Taylor

I apologize in advance that this post is really long.

So this past week was Spring Break at UVU. It is the first time I have had spring break in four years. It was soooo nice to not have to go class. Unfortunately Karl didn't get a break. He still had to be responsible and go to school. So for spring break I went home to Nevada to visit my family and try to help out with everything that was going on. So for those who didn't get the whole story I thought I'd do an update on how Taylor is doing. At least what I know, which isn't tons.

In 2008 Taylor was diagnosed with Celiac disease (which means he can't eat glutten which is in flour and makes things hard) and Graves disease (hyperthyroidism). This all happened just before me and Karl got married and on top of that Tay ended up in the hospital with pneumonia. My parents are amazing for pulling all that off. Anyways, Tay has been on medicine to try and regulate his thyroid but whenever he goes on meds to slow it down he would flip to hypothyroidism, so they would try to speed it up and he would go back hyper. His turn over rate was way faster than it should be so they decided to try and do radioactive iodine (hereafter refered to as RI) therapy to just kill his thyroid so it would be easier to regulate his condition.

He was able to get this done last week while I was down there. I am such a nerd. I thought it was so cool that I got to watch Tay's scan and practice taking heart rates and blood pressures that weren't 120/80. That was a little scary though. Tay's heart rate was around 120 every time I took it and his blood pressure it was around 160/70. But I am really starting to think that I like nursing so that is good. Anyways.We went into Vegas on Wednesday to do a scan, then again Thursday morning for another one. After waiting around for a few hours (good thing March Madness had started) they were able to give him the RI to kill the thyroid. The dose was just low enough that he could come home (29.9 mg and max dose is 30 mg). He would just have to stay in his room so he wouldn't contaminate everyone else.

We got him home and he was doing really well. Then on Friday he started dry heaving (apparently nausea is a very rare side effect that no one told us about and Tay was lucky enough to get it). He wouldn't eat or drink anything. He just layed in bed all day (which is not normal for Tay. He didn't even want to play America's Funniest Home Videos, which is his favorite game.) By the end of the day he was throwing up, still wouldn't eat and ended up in the hospital. He came back Saturday morning super hydrated from being on an IV all night. He did a lot better, even managed a bite of apple sauce. But then that night he started throwing up again. All night. In the morning my dad was trying to get him to drink something. He told that that if he didn't drink and eat his ice chips he was going to have to go to the hospital. Tay just looked at him and said "Dad, those are two really bad choices." So he ended back in the hospital to stay Sunday afternoon.

But after being in there he started doing a lot better. They were able monitor him, keep an IV in so he wouldn't throw up everytime he took a sip of water, and give him meds to slow his heart rate and regulate his blood pressure. The official diagnosis--Thyrotoxicosis. Not for sure what that is but I am assuming he has toxic levels of thyroid hormones. Once they figured that out they were able to help him more.

He had to stay a little longer than expected because his blood pressure wouldn't stabalize but he is home now. Just got back this afternoon. He really is such a special kid. He never complains. Whenever I would ask how he was feeling it was either "Just great" "I feel better now (even when his didn't)" or "I'm ok". When he was constantly throwing up he just kept telling my mom that he was so sorry. I am so grateful he is a part of my family. He is just amazing.

So he is home now and he is doing a lot better. It was quite the Sping Break. I'm hoping the next one isn't quite as eventful.

Church Ball Madness

When I think March Madness I think about everyone excited to watch tons of basketball, games always on TV, fun brackets to fill out, and plenty of excuses to make treats (come on, you have to have something to munch on during the games). Church ball is pretty much the last thing I would have thought but apparently it fits right it, just not in the fun way.

I'm not really the biggest fan of Church ball because sometimes it gets crazy. I'm always scared Karl is going to get hurt so I just cringe the whole time. Fouls aren't the most consistent or just don't exist(depending on the ref). But I guess that is just part of the experience. But I swear basketball just has a way of bringing out the worst in people, or at least most of us. I swear Karl is immune to anger, he hardly lets anything phase him. The other people on the team and sideline, myself included, are not so fortunate. Last night was just another testament of that.

The end of the game was close and both sides were getting frustrated. There were a lot of fouls, a lot shoving, and I was just staring at the clock wishing the game would end so only two players (both on Karl's team) would be leaving with blood stains and Karl wouldn't be next. With not even a minute left I was reminded as to why I am not always a big fan of basketball. The refs made a call and the other team didn't like it.

