The Fall of 2013

The end of another year is coming...

Since the end of summer Dugan and I have had quite the crazy rush in our lives. Here are the top 5 events from September, October, and part of November:

Fall pictures taken by Amy

The State Fair- Our tradition!

1. Dugan passed his Social Work Licensing Exam!!! This was the greatest moment in history, as Dugan has been studying for MONTHS to pass this rigorous test. After passing it in September, the doors were then open for him to be licensed as a therapist. He now works at the hospital as one of their full-time therapists, meaning I get my husband back on weekend nights!!! I have gone a LONG six months without him on the weekends, and I was just about used to it, but now I am grateful to have him back with me.

First weekend date in 6 months!

This reminds me of one of this week's 3rd grade vocabulary words:

Appreciate: to understand the value of. 

2. At the end of August we were able to book our trips for Christmas break! We will be going to Tennessee to visit Dugan's twin sister, Megan and her family in Memphis for Christmas. This will be my first Christmas away from home, but we are excited to be together and to spend time with Megan and Paul and the kids. After Tennessee, we will be flying up to Connecticut for my cousin Elizabeth's wedding on December 29th. We get to spend a day in New York with my parents, and Braden and Cindy as well. I am super excited for this trip (more so now, because we finally have the tickets paid for!).

Time to make some more memories!

3. At the end of September, we had the opportunity to go with Steph through the temple for the first time. She will be getting married on November 23rd to Dan, and we couldn't be more excited for them! While Steph was in town during the Government Shutdown, we also were able to throw together a quick bridal shower for her. Can't wait to see the third best friend be married this month!

4. Halloween! The month of October was a wonderful time, because it holds the best holiday of the year. We did our traditional pumpkin carving with the McMillan's, did some crafting, and I had the traditional Halloween celebration at school as well. Crystal and I put together a party for Halloween night which was super fun as well.

At school this year we had to be Storybook Characters. I chose Charlotte from Charlotte's Web, since we are reading that one in class.

For the party that evening, Dugan and I were the Baker and his Bun in the Oven. We really felt like playing a good "trick" for Halloween, and totally fooled quite a few people. No, we ARE NOT pregnant. At least for right now... :)

Here you go, Adam.

5. Along with these events, we are looking forward to celebrating many more important events with our friends and families over the next few months. Alex and Danny had their first baby last week! Alex should have had that baby weeks ago, she was so ready for him to be out! Jamilyn and Nathan had their little baby Clementine last month, and we couldn't be more happy for them in our ward! Our friends Allison and Kyle will be going through the temple for the first time in a few weeks, and then will be sealed to their son later that day. We love the Madrids and are super excited for that day to come! Our dear friend Amy will also be getting married in December and we are stoked for her and Luke! Dugan's mission buddy Branson and his wife Shannon also bought a house this month, so we are excited for them as well!

Alex's Baby Shower

Life just keeps going on, and so many wonderful things happen for people! Congrats to everyone in our lives!

Our families have been busy with life, celebrating our niece Camille's 1st birthday, along with Bella, Alex (Mathews), and both of my parents' birthdays. Kayla was transferred to a new area on her mission, right into Antofagasta, the big city down there in Chile. We are so proud of her and the hard work she is putting in on her mission.

We are so blessed! Dugan and I are working hard to pay off our loans so that we can prepare for the next stage in life. Whether it be buying a home next summer, or joining the Air Force... Big decisions coming our way! We are so lucky to have the love and support that we have around us!

Best award I have gotten in 5 years from a student

Dugan's Birthday dinner (in August) at of course, La Puente

The day my poor Lexus had to be towed. We got her fixed quick and easy!

Imagine Dragons! It has been a few years since I have seen them in concert

Dugan's new little friend, Amaia

My Review on PRISM

Many of you may know that I am slightly obsessed with Katy Perry. She recently came out with a new album on October 22nd, and it has become a constant listen for me whenever I have a moment to spare. Dugan is quite done with Katy for the rest of his life, I'm sure.

