Happy Thanksgiving!

Jake and I had a great week this past week! Jake is progressing through his first phase of flight training and doing very well. He was one of three guys chosen to be the commander of a convoy operation and did pretty well. I worked on setting up our baby's room and sewing a car seat canopy. I had to keep unpicking my stitches and redoing things because I was making up my own pattern. I even added a mesh window so no one I don't know can touch our baby, but she can still get some air. After all the frustration and time, I think it turned out pretty well. We did have a little scare on Monday when I was having bad contractions and cramping, and thankfully my doctor assured me everything was fine with our baby. Already our little girl is being a stinker! She definitely takes after her daddy. :-)


Thanksgiving was fabulous this year! We went over to our neighbor's house and had Thanksgiving dinner with 3 other couples. I was in charge of the turkey because non of the other women had ever made a turkey before. I hadn't either, but I figured I'd rather take the plunge and try it out then leave it in the hands of someone else. I knew I could at least make a decent turkey. :-) Jake was so excited to play football with a bunch of guys from our ward. He asked me to come watch him so he could show off. Jake is a really great football player! He made 6 interceptions and a couple of touchdowns. All the guys were very impressed and made sure I knew about it on Sunday. I am so proud of my man! (It's so great to be married to a stud!) I originally asked Jake to pull out all the nasty parts of the turkey and rub the seasoning in the cavity, but he went and played football, so I was left to do it on my own. Wow! I almost met my match squaring off with that turkey and its nasty parts. I couldn't bring myself to touch any of the giblets or stick my hand in the cavity, or even touch the turkey for more than 5 or 6 seconds, so I'm sure it would have been a sight to see me holding a spatula and tongs trying to prepare this turkey for Thanksgiving without touching any part of it. Since I couldn't bring myself to stick my hand in the cavity to rub in the seasonings, I just kind of dumped the seasonings in there, picked the turkey up and shook it around to hopefully get the seasonings where they needed to go. Everyone liked the turkey, so I guess I did a good job. We were able to do a video chat with Jake's family later Thursday night and it was really fun to see everyone. 

There were four football games Jake watched over the weekend, and all four of them lost! Some of them by only one point during the 4th quarter. He was devastated! We had to give talks on Sunday in Sacrament meeting, and he said it was because he watched football instead of preparing his talk that they all lost. I thought it was pretty hilarious that not just one or two but all four lost! 

Jake and I are doing fantastic here in Alabama. It's hard to get into the holiday spirit here because I'm not used to having a dry christmas. The last few days I've been telling Jake we're going to put Christmas up, but then I forget because there's no snow outside! The average temperature here is 78 degrees. Of course it wouldn't feel like Christmas! 

Oh I almost forgot! I have been dreading the day I'd see cockroaches in my house, and the other day we had our first! I was cleaning up my house when I glanced down and almost let out a scream! There was a dead cockroach on my living room floor! YUCK! I picked it up with our dust pan and threw it away in our outside garbage. I haven't seen anymore since then, but everyone keeps telling me they'll be coming for me. YIKES! 

There are also parking places all over the base for expectant mothers. I thought it was so funny the first time I saw these. You definitely wouldn't see these parking places in Utah because they would always be full and women would be competing to get these spots first because they're right next to all the buildings! The funniest part is they're almost always empty. I feel like royalty every time I park in one of these. ;-)

Nasty cockroach!

Car seat Canopy

Mesh window

Give Thanks!

Well we made it to Alabama. I never thought it was going to happen, but it finally did. We had a pretty nail biting time up until Thursday the 21st because we still hadn't gotten our orders and were scheduled to move on Monday the 25th. We had our families coming up to help us load everything in the truck on Saturday the 23rd, and someone else was moving in the day after we moved out, so either we were going to Alabama or we would be homeless. That is not a fun thing to worry about. We also found out we couldn't even rent our truck unless we had orders or we wouldn't be reimbursed for our expenses. How frustrating! Our orders finally came on Thursday after Jake did some calling around to get any information at all about them. We sure said a prayer of gratitude when we finally got them in Jake's email. 

