Why I'm not going to pick up my payroll today.

These photos were taken 10:30 AM this morning. I messed with the colors a bit to make enough of a contrast so that the craziness can be somewhat understood.

First off, this is the view from my front door. We live on the third floor. That balcony is halfway between the second and third floor. At the edges it's about nine inches deep in show.

This shot was taken from the balcony previously pictured; it is the original.

Here is something that I tweaked with.

And this is the "shadow" effect that my software automatically does. It makes it look like the pictures are being taken at night, but it shows the texture of the snow a lot better. So this is how most of the pictures will look. Notice please, the tracks along where the "sidewalk" should be . . . Notice that they stop at the bottom of the picture? That is because the 4-wheeler that tried plowing through it this morning got stuck.

Here is the view at the second floor balcony. The ridge in that first snowbank? It's up to my waist.

Here we see the massive snow-plowed snowbank directly beside, and behind, our truck

I'm standing about 15 feet directly behind our truck, at the edge of the massive snowbank. There SHOULD be another parking space to the left of the truck, but it's become a sledding hill.

Here is another shot from the same spot, just angled differently

This is the other side of the snowbank, facing the drivers side of the truck. Yeah, you can't see the truck, because the snowbank is eight feet tall.

This is taken about eight feet from the last picture. Notice the nice slope in the snowbank? Rob and I sledded down it last night. :) Also, notice how the plow marks stop? Yeah, the snow is about 2.5 feet deep there.

This is looking at the stairs from the truck's driver side door. Notice how the snowdrift is as tall as the stairs handrail?

And this was taken from the bottom stair, looking toward the truck and all it's snowed-in majesty.

So why don't I just take some time and dig my way out so I can pick up my payroll, you ask? Because Rob took our snow shovel with him to work, that's why. He had to dig himself out of the parking lot this morning, along with me pushing the car. Yesterday, the roads in Idaho Falls had not been plowed all day, and he was basically high-centered all day. He even went through a snow drift that was about two feet tall. He took the shovel to prevent himself from getting stuck.

Living in Idaho is for the birds! Hannah, come get yourself some snow!

Addition as of 1:16 PM--there is a kid outside right now with a snow blower--he gave up trying to "blow the snow" off of the side walk in front of my building at the same place the 4-wheeler got stuck this morning.

I watched him turn around and start walking the other way, then went for my camera . . .

Dangit! I hope he comes back!!

Otherwise, the sidewalk will just look like this. Oh, how I'm SO GLAD we're getting out of Rexburg tomorrow!

BTW--I totally feel like a spy--zooming in on the snow blower kid from my third floor apartment . . .

Things I've done

Things I've Done. To participate just copy and paste in your own blog, and bold all of the things you have done.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen an eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

48 outta 99. Sweet.

Somehow I did it!

After worrying about it all week, it looks like I pulled it off! That's two in a row! My second ever! YEAH!

Four, Four, Four, Four...

Those that frequent my blog know that I've been a little lacking in the posts lately. What can I say, I'm one day away from the end of a semester. I felt like a little post today though, because I've just got one (rather daunting) final left, and it's not for another 24 hours--I've got plenty of time.

I got this email from two of my sisters yesterday, and refused to open it until I had some time to reply. So here it is Susie and Teri. :)

(A) Four places that I go to over and over
Campus, grocery shopping, Wal-Mart, home.

(B) Four people who e-mail me (regularly):
As of late, Facebook, Lisa, LeMira, and Tiffany.

(C) Four of my favorite places to eat:
Hard Hat Cafe, The Backyard, Javiers, Tin Pan Galley

(D) Four places I would rather be right now:
Virginia, The Manor, somewhere warm, in the LoveSac nuggling Rob

(E) Four TV Shows I watch:
The Office, How I Met Your Mother, Mythbusters, Heroes


There ya's go. Now I've just got the Genus and species names of 83 houseplants to learn, be tested on, and I'll be done with school. YAY!

Our Cute Little Christmas

We're getting ready for Christmas!

Our presents are all wrapped up neatly for opening . . .

Our stockings are hung with care . . .

"Mistletoe," CHECK!

Last Saturday, Rob and I went over to DI to see what goodies we could find.

Thankfully we happened upon a cute little Christmas Tree for three dollars, and an assortment of ornaments for five dollars.

We picked up these cute little guys for our new ornaments this year.

And then created a fun topper out of floral wire and popcorn!

Along with some pink lights that we had lying around the house, a couple of our own ornaments, and a white pillowcase, we created our cute, pink tree.

Oh Goodness.

Yes, it's true. It's been awhile since my last post, and my blog is lacking. So, here's the most recent update of random tidbits for the month:

First off, gas in Rexburg is $1.52. I'm can't believe it! I can't remember it being this low since 2002!

