Keeping Busy

This last week Malone and I made a little extra cash! Yay! My dad's work had this house they wanted to get ready to rent out ( long story) so he asked Malone and I if we'd give it a paint job and clean it up so it could be rented out. So last Tuesday we recruited a friend of mine named Kishel from our ward and we started working on this house. I don't have ANY pictures at all! But it's this one bedroom house next to Broulims in Rigby. It's pretty old and when we got there, it was a mess! They had pets and so there were tons of pet stains, hair, and dirtyness... everywhere. Lets just say we had alot to work on! So the three of us over the last week worked on this house and gave it a paint job. The people that owned this house previously never cleaned this house. It was sooo gross! We learned alot about the people that used to live there just from little treasures we'd find. Some of the treasures we found include: lots and lots of cat/dog hair all over the house (they had at least 1 dog and 1 cat), kitty treats stuck to the back of the fridge, a prescription for the dog (whose name turned out to be ROCKO), a whole pack of birth control under the stove, about a dollar in change collected throughout the ouse, beer bottle caps, more fur, a humongous puddle of chocolate syrup in the fridge, little cat toys, about 2 inches of dust on the bedroom fan, a hidden doorway in the bedroom, a trap door that led to the basement, (did i mention lots of pet hair?)and lots and lots of urin stains. In the garage we found 3 car batteries, TONS of old oil, a vacuum, a mop, and 2 car battery chargers. It was quite the adventure. We all had a really good time and Kishel and I have become really good friends. I really wish I had pictures of the process because even though it was disgusting, we all had alot of fun!

Memorial Day Weekend

Malone has been begging for camping gear since Christmas. Finally last week we invested in a new tent, sleeping bags, and a cooler. The tent was on sale and it's an 8 man tent. It's huge and really nice! We got the sleeping bags on sale also for about $50 each and they zip together. They're similar to mummy bags only they're really roomy and cozy. We got a huge cooler for pretty cheap as well. Malone was pretty excited! We got to use our new camping gear this weekend when we had the lovely opportunity to go camping with Malone's family in Island Park. It was a blast! We rode four wheelers, played horse shoes, and roasted marshmallows and all that jazz. Sunday we went to church in Island Park. There were tons of people there! Afterwards, Malone and I decided to pack up our stuff in case the weather decided to go sour... which it did. It rained a TON on Sunday. Malone and I stayed a while longer, and then decided to go home. It was fun spending time with Malone's family. His little neices were soooo cute. I got a few shots of a couple events this weekend.

Me and Emily

Emily, Malone, Katie, and Hannah

I love family

This weekend Malone and I had the opportunity to spend lots and lots of time with my family! Marshall and Tiffany were in town for Parker's baptism this weekend. I loved just hanging out with the family! And I am so proud of Parker for being so brave and for wanting to be a member of this wonderful church. It was great seeing Marshall's kids Chan and Rowan too. It's been way too long! They are so cute and they are growing up so fast. I love my family. We always have so much fun together. I love you all!

Ahhh the sweet smell of freedom

So it's been about a week since school got out, and let me tell you... It's awesome. I sometimes wish I didn't have to go back, but then again... what life is there without school? I can't imagine it... I've been in school for 17 years. What do you do when you aren't in school?? Well, I am in the process of finding a second job for two reasons. One, we need the money. And two, I have to have something to do with all this new spare time I have and I might as well earn some money. haha! I haven't been as diligent in my "job searching" this week as Malone would have liked... cuz he really wants me to find a job now while there are some available. (which I understand). But I really wanted just one week without anything to do, and I have thoroughly enjoyed it. Now, I need to find things to do so I dont get fat and lazy this summer.

