Wanda Cherry

This morning Jedd's grandma passed away. I didn't know Wanda really well, I only wish that I could have. I met her for the first time at Jedd's sister's wedding back in May 2008 and then only saw her only once or twice after that before she passed on. Even though I didn't know her very well personally, hearing all the stories about her from family members has made me think that I know her at least a little bit. Wanda has been in a rest home for the past couple years so it was a blessing that she passed on. We are definitely sad, but so glad that she was able to go finally meet her husband and other family members on the other side.

We love you Grandma!

In Loving Memory

Wanda Cherry

July 23, 2009

And here are just a few updated pictures of our house. I know, I know, but I have been asked to post these. It actually looks like a house now! :) They finished framing the upstairs and downstairs this week. Here is a picture of the outside front and back. And these two are just pictures of the inside with the framed walls. Sorry for it being so dark, we drove out there at about 9:00 at night and with no lights it was hard to see. BUT I just had to snag a few pictures to show that it is actually framed inside!

YEAH! We are so SO excited about our house. Every time we go out there, Jedd and I keep telling each other how we couldn't be happier with our house and how excited we are about it. Next comes wiring and all the vent work. That will probably be next week sometime. I won't post pictures of that since it isn't that exciting, but I will a little later down the road. This has been the most exciting.......so far!

A Hike and Our House

Jedd and I have been talking about going on a hike all summer and we finally went. Amidst all the packing, I decided to take a day off and go on a hike with my hubby. It was a lot of fun. We woke up at 6:30 (yes! on a Saturday morning!) and started out at 7:00. Thank goodness we started so early because on our way down, it was way too hot. We went on a hike on Highway 89 in Layton. It has a ton of waterfalls and thank goodness I brought my camera. This was the first waterfall that you see. It was amazing, but then again, I am amazed with waterfalls. This is the second one. It was very tall.

This is the same waterfall with us in front of it! :) This guy who we asked to take our picture asked if we were newlyweds. Uh....don't you think that is a weird question to ask?

And this was the third and final waterfall. It was absolutely AMAZING! It took Jedd and I about an hour and a half to get all the way up, and only one close call of me falling. :) This waterfall was SO WORTH the hike up there.

And this is just a picture of the gorgeous falls.

We had so much fun hiking together.

The Perfect Framing

As another update, our house is getting framed. Yesterday we decided to take a ride out there to see the progress. We are assuming that in the next few days it will be all framed inside and out. It usually doesn't take long after things start for it to be done. YEAH! Here are a few pictures I snapped while we were there.

How Firm a Foundation

Yes, this means that our foundation has been poured! We are so excited about the progress of our house. This week and last, we picked out exterior and interior colors for pretty much everything under the sun. It was a little crazy, but Jedd was so good to be supportive and give his advice. We went pretty normal and chose all browns and beiges. I love going pretty neutral and then I can decorate and change things how I want when I want. I'm not going to lie, it was really fun to be able to pick things out. I can finally decorate the way I want with what I want! HOW EXCITING! To the left will be our garage and right in the middle is our front door and then to the right will be our two bedrooms. The only thing we have left to do for this month is move out of our apartment. That means packing. BLAH. Wish us luck with this horrible and not so exciting adventure.

Stupid Birds

Let me explain.  Ever since I have been out of school, I have decided to start walking/running every morning to feel better about myself.  (Keep reading, that is not the most shocking part!) I charted out this course to go a little more than 2 miles every day around my neighborhood with hills and straight ways.  I have been enjoying my little runs every morning and look forward (sometimes) to go.  This week I have had to change my whole route and have had to change due to these stupid blackbirds.  Yes, they are stupid because I am being bullied by these birds.  And as funny as it sounds, I tell Jedd that I am being bullied around by about 4 blackbirds, and now I am scared to actually run my normal route every morning.  We have concluded that these birds are attacking me because they have a nest with babies in the tree.  So in reality, they aren't being stupid just protective of their little ones, but I still think it is stupid.  When I start to get close to this specific tree, these black birds start coming at me.  You laugh, but it is so ridiculous that I am scared to go past this tree anymore.  And this is what they do when I am approaching the tree.  They fly above me so I can't see them and come from behind, swoop down and nick my head, fly back up and do it again and again.  It is just not one bird, and it is just not once that they hit my head.  On Tuesday of this week, all 4 birds chased me down the whole entire street doing this swoop thing to me.  I act like I am just running (so hopefully if anyone is watching I look pretty calm), but in reality, I am running fearing that these birds will start to attack me and peck my like in the movie "The Birds".  RIDICULOUS!  So after this scary incident, I decided on Wednesday to cross the street to try and trick the birds.  Well when I almost got to "the spot", there were more birds on the other side of the street sitting on the fence which sure felt like they were just waiting to attack me.  And of course again, they chased me down the street doing the same swoop thing over and over again.  