Side note: I have no idea why anyone in their right mind would want to be a ref. No matter what you call people hate you. Even if you were somehow able to call a perfect game people still don't like you. It just seems like a no win situation. Back to my story.

So they made a call and the other team went crazy! They were screaming at the ref from the court, the bench, and even the spectators were getting in on it. I couldn't believe it. Confession, I don't always agree with the ref, in fact I rarely do. But that doesn't give you license to yell across the gym at them. We were in a church for crying out loud. And the refs are just volunteers. At least professionals get paid to have people hate them. It was ridiculous. So the refs caved and changed their call. Our team ended up losing by two. I was just glad it ended.

But the whole point of this is that I am so impressed with Karl and James. They were both frustrated about the calls and how the game went but they didn't freak out or get angry. Karl was talking about the game on the way home, about different plays and calls, but he wasn't angry or upset, he didn't bash the refs or the other team. He just took it all. Cami has said the same thing about James. I think it must be a Jepson gene. I'm more on the opposite end of the spectrum but I'm working on it. So I'd just like to say thanks you guys for your good examples and Karl, thanks for being such a good influence on me. I don't know where I'd be without you.

Valentine's Week Fun

I have decided I love Valentine's Day landing on Sunday. It makes it last so much longer. On Saturday Karl and I were able to go "help out" at Love is Blind, a fundraiser Tony organized for UFB. Our "help" consisted of checking people in and directing them to their seats. Then we were able to join in the fun. Just for the record, eating blindfolded is HARD!!! I have so much more respect for the visually impaired. I felt like I was going to knock my cup over every time I went for a drink. Half the time I thought I had something on my fork and ended up with nothing. And when something did end up in my mouth I was always surprised at what I was eating and got half of it smeared all over my face. Needless to say I think I need more practice. But it was really fun and a good experience. I highly recommend that as a date. Just make dinner and then eat blindfolded (make sure to peak every once in awhile because it is pretty funny to watch other people struggle just as much as you are). It will make for a very entertaining evening.

On the actual Sunday of Valentine's Day Karl was so cute. He got me a bag of suckers that had five clues in it. The clues were for dates for the rest of the week, but I had to figure them out by the end of the day or we couldn't do them. The end result was this...

After discovering "what President Monson would take and where he would go if there was a big leak we ended up at the Hogle Zoo. I had never been and it was a blast. Here are a few fun facts I gleaned. Scorpions glow under black lights (better file that one away for my next trip to Nevada. I hate those things), chimps like to play hide and seek, and if you are actively being attacked by a bear use anything available to try and defend yourself (now why didn't I think of that?). Here are a few pictures to go along with it.






Karl was getting in touch with his inner bat.











They have an amazing kids area. I fit right in.













The chimp was playing hide and seek in the sheets. Guess they like their privacy too.







These are the biggest turtles I have ever seen. They get to about 500 pounds and live to be about 200 years. CRAZY!!
















And here is the gross giraffe. It was getting close and personal when giraffe 2 started going to the bathroom. At first giraffe 1 looked really grossed out, then after a minute it went back for seconds. Can anyone say disgusting?

So all in all it was a very interesting trip. It rained the whole time we were there but it was nice because it kept the crowds small. I loved being able to just spend time with Karl. School keeps us both busy so it was great to just relax.

Who knew?

Who knew transferring schools would be so complicated? I have been in school for almost a month and finally finished jumping through all the hoops (knock on wood). I thought that getting into the school and being accepted into the nursing program would be the hard part but that was just the beginning. There was also:

Meeting with an academic adviser and filing a petition to switch my major. That is what happens when you wait til you are a senior.

Filling out an application to defer a semester, which included getting an ecclesiastical endorsement.

And transferring my financial aid. That was the toughest one. The advisers at the different schools kept telling me different things that I needed to do. I had to go in person to try and cancel my aid and BYU which resulted in them revoking my financial aid from fall semester. So I got to go back in to get that fixed. Turn in multiple copies of my high school transcript. Track down confirmation of cancellation at BYU. Send in another college transcript. And FINALLY, after about 15 visits to the different offices, I am done. At least I hope so. Just waiting on the financial aid reimbursement which should be coming to my account in the next few days.