Malone and I have discussed getting up and working out together in the past. Many of our attempts have failed. Usually we just sleep in. But I am dang determined to get into shape this summer and get back into my jeans I wore in high school! haha I'm sure everyone can relate to that and one point in their life. I can't afford to grow out of all my jeans, SO we are going to start working out together again. This time we went to the gym here at our complex. It's actually pretty nice! We jumped on the eliptical and set a goal for a half an hour workout. I was amazed how fast the time flew on those things. I have forgotten how much I like them! I was able to go the entire time without stopping, unlike running I'd have to stop alot. It was a great workout. We did a few weights and were out of there in about an hour. We're hoping to get a workout in before Malone leaves for school everyday. I think we can both use the exercise and the extra energy!

Malone starts school tomorrow. He's not really looking forward to it. He struggles with school as much as I do, but he'll do fine. But I know that it meant alot to me to have him as a personal cheerleader, so that's what I'll do for him. I know he'll do great. He's alot better at dedicating time outside of school for homework and such. He's the "get the work done and then have fun" type... I'm the "have fun with the work if you absolutely have to work... or just put off the work until you're done having fun" type, which isn't always the best way to be. It drives Malone crazy I think haha.

We realized yesterday how busy our summer is going to be between the two of us. Family reunions, weddings, vacations, school, work, holidays, anniversaries (one year coming up i can't believe it!)... it'll be nuts! I think Malone really wants to go on a vacation just the two of us. We went to Utah for our honeymoon last year, and we really kindof wanted to do a little something more this year as kind of another "honeymoon" type thing. I think he's thinking Las Vegas... could be fun. We'll see.

We're still looking for an apartment. Our contract, like I said, is up this summer. We've come across a few that were interesting. I found one on craigslist that was the same price we're paying and it includes everything in the rent. I think they even allow animals... :D That would be awesome because we really want a puppy haha. May Riley rest in peace...

OH and one more thing--- here's a shout to good ol Dan Bennett! Congrats on getting engaged! We're sooo excited to meet this fine young lady! Anyway, hope everyone is doing great and hopefully we'll hear from you! Love you all!

The semester is over!

Finally! Winter semester is over! So, some of you may be wondering why I haven't written for so long. Did we drop off the planet? Actually it just got overwhelmingly busy! I think this semester took a toll on us both. We're both tired and really glad it's over. Malone starts spring semester on the 20th. He thought about deferring this semeseter because we're low on school funds this semester, but he decided to go part time with two classes. Malone has decided on majoring in Mechanical Engineering, and possibly eventually Civil engineering. BYUI offers civil engineering, but it's only an associates program here. So I think until I graduate, he will do the mechanical engineering thing and eventually we'll probably transfer somewhere else. The question is... when do I graduate? Good question. We'll see...
We had the opportunity to spend time with our families this weekend. It was alot of fun! Thursday was Parker's birthday. We had steak and played some games. Friday I worked all day and that night Malone and I went to his parent's for a little BBQ and games. Saturday, I got to spend some time with my mom and do some shopping. I was in desperate need for some jeans and khakis, and she bought me a new Easter dress. I'll have to take a picture and show you guys! It's so cute! Eventually Malone and I made it over to his parents for Easter dinner and an easter egg hunt with his family. It was so much fun!! Malone and his brothers hid the eggs for all the grandkids and we got to watch them all go at it. It's kindof funny being one of the "adults" now instead of the kid running around for the eggs. There were a few moments I wanted to! Sunday, Malone and I sang in the choir for the Easter program in our ward. That was fun and new! I think Malone really enjoyed it. He got to stand next to a friend of ours and had a good time. Afterwards we went to my parents and had dinner and an easter egg hunt. It was alot different having an easter egg hunt at my house versus Malone's house. There were like 8 grandkids at his parents house and 2 grandkids and Parker at my parents house. Anyway, we had alot of fun spending time and playing games with family this weekend.
At the moment, Malone and I are thinking of finding a new apartment. Perhaps one that is a little bigger. The one we have now is at the Village apartment complex and it is 543 sq. feet and we're paying $535/month including cable and internet . The complex is going to start making us pay a new price at $545/month including cable and internet. We want a bigger apartment for a good price. There's a new complex building 3 new buildings just down the road and we can be guaranteed an apartment there for August (after our contract here is up) if we sign up soon. The one we're looking at is a bigger 1 bedroom for about $20 more with free internet and cable, storage options, covered parking, reserved parking. It basically has alot more amenities and it seems like a big deal. We're still looking into it. I'll keep you all updated!

