Phantom of the Opera!

I don't think I mentioned it before on here, but for our anniversary Spencer got us tickets to go see BYU's performace of Phantom of the Opera! Well yesterday was finally the day!

It was fabulous! I'm not going to pretend I'm some theater know-it-all, but the singing and acting was incredible and the stage effects were really cool. BYU has some amazing talent, even if I make fun of all the music, dance, and theater majors. :-) I've never seen the musical of it before, but I grew up watching the old movie at Grandma and Papa's when I'd have sleepovers with Janet, and I love the soundtrack from the newer version. Anyway, it was great, and I was glad to have a fun weeknight out with Spencer.

The evening leading up the show was not exactly what I had been hoping for though. On Wednesday night I started getting this cough and I thought it was just from all the air pollution stuck in the valley because of this inversion we're having. (We're way over government-approved air pollution levels right now -- whatever that means -- and the smog is so thick that the mountains look hazy.) I didn't think much of it, but I woke up achy and sore Thrusday morning. Although some of that may have been from my workout the day before. I went to school and work and by 4:00 I was completely miserable, had super bad chills, and a little headache to boot. Spencer finished up around 4:45 and I went home even though the lab didn't close for another 15 minutes. On the way to the car the cold air and my cough made it hard for me to breathe and I had a mini asthma type attack that kinda freaked me out. We stopped to get me some medicine and I took a nap for a while before we went to the show. I just couldn't waste our tickets. And I'm happy we went. I had envisioned getting all dressed up and curling my hair and looking really nice for our date, but I suppose most of it was spent in the dark anyway, so who cares if I looked pale and tired? Spencer didn't. Isn't he the best? :) I'm home sick today, even with the medicine, but I'm hoping that I'll feel better soon. I have 3 midterms next week that I've really got to study for and I can't afford to spend all weekend in bed.

Hodge Podge

I keep thinking that I need to blog a little bit, but nothing very big has really happened. So I'll just write about the random things that have been going on.

Last Saturday we went to Sushi with James and Miranda and a couple of their friends. We ended up going to this all-you-can-eat place in American Fork. It wasn't buffet style, and it was good. It was on the expensive end of what we actually spend to go out to eat (plus there's a sushi place in Orem), so we probably won't ever go there again, but it was fun and James really wanted us to try it out.

We got Patrick's Christmas present in the mail on Monday. He had mailed it to Mom and Dad, and they added some things and forwarded it to us. He got us a mini ping pong table! It's a lot of fun. That was our family home evening activity on Monday. Mom and Dad sent us both socks, which is exciting. I like new socks. And Mom got me a pretty bracelet that I really like. Thanks Mom and Dad! (and Patrick, but he won't see this)

We finally got the last of our textbooks in the mail, so that's good. Now I just have to start reading them... I've been good about reading for geology, just not for my plant classes.

I started working out 3 days a week in the mornings. That has felt great. I've been sore for the last week and a half, but it means that I'm doing something good for myself. Usually when I try to get into shape I focus mainly on running, but I've been doing an even mix of using the tredmill and weights because I want to actually tone up a bit.

Spencer's new favorite thing is the BYU hitlist. It's a website that advertises for companies in the Provo area and you click for a number. You can win coupons and prizes if your number matches the next winning number. He swears that today is the day we will win the $200 gift card. And if it's not today, it will be tomorrow. :-) It's kind of a cool marketing idea. The companies pay to advertise on it and "pay" the audience in coupons and gift cards. We're going to go use our free 3 oz of  frozen yogurt coupons tonight at Yogurtland!

Other than that I think we've just had school and work. Spencer and Ben started studying for the MCAT and will be taking it 4 months from today!! That's scary and exciting. Western Michigan and Central Michigan are both opening up brand new medical schools though, so we're happy about that and are feeling confident that we'll get in somewhere in Michigan, with 5 options there that we're planning on applying to. I think 4 of them have a PT school nearby.

We have a long weekend this weekend, so hopefully we'll find something fun to go do.

And it begins....