So the beginning of this semester has been a little hectic, busy, and stressful. Those three things took five weeks to resolve, but I have kind of liked it. I love having things to do and planning (I know I am lame but I think check lists are the coolest things ever). My plans had to change daily for awhile there, but now everything has settled down, hopefully worked out, and there is nothing left to worry about except school.

Tests here I come!

My Firsts of 2009

I know probably would have been a little more appropriate if I had put this up before New Years but I have been thinking about this past year and realized that not only were there quite a few changes in my life, but a lot of firsts too. So I made a list and I'm going to share a few.

So here are my firsts:

1. New Years Kiss (This may not seem like a big deal but it was pretty nice for me)
2. apartment/car/insurance/etc.
3. Even considered going to a different school than BYU.
4. Worked while going to school
5. Didn't go home for the summer
6. Went to a Drive-in movie with just Karl (usually there is a big group going but he surprised me for my birthday) and left after the first movie (we even stayed for Star Wars Attack of the Clones one time but when you get married I swear you just can't stay up as late anymore. By 10 you are dead tired.)
7. Went to summer school
8. Went to Carpinteria, CA (I totally recommend it. There are HUNDREDS if seals in the spring)
9. Took an Independent Study course
10. Got a 4.0 for a semester (Granted I was only taking 6.5 credits but one was chem)
11. First summer with Karl (It is much better than just occasional visit)
12. Camping at Moon Lake/with Karl's family
13. Going up Spanish Fork Canyon (The hot springs are gorgeous!)
14. Going to the Dr. while on our own insurance (that was a rude awakening)
15. Got accepted into a Nursing Program (and it is at UVU so this year is the first time I have ever attended a different University)
16. Have a bus pass
17. Not been with my Adams family for Christmas/First Christmas with Karl
18. Moved more than twice in one year (We are on move number 6. Thanks everyone for the help)
19. Wedding Anniversary (It's a one and only but it was the conclusion to our first year of marriage so it counts)
20. Went to San Fransisco, CA (Wicked was amazing and it is such a pretty city. Next time Alcatraz)

Anyways not that exciting but was a really fun year. Hope it was great for everyone else and that you had a few firsts too.

We Almost Died!

I know that I tend to say this a lot but this time it is true. I have decided that snow is not always a good thing. Today at work I got to shovel snow for the first time. It was pretty fun but it may have been a bit much for the first time. I was outside shoveling for four hours.

But, that was just a side note. Here's what I was getting at. Today we were driving home from school. I was quizzing Karl on O Chem while he was driving when suddenly a white PT Cruiser started spinning out of control on the freeway. It spun a few times and then was facing oncoming traffic. I am really glad I was not in that car. But then the car started to go in reverse, right at us! Karl had to swerve to get out of the way and I thought for sure we were going to get into an accident. That Cruiser was only missed us by inches. Fortunately no one was hurt. We were fine and the other cars saw what was happening so the Cruiser didn't get hit either. What a day.
This is what almost hit us. I knew there was a reasont I don't like those cars.

Christmas Time Again

I LOVE Christmas. I love the lights, the decorations, and the fact that everyone seems a little nicer than usual, and the music is amazing. I have to say my favorite is "Baby it's Cold Outside." And when it is for Christmas I even love shopping. Especially when it is for Karl. I'm having a hard time controlling myself because I just want to get him everything. And with the Christmas season comes the end of the semester. With only three more days of class and then finals we are almost done for the year! So Merry Christmas everyone!

Here we go again

He did it again.

The best stuff always happens when I am really tired and just want to sleep. I was up doing homework until about 2:30 in the morning and was finally going to bed. Karl stayed up with me til about 11:30 but then he was out. (This is what happens when you get married. You used to be able to stay up til 3 and get up at 6:30 and you were fine. Now, anything after 11 is really late.) I was so tired and finally fell asleep; then I heard him talking. He kept repeating something over and over. I finally rolled over and looked at him. He was sitting up in bed, looking at me and kept saying "Dive! Dive!" (Looking back I'm really hoping he wasn't saying Die! Die!) Then all of a sudden he said "Dive!!" really loud and jumped on top of me. I was completely pinned and couldn't really breathe. Then he just gave me a squeeze, rolled over, and went back to bed. Living with Karl is quite the adventure. :)

Adventures in Sleep Talking

I always wanted to marry someone who slept talked. I thought it would be so much fun and I am a really light sleeper so I wake up to practically everything. I got my wish. Karl is hilarious. Most of the time he just yells something or says a few words but everyone once in awhile it gets interesting. Here are a few of my favorite stories.