Let marriage begin

Hey everyone! I can't believe it's been over a month since I've updated. Things have really been busy since school started. Malone and my schedules have been crazy!

Malone is still working at Broulims in the dairy department. He's off track so working is pretty much all he does now. His schedule has allowed him to finally get a few more hours, which has been a blessing. Work has been busy now that school is back in. He also has weekends off so we can spend time together. During the week, we usually only see each other at night when he gets off work. He works in the afternoon from about 3 till 11 or so. He's been able to fit in some time to exercise with the extra time he has in the morning. Recently Malone has been working on keeping our second car running. I'll explain more about that later, but it's been quite the hassle lately!

I have been in school since the beginning of January. It's been a few weeks in now and I have been kept pretty busy! This semester I'm taking about 13.5 credits. I'm taking Intro. to Illustration, Building Eternal Marriage, Aerobics, Medieval Art History, Oil Painting, and Art Seminar. All of my classes are pretty hard except the marriage class. Generally my classes have been pushing me further and harder than any of the classes I've taken so far. Especially Intro to Illustration. I realized that this class would have benefited me more if I had just taken one or two more classes. I feel really unprepared and inexperienced for this class. Luckily I have a friend from the ward in the class with me. She's really good!
My aerobics class has literally made me work my butt off! The first day we basically checked to see where we were at physically with a few different exercises. Since then we've been doing alot of really fun stuff. I haven't taken aerobics since High School, so I feel like I'm a bit out of shape! I really like the class though. I feel so much better afterwards, even though I do get a bit tired and sore. I've been able to tell a little bit of a difference already.
Speaking of exercise, I wanted to mention that Malone and I have a goal to get in shape this year. Which is why we have both been trying to exercise this semester. I hope that this aerobics class helps!! It's only about 2 days a week, so I have to work out more outside of class...

The last class I wanted to mention was my oil painting class. It's been a challenge! I like the challenge though. It's like a puzzle. Trying to figure out colors and how things work together. The only thing I don't like about the class is 1. trying to clean after using oil paint. It's hard to clean up! and 2. standing on a hard concrete floor for 2 hours and 45 minutes kills my knees and feet! But other than that it's been good.

To be honest, I have been really frustrated with school this semester. There have been times I just wanted to quit. Two of my classes I'm taking needed some, basically, prerequisite classes taken first. So because I haven't taken those classes yet, it's making these classes alot harder. The teachers expect me to know more than I do... which is frustrating! But after looking at how far I've come and how much more school I have, I know I have to stick with it. I really only have about 2 semesters left ( if everything goes as planned ). So I can't quit now! I wish I could start school over and start in the direction I think I should have gone in the first place.... (did that make sense?). I think I should have gotten and associates in like medical assisting or something first. Then at least I could get a good paying job to help me afford this art major. I think I would have minored in Art. But, at this point I am majoring in Art with a cluster in Health science and possibly music. Oh well. I'm almost done and that's all that matters!

So, you might be wondering why I made the title to this "Let marriage begin". haha. Well, it's been 5 months since we've been married. And I think I can speak for both of us when I say that we have both learned alot! I undersestimated just how hard marriage can be sometimes. We are still trying to get use to living with each other. We are very opposite in many ways so both of us have really been trying to change our ways a bit... if that makes sense. Right now we're figuring out our tight budget and trying to make sure we are both on the same page as far as where our money is going. It's hard trying to share money!

