Christmas!!

This is our second Christmas together! We can not believe that we have been married for one and a half years!!!  So much has happened! Lets see, we have gone skiing, had a few trips to the hospital and one emergency room visit, Brody started school, I am about to graduate, we started a business, and have been having tons of fun enjoying life!

This year we had to get another Christmas tree... It was very said when the potted tree we got last year died. If any of you have been to our house you know that I have many many plants. Most of which I have nursed back to health, but for some reason I killed an EVERGREEN!!! This year we saw a Newfolk potted Christmas tree and decided that we would try again. He is a small little guy but, is just the tree for us! It took us a while to decorate it (we actually had gifts under it before I was able to decorate!). Here he is, with his red and gold decorations!

This year we will be doing Christmas in Palouse!! Which translates to, NO TRAVELING!! I am done with traveling across the state for a while! We wish you all a very Merry Christmas!!

Paying it Forward

In light of my last post I decided this one should start out with a story about the good in the world!
Today, I went to print and bind a final report for one of my classes (the report was actually due a week ago, I just have not had time to go to the campus printers...) I had to print this 24 page color document and get it bound. The guy at the shop let me look though it before it was bound, and good thing!! Some how during save the word document as a PDF document it messed up the table of contents for the appendix. The guy let me fix it on the shop computer, and then after printing out the wrong page twice, only charged me for the 4 pages with color on then and the rest as black and whites, and NOT for the wrong pages!!! The guy was so nice, I had left my thumb drive there too on accident and he run me down in the CUB to return it! I am so glad he did because my senior thesis is on there along with all my research!!!

A while ago I heard about paying it forward, and thought it was a weird saying that did no make much since. More recently, I have been thinking of ways to help those around me. I started a business selling jewelry and have meet some absolutely wonderful people. This group of women that I have joined are the most caring and selfless people I have ever met. Most of them are way older than me, and I sometimes feel like a the teenage daughter a mom brought to girls night out. One of the women I have become close to, is trying to adopt, and another women, who has recently adopted, started an organization, to help this first woman and others trying to adopt. What kind of people, just start organizations to help one family and others because they found so much joy in adopting?! These women are so amazing! I do not feel like I am giving them the proper dues here.

I do not have a lot of means right now in my life, and monetarily helping someone is out of the question, but I have decided that we should donate the random food he get to try and never do, or volunteer  at the food bank, help someone when their car gets stuck in the mud/snow. These little acts of kindness those are the ways Brody and I can help those in need around us. How can you Pay it Forward and help some one around you?

Complaints

I just want to complain for a moment about the stupid crap people do. It first starts with people who invite themselves over a day early.

Seriously! I know you are family and all, but Brody and I have a life too! We both go to school, we both work, and the little time we do have, we like to spend it alone or with close friends. Not with my brother who told me he will never like Brody or his new wife, whom I have yet to have a longer that 5 minute conversation with. It is ok, I can forgive you wanting to come over earlier in case the roads get bad, but ANNOUNCING that you are going to take a shower TOGETHER in MY SHOWER in MY HOUSE is not! To top it off, you made me so disgusted and aggravated that I forgot to get you towels so instead of saying anything you just used our towels that we had hanging up in our bathroom.

Maybe you just hate me, but since you were staying in my home I tried to give you comforts. I invited you to eat our food, and enjoy meals with us, but you just wanted to eat out and spend as much time as possible away. This was insulting, and I called you on it. What did you do? Nothing. I guess this is what Husky fans are like. Lesson learn, never invite a husky to your home.

The next is Group Project. Now I have experienced multiple kind of group projects: The kinds where one person does all the work, and kind where everything is done last minute, the kind where one person drops off the face of the planet, and the kind where you are working with a giant corporation and 5 guys...

I have always disliked group projects, and so I will admit to it, I have been that person who drops off the face of the planet, just because I hate them so much. Well with this project, I knew I couldn't do that because if I do not participate I do not graduate. So I chose the group where I know people would do the work, and not wait last minute. This is why I am in Seattle Sunday before dead week, because we have a presentation with a large company on Monday! (I signed some discloser form so I can't say what we did, who we did it for, or why, but think about it, you can guess which large company in Seattle would need engineers to work for them...)

I thought that engineers do not have lives which means that those welders in the group would be able have finished this project so we could have been done right before Thanksgiving. Nope. We actually finished the prototype this morning before we left for Seattle. To top it all off we a presentation in front of managers and possible a CEO tomorrow at 2 PM and the presentation is not done! And I do not care. I have my reasons why, but that would take another super long post. Mainly it is that I have another presentation I need to work on for my personal Senior thesis and paper to write, and three finals to prepare for.

Ah, the life of an Engineer. Good thing I graduate in May!!

Snow, snow, and more to come!!!

Now that it is after Thanksgiving, and quite the Thanksgiving did we have, we can now play Christmas music, and put up our decorations!!!