Karl sat up in bed and said "We gotta go." I started asking where we were going and he got out of bed started walking to the door and said, "Come on, we gotta go, we gotta go." So I got up and started following him. I knew he was asleep but I was really curious as to "where we had to go." Plus we lived on the third floor and I didn't want to find out in the morning that we had to go skydiving or something off our balcony. That would not have been good. But we got out into the living room and Karl stopped and started looking around. I asked him where we were going. He looked confused and said " I have to go to the bathroom. " I decided I did not need to go with him and went back to bed. The next thing I heard was him opening the fridge and getting a drink. Then he was back and asleep in like two seconds.

I don't know what Karl was dreaming about last week but he started talking. I really need to keep a notebook and start writing these things down. But he was giving someone long and detailed instructions and ended with "Dan....ger....ous." So whatever they were doing was apparently hazardous to their health.

But I really just wanted to tell this last story. It has been his most interactive so far, and it happened a few days ago so I actually remember a lot about it. I was exhausted and Karl started talking. Usually I try to listen but this time I just wanted to go back to sleep. He kept saying things like "Where is he?" "Where did he go?" All of a sudden he started poking me really hard and started talking to me. The following is our conversation (complete with my thoughts for full effect)
Me: (Ouch. What the heck) "What?"
Karl: "Where is he?"
Me: (Get off me, stop poking me) "Who"
Karl: "Our son."
Me: "I don't know." (Quit it, that hurts) "Why?"
Finally he stopped poking me and started saying "Where is he? Where'd he go?" Then he started sounding really pleased with himself like you could tell he was smiling and started staying "We're going to find him." over and over. Then he rolled over, started breathing really deeply, and was back asleep.

I've tried to have a conversation with him while he was sleep talking before and it has never worked so that was really fun. But next time I hope we can do that without the poking. I really thought I was going to have bruises in the morning. He obviously wanted answers. ;)

But that is Karl. I was right to want to marry a sleep talker. It is a lot of fun.

A Little Background: Part 3 (The Proposal)

When we got back to school we kept dating and it was great. We spent as much time as we possibly could together. During the summer we had talked about getting married and when we were actually together that came up a lot more. Karl didn't like my original plan. Can't say that I blame him. I thought we should get married August 2009 (meaning we would just barely have gotten married 2 months ago) so that I could plan it with with my mom over the summer to reduce stress and we could both work so we wouldn't be broke starting out. I'm really glad he put his foot down on that plan.

Next we were talking about April 2009 after school was out. That way my sister who was on a mission in Norway at the time would be home. Then we found out her Mission President gave her permission to come home in December so she could start school in January. So we went from August 2009 to April 24, 2009 to our official date December 27, 2008.

Karl proposed to me October 23, 2008. The night before we had been talking and Karl told me that he had asked my dad if he could marry me. During the course of the night he told me he had been planning on asking me to marry him the next day but was going to wait now to make it more of a surprise. I was pretty bummed that he wasn't planning the next day anymore, but at least I knew it was coming and I had something planned for the next night to distract me, I was supposed to be going to a play with my roommates.

Then I found out we couldn't go to the play, my roommates had other plans for that night, going to the play was only supposed to be a rouse to throw me off. So one: I wasn't getting proposed to that night. Two: I didn't even get to see Aida. And three: I had to go to a paper review. It was not my night. Karl dropped me off at my review and I kept hoping the whole time that maybe he would just propose to me anyways. That would be so great! So I started getting really excited again and couldn't wait for Karl to come and pick me up. Well, when he picked me up he asked me what I wanted to do that night. That burst my bubble. If he was asking me he obviously didn't have anything planned.