(I actually started this post on November 24th. It's kinda been a crazy few weeks)

Because my school schedule has gotten slightly more crazy, I've been driving the truck to school in the morning instead of Rob dropping me off. The humorous thing though, is because the truck is much taller than the car, I have to use a step-stool to scrape the frost off the windows in the morning. I wonder what my neighbors think, "There's that silly girl again with her step-stool de-icing her windows again. HAHA! What a sight!"

I've figured out how to get Rob to pose for pictures . . . All I need to say is, "It's for school," and it's a done deal! For example:





My friend Tiffany and I were doing a "photo shoot" for our Interiorscaping class. With these pictures I made handmade ornaments for our Christmas tree--the theme? Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

With our adorable ornaments and mad skills, we made this awesome wreath:

And decorated our little tree. It was so fun!


We did "High Style" designs in Flower Center a few weeks back. Here is one of my beauties:

I got my hair cut again, and I'm SO happy that I went nice and short again.

I love the pixie look . . .

Finals are driving me crazy! Only three more days of school and I'm out for the semester! Hurrah!

We got a new camera. It's a DSLR Nikon D60.



My brother-in-law, Matt, helped me find a killer deal, and Rob and I are liking the results.

Rob grew out his beard for a week. I think it was way hot and wanted him to continue. Unfortunately, he decided to get a new drivers license this week, and shaved it off. :(

The new camera is lots of fun. I took this picture--not bad for a self-shot. I only wish I was wearing mascara though . . . well, that's enough for this post.

2nd Dateaversary

Two years ago on this day, Rob and I had our first date. I remember it being a casual thing, and would have never expected to be married to him, let alone be married for over 19 months, two years later.

I'm so thankful that Rob is my honey. Although we didn't go out and celebrate tonight, I'll always be able to look back at that night two years ago in Manassas Virginia that changed our lives.

I love you, Rob!

Plenty O' Randomness

It's been awhile since my last post, and a lot has been going on. I occasionally think to myself, "Oh! I should blog about that!" and then I forget, or decide I need to do homework, or work, or nuggle up on the couch with my husband instead, so I'm behind. Sorry!

So where to begin . . . I'll try and be chronological . . .

• A couple of weeks ago in flower center we were working on "medium sized" arrangements in vases, and I designed a fun vase arrangement that I was very happy with.
  
  For the greens I used leather leaf, myrtle, and lily grass. The flowers used are yellow football mums, maroon daisy mums, and 'safari sunset' leucadendron. After this picture was taken I actually added another football mum, and leucadendron, but I forgot to take a picture of it too. :( I think most fun thing about this arrangement though, is the vase. I love how it's clear with the blue swirl going around it.
  
  
• I started my job during the last week of October, and I absolutely love it. Let face it though, among other things, I'm getting paid to blog. It's awesome.
  
  
• Midterm grades were available on Oct 29, and I'm doing pretty well, not as well as I'd like though:What can I say; Rob has turned me into a perfectionist. I'm really trying to get that Plant Science grade back up to an A, and keep the others where they are. I'd love to end a second semester with a 4.0. It's only showing me as being registered for 12 credits because I have another second block class that started three weeks ago.
  
  
• I'm thinking of creating another blog to use as my portfolio, but haven't gotten that far yet. It would after all, make four blogs that I am responsible for.
  
  
• Rob and I went to Logan last weekend to see a friend of ours, Eryn, preform in The Monkeys Paw. She did a great job, and played her part with such conviction. It was awesome. We also hung out with The Smith, and overall had an awesome weekend.
  
  
• I'm sure everyone is aware, but Barack Obama was elected to be the 44th President of the United States of America, and I'm SO HAPPY about it!
  
  
• I was called a jerk for "being a democrat" on Wednesday. About 30 seconds after the conversation began, I excused myself because the person I was talking to was ready for a fight, and I didn't want to go there. What can I say, I don't like confrontation! It was ridiculous.
  
  
• I stayed up until midnight last night to register for classes, and will be taking on 15.5 credits next semester. Check out my schedule:
  Yeah, that's right, everything is super spread out, and Thursdays are going to be insane. I may only have 3 classes, but I'm going to be on campus for 13 hours. Granted there are seven open hours, but it's not like I'm going to walk home for an hour! Also, if I an get into the advanced floral design class--which I'm not technically supposed to take until after my internship--the baking class will get cut, and I'll probably pick up a swimming class on Fridays. That would make 16.5 credit hours. It's going to be a crazy semester.
  
  
• Tomorrow Rob and I are heading to Sandy for the weekend. My lil' sister, Susie, and her family are in town for a couple of weeks, and since we haven't seen them in almost a year, I'm way excited to chill with her and her cute twin boys; they are going to be 18 months this month--I can't believe they are getting so big!

So there is the update. Kinda long, but it's been a couple of weeks. :)

YES WE CAN!

He did it!

Let's welcome President Barack Obama to DC!

YES WE CAN!

Oh, and hey, I got a job!

It's true! After six months of being unemployed (my longest break from a job since I was 13), I got a job this last week! