Things I Love About Fall

School starts back up in exactly two weeks and I am ridiculously excited!!!  After having to miss the last two (three if you count summer) semesters I am so ready to be back in the lecture halls filling my mind with awesome knowledge.

 BSU approved my appeals and with my financial aid reinstated I am all set to take campus by storm. I am determined to be in amazing health and get a 4.0 this semester. Ambitious yes, but after the last 10 months and all the challenges it brought I am full of energy and determination!

Craig got a job at the Y coaching, and will also be keeping his job at the shipping store, I'm looking for something part time, and Keegan is going to be starting a part time toddler program at the same YMCA Craig will be working at.

All in all, I am seriously excited for the coming months and the great things that will be happening. In honor of that excitement here is my top ten list of things I love about fall!


1.) Back to school shopping. I love buying new folders, notebooks, pens, post its, etc. I always have! Even when I was a kid. And of course- new clothes!

2.) Leaves changing color. It makes for great photo ops and I love the crunchy sound the leaves make when I walk over them. Also, campus looks gorgeous with all of the colors everywhere.

3.) Football season! Gotta love my Boise State Broncos!

4.)  Hazelnut steamers from Starbucks or Dawson's

5. Flannel pajamas, a good book, and the fireplace on.

6.) Running the St. Luke's Women's Celebration 5k. 

7.) The return of must-see TV! I'm already super pumped for new episodes of The Big Bang Theory, Modern Family, Bones, How I Met Your Mother, Glee, and Zooey Deschanel's new show New Girl.

8.) FOOD!!!! Halloween and Thanksgiving....need I say more! Candy, pie, turkey, green bean casserole...my mouth is already watering!

9.) Pumpkins! Pumpkin pie, going to the pumpkin patch, pumpkin smoothies, pumpkin bread, carving pumpkins, using pumpkins as decor, pumpkin scented candles, you get the picture yes? :)

10.) It's almost Christmas!

July!!!

Wow. I am the worst blogger ever! I have not updated in forever. I guess I will just recap July! We had a great long weekend for the 4th. It was super nice since we are so busy we never get that much time together. We went hiking, went on a picnic, went to our favorite ice cream place, played in the yard and spent the 4th with Craig's  family eating way too much and blowing stuff up.

Craig just finished up helping coach the Women's soccer and volleyball teams at BSU. It has been such a great experience for him. He will be starting back up with Men's basketball shortly. Hopefully all of this will lead to a great job or graduate school opportunity next year!

I've been staying home with Keegan but am now looking for a part time job as it looks like I will be going back to BSU this fall. I am so excited! Not being in school the last two semesters has been really hard on me. I need to be studying and writing research papers, I am one of those weirdos who just loves school. Until then, I have just discovered all of the historical documentaries on Netflix. HEAVEN!

Keegan is as busy as ever. He is talking in full sentences now and just learning like crazy. He is still obsessed with Elmo but his new favorite is Lightning McQueen. He always wants to wear those pajamas, watch the movie, and play with his themed toys. It is so fun watching him grow up. It's been really hard at the same time realizing he is not a baby anymore. His other obsession is water. He wants to take baths all the time in our big tub so he can splash and "swim" and he loves going to the splash parks. He got to go to a couple of lakes this summer and on his first boat ride and he was absolutely thrilled!

In other really exciting news (at least to me) the book I co-wrote is now up on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. I also found out it is being used at a college in Oregon as a textbook!!! It is so surreal seeing it sold at major booksellers and knowing that I spent a year working so hard to produce my chapter. I can't wait to see what other opportunities will come my way. I am itching for a new project to work on!!!

We just got back from 3 days in Eastern Idaho for a family reunion and to see some great family friends. It was so much fun. Craig and I had not been back since we lived there when we were first married. I cannot believe how much BYU-Idaho has grown! It was also really fun seeing our first apartment and where we met and everything. I was struck once again by how beautiful the Rexburg LDS Temple is. It really is a beacon on the hill. Keegan was enthralled with it and kept yelling: "Temple! Temple!" I am glad he is excited by the temple but we had to remind him to use a quieter voice...especially since a few weddings had just gotten out!