The packing and loading went smoothly and the guys were able to figure out how to fit everything in the 16' truck we got, but it was a really tight squeeze. We filled every inch! Jake and I had a little party the last night we were in our condo by moving our TV upstairs in our bedroom, watching The Karate Kid, and eating ice cream on our mattress on the floor before going to bed. 

Monday morning we woke up early and drove to Hill Air Force Base to get the approval for our DITY (Do It Yourself) move. We were supposed to have gotten the paperwork taken care of Friday the 22nd, but when we were about 15 minutes away they called and told us we'd have to come back Monday because their systems had shut down. What luck! Needless to say I was livid because we had been driving for 45 minutes already and I had had it with the run-around from the army. We had to turn around and drive back to Logan, losing a lot of time we could have spent packing and cleaning our house. Luckily everything went without a hitch when we got there Monday morning, and we were able to return to Logan before we thought and finish last minute loading and cleaning. We left Logan around 2:00pm and headed up through Bear Lake to our new home. 

We drove 6 1/2 hours the first day through snow, windy roads, high wind speeds, and bumps. We stopped in a little town called Wamsutter, Wyoming after about 5 hours of driving to fill up on gas, and as I walked around the back of the Budget truck I saw Jake's scriptures sitting on the tailgate. I asked Jake if he'd recently put them there, and he said he hadn't. He left them on the tailgate when we left Logan! We were both so surprised they had survived and looked as good as if they were sitting on the shelf back home! We both thought it was a miracle and also a sign. We arrived at the Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, Wyoming pretty late that night. The room we stayed in was fantastic! There was a full kitchen, a living room, and two bedrooms!   

Tuesday the 26th we found breakfast at a cute little bagel shop that made awesome bagel sandwiches and burritos. I wish there were more shops like that around! We headed out of Wyoming through Nebraska. What a boring drive. There was nothing but grass blowing in the wind. We did see a few oil rigs and drove past a pasture with what looked like 10,000 cows, but other than that it was very long. We bought a few books on CD to listen to, and boy were we both glad we did! There was one point when Jake seemed to lose his mind a little and started singing and dancing around in his seat. It was hilarious and made for some good entertainment for a an hour until his throat started to hurt from all his bellowing. J We drove about 8 hours and stayed in Lincoln, Nebraska for the night. 

Wednesday the 27th we drove through the rest of Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, and Arkansas. About Missouri the scenery started to get pretty and was much more interesting to look at. Lincoln, Nebraska was actually a beautiful city and had the cutest houses and yards! I told Jake I wouldn't mind living in Nebraska if I could live in one of these adorable houses in Lincoln. We drove for about 8 hours and my ankles and hands started to swell up really bad after sitting down for so long. The wind also blew pretty hard all day. Apparently we were catching the tail end of a big storm that had just come through. We stayed in Hardy, Arkansas that night and had a hotel room with two full beds instead of a king or queen to save some money. Jake got a better night's sleep than he has in awhile that night sleeping on two different beds, because I wake up at night and move around a lot. 

Thursday the 28th we drove through the rest of Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, and stayed in Montgomery, Alabama that night. I really enjoyed driving through this part of the country because it was very beautiful. Memphis was a huge city! We got a little lost driving on their roads because their roads are crazy, but we eventually found our way thanks to Tom-Tom (I don't know what we would have done without Tom-Tom sometimes.). Jake and I went to Waffle House for dinner that night and it was pretty good. We thought Waffle House was unique to this part of Alabama, but little did we know it is everywhere! There are more Waffle Houses in Alabama than McDonald's! 

Friday the 29th we drove into our new home, Fort Rucker. I was amazed at how beautiful the base was as we drove through the security gate and into the base. There are trees lining the road for a few miles until you get into the "town" area, and then it opens up and is very well kept. There are also helicopters constantly flying overhead. When we got onto the base we had a few hours to kill, and of course the first place Jake and I went to was the Aviation museum. He was absolutely enthralled by all the helicopters, and it was pretty amazing. They have the progression of the very first planes and helicopters flown in all the wars and the stories behind their construction and use. 

