YEAH FOR HAYD!!!!

Finals are officially OVER! WOOOO HOOOO! He did great (surprise surprise)! He was waiting to ride Trax home and sent me a text message saying "I'm sitting here, waiting for Trax, and I don't have a single thing to study for.... Huh...." I think he is really happy..... a little sad.... and a lot nervous. In less than a week he will be seeing patients and giving them advice on their well being. It's a lot to take in... but who better to handle it than rain man? I have graduated from daily tears, to daily breakdowns... PLEASE MAKE IT STOP! I just need the madness to begin so I can STOP worrying about it... and know everything is as its supposed to be! We are headed up to the bird (as in Snowbird) this weekend for a getaway and celebration. Alpine slide... here we come!

So, I had a FIRST the other night and it's quite pathetic because I was SO excited. I saw my very first snail! Lola and I were out for the nightly #1 and 2 (her, not me) and as we were walking back... I saw this crawling across the sidewalk....

I was so excited!! I was admiring his valiant efforts to cross the corridor and then suddenly I yelled... "LOLA, DON'T EAT HIM!!!!" She backed off and we sat there and watched him slither for a good 10 minutes. I couldn't help but think "I'm so glad I'm not a snail... look at ALL that effort to get across the sidewalk." God's creations can be so amazing, no matter how small they are. He was probably looking at me saying "Geesh, lady, back off with the dog already!" Anyway, I was quite amazed, and surprised this was my first sighting, right in the heart of a big ol' city (OK, if you're from Ferron, it's big, give me some credit). Who would have thought?

Here is another picture of my girls and Lola. Precious sweet little things. They are so big and SO CUTE! Sweet....

ROAD-TRIP!

After a sweltering ride from Layton, Hayden and the girls were bright red in the face when they arrived at our apartment in SLC. Lauren proclaimed "I've sweated all the way through my shirt!" But, we quickly threw them (and their car seats, mom) in the Accord and we were off. We cruised into Sandy and picked up BreAnne and Wrigley to complete our traveling pack. And then we were off; two cars, two kids, two dogs, and a couple crazy adults! Hayden drove separate in the silver bullet with no AC and no CD player. But we were destined for the farm-fresh country of Ferron. As we followed Hayden, my girls graced us with tunes, chat, and a few cries of "How much longer to Ya Ya's?" It was a FANTASTIC road trip! Bre and I chatted about almost everything while the girls "Scrumbled" in their coloring books. The weekend was so great. My mom and I took the girls to Orangeville days where I got to catch up with a long lost friend Chanel Childs. I have wondered about her often and it was so great to see her. It's so fun to reconnect after loosing touch. She is one of those girls that you can just pick up right where you left off. Hayden and Pop Pop fixed both cars while we were off playing (seems unfair doesn't it?) But when we returned I was sure to supply them with never ending ice water and iced tea. With no help on my end and dumb questions such as "What's that screw driver called with the X on the end again dad?" For being such a tom-boy growing up, I sure didn't absorb much information in the tool department. Hayd and Dad worked all day and our cars are perfect! Later that night Hayden, Mama Jacki and I went to the Cleveland Days fireworks where we "Ahhhed" and "Ohhed" until our hearts were content. They were some of the best fireworks I've ever seen. Sunday was a relaxed day of sleeping, eating, and traveling back home. I saw my sister for the first time in 3 weeks on Monday and as she answered the door I squealed with excitement because of the little belly that is showing. It's really going to happen! Another baby girl! We distracted the girls from all the construction work in the basement by taking them to Grandma Ollie's for swimming. Later that evening my parents, Kris and Tan, Ollie and Pear, and the swimming gang gathered around Ollie's famous George Forman for a delicious BBQ. Our entire family on my dad's side can fit on one small patio. You can't help but look around and realize that your entire life is all right there together. Our family is so small but so close. It was a great evening. And as always, Lauren hung out with one of her new best friend...It was a great weekend full of family, hugs, kisses, laughs, sleeps, and good eats. You can't find a sweeter place in the world than in the company of those you love.

A Rainy Day

Well, we are nearing the end of another semester. Why do I keep getting so blue? I can't seem to snap out of the never-ending nagging thought of what's to come in a couple weeks. I try to talk myself down and repeat in my head "it will all be OK." But then I just start to cry! There are so many things I'm going to miss so much! The snuggle at 5:30am when my alarm goes off to wake me up (this process repeats 6-7 times until I finally roll out of bed), the updates of his happenings via email or txt msgs, moments where we laugh at each other until my guts ache, walking in the door to see him yet again on the computer studying the inner workings of a random airplane, the shredder noise when mail comes, the tiffs and spats, the "nuggling" on the couch, I am just going to miss it all. How did this independent- self reliant woman get to a puddle of tears from the thoughts of being left for 5 days a week? I'm telling you, once you have something so good it breaks your heart to see it leave. I'm also sad that his "Study Buddies" won't be gracing us with their presence and will be caught up in their own rotations as well. What good friends and supporters we have met. Friends that have held my "Rain Man's" head when it was just too much to take. Friends that reminded him that his wife has a point. Friends that helped me remember what an immense sacrifice he is making although I would tend to forget and think he was off playing. I'm going to miss it all. Comfort comes when I lean on my Father in Heaven and when I realize that one year from now I will be watching him walk across a stage to receive his degree and when we can inhale really deep and let it all go. I just hope I can make it through. But, after all the complaining and worrying I realize what a huge blessing it is to have a husband so motivated and devoted to his family to finish the hardest thing in his life and not give up. Although he makes it seem like a cake walk to all of us, I know it's been extremely hard on him. How blessed are we to have the gospel to lean on and Father in Heaven that knows us personally. I know it will be his hands we will hold to make it through the next year. And at the end of it all, we will pray with deep gratitude for the blessings we received throughout the year. Keep the faith!

MY FIRST BLOG

Well, here we are!!! We got this idea to start a blog on us from some great friends Joel and Jenny. We love looking at their blog and seeing what's new in their lives. We thought it would be a great way to share our pics and news with friends and family.

It has been an amazing and exciting year. Hayden was accepted to PA school at the U last spring so we moved up to SLC. We've been here a year and love it! He starts his rotations in two weeks. He will be gone most of the year and I'm VERY SAD!!! I know the sacrifice is worth it, but it doesn't make it any easier. Thankfully, we've met some great friends while we've been here so I will have some peeps to hang with.

Being close to my sister, brother-in-law, and my ADORABLE nieces has been awesome. They are the cutest girlies ever... and there is one more girl ON THE WAY! I am a very PROUD aunt of three. Here are some pics of my cute babies! Can't wait until the next one gets here.

I'm going to try and update this weekly, but please forgive if it's more like monthly! Love you all of our friends!