That's all for July really, I promise to be better about updating!

Colors Everywhere!

I am so excited because after slaving away in our garden attempting to make something grow, I finally see the fruits of my labor! I have roses galore and some peonies and a tree saplings. We are still waiting on the wildflowers Keegan planted but it is nice to see cheerful colors in the backyard.

Nothing terribly exciting has happened lately. I got really sick last week and had to spend a few days in the hospital. I took this week off to rest and heal and I go back to work Monday. It is really boring being sick and stuck at home. Netflix has Family Ties on Instant Streaming and I watched 38 episodes this week. Sad, right? I am so blessed to be in a great word though. The Relief Society sisters organized meals and took turns taking Keegan so I could get some sleep during the day. I am so glad that the Church has these fantastic organizations where we can serve one another.

My  Mom and Dad and brothers came out last weekend to help for a couple of days and cheer me up since I was feeling kind of down about being sick. It was so great to see them! I am looking forward to a nice vacation in Seattle this August. Hopefully we are going to do some really fun things like go to a Mariners v. Red Sox game, Les Mis, the beach, etc.

We also got a second kitty named Lucy, aka LuLu she is the most snuggly, sweet cat ever. She has just fit right into our family. Surprisingly she and Gilbert really took to each other and seem to be the best of friends now.


Craig is insanely busy. I have no idea where he summons his energy from. He is gone every day by 5:30 AM and does not get home until around 7:00 PM. He is continuing to intern with the Boise State Strength and Conditioning program. Since Men's basketball is not in season right now he is training the Women's Volleyball and Soccer teams. When he is not doing that he is juggling school and work. I don't know how he is not more exhausted. Just going to work 8 hours a day completely wears me out.


Keegan is doing great! He is seeming more and more like a big kid everyday. His speech is getting very clear and it is fun to chat with him. His favorite things are basketball, playing trucks, and chasing the cats. He loves playing with his friends and working on learning how to ride his trike.

Hopefully we get some free time to do something really fun soon. I am hoping for a fantastic 4th of July weekend!

Memorial Day Weekend

It has been a really busy week for us! On Monday, I started a new job full time. I accepted a job with Wells Fargo Financial. They have a corporate campus here in Boise. I'll be wearing a lot of hats. Helping with branch support, starting loans, credit cards, fraud prevention, answering calls from customers. I am excited to have my own office and not teller anymore. It is a huge blessing for our family as it comes with a nice salary package and great benefits.

Tuesday, was our three year wedding anniversary. I just can't believe how quickly the years have been going by. We are soo lucky. We have such great blessings in our lives and our home is filled with so much love and laughter. Craig and I are even more in love today than we were on our wedding day. We are best friends and have such a sweet little boy. What more could we ask for?!

We were really excited about the three day weekend. We are so busy that we don't have a lot of time to just relax and be together as a family. Saturday was so gloomy and stormy so we just relaxed until we got really bored. We drove 30 miles away to this little town called Horseshoe Bend on the Payette River and had a delicious dinner and the best pie ever. We also took a nice drive and had fun taking pictures. Sunday we went to church and I made a big roast dinner and we just enjoyed the quiet and being together.

Monday, we woke up early and packed supplies for a mini road trip. We drove 2 hours away to Shoshone Falls outside of  Twin Falls, Idaho. We went with Craig's sisters Becky and Kaycie and our nieces and nephews: Hayden, Carson, Kenzie, and Mady. It was a blast! I had never been out there before and it was absolutely gorgeous. Luckily it was the only nice day this weekend. We took a picnic lunch out there and spent a few hours exploring. We tried to go walk around the Twin Falls Temple on the way back but the gates were locked. Keegan was disappointed.  When we drove by the Boise Temple as well as Twin  Falls today he kept yelling: "Temple! Temple!" We're so happy that he recognizes them. It feels like some of what we are trying to teach him is sinking in!

All in all, it was a great week and weekend and I am so grateful for our freedom and the opportunities that we are blessed with.