We decided to go watch a movie on my lap top. I sort of directed Karl to a place to watch it. Then we went for a little walk. It was dark when we started walking down the path where we first held hands. We were just talking and then Karl pulled me down a side trail towards the river. There was a table lit with candlesticks and set with roses and dinner for two. He led me to a flat rock that was covered in blankets and gave me the sweetest letter in the world. Then he knelt down, took my hand and asked me to marry him. It was perfect. I have always loved water and dreamed of getting proposed to by a waterfall so this was perfect for me. It was beautiful, there was running water with a waterfall in the background and the best man in the world told me he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me. I was on cloud nine. It was the best night in the world.

The next day we went home for my brothers 16th birthday and a friends homecoming so I got to show off my new fiance and ring. I have the greatest guy in the entire world. He's awesome. I just wanted to let everyone to know. :)

We were married two months later, December 27th, at 11:20 in the St. George Temple.

A Little Background: Part 2 (The dating year)

Karl is one of those guys you can go to when you are having a hard time. My roommate situation at Raintree wasn’t the best and we were always having problems. Karl was always there for me, letting me vent and cry to him after something had happened. We used to go on long walks and just talk. First it was because of the roommate thing, then it just evolved. We started “hanging out” every night. Sometimes with our other friends but a lot of the time we would just go on walks by ourselves and talk. I just kept falling for him more and more. He was so nice to me. After about two months of this Karl got brave.

We were on one of our walks by the river that ran behind our complex. It is a gorgeous trail and at the end there is a tunnel that is a little scary. Sometimes there are homeless people under there at night so I really don’t like it, but Karl convinced me to go through. On our return trip through the pitch dark tunnel, I was holding onto him with a death grip I was so scared, he grabbed my hand. [I’d never really been in a relationship before so I throughout our story I am continually doing stupid things. Bear with me.] I was so happy and excited, but I didn’t want it to be awkward, so what did I do? I started talking a mile a minute. I was so nervous. Karl thought it was hilarious. I know, I am so smooth.

A few days later we went on our first official date. We went to the corn maze at Thanksgiving Point. Karl held my hand the whole time and I couldn’t stop smiling. I thought it was the best date in the world. After that we kept dating and seeing each other every night. A month later Karl got brave again.

I just want to preface this story with I was sick at this time. Alright, moving forward. We were in our complex clubhouse talking and hanging out. I was a little out of it but we were having a great time. Karl started to lean in to kiss me. So what did I do? I hugged him. About a second later I realized what was going on and I felt so stupid. Yeah, didn’t turn away because I didn’t want him to kiss me. I turned because I am retarded and didn’t realize what was going on until it was too late. I blame it on the fact that I was in a haze from being sick. So that was Karl’s first attempt. Fortunately he didn’t give up on me. He kissed me the next day. (yay!)

We kept dating the rest of the year and through the summer. That part was miserable because I was in Nevada and Karl was in Utah, but we made it. Two months after we were back at school he proposed.

A Little Background (Part 1)

I'm still trying to figure out this whole blogging thing. I know there is a part where you can tell about yourself but until I find it I figured I could tell about us in a post.

A little background Part 1- How we met

Karl and I met our freshman year at BYU. It was the winter semester and Karl had moved in with one of my best friends from high school. Our beginning were a little violent. The first time I ever saw Karl I was cleaning his kitchen. Ok, freshmen dorms are disgusting. There were no clean dishes in the whole apartment and they were now eating out of tupperware to avoid doing dishes. It was time for intervention. So while Aurelia (one of my roommates and best friends) did dishes with Chris, I attempted to clean the oven. It was at that moment Karl entered the room. The only problem was that I was bent over by the door so he hit me in the head. He apparently didn't notice because he didn't say a word to me. He just got food and left. So I continued cleaning. I guess he forgot something because he came back, hit me in the head with the door again, and this time he spoke. But was is to say sorry? Nope. It was "You guys really shouldn't be cleaning for them." And that was my first encounter with Karl.

I guess you could say our relationship had a violent beginning. First he hits me twice with a door. The next example was while we were playing basketball. I played basketball in high school and have always been a bit aggressive. Guys tend to not play rough against girls, which I guess is a good thing, but I thought it was a little annoying because I wanted to play. During one play Karl was guarding me. I started pushing him and was pretty much shocked when he pushed me back. But I liked it a lot. He didn't let me walk all over him. I guess you could say it was love at first shove. :) After that we kept hanging out and talking and we got to be really good friends.
