We ate lunch in the PX, which is a mini mall, and then checked into our new home. I was so excited when we drove up and saw it. It's a four bedroom, one story house. There is lots of storage space inside, including a storage shed in back and a car port storage. Jake and I don't have enough stuff to fill it up! Jake and I were both surprised to find out there are several guys Jake went to school with here, as well as some guys from his unit in Utah. Several of them came and helped us unload our truck. We were invited over for dinner Sunday night as well as Monday night by several friends, and everyone was more than happy to give us advice and help us adjust to our new home. We were invited to the ward Trunk-or-Treat and chili night, and it was fun to socialize with people in the ward and meet new friends. Jake and I both left excited to be here.  

Saturday the 30th we took the Budget truck to Dothan to drop it off. We were relieved to be rid of it because it was a pretty crappy truck. The tire was worn clean through so you could see the metal wiring in it, and the brakes on the trailer didn't work. When we got back to Ft. Rucker, I started to unpack while Jake went around and tried to figure out where he was supposed to be reporting to. His orders didn't give us any information except we were supposed to be here the 31st. I got the kitchen and our bedroom unpacked by the time Jake got home.

Sunday the 31st we went to our new ward, the Ozark 1st ward, for the first time. There is a ward and a branch here with 90% of the ward being from Utah. Everyone was so friendly and accepting, willing to help out and offer any service or advice we needed. I am amazed at how we have been treated since we've arrived here. I think it's partly because everyone was once in the same place we are and knows how it feels. We ate dinner with the some friends that night and really enjoyed socializing with them. We played Settler's of Catan for the first time, and it was a really fun game! Jake and I are going to need to invest in some board games and invite friends over. 
 
Jake found out he needed to be at PT (physical training) at 5:15am Monday (Nov 1st) morning, and when he showed up they gave him his class schedule. We thought we were going to get a few weeks or months to get settled in before flight school started, but apparently the army had other plans without telling us. Jake has now been in school for 3 1/2 days, and I am left to take care of everything else. Jake came home Monday after class and was really stressed out because everything was new and there was so much to do still. They told him he needed to take care of all the in-processing stuff on his own time, like transferring over health care, putting in our DITY move papers, and getting finances taken care of so we could get paid. He was pretty upset about everything. 

Tuesday I tried to get most of the paperwork and tasks done, but spouses can't do anything here without their husbands! It's ridiculous! Whoever said being married gave you rights lied. Jake had to give me a General Power of Attorney just so I could look at his paycheck and get our vehicle registered. It also took me 5 hours to complete what would have taken me 30 minutes to do in Logan! Yuck! And people want the government to have more power. 

Jake came home on Tuesday and was much happier and felt better about things, mostly because I took care of several of them, and he didn't feel so overwhelmed. Jake has a hard time with change, and I think the abrupt immersing into flight school right after we got here didn't help. He's feeling better about things though. I spent the rest of Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday unpacking our house, putting our giant desk together, and setting up the internet. I'm pretty much finished except for the baby's room, but that can wait for a few more weeks. 

Funny story: The internet guy was getting our modem set up in the other room and said, "Oh my Lord!" He then asked, "Ma'am, how much do you know about your computer?" I said I didn't know much, to which he replied, "I have never seen a download speed this fast before! Usually I get around 15mb, but yours is pushing 45! I want to take your computer home with me!" He performed the test 3 times just to make sure it was accurate. I laughed very hard at this because I remember dad being so impatient growing up with how slow the internet could be, and wanting the fastest we could get. I guess it rubbed off onto me too because I've always had to have the fastest internet connection I could get too, price isn't a factor. I think people here in Alabama are a lot less tech savvy than in Utah. They're also more friendly and laid back, which I both like and dislike. 

So far Jake and I are loving this place. It's different from Utah, but we were expecting that. Everyone here calls me sweetie, ma'am, or darlin', and the roads are CrAzY! I got a blessing a few days ago that said Jake and I were sent to Ft. Rucker to further the gospel and be examples, and flight school was the avenue for that to happen. I know we've been through some pretty trying and crazy weeks, but being here now is so worth it, and I know the Lord is blessing us! We miss our families, but we know we are where we're supposed to be! We love you all!

Jake's miracle scriptures.

The lovely Budget truck pulling our Rodeo.

Memphis

Our study

Our new house!

My craft corner.

The kitchen

The hallway back to the rooms.

The living room.

The Aviation Museum

March Madness!