We've also been trying to save enough money so we can eventually afford a car. We've been using the old Honda CRX ( for those who don't know about that honda, it's about the same age as I am and is basically falling apart now...). Luckily it's been working pretty well for us the past few months. These past couple weeks it's been giving us some trouble. The brakes were having issues, which we got fixed, and now the battery is bad and the alternator is going out. We are hoping it'll last just a bit longer so we can save some money for another car. Because with our schedules, sharing one car is going to be a huge hassle. So... if anyone knows of someone who is selling a decent car for relatively cheap, let me know!

But all in all, Malone and I have been very blessed in so many other ways. Even though money is tight, we have always had enough to support our needs. And I think that is a huge blessing. We still have 2 cars that run (barely haha) and take us where we need to go. We're both in good health, and have been able to receive a good education in a good school, in a good area with a beautiful temple only a couple miles away. And we have family nearby if we ever need anything. Thanks to everyone who has supported and helped us out.!We love you all! To be continued...

Christmas is almost here!

I don't know how everyone else keeps up on these things all the time. Maybe it's easier when you have kids and things are always changing. For Malone and I, things aren't too exciting! Since I wrote last, we have finally finished this semester of school. I think I can speak for both of us when I say it was a long semester! Last Friday, the 12th, was our last day. Malone will be off during the winter semester and I'll be right back in classes again. I think we both made it out with pretty decent grades. I am going to miss seeing my friends I made in my classes. I really haven't had much of a social life since we've been married, so having friends in class has been a highlight! (Sad isn't it?)

As far as classes for next semester, I will be looking forward to my first oil painting class. I've never really painted before. So this will be a big step for me! Unfortunately I'll have to buy all the supplies which can add up. Hopefully we won't go broke over it! I also get to look forward to my first Intro to Illustration class. Illustration is what I really want to do with this Art Degree ( in case anyone is wondering what I'm planning on! ). I'd love to be able to write and illustrate my own books. That would be the best! It'll be alot of work. I just hope I have the willpower to really reach all these goals. Sometimes they seem so out of reach for me! Anyway, I have other goals other than just career wise. I've been wanting to shed a couple pounds and I can't seem to motivate myself to get up and go. So, I signed up for an aerobics class for next semester. It should really kick my butt, which is what I need. We'll see how it goes! Chances are I'll be complaining about it, but I know it's for the best. I am also going to take a guitar class. Random right? I've always wanted to learn. I got a guitar for christmas a couple years back and I really don't even know how to play it. So, just for fun, I am going to take a class. We'll see how that goes too! There's a chance I might drop a few classes and go part time next semester... we'll see. It'd be best if I just got school over with already, but it gets overwhelming sometimes with all these credits.

Malone is hoping to get more hours at work. It'd really be good for us to get some extra cash while he is on break. So more hours means more time Malone is gone. I always miss him when he's gone. I come home from work at about 6 or so and just chill until he comes home at 11-11:30 at night. Usually he comes home around 8 for dinner for about 20 minutes, and then he's off again. He says he likes working. I think he just likes to be busy. I decided that I need to find more stuff to do so I don't get lonely! I need a life!

So far this winter has been chilly! I hate going outside! This week I've been filling in for a girl at work in the morning, so I have to get up super early to get to work on time. Malone has gotten up early to scrape my windows and warm up the car for me before I go to work. What a wonderful husband! We'll see how long that lasts haha. But the extra hours this week is a great blessing. I love going to work!

Malone and I are way excited for our first Christmas together. We borrowed a tree from my parents and put it up in our little apartment. It was hard making space for it, but totally worth it! We didn't have any decorations to put on it, so we made a trip to the dollar store and just bought some cheap ornaments for like 4 dollars and a couple strings of lights. It's a cute little tree. I just put some presents under it yesterday and it's so fun! Over the years my roomates and I never once had a tree. So it's way fun to have it in my home! I went shopping for Malone yesterday and bought a few things. Funny how our wants turn into needs. I think this year was the first time I put socks on my wish list! Anyway, I bought a few things I felt like Malone needed. His birthday is 3 days after Christmas, so I've been looking into buying a few more things for that.

Anyway, that's all I've got for now. Travel safe everyone!! Happy Holidays!