Here we are as freshman. I never realized I had such chubby cheeks.















When I went home for the summer I had a huge crush on Karl and couldn't wait to get back to Utah to hang out with him. We convinced him to live at Raintree with us and it was great. He was just a few buildings over. We were still really good friends and kept hanging out until one day... Stay tuned for the rest of the story. (meaning, i have to go to class right now)

Suprise Dates Are Great

It's been pretty hard spending time with Karl because of our work schedules but Karl finally had a day off on Monday and I now work from 12-4 so we actually had an evening together! Karl came and picked me up from campus and then gave me about 20 minutes to get ready for a date. So here's the before we leave pic.


First stop, Olive Garden. I definitely recommend the unlimited pasta bowl with Creamy Florentine Sauce. It was amazing. But I ate way too much. Surprise dates are great but sometimes some advanced warning is a good thing.

Next stop was a long drive up the Spanish Fork canyon. We went on a gorgeous hike.


There was a river that followed the path the entire way with little waterfalls, lots of trees, it was one of the most beautiful hikes I've ever been on.


The higher we got the water started to look milky. It was really cool because it was getting dark and the water almost seemed to glow.


The hike alone would have been amazing but, as you might have guessed from my wearing a bathing suit there was more than just a hike. When we got to the top there was a big waterfall and two different sets of warm springs.

This is as close as we got to the top one. I didn't really feel like getting any closer to the nude man enjoying those ones. But that just means we'll have to go back again. Plus the lower pools were so pretty I was quite content to just stay there.






















The water was the perfect temperature. There were even a few really short natural slides between the pools.




So in summary. Karl is the master of surprise dates. One, he can keep them a surprise. And two, he can plan the best dates ever. So if you want to go on a gorgeous hike just let us know because we want to head up again sometime soon and it is worth the drive.

Oh and side note. We got to hike back to the car in the pitch black because we didn't have a flashlight but that just added to the adventure. :)

First Week of No School

This week did not go quite as planned. I was thinking that because I didn't have school anymore I would be able to see a lot more of Karl. False. I calculated it and of a roughly 144 possible hours I saw Karl for about 33 of those. I think it's retarded. I swear I saw more of him when we were dating than I do now that we are married.

But it has been a pretty good, pretty busy week. Here's the update.
Monday
I already gave a basic synopsis so after we got back we had lunch and then Karl left for work. Fun day. :)

Tuesday
At Thanksgiving Point they have Two-Buck Tuesdays during the month of August so we got up early and headed out for a morning date. Karl took me to the Gardens last year and I fell in love with them. There were lots of people so we didn't really get to take tons of pictures but here are a few.




It's such a pretty place. I definitely recommend it.

After about an hour of the Gardens we had to head back because Karl was going in early to work. But we had a great time.





Wednesday
Karl Finally had a whole day off!!! It was great. We got to run errands. :) I got my official UVU id card. Hopefully I'll be using it in the winter. But the great thing about having it now is that it is also my buss pass and I only had to pay 20 dollars for it instead of the 65 bucks a month of 120 for a year discount from BYU. We also got a new toaster. My old one broke awhile ago and of course we accidentally returned the one we got for our wedding. Good thing for gift cards. I am rediscovering how much I love toast.

Then we went on a mid-day date to the dollar theater to se Angels and Demons (we both liked it) and then it was my turn to leave for work. Karl went fishing with his dad while I was gone. Neither one of them caught a fish but I'm glad they were able to spend time together.

After work it was time for another date. By the way, if you didn't know it, Karl has a sixth sense. He just knows things. It is impossible to suprise this kid. I said I wanted to take him on a suprise date and from that he knew we were going to the Nicklecade. I don't know how he does it. But it was a really fun day. I loved being able to be with Karl that much. If you haven't noticed we try to take advantage of the time we do get together. :)

Thursday
We made French Toast and watched the third Mummy movie before Karl left for work.

Friday
This was the first time I have slept on the couch during our marriage. Don't worry, we didn't get into a fight. I've been a little sick lately and it makes it hard to sleep. I have a cough and a runny nose and it just isn't very conducive to sleeping. So since Karl only had about 5 and a half hours between when he got home and when he left for work again I opted for the couch so he could actually get some sleep.

