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.