Today, I decided to change my route and it was WONDERFUL to not have to worry about getting attacked by these birds.  However, I still have this fear that birds are going to come out of a tree, swoop down and hit my head.  Every time I hear this specific bird sound, my heart starts pumping just a little bit.   Let's hope this little fear won't last long.  

Twinner-Sames: This is for Hailey

My niece just got her hair chopped off (check out Jerilyn's blog to get more details and more adorable pictures), and so now we are twinner-sames (as Hailey would call it). Her hair is absolutely adorable and so I had to snag a picture of us two with the same hair cut. It's not a great picture of me, but just pay more attention to Hailey-Bailey, she's the cute one anyway.

Hailey, I LOVE your hair.

A Hole is Dug!

Due to circumstances, our house was moved up a spot to get started on. YEAH! So yesterday, Jedd decided to just drive by our lot to see if anything had happened and look what he found! Yes, our hole is dug! We decided to drive out there last night so I could see it and of course to take pictures! These two pictures are taken from the back of our house looking to the road (they were the best ones I took). This top one is looking at our garage and kitchen side. The other picture is where our bedrooms will be. We are so excited and thought we would share our good news! Who knew I would ever be excited about a hole dug in a bunch of dirt. :)

A Proud Sister...Tay Graduates

Today, my little brother (ok maybe I should say younger, not littler brother) is graduating from Viewmont High School. I could not be more proud of my little bro and the kind of guy he has grown up to be. Last night, Jedd and I, along with some family members, were able to go and attend his Seminary Graduation. It was fun to be there with him and celebrate with him, it sure didn't hurt that it was pretty quick either! Since we are not able to attend his high school graduation today, we took pictures last night with Taylor and my mom and dad. (Look how sharp he looks in his gown!)

CONGRATS BRO! We are so proud of you and SO excited for you to start this new part of your life!

3rd Year checked off the list

For those who don't know, I have finally finished my 3rd year of teaching high school.  School ended on Friday May 29th and I am officially a "summer bum" with no plans.  And let me just say that it is AWESOME!  I love summer vacation, probably just as much as I used to when I was in school.  I look forward to those last few days with kids, and no more assignments/tests to correct, no more arguing with kids to do homework, and I can just relax and enjoy my break from 200 high school aged kids of mine.  

So what does this summer hold for me?  

- being able to see my sisters, their kids, and my mom more often

- sleeping in past 5:00 am

- being able to go out running/walking in the mornings BEFORE I get ready for the day

- not having to worry about the dreaded Monday morning on Sunday night and preparing for the week

- being able to clean my house on a day of the week, rather than Saturday morning

- packing up Jedd's and my apartment to move out of apartment come the end of July

- picking out colors and counters and carpets and everything under the sun for our new house :)

- and anything else that comes my way!  

I just have to say what a relief and big accomplishment it is of mine to say that I have survived the first 3 years as a teacher. Statistics show that within the first 3 years of teaching, one third of brand new teachers decide to find a new career path.  And as I have looked back on my the last 3 years, I can admit that I see why that statistic is so high.  Being a teacher is definitely not a glamour job and it takes a lot of work and patience.  But I guess there is nothing else that I would rather spend my time doing. I'm also excited to say that because I have jumped through all the hoops of these first 3 years, I officially have my Level 2 License and am no longer a provisional teacher.  Not being a provisional teacher is huge to educators.  Being provisional means that your contract may or may not be renewed from year to year at the school you teach at.  Your principal can let you go without warning or explanation.  It is so great knowing my job is a little more secure.

So here is to a busy and awesome summer vacation!