I went into Salt Lake to visit some friends from home. It was nice to not be alone. It was my last official day of my 4pm-8pm custodial job. I'm so excited. Starting Monday I will be in a new area, get done at 4, and I get paid more. Life is good.

Saturday
Didn't get to see him much Saturday either. Slept in til 10 and Karl had to be at work by 10:45. We had a ward activity up in Provo Canyon. It was a lot of fun but considering we are in a married ward and everybody had their spouse with them, it kind of rubbed in the fact that I was all alone. So as soon as it was done I went straight to Karl's work and hung out with him for the rest of the night.

That has pretty much been our week. When Karl isn't home I just do dishes, mope around missing him, or attempt to pack our apartment. I should do more of that considering we are moving next week. But we are doing good, surviving, and are excited for when Karl is done with that job so we can see more of each other. :)

All Dressed Up With No Where To Go

Monday was a little disappointing. I have discovered I love looking at free stuff on craigslist just to see what you could potentially get for nothing. One day there were free pictures. I emailed the girl just for fun and it turned out she really needed to take bridals to expand her portfolio. I though, "Sweet. I get to attempt to be pretty again in my wedding dress and take more pictures with Karl." I thought it sounded great. Karl on the other hand wasn't quite as excited as me, but he was willing to go along with it because he could tell I wanted to do it. Isn't he good to me?

Well, Monday rolled around and I got up really early to attempt to look cute. I have never really been into hair or make up. I spent most of High School with my hair in a pony tail and was introduced to eye liner and shadow during my second semester of college. So the task ahead seemed pretty daunting. But two and a half hours later I was pretty pleased with myself.














This was my first attempt EVER at trying to do an up-do ( or anything semi complicated for that matter) and I think it turned out rather well.















And my attempt at bridal make up. Still got a ways to go with that one. But still, it's pretty good for me.

Well we get all the way out to Santaquin where we are supposed to be taking pictures and the girl calls, says she just woke up, she'd been in the ER all night and she can't take picture today. So the morning that Karl has off was wasted driving to no where to not take pictures that he didn't want in the first place. I felt really bad but he was a good sport about it. She said she wanted to reschedule though because she needed bridals and none of her friends fit into their dresses anymore so we'll see if that ever happens. But looking on the brightside I discovered that there is truth in the saying "You can do anything if you put you mind to it." Who knew?

Summer Vacation At Last!!...Sort Of

School is finally done for the summer!!!... and it starts again in two weeks. But that is ok. That means two weeks without homework which means there is now time to pack, study for a nursing entrance exam, and my personal favorite...spend time with Karl.

These past few weeks have been a little crazy in that department. Karl has been pulling eight hour days every day in Spanish Fork Canyon. Last Sunday he had to work too and that was from 9 to 9. He does get Saturday's off but that is because he has his other job which goes from 11 am to roughly 11 pm. Let's couple that with my school schedule shall we. I would be out the door leaving for school at 7:30 am and wouldn't get home until about 2:10. To be at work on time Karl has to leave at 2 and doesn't get home until about midnight. That means very little time of being able to be together. So I have decided that even if break is only two weeks long it will be heaven. AND Karl get's Wednesday off this week. I'm so excited!

With the school year there are going to be some changes too. We currently live in Wymount Terrace. It has been such a great experience. We love our ward, the apartments are pretty nice (except the small factor of cinder block walls and no air conditioner but you learn to love it), and it's only about a 15 minute walk to school. At the end of the month we are going to be moving to Draper and living with Karl's sister Rachel. We are both really excited about that. Rachel just bought a house that is right off the freeway (which will be really nice since we will be commuting), it is brand new (still being built at the moment), and we get to live with her. This means game nights and I am really excited to watch those two watch football together. They are both HUGE fans. I've learned a lot about college football and the NBA from just sitting in the car with those two. Don't get me wrong, I like football too but more for the atmosphere that comes with it. It should be fun watching and listening to those two when the games are on. I'll keep you posted.

Like Mother Like Son

I have being trying to figure out what to do for Karl's birthday since the beginning of July. It's not til September 4th but I wanted to be prepared. I finally decided on a surprise camping trip. Then Karl's family invited us to go camping with them at a place called Moon Lake. Unfortunately we couldn't go because I had to work. Then inspiration stuck. I was going to take him before his birthday anyways, why not go somewhere nice that he really wants to go to?