Here is my review of the entire album and each song:

The album as a whole is a major change for Katy. She has become more grown up and mature in her style as most of her album revolves around her divorce to Russell and finding herself again in the world. I cry with some of the songs as I am sure others have, because of the simple connection that all have had in the past with heartbreak. Her power in the songs for loving yourself and picking up the pieces are amazing. Of course Katy has her typical fun provocative songs as well, because it wouldn't be the same without those. Here are my top 5 favs:

1. By the Grace of God: Amazing, emotional tribute to not letting go of life because of the loss of love.

2. Unconditional: The power of love, particularly for your family and friends and how it is unconditional.

3. Double Rainbow: The rarity of a double rainbow and finding someone for yourself that is one to hold on and keep . "One man's trash is another man's treasure."

4. Roar: A classic feel good song with the power to make you believe you can do anything!

5. Birthday: The BEST fun song on the album. Funniest line, "Let me get you in your birthday suit, it's time to bring out the big balloons." Ha ha ha! Go Katy.

Other good ones:

International Smile: I can just imagine her performance of this one while she is on tour. It's gonna be great!

Love Me: I have recently dedicated this one to my friend Lisa Hale. It is her power song right now. Love yourself the way you want another to love you!

Legendary Lovers, Dark Horse, Walking on Air, This Is How We Do, Ghost, This Moment, Spiritual, It Takes Two, and Choose Your Battles must not be forgotten either! They are all a fabulous listen and will all be wonderful to see on tour when she comes to Salt Lake.


Katy knows what she is doing, and sure knows how to connect to those of us feeling the same things as her! I give her 5 out of 5 stars (obviously) on the latest album PRISM.

Summer is Over...

Where do I begin? Summer came and went way too fast! This next week is the first week of school, and this teacher is NOT ready to go back! I spent the last 3 weeks teaching summer school, so my lazy days ended sooner than expected. My bike riding mornings are now limited! Ugh. The best thing about it all? Fall is just around the corner! I can never get enough of my Halloween each year.

Here is a recap of our July and August events:

On July 14-18, Dugan and I went to DISNEYLAND! And boy oh boy, was it magical! Dugan had not been since he was a little kid, so it was fantastic giving him the real legit experience and how we work the system. We met up with Braden and Ryan there as well. We had one day in Disneyland, and one day in California Adventure (tickets are too expensive for us right now to go longer.). We made the most of each day and I would have to say we dominated both parks! Dugan loved it and got way into the fact that there were rides missing for certain Disney movies. He was so passionate about that! I knew once again that I married the right guy :) It was the best few days being able to share my memories of my happiest place on earth with Dugan, and for us to make more memories together. He even said, "We should go back in a couple of years." Disneyland was a success.

After the two days in the parks, we attended a session at the Newport Beach Temple and then went to Newport Beach. It was a great relaxing day for us, and I had been craving the beach for over a year!

 

That Thursday was our last day. We went to Downtown Disney to get our last fix of the place and of course, we went to see a movie. It is kind of what we like to do on vacation.

That afternoon we flew home and it was back to reality. We hope to be back soon! (I WILL make it back sooner than two years, just don't tell Dugan)

After that vacation was over it was back to bike riding and getting ready for summer school to start. Dugan has had the worst hours all summer, working nights, Tuesday through Saturday 3:00-11:00. It has really tested me to not have him around to do the fun summer things, and to plan around Sunday and Monday nights to actually see him then. I am lucky to have friends and family that kept me entertained on those nights and by going to do some fun summer things. During the last week of July, Dugan was able to change his schedule to working day, except still working nights on the weekend. Hey, it is still not ideal, but it is SO much better than before. Hopefully he only has about a month left at the hospital and then he can find a good day job at another clinic or hospital.

Do not take for granted the time you have to spend with your loved ones!