April Showers Bring May Flowers

With all of the rain that we have had in Boise the last few weeks I have felt as though I am back in Seattle! It seems as though Spring has finally decided to stay in Idaho and grace us with her presence. I've been really enjoying spending the warmer days out in our garden. Luckily the previous owner had done some landscaping and put one in. I don't think I am anywhere near skilled enough to have started from scratch. Every few days I discover a new plant or flower. I know I have rose bushes (they have not bloomed yet) but my tulips are coming in! It is relaxing sitting out there weeding and watering while Keegan plays basketball or rides his trike.

Keegan has been helping me. I took an old gray planter and painted it black, put in soil, and Keegs helped me plant a mixture of wildflowers. The little sprouts just started coming in yesterday. I really hope to see some pretty flowers soon!

Our garden came with a really cute little turtle decoration. We have named him Franklin the Yard Turtle.

We are really enjoying this house. It was definitely the right move for us. Having extra room and an actual yard to play in is just so nice. We've been spending a lot of time outside after dinner. I hope that later in the summer we can get a nice patio set. We have this really cute covered patio area that I want to fix up with some nicer planters and a table set where we can eat and bbq and everything. Right now I have a small table and some plastic chairs out there but I want something more beautiful!

Easter Weekend!

We had a lovely Easter weekend. On Saturday night my best friend Claire came over to have an Easter Eve dinner with us. I roasted a whole chicken that I stuffed with lemons, onions, and cooking wine and it turned out great! I was really excited because it was my first time doing that sort of thing. We also had stuffing , rolls, steamed veggies, and home made angel's food cake. I had so much fun cooking and baking. It is always nice when it is for people you love.

We also dyed eggs with Keegan. That was pretty exciting. His idea of dyeing his egg was to toss it right in the bowl. We had fun laughing at all the broken eggs.

This was the first year I did Easter baskets for our little family. Keegan's first Easter he was only 8 days old an we were pretty exhausted so we had a low key affair at Craig's parents. Last year Easter was on Keegan's birthday but the day before we had a huge 1st birthday party so we went to church and everything but did not do eggs or baskets etc. I had a lot of fun choosing things for the baskets and putting them together. My Mom sent out a really cute package full of stuff so even though she was in Seattle, I like to think of it as a joint effort! :)

We had a good day together as family. We went to Craig's parents in the afternoon for an egg hunt and delicious feast. Keegan had a really fun time running around with his cousins and playing basketball with his Dad, cousins, Papa, and aunts.

We didn't make it to Stake Conference on Easter because unfortunately Keegan can't handle being in the chapel for that long. We did play spiritual music  though, had prayer, and reflected.

The first thing I thought of was this poem that my Mom read to me when I was a kid that was later adapted into a song by the LDS group Afterglow. When I think of Easter and the Resurrection I often remember these words:

THE TOUCH OF THE MASTER'S HAND

'twas battered and scarred and the auctioneer
Thought it scarcely worth his while
To waste much time on the old violin,
But he held it up with a smile:

"What am bidden, good folks?" he cried,
"Who'll start the bidding for me?"
"A dollar! A dollar!" then "Two! Only two?"
"Two dollars, and who'll make it three?"

"Three dollars once, three dollars twice . . .
And going for three . . . " but no.
From the room, far back, a gray-haired man
Came forward and picked up the bow.

Then, wiping the dust from the the old violin,
And tightening the loosened strings,
He played a melody pure and sweet,
As a carolling angel sings.

The music ceased, and the auctioneer
With a voice that was quiet and low
Said, "What am I bid for the old violin?"
And he held it up with the bow.

"A thousand dollars! And who'll make it two?
"Two thousand! Who'll make it three?
"Three going once? Three going twice?
"And going . . . and gone!" said he.

The people cheered but some of them cried,
"We do not understand!
What changed its worth?" -- Swift came the reply,
"The touch of the Master's Hand."

And many a man with life out of tune
And battered and scarred with sin
Is auctioned cheap to the thoughtless crowd
Much like the old violin.

A "mess 'o pottage"
A glass of wine
A game and he travels on.
He's "going" once
And "going" twice
And "going" . . . and almost "gone"

Then along comes the Master, and the foolish crowd
Never can quite understand
The worth of a soul or the change that's wrought
By the touch of the Master's Hand
I hope that all of our friends and family were able to have a great weekend with those that they love. I am so grateful for the blessings in my life. When I am going through trials and d

Highlights!