So I devised a surprise. I got two days off of work, packed everything in the car while Karl was at work, got directions, made cupcakes, and thought I did a pretty good job keeping everything secret. Apparently I was wrong. Karl got suspicious somehow. I had been texting Tony to get things coordinated. He checked my phone, I'd erased everything but he knew something was up.



Apparently he gets it from Ann. I've heard stories that she is very good at figuring things out. Anyways. When it was time to leave I tried to trick him by running to the bank and library before he dropped me off for work. Then I insisted on driving and we went up the canyon instead. Karl was so happy. He said he had been excited about it all morning and was wondering when we were going to leave. Good thing we were really going or else he would have been really disappointed. I threw him off a little with the charade before work and he didn't know it was a birthday surprise but other than that he figured it all out. Lesson learned? Don't try and surprise Karl. It won't work.


But we had a really great time. We went fishing right when we got there. Alicia caught the first fish of the night and we were all lucky enough to catch something. My fish was tiny but hey, it was something. We had corn on the cob over the fire that night. I'd never had that before and it was AMAZING. It has become a new camp favorite.


We spent the next day on the beach. It was a little cold and only Karl was "brave" enough to get in. We went rafting, Alicia made a sand mountain, and we were able to just relax. Then came the fishing. Tony rented a motor boat and we went out again. It was a really beautiful area. It took us a really long time to catch the first fish but once again it was Alicia who got it. I guess she is just the best. She was the first both days. Tony and Karl caught a few as well. Then it was time to head back home. That was our big summer fun so far.

Fun with the Jepsons

One little thing about me. I have a tendency to procrastinate. So this happened awhile ago but the pictures are too cute to not post.

Cami and the kids were down one weekend and we all went to The Living Aquarium (Thanks Ann). If you haven't been I highly recommend it. They just added an amazon wing and it was amazing.






There was a really big octopus.












And in the picture with Karl is a turtle and a crocodile. They were little and so cute!








These are just a few more pictures from that trip.














Karl had a really fun time with the kids.







He kept trying to put them down the big tube.Our poor future kids. :)
Just kidding. He's great and helped them explore.

Making Life Interesting

Our Camping in Camp out...and other fun things

So when you are newly married you usually don't have very much money. When you are students you usually don't have much time. Put those together and what do you get? The Jepsons. So one night we decided that we would try and make things a little interesting and have a camp in. Here are the results. (Forgive the game face. I always make stupid faces in pictures)

First we started out with a paper air plane contest. For those who are looking for something new to try I highly suggest this. We had a blast. Karl decided to name his "The Kendra Dominator!!". Our first test run was who's plane would go the farthest. I would have to say I dominated on that one. But Karl made a definite comeback and slaughtered me when it came to who's plane could make the most loops. It was really fun trying to come up with different little competitions, like who could get closest to the TV, who could stay up the longest, etc. We ended by throwing them off our third story balcony and seeing what happened. Mine was like a kamikaze bomber. After clearing the trees it went into a nose dive and landed vertically with its nose stuck in the ground. Karl's did a series of loops and flips. Who knew paper airplanes could be so fun?

After the planes we made s'mores over the gas stove to get into the spirit of camping. Gas stoves are not my favorite but they definitely come in handy sometimes. After s'mores we got really authentic and popped popcorn and headed out to our tent to watch a movie. What can I say. We are die hard campers. :) We set our tent up on the balcony and got to enjoy the outdoors without going anywhere. It was really convenient considering it was in the middle of the week. It was only a Wednesday. So if you happen to have a balcony and a tent I would highly recommend a little camping get-a-way.

Karl is getting settled in for the evening. We were fully equipped with couch seats for padding and popcorn for the movie. Really roughing it.

Our tent fit perfectly on the balcony. It was practically made for it.

California Trip and Camping on the Beach

During the break between the winter and spring semesters we headed down to California for a little summer vacation. We camped on the beach and went to 6 Flags (one of Karl's favorite places. He loves roller coasters). The beach was beautiful and we had it all to ourselves. Probably because it was freezing, we never got in the water, but that's ok. We saw dolphins,carnivorous birds, and hundreds of seals. It was a really beautiful area.Here are a few pics.







Cooking the tin foil dinners.....













Eating the tin foil dinners.