But before I talk about all of our Christmas plans, I am going to talk about Thanksgiving! We traveled across the state to visit my parents in Olympia. I had to leave Sunday, to go to Portland for a Jewelry Show. The weather leaving wasn't bad at all. It had just started to snow in Pullman and on the way there was no snow. Monday night, it snowed, and in Portland that means EVERYTHING comes to a stop. I was planning on leaving at 7ish Tuesday to avoid rush hour, instead I waited until 9.30-10. It still took me an hour to travel 15 miles! There was not snow on the road nor was there ice!!! I did make good time after I got out to the Portland area. Then when I got into Olympia! The roads were treacherous! I was glad that the lady hosting the show in Olympia decided to cancel due to weather!

Other than crazy drivers and bad winter roads our little vacation was good. I was able to spend some time with my new sister-in-law. Still not sure what I think of her. She is nice, but a little naive, but so was I at 19. Here are a few pictures from the wedding.

The Happy Couple

Me and my little Sister 

One day his face will get stuck...

Can I use this as our Christmas card picture...

We came back to Pullman Saturday, and there was a good TWO FEET of SNOW!! And it keeps coming! We haven't been able to park and unload the car yet, because we can't get up our drive way! I am going to make a snowman soon... Maybe tonight for FHE we will...

Babe, Babies Now!

I can not WAIT to have babies!! I am crazy about them all! Fat ones small ones, funny looking ones, hair no hair!!! School, Babies and Jewelry is what I think about almost all the time everyday! One day a few weeks ago Brody sent me an email to this link... The Ritmo

Since then I have been thinking about the playlist for that nine months it takes a bun to bake...

1. Classical Era--including and not limited to: Motzart, Schubert, Bach, Hayden, Beethoven
2. Baroque Era--also including and not limited to: Bach, Handel, Schultz
3. Romantic Era--Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Chopin, Schumann, Strauss I and II, Wagner, Tchaikovsky
4. Led Zeppelin, and Pink Floyd--I know they are quite a difference from the above genres, and some might be thinking we will be having drugie kids, BUT, I always have enjoyed the bluesy guitar.
5. Queen, AC DC, and other classic rock--enough said
6. various Jazz composers-- Duke, Ray Charles, Armstrong, Nat King Cole, Barry White--I second what my dear friend Lynsi says here... My children will more than likely be conceived to the wonderful big band jazz composers of the dawn of jazz.
7. The Beatle's-- I sometimes wonder if I was born in the wrong time period...

Brody has his own list of what he wants the fetus to listen to... They Might Be Giants, Barenaked Ladies, The Verve Pipe, Collective Soul and he says no Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd or AC DC...

What nerds!

Brody is taking a pre-calculus class this semester and is currently studying the famed Unit Circle!!! If you have never heard of or don't remember this most integral part of your math studies, SHAME ON YOU! No really! Tisk tisk! Now go here and learn all about it! This will change EVERY thing!!!

Now that you have learned and been enlightened. You will share our joy in the desire for:

Yes, we are crazy, but we love it all!! I am totally getting one for the office and the far in the future baby's room!

My FAVORITE Time of the YEAR!!!

I LOVE AUTUMN!!! I love the crisp air, the changing leaves, APPLES, and the change in the weather!! I am so excited for this fall because it is the LAST fall that I will be in school!! (One can be excited for that alone!!) I am also excited for all of the holidays and celebrations, Thanksgiving, St. Nikolaustag, Christmas decorating, and Christmas!!!

This year we will going to my parents in Olympia for Thanksgiving and staying here for Christmas! Which means, Brody and I get to have our own little Christmas at home right before or after Christmas, not the week before!!! I might be more excited for the glazed ham and homemade scalloped potatoes than for the worldly gift-giving craziness, but that is because I love food too much!

We are also headed to Olympia this weekend (actually today and Friday) for my brother's wedding. I am not to sure how it is going to be... But all I can do is be supportive.

Happy Autumn Everyone!!

October = Fall!!!

Well the summer has come and gone, or so we hope. The weather is a little crazy and I am hoping it stays cool. I really enjoy this time of the year. Harvest followed by shorter days and longer nights, the leaves changing color and the crispness in the air. I am looking forward to the snow and the winter this year. I can not believe time is going so fast!!

Anniversary, Fish, and SUMMER!

This summer has be lots of fun so far. Brody and I celebrated our first anniversary, in May. We went up to Spokane and stayed at the historic Davenport Hotel. I LOVED it. We were actually in the newer building the tower, but it still had the historic charm. We also went to a classic car show while we were there, and to the Lilac Festival parade. At the parade we saw Alice my youngest sister whose high school band had come to the parade.