I can't believe we are starting the second week of March. Jake and I are counting down the days until Spring Break, because we definitely are feeling the need for a break from school. There are 6 days. Yahoo! We've had some pretty cool events the last few weeks. Stake Conference with Elder M. Russell Ballard, going flying with Jake, Jake's first speech presentation in his speech class, moving our neighbor Darla, sitting through a LONG Homeowner's Workshop for school, and getting a new bishop. 


Our stake conference was the 27th and 28th of February and it was announced Elder Ballard would be coming to speak to us. Jake and I were super excited! As you all know, stake conference is on Sunday, but is also on Saturday night. Well it turns out there was also an Aggie basketball game going on at the same time and Jake really wanted to go because he hadn't been to a game since the season started. I hate to admit I didn't feel up to sitting through a 2 hour meeting on a Saturday night either, so Jake and I opted to do our other activities instead of go to stake conference Saturday night. Boy was that a learning experience for us. The next morning Jake went to a leadership meeting and came home quite humbled. I went visiting teaching and came home with the same attitude. Apparently Elder Ballard and Elder Kaiz from the seventy gave some excellent talks just for the married students of our stake that Jake and I really needed to hear, but we didn't because we opted not to go to the Saturday night session. We both decided we are going to stake conference next time, even if we don't want to.


The Sunday session was very good and Elder Ballard and Elder Kaiz gave us some great advice. Elder Kaiz spoke about the war in heaven and how 1/3rd of God's children refused to accept Christ as our Savior. He also spoke about the atonement and that taking the sacrament means we are accepting Christ as our Savior and we must prepare to take the sacrament every week. 


Elder Ballard spoke about learning to hear the voice of the Lord so you can act on the promptings you receive. Don't put off promptings. He said do what you are prompted to do, even if you think it is just you thinking. It's better to act on a thought and have it turn out not to be a prompting, then to not act on a thought and have it turn out to be something important the Lord needed you to do. Elder Ballard also talked about defending the church to the rest of the world and told us to blog about our beliefs. (I thought that was pretty funny.) The last topic he spoke on was preserving your time and not wasting away your day in idle activities, especially video gaming and facebooking. He said if you will preserve your time and use it to help others in need or accomplish those good things in life, you will have promptings and thoughts flow to you. The blessing he left for us was for God to bless us to overcome our transgressions of wasting our time and help us to find those who need our help. It was a great stake conference.


Jake has been working on getting his multi-engine certification and had been asking me to go flying with him. The last time I went flying with him was when he flew me home to propose. It's not that I don't like flying, I just get motion sick really easily, but I decided to buck up and go. The view was beautiful and it was fun to see Jake control the plane with such ease. I was actually enjoying myself and only felt a hint of motion sickness. Then the tricky flying started. Before I knew what was happening we were dipping and flying in tight circles and actually stopping the propellers. WOA! I think if I could have looked in a mirror I would have been as white as a sheet. I almost lost my lunch a couple of times. Overall I enjoyed flying, but will probably have to work up to going again anytime soon. :-)


Jake is enrolled in a speech class and had to give his first speech a few weeks ago. The funny thing is we were both enrolled in it last semester but he dropped out about 4 weeks in because he thought he didn't have to take it. I took the class and got it over with and now Jake has to take it in order to graduate. Ha ha! He was so cute with preparing his speech. He decided to do it on a very famous pilot who fought in World War II. Didn't see that one coming did you. (Jake's two favorite topics to discuss are pilots and WWII.) It took him forever to decide which pictures to print out of the guy and frame. He also took a flag for the background decoration and dressed up in his formal military wear! He was so handsome! I wished I could have heard his speech, but I'm sure he did a great job. 


After weeks of stressing and planning, our neighbor, Darla, moved this last Thursday. Darla was so worried and anxious about the move and packing (hardly anything was packed) that she had a little break down the day before the move. She was overwhelmed with all that had to be done and moved because she has A LOT of antique furniture and collectibles. Frankly so was I. We asked the Elder's Quorum in our ward for help, but were nervous no one would show up because it was on a school day. Jake and I were absolutely astounded at how many guys came to help. They just kept coming and were so willing to help. We had been praying for help, and for Darla, to make this go smoothly, and it was such a testimony to Jake and I how God answers prayers through other people. What could easily have been a 10-12 hour day of moving only took 4 1/2 hours, and I can't even express how grateful Darla and her husband Rod were for the help and support. To me this shows there still are good, hardworking people in this world willing to give a helping hand to those in need.