I was going to write this long blog post updating everyone on our lives in great detail but then I was worried I would bore all of my dear family and friends to death! Instead, here are some highlights of the last month.

• Keegan turned 2!!!!
• Craig turned 26! What an old man!
• We went to Seattle for spring break to see my family. Craig and I went to our favorite seafood place on the pier. YUM!
• I went to Seattle on my own a couple of weeks later to present research I had spent a year conducting on Victoria Woodhull before a panel of professors and students from various PNW universities. The paper was well received and it was a GREAT experience!
• My book was released. So excited to see the finished product!
• The Vancouver Canucks are doing awesome in the Stanley Cup Semi-Finals! Craig said if they win I  can name our next child Lord Stanley Lane. This makes me very happy!
• Craig and I went curling with the Boise Curling Club. Sooo much fun!!!! Craig was such a natural I think that he must have some Canadian blood in him.
• We are all very excited for a lovely Easter this weekend. I am going to make a lovely roast, cheesecake, and hopefully we can make it to a special concert at the Boise Temple, and  have a good time together as a family.
• Keegan has developed and intense obsession for all things Elmo. I inwardly cringe every time he hands me the remote and yells "Elmo peaaaaase!" I have seen far too much of that little red fur ball lately.
• I have attempted to plant wildflowers in our yard but Craig reminded me yesterday that to be a successful gardener I need to remember to water said flowers. Ooops.
• Craig found a human bone in our yard. Luckily it was fake. He was disappointed...
• We finally watched Tangled. Loved it! I think the horse was my favorite character.
• Gilbert found a girlfriend but their love is limited to peering at each other through the glass in the back door. How terribly poignant. 

Not too much is going on. Craig is busy with school and work, I am looking for work, and Keegan continues to explore, obsess over Elmo and basketball and torment the cat. 

The Best Two Years

I am sitting here in my living room with Craig and Keegan watching General Conference. My heart is so full with the news that we are getting a new temple of the Lord so close to us. I am also very excited for the other areas that will be similarly blessed.

Keegan is sitting next to us trying to sing the hymns with the choir. His little voice is so cute. I am really grateful for modern technology and our local channels that take the time to broadcast it for the members in our community.

As I listen to these beautiful talks my mind keeps wandering back to the Saturday morning session  two years ago on April 4th, 2009.

I was lying in a hospital bed in downtown Boise, Idaho with my sweet husband at my side, the hospital television tuned to General Conference and my arms full with a tiny little bundle. Just a couple of hours earlier I had given birth to our little Keegan Spencer. Big blue eyes, sparse blonde hair, and little rose bud lips... I had never seen such a beautiful little boy.

After a harrowing week of going in and out of labor my water had finally broken on that Friday night. I remember looking over at Craig and telling him I was determined to have our baby in time for us to watch conference. I wanted  our son's first few hours to be blessed with the words of the prophet in the background. I can honestly say I do not remember very much of what was said during those Saturday sessions, but I felt the spirit with us.

What an incredible day. I was never so tired in my life but it was amazing. The last two years have been so full of love and laughter. We were so worried at first when we found I was pregnant. We had only been married a couple of months and we were in school. We didn't know if we were ready. I don't know if anyone is ever really ready but we adapted quickly. I cannot even begin to imagine life without Keegan.

From the very start he was blessed with a sweet and easygoing personality. We were extremely lucky that he has always loved to sleep and began sleeping through the night very early. He was sweet and cuddly and smelled so good! (Most of the time) Every milestone was so much fun and incredibly exciting. First smile, first laugh, first teeth, rolling over. I remember we cheered like crazy when he managed to roll. Sitting up, crawling, walking, first words (kitty!). I just cannot believe how fast it has gone by.

I never knew how much the heart could grow until we met Keegan. I am so excited to see what kind of person he will grow up to be. I only hope that I can be a good mother to him and teach him what he needs to know.

I feel so blessed to be married to my best friend and for us to have been so blessed with our little boy.