Davenport pictures

Car Pictures

While we where at the Davenport we saw the cutest fish pond/fountain. After which I decided that we needed FISH! I think that in the pond were fancy goldfish, so thus began our search for our own aquarium. I wanted to get a calico telescope eye goldfish. We found a 55 gallon tank with fish, and all the works for setting up an aquarium. So purchased it and my fish and a fish for Brody, and less than 5 days later, the fish in the tank KILLED my fish. So needless to say that I was devastated.

Until Brody came home one day from work, with a 10 gallon take, and two fancy goldfish, a Black Moor, and a Redcap Oranda! He was sorry that he couldn't find a calico telescope eye, but hoped that these two would be good. What a great surprise!

Summer has been going well for us. Brody has just finished his Biology class for the summer, and I have finish one of my three. A couple weekends ago we went to Palouse Falls and hiked around. It was great fun. We hiked down to the upper falls and then down to the large falls. Next month I think we will be going to Potholes State Park and do some hiking there too.

Also this summer I have started my own business and greatly enjoy it. I have only just started but will be great to have some extra income!

Summer is almost here!

School is almost over and we are ready for it to be! Brody will have finished a part time semester and adjusting to being in school again. I will be finishing and then heading right into summer school to finish the 4 of my 9 classes left. I applied for graduation and the date it set for May 2011!!

I do not know our plans for the summer other than work and school, but I am positive we will go on a trip some where and possibly camping

Updates...

I said that we would post pictures of things and give more information on this and that. Well here is that post!

I will start with my birthday. We started a tradition of going skiing for the 3-day weekend around my birthday. We went right around when we started dating, and went again this year. This year we stayed at the Historic Ryan Hotel in Wallace, Id. The hotel was cute, sandwiched between to offices, and we were probably the only people staying there that weekend. The skiing was horrible but the little town was so much fun. On night we walked around, went to a cute little antique shop. It seems like small off the beaten path towns have the best antique shops. We also just wander around looking at what this town had to offer. The Center of the Universe pictures came from Wallace. We asked around about why that street was the considered the Center of the Universe. What we learned was that years ago, about the 40's or 50's some college boys from the Montana School of Mines ( now called University of Montana), had come for the summer to work in one of the silver mines. At the bar on that corner, they had got into a discussion about where the center of the universe was. One of them using all of his engineering knowledge calculated that it was right there! The bar owner that was pretty interesting and the small town has made it in to a little tourist trap. Little interesting fact, anyone can calculate where the center of the universe to where ever they are, because no one know how big the universe actually is.

Skiing this year was not that great, but we did have fun the few times we went.

Other than that we are working and going to school.

Deutschland!!!

I have made the decision that for Christmas 2011 Brody and I will be going to Germany. I will have graduated that May, and Brody will be in school and will have a 3 week break between semesters. This way we and start to plan our excursion and save the much needed funds for such a trip. I have started to come up with a list of things that we should do... Oi! There is so much! But there are some things that are a MUST:

Berlin~ Das Mauermuseum (The Berlin Wall Museum)

Schloss Neuschanstein ~ The Sleeping Beauty Castle!

Ski die Alpen ~ The German Alps

Schwarzwald ~ The Black Forest

Also while we are there I would like to return with or have sent to me (in the states of course!):

Ein Kuckucksuhr

Ein Weihnachtspyramiden

The Center of the Universe

My mother always told me that the world did not revolve around me. Well she was only partially wrong....

Well, as you can see Brody and I are the center of the universe! ;)

School

Brody and I are fully involved in school. I am taking 14 credits, ceramics, composites, circuits, fundamentals of election microscopy, and an online class history of western women. I enjoy ceramics and composites but the other three not so much. I am done at noon every day which make school more bearable. My online class was not what I was expecting. It is not a history class it is a social analysis class of why women of minority groups over history are and have been "oppressed" and still are, and how to change our opinions on that. In other words, feminism should have existed in its complete all encompassing form in the 1800's. Does anyone see the a fault in that other than me?

Brody is enjoying going back to school. He is taking an honors class and an intro to soil science. He really enjoys his soils class. His teacher even was taught by were he works company's president! He does not really enjoy his honors class very much. A lot of what they discuss and read is about the disconnect between science and religion. We both strongly believe that there is one. Just as Henry Eyring (father of Henry B. Eyring) said, "Here is the spirit of true religion, an honest seeking after knowledge of all things of heaven and earth."

A long pause, and a lot of news!

Well I am not to sure where to begin. Plus I do not think very many people I know even follow Brody and I here yet. While those that more than likely would already know most of this... I guess I should start in December, after school got out...

After finals we got a cat. She is all black, loud and a complete nuance. He adores her, I can not stand her. She is funny though. She darts around the house sometimes for no reason, or will just flop onto the floor to nap. And of course, a picture of her, Ms. Kiki.

We went to my parents for Christmas. It was good. Brody was able to meet some more of my dad's side of the family. We also were able to get a microwave. Ours died a few months before and I just did not want to get one. Thanks to some great relatives we got a nice one.

School has start up for both of us and life is busy busy busy. I will try to update about more things soon!