 Jake had drill this weekend and I usually go down south with him as well to visit family, but this weekend I had to stay. All alone. My major is Family Finance and it is required for us to go to a Home Ownership Workshop put on by the Family Life Center here in Logan. It wouldn't have been so bad except it was 8 HOURS LONG! I've been learning the stuff taught in this workshop for several years now, so it was hard to sit through a workshop that repeated everything I've heard about a hundred times. I did get to know a few girls in my class a little better, which was fun. We went to lunch over our lunch break and talked about our lives and plans for the future. I didn't realize how much I missed having girlfriends to talk to. Husbands are great, but it's nice to talk to someone who thinks like I do. It was sad to go home to an empty house for two nights. I really missed Jake and think a deployment or required training will be hard.

Today was a special day in our ward. We got a new bishop. The only time I remember a bishop being released and a new one called was my dad's calling several years ago, so it was interesting to witness this today. Jake and I have really loved Bishop Hastings and the great man he is. He made us feel so welcome and loved that we couldn't leave the ward when we moved. He truly is a man of God. The new bishop is Bishop McMann. When he got up to bear his testimony, I liked him immediately. It probably helped that he is from Australia and has a way cool accent. His wife is adorable, and I know they will be great new additions to our ward. 


Well, the night is young and I am starving since it's fast Sunday. Enjoy our March Madness update!

Updates!

Wow so much time has passed and I have been lousy at keeping updated! I can't believe Jake and I have been married for almost 8 months. I guess the saying is true that time flies when you are having fun with the person you love, and that's exactly what Jake and I are doing.

Where do I begin?! Let’s see…the last time I updated on our super fun lives was back in October. Since then, we finished the semester (in Jake’s case, barely), moved to a new apartment, had a great first Christmas together, and went on a cruise, and now the new semester is kicking my tooshy!

Jake had a really interesting Fall semester. In Jake’s words, “it sucked.” He was stressing out because he didn’t have a helicopter slot, and a class he was in was ridiculous. His teacher was the worst teacher of all time and wanted him to write 16 hour papers every other day. There were only two other people in the class, and it was pretty much like a semester long job interview to be a flight instructor. One of the other people was a girl who would suck up like no other and bring cookies and baked goods to class. Jake barely finished with his sanity (and mine as well), and he got his helicopter slot! We’re going to Alabama for sure in a year and a half or so. Pretty much whenever the army says, “go.”


Right before the semester was over, I started thinking I really wanted to move to a new apartment. I wanted a place with two rooms so I could have our computer and TV in another room. (This really came down to I didn’t want to sleep on the floor in the living room anymore because Jake was up working on his papers until 5:00am.) I talked to Jake about moving and we both said, “why not?” Jake thought I was crazy at first, but as soon as I dragged him to our new apartment and we signed the contract and moved in all within two weeks, he realized it was for real. :-) Our new apartment is so great! We went from our 510 sq ft. apartment to a 1200 sq foot townhouse! It has an upstairs with two HUGE rooms and a walk-in closet with a HUGE kitchen and a cute little living room and dining room. We bought our very first couches for a steal-of-a-deal, and got a very nice, very heavy, wooden dining room table with chairs on KSL for $250! Jake whined that the table and chairs smelled like cigarette smoke for weeks, but I think he was just being difficult. :-) I am so happy with our new little house!

We not only got a new apartment, we also got a new special friend. Our neighbor’s name is Darla and she is this funny 50-year-old woman with a dog named Wally. We befriended her and she really needed our help. The more I get to know her, the more interesting she gets. I’ve recently found out she had an amazing bridal business doing all the celebrities hair and makeup and planning their weddings, owning an old folks home, and she even had her own line of makeup and jewelry. Darla got in two pretty severe car accidents and is suffering from those. I feel terrible about her situation. She is very sweet and has given Jake and I the opportunity to serve her. A month or so after we moved in to our new home, I went over to visit Darla, and when I came home I was hit with the strongest impression that Jake and I were supposed to move here because Darla needed our help. My testimony on being an instrument in the Lord's hands and being guided to where He needs us to be has been tremendously strengthened. I am honored I could be a part in serving the Lord through Darla. 