Keegan's birthday party is later this afternoon and I will  try not to cry.

The New Blog!

Well, I finally caved in and created a blog for our little family. I know most people have Facebook and everything but this allows for more in depth updates than the brief posts on FB.
As usual, things are pretty busy in our little world.

We went to Seattle over Christmas to see my family and while we were there we started talking about how nice it was being in a house and all of  the extra space there was at my parent's. We had started feeling super cramped in the apartment. Especially when trying to do homework etc. So for fun we started looking at houses in the Boise area on different websites. We found one we fell in love with but didn't think too much of it. When we got back to Boise and walked into our apartment it hit us how cramped we were. So we called the realtor that had posted the house online to see if it was still open. It was the perfect size and price in a little town outside of Boise called Star. Everything fell into place right away so we  packed everything up and moved.

I had so much fun decorating and buying new furniture. We were not sure at first how we would feel living out in the country but now we are so glad that we are. It is a quieter area with less traffic, lots of open land, and very few stores. (Which means I am shopping way less!)

We have more than double the space now then when we were in an apartment. We are renting an 1800 sq foot house. 3 bedrooms and 2 full bathrooms and  a spacious garage with tons of built in shelving. Finally we have room for all of our stuff and for Keegan to run around and play. It is also so nice not having to worry about disrupting neighbors below us or behind us or anything.

Even Gilbert the cat took the the house right away. Lots more room for him to hide from Keegan! :)

We are also both back at Boise State University full time. Craig is still pursuing a degree in Exercise Science and Fitness Evaluation. He hopes to be a strength and conditioning coach after graduation working with a NCAA or pro team, preferably in basketball. He is currently working as an intern for the BSU men's basketball team with their S&C coach. He absolutely loves it and is learning a lot. He hopes to get a paying position with the team in the future, possible as a Graduate Assistant. He is also busy managing a shipping store in Boise 30 hours a week.

As for me, I am still working on a degree in History with a minor in Canadian Studies. I have been loving all of the research opportunities I have been given. I just finished a big writing project that is going to be part of a book that BSU is publishing called "Growing Closer: Density and Sprawl in the Boise Valley". I spent 8 months doing research, writing, and interviewing city and county officials in order to do a chapter on the history and growth of Kuna, Idaho. It was a lot of fun and I am so excited to have been a part of publishing and writing a book. It will actually be up on Amazon by the spring! :) In other good news, BSU will be flying me out to Seattle next month so I can present a research paper I did last year on Victoria Woodhull. I will be there for three days representing the BSU chapter of Pi Theta Alpha, the History Honors Society. They chose two students to go to the regional conference of PAT. The national conference will be at Disney World next year. I definitely want to go to that one!

As many of you know the last month has been very challenging for me health wise. After four ER trips and a 3 day hospitalization culminating in last minute surgery, I am finally on the mend and feeling more like myself. It was a difficult and stressful time for us but we are so grateful for all of the friends and family who supported us and offered to help. It seemed for the best that I focus on school, my health, and Keegan so for the next few months I am going to try out being a Stay at Home Mom again. I may start working at the University in late summer but for now will be enjoying some more time at home and watching Keegan grow up.

He is an absolute joy and has us rolling on the floor laughing hysterically on a daily basis. I can't believe my baby is almost 2 years old! He is talking like crazy and is very opinionated and bright. He is a little sports fanatic already. How could he not be

since he is a Lane after all! He has his own mini basketball hoop and balls and he and Craig are constantly playing and practicing slam dunks and assists. Amazingly Keegan knows what that all means and when his Daddy tells him to do something like dribble or shoot he does it right away. He is our little Steve Nash! He had an absolute blast when we went to Utah last month and saw the Suns play the Jazz. He was jumping up and down shouting "Yay!" and "Gooo!" the entire time. My Mom says he is totally indoctrinated and I guess she is right. He has been working on learning his colors and shapes and one of his new favorite things is drawing. He loves going to Nursery and playing with his friends. He is getting so good at praying.

Well, this is a lot of info for a post. I am sure you are all now caught up with our lives! I will try to keep up with this as best I can. I will probably be better at this than journaling so I hope the Blog counts!