Classes started today. We had a nice, much-needed break this year. We had almost a week back here in Provo, so we worked a little, relaxed a lot, bought our textbooks, and caught up with some friends. We had  a game night with Ben and Sydney. (We are the Canasta champions! Nobody can beat us!) On Saturday I went shopping for fabric for a new dress with Sydney. And with coupons the materials for the dress only cost me like 15 dollars! Hopefully it'll be wearable when it's done. On Sunday we had a little reunion with our friend Dan. Dan was our friend freshman year, and he just got back from his mission. We made pizza and shared pictures, and tried to catch him up on missed youtube videos. It was nice to see him again. Oh, and I also worked on a little baby quilt for Caroline. I had extra fabric from the one that I made for Carrina and I had cut it all into squares months ago. It was pretty quick to piece the top and now I'm working on quilting it! It's little, but it's cute.

Classes this semester are looking pretty good. 19 credits again, this semester, but no evening classes. Just being able to go home at 5 each day will make a huge difference. Pretty much all of them are a little outside of my comfort zone as a student. I have two plant classes (biodiversity and classification) and a geology class. I'm trying to stay optimistic about them but, quite frankly, I don't think plants and rocks are all that exciting. But we shall see. Then I've got a few education classes, which have all been a waste of time in my experience so far. They aren't hard though. Oh, and I'm taking ecology. I don't even really know what you learn about in an ecology class, but I have had the professor before and I like him. I'll learn lots of new things this semester, even if none of them are super interesting. ;-) I actually do think that the classes will end up being more interesting than they sound. Benjamin is in my geology class with me and our professor is hilarious, so I'm excited for that one.

Spencer is taking the second half of o-chem, advanced human physiology with a lab, some microbiology classes, and a seminar about applying to medical school. It sounds like his first day went well, so that's good. We'll stay busy.

New Year's Resolutions

I've never really been a big "New Year's resolutions" fan. Something about calling it that makes me feel like I'll fail. haha. However, I do try to set goals and resolutions at the beginning of each semester, so I guess it's basically the same thing. I try not to set very many new goals at a time, because then I get overwhelmed and don't make progress at all. So, here they are.

I don't have class until 10:00 on M,W,F, but Spencer has class at 8:00, so I'm going to use the time to work out. It's been a while since I've really taken good care of my body, and this is a great opportunity. I am usually the one with 8:00 classes everyday. I could work or do homework during that time, but this is important too. I guess the way I've always felt about working out is not to be a certain weight, but to feel good about my body. I want to feel strong and capable. I want to not be huffing and puffing by the time I get up the hill to campus. I want to get to the point where going out for a run feels good and doesn't end in me wanting to cry. So, my goal is get into shape and take better care of my body. Not to be able to run 5 miles or a half-marathon, just to feel good.

Spencer and I want to improve our temple attendance. Going to the temple is such a sweet experience, and we are so blessed to have a temple 5 minutes away from us. Life gets busy, but we need to take advantage of that because we won't always be so lucky. I don't know why it's so hard to make time for it when every time we go I feel closer to God and my Savior and I feel peace, regardless of what's going on in my life. It's a blessing that we need to reach out and take more frequently.

Goodbye 2012

After Christmas we spent a few more days in Ironwood with everyone. It was fun to spend some time with Michael and Caroline and their kids. Next time we see them we'll get to meet that little baby girl! On Saturday morning we drove back down to Minneapolis. Spencer shadowed Tyler for 2 more shifts, and I got to spend some time with AnnaMarie and the kids.

For New Year's Eve, AnnaMarie and Tyler took us all out to eat at Famous Dave's. We came home and had some of the cake I made, and were in bed by 9:30. Spencer and I flew out at 6:30 am, so we had to leave for the airport around 4:45. I think James and Miranda stayed up until midnight though! :-) They didn't fly out until 11 or so. Flying that early in the morning isn't very much fun, but it was nice to get back into Provo by noon the next day. We (okay, Spencer did it) had to shovel our our gate and car (I cleared off the car), which took a while. There was about a foot of snow and good layer of ice. Plus the icy mess the plow left at the end of our little driveway. We took a run to the grocery store, and just enjoyed some down time at home together. 2012 went by fast. It was a great year, and I'm excited to see what 2013 brings us. It'll be a big year with the MCAT for Spencer, GRE for myself, and applications to schools. Hopefully medical and physical therapy school will move us a little bit closer to family.

Christmas 2012

Christmas was wonderful! Of course I waited for a week and a half to write this post, so I'll see what I can still remember. I absolutely love Christmas at our house, and this year I think we broke the record for the most presents under (around) a tree. Seriously, people.

We all got up and managed to get ready in the one bathroom upstairs before the kids got too anxious to get downstairs. In our house nobody is allowed downstairs to see the stockings and presents (all the bedrooms are upstairs) until everyone is dressed and ready to go. It makes for nicer looking Christmas morning pictures. :-) We get our stockings and pass out all of the presents, then go around opening one at a time so everyone can see what everyone else got. It took us 2 hours this year! The traditional Christmas breakfast at our house has always been pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream, scrambled eggs, and bacon/sausage. I love it.

We got lots of new games, which is exciting because we do play games whenever we get together with friends. Mom and Dad got us an awesome blender just before we left Utah. Seriously, that thing can blend anything. I'm excited to try some of the recipes that came with it. I had a really hard time with Christmas shopping this year. I ended up getting Spencer some headphones, and he got me a nice snuggly sweatshirt. We got lots of other things, including a good amount of Christmas candy, of course.Oh, and Auntie Janny got us the Joy of Cooking, so we tried our hand at making baguettes while we were still in Ironwood. That book has everything in it.

Anyway, Christmas morning was busy and a little chaotic and great. For the rest of the day we hung out and played with the kids. We got to Skype with all of Spencer's family, including Patrick, who is gone serving his mission for our church in Eugene, Oregon. Next Christmas we are hoping to get the whole family together for a family reunion/vacation. I'm hoping we go somewhere warm.

The next day AnnaMarie and Tyler left and Michael and Caroline arrived. We opened presents again with them. I finished up the Moore kids' aprons over Thanksgiving break, and they seemed to like them. I had a lot of fun making them and I hope the boys don't get too cool for them too fast. They were a great project for me to relax and take my mind off of school on Sundays.

And the pictures! (In no particular order)

We did our "make-up". I love all these girls!

Can you believe how HUGE that pile of presents was??

We made this for Christy's basketball game. It got her to laugh during her game, so I'd say it was a success. 

Sugar Cookies!

I love our Christmas staircase. 

AnnaMarie teaching Katie and Jane how to play mousetrap. They loved it.

Christy got Aiden laughing so hard by swinging him back and forth like this.

we did lots of this and it was great! Nice headphones, huh? :) 

Sophie and her fishy apron!

Lots of snuggles. 

Janny gave us some money to go to her friend's shop so we picked up some giant candy necklaces for the kids. 

 

And vido games.

Calvin's shark!

I'm pretty proud of this octopus. 

Our First Anniversary

Spencer and I celebrated our first anniversary by taking a little romantic getaway to Duluth. We stayed in a nice hotel in the canal park area, walked around the cute shops in the area, and had really good food. Dad gave us some money to go out to eat so we had lunch at Famous Dave's for lunch and went to a Japanese restaurant called Hanabi for dinner. It was so much fun! It was great to have a day to just be together and really not have a care in world.

It's funny how this past year went by so fast, but it feels like we've been married forever. We jumped right into our new life together and have loved it. Spencer has done such a great job of taking care of me. I love him more each day, and am so excited to see where our education and careers will take us. He's the best.

Here's a little recap of our first year:

We were sealed for time and eternity in the Chicago Temple,

had a beautiful reception where we very carefully fed each other cake, 

and drove off in a beautifully decorated car.

We took a honeymoon cruise to Mexico

where we had plenty of fun times,

like finding expensive soda

and snorkeling in Mexico! 

 We ate good food.

 We celebrated my birthday

and drove to Michigan, where we went boating,

horseback riding,

saw some waterfalls,

 

and found a good excuse to get all dressed up again. (Thanks Caroline!)

 We celebrated the 4th of July with a fun meal.

We made some awesome friends

who hiked the narrows with us.

 

  

 We got wet and finished in the dark,

but we all survived.  Even Laura. 

We went to a pumpkin patch to find the perfect pumpkins,

 worked hard at carving them,

 and had the best Jack-o-lanterns ever!

 We had a tie-dye themed birthday party for Spencer

so I could make this. 

 We hosted our first Thanksgiving dinner

for the whole Thornock family.

We even painted this guy. Okay, Spencer painted this guy.

And we did lots of smooching!