Jake and I went down to my parent’s house for Christmas this year, and my mom went all out for us. She even bought us our first Christmas stockings with our names on them. Jake gave me quite a scare the week before Christmas. He was on his way to drill early in the morning and it was sleeting pretty good when he left. He hit a slippery patch and spun wildly out of control off the road going 50 miles per hour on the freeway in our Rodeo and about gave me a heart attack when he called. It was miraculous he only damaged the bumper a little bit because it should have been a lot worse. He told me he also pushed another car off the road and saw them screaming as they whizzed past him, missing each other only by inches. I am so glad he is safe!

 My parents took my whole family on our first cruise ever right before school started. It was so much fun! We flew into New Orleans and went to church in a little branch there before we boarded the ship. The sacrament meeting was hilarious! It was fast and testimony meeting and people were getting up and walking around, and there were so many funny people! One lady went off for 25 minutes talking about her life history and the tragedies she’s had, and the bishop finally had to get up and tell her to sit down so other people could have a turn. Jake really got a kick out of a man who sat in front of us. He swore it was Milton off of Office Space. It was a great experience and allowed my family to see what the church outside of Utah is like. I felt very ungrateful sitting there in that sacrament meeting. These people didn't have much, but they had faith and love. It was an eye opening experience.

The ship was huge, the food was all you could eat and fantastic every day, and we had the best excursions on shore! We went to Costa Maya and my sisters Stephanie and Melanie thought it was fabulous they could barter with the men selling their products. They thought they were pretty good. :-) We went to Guatemala and took a taxi into the city. Holy cow! I thought we were going to die! He was a crazy driver! It was a humbling experience because the people there were so poor. Little Katie asked my mom if we could come back to visit the city some time because she wanted to bring food and toys for the little kids to play with. In Belize we went zip lining in the forest and got up to about 100 ft! It was super fun and all the little helpers kept telling me what a natural I was. (I liked that.) We also went cave tubing. They gave us these tubes and we went through these natural caves in a lazy river sort of way. In Mexico we went to Tulum. Tulum is an ancient Myan city that was abandoned. It was amazing! I couldn’t believe how accurate everything was, like their measurements, buildings, and symbols. I hope we can go back there again someday.

(We flew into New Orleans and saw a huge statue of Louis Armstrong. My dad is showing off his P90X muscles. He worked really hard for this cruise.)

(There was a pet monkey in a tree in Guatemala! He was on a leash and had a dog house and everything!)

(Tulum)

Cruising was a lot of fun, but I don’t know if it’s necessarily an activity Jake and I will do frequently. There were SO MANY PEOPLE all over the place! And one night the ship was rocking so bad it made me feel like we were going to capsize! Jake slept through the whole thing the bugger!  

We got back from the cruise Sunday night at around 10:30pm and school started the next day. I won’t do that again because I’m still trying to catch up on everything. School is pretty easy for Jake this semester, but it’s kicking my behind. I hope things get easier from here, but I’m not so sure they will. Jake is going to graduate in either May or August, and I’m going to graduate in December! Wahoo!  

Today is Valentine's Day and we get a long weekend because of President's Day. I love having breaks. It gives much needed breathing room. To celebrate our first Valentine's together, we went to the temple on Saturday morning and then out to lunch at Texas Roadhouse. Jake LOVES Texas Roadhouse. I'm really glad we went to the temple to celebrate. What better way to celebrate a holiday of love than to go to the one place that gives you the opportunity to be with the one you love for eternity. I cut out little hearts, wrote fun sayings on them, and hid them all over the house for Jake. It has been really fun to watch him find the hearts. Jake wrote me the sweetest letter and put it in my car for me to find when I went to church. He even drew his hand on the back of it for me! What a sweetie! 

I feel so blessed to have Jake in my life. I can't imagine life without him. We have grown so close to each other over these past 8 months, and I am so happy to be with him. I often reflect on the advice I was given before I got married, that the first year of marriage is really difficult. I agree that some parts are tough, but overall, I couldn't be more pleased or satisfied with my first year of marriage. 

Happy Valentine's Day!