Last week my family and I took a trip to Southern Utah. We had not been there for over 12 years, so it was something that we wanted to do. Dugan had to work that weekend we went, so he stayed home. We went to Arches National Park, Dead Horse Point, Goblin Valley, Hell's Backbone and through Escalante, and then to Bryce National Park. It was a fabulous trip, with too much driving though. I forget how beautiful Souther Utah is, and how we take that place for granted in this state. We had great times reminiscing on our past trips there, especially as we stayed in the little town of Panguitch. We loved that town when we were younger, and we loved it on this trip as well. I loved our vacation but after the 3 days, I was ready to get home to see Dugie.

We have had some time to also go to a Bee's Game, go to Seven Peaks, and spent time with friends on some of these summer nights. Now it is time to get back to normal grownup life. This school year should be a good one! I have a good class and I am more organized and prepared than ever before. Can you believe this will be my 5th year of teaching? I cannot believe it! I am excited to see what this next year has in store for me.

4th of July

Happy Independence Day!

For any of you that know me well, you know that I am kind of a patriotic nerd. I love everything that has to do with this country and how it was founded, including all of those who fought to make it free and those who continue to keep it free. One of the greatest 4th of July celebrations in my life came two years ago when I was able to go to Washington D.C., the nation's capitol, with my best friends Steph and Crystal. It was a very proud moment in my life to spend that time where our country is governed every day on that Independence Day, 2011.

Washington D.C. July 4, 2011

Even though it looks like it is on fire, it is
just the smoke from the fireworks. 

Washington Monument

Lincoln Memorial

The Cornerstone of the Capitol set by George Washington

Arlington Cemetery

For those of you who know me very well, also know that I have an odd obsession with James Madison, the 4th president of the United States of America. He is one of those founding fathers that rarely gets the recognition he deserves. If you do not know anything about him, you should probably go check this out: http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/jamesmadison

That way you can be educated and have a better appreciation for my 2nd man James.

Now on to the good stuff....

When it comes to celebrating the 4th of July, many people know that this was the day the Declaration of Independence was approved by Congress, as it was drafted by Thomas Jefferson. However, many people do not realize that this was just the beginning of our "now country" fighting for it's freedom. Many important events have happened in our country to bring forth this "Independence Day". Here are some other dates that I feel are just as important as July 4, 1776:

September 17, 1787: The Constitution was signed. We do celebrate the 17th of September as Constitution Day, but it is definitely not celebrated with fireworks and BBQ's.

January, 1784: The Treaty of Paris was ratified by Congress (signed in September 1783), ending the Revolutionary War and granting the United States its independence. I am sure I could find the exact day when it was ratified in January, and start celebrating it with a hot dog or hamburger. Events like this need to be celebrated just as much as the 4th!

President's Day: Now I am very pleased to see that our country celebrates our nation's leaders with this event. Wonderful leaders like George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, John F. Kennedy, etc. etc. Our wonderful leaders must be remembered and honored as we would not be where we are today without them!

I should have become a history teacher, right? I could keep going, but I will leave the rest to you.

Now on to our 4th of July Celebration!

This year we were able to celebrate the 4th with the traditional Copperton Breakfast and races. Dugan had to work that night so while he was off making money, I went to see Despicable Me 2 by myself since I LOVE that movie, and I knew Dugan didn't want to see it like I did. That night it was the party at Aunt Cindy's house where we swam in the pool and watched fireworks. A great way to end the day!

BREAKING NEWS! Today Dugan and I bought a new car! It was not planned to happen this lovely Saturday afternoon, but when we went to Tony Divino on Riverdale Road (Rachel and Dave, we test drove a car right into your driveway!) we walked away with a car. It is a 2012 Toyota Camry, which will replace Dugan's 1997 Toyota Camry. Dugan's father is good friends with Tony, so it is always the way to go when purchasing a car. We love it and are excited to have it for when our kids come along!