. The job is easy going and we get to move in to our new home on August the 1st. We just check people in and out and that's pretty much it. You can hear guests enter from the comfort of our living room and we get payed to wait for them plus, (as is mentioned above) NO RENT! We have much to look forward to.

Friday the 13th!

We had a wonderful date on Friday the 13th, and quite fitting considering the day. We went out with our dear friends, Brian and Katie Wall, and our dear relatives, Brian and Tia, to Brazillian food. And then...for the holiday mood we went to see the new Harry Potter movie. It was fabulous, and we consider it to be the best movie by far. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and returned home happily from our date.

Summer Lovin'

This summer we have set some goals to save a bunch of money since we have finally gotten ourselves out of debt! One of our goals is to go to Oregon and have a ridiculously fun time exploring and hanging out with my family! The other is to create an emergency financial fund ... aka a savings account that actually has money in it, imagine that. So we're pretty darn excited. But because of these goals we both have two jobs and are trying to get a third and we're also going to school this summer. So life is a little crazy, but we're still having a blast. We hope to find a job in the late afternoon/evenings that we both can do, so we spend some time together. So that's pretty much it for now! Ciao, Katie

Life and Water at Sterwart Falls, Memorial Day

This morning we arose at 5:17 am to acquaint ourselves with nature. We drove up to Sundance and embarked on a 4 mile hike to see a nearby waterfall. Katie dared not to venture down to the river as I, and was rewarded with rest and a bit more cleanliness. I scurried around the rocks looking for something not yet seen by human eyes and only found myself in danger. I owe my current health to a little stick that preserved me from falling. The hike back was a bit more relaxed and we drove home praising ourselves for finishing an activity before we would have normally been awake. We think ourselves tough and in-touch with nature now as we nestle ourselves on a couch next to a computer, listening to music. We'll use our stoves, sleep in our beds, cook in our microwaves and occasionally visit the outdoors when school and work schedules allow. For now however, we are in touch and have been touched by the glorious feeling of sunrises, forest and waterfalls early in the morning. I should allow Katie to complete this...

Mostly it was really great to be outside again. While Brad was Mountain Goatin' it up I sat on the top of the world, looking down at beautiful mountains and the waterfall. I also found lots of caterpillar friends! Anyways, it was a blast to run around outside and get some great exercise in the great outdoors!

Katie's Explanation of Bumpsky-and-Brad

Through inspiration of my brother and his wife we have decided to also create a little blog for ourselves.
History: we met in the magical city of London, September 2005, where we had the time of our lives getting to become best friends. We were married nine months later in the Medford, Oregon temple after which we immediately moved to Roosevelt, Utah. That was the strangest experience either of us have had. Although we learned some good things we still can't quite laugh about the whole experience.
August of 2006 we moved back to civilization, also known as Provo, Utah. Not the most exciting place in the world, but it provides cheap education and good friends.

I am an Elementary Education major with a minor in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. It is seriously such a blast to be learning. Brad also loves school and together we love to have philosophical, social, and educational debates over the things we learn in class and personal study.

Although we love school we occasionally skip class and work to play together. There is not much else we love more than to hang out with each other, goof with the bees, and make each other laugh.

A few of our favorite memories together include:
*The fire pit we dug in our backyard in Roosevelt, followed by a delicious weeny roast.
*The Doves Concert
*Rafting down Flaming Gorge
*Finding the frozen newt in the parking lot
*Going to Mesa Verde
*Avoiding a high speed crash after leaving Santa Fe
*Home fries at the Horseman's Haven
*The Chowder Bowl and Beverly Beach
*The delicious pizza in Ashland, OR
*Finding Bodacious Dr.
*Isotope baseball game in Albuquerque, NM
*Skipping through puddles after the Art Brut concert in London
*Birthday present shopping
*Nickle Creek concert
*Vista House wind
*Guillotine the game

Anyways, we are mostly keeping this blog as a journal of our outings, but hope that you friends and family might also like to see what we've been up to.

much love,
Katie

Brad's beginning of what's been going on...

Between longings and constant wonders we have decided to do this in an attempt to find Solace through in-personal communitcation. We have chosen to remain silent only because of the ease, but wish for those we have associated with in the past and the present to know of our doings if they so desire. Whether this be a journal entry or just another thing we will start just to ignore, is for the future to decide. We will see what choices we make and if we can use the Blog to retain the activities with due respect and proper accounts. If Katie will allow her Feelings to not control and Brad keep his pestimistic meanderings to himself, the blog will remain neutral and offend no one, but will be a place of records and occurences within the lives of two very in-love humans. Are own past is full of foreign lands and the sorting of social upbringings. New Mexico Vs. Oregon has been a wonderfully thrilling competition with only few wins and alot of ties. We spend lots of time in intellectual pursuits. We know nothing as of yet and are working to gain some sort of valuable know-how so we can be paid for its use in the near future. Outside of all this we find oursleves expressing alot of gratitude to each other and appreciating our situation as it stands. Good luck figuring this out because it is just as confusing as most of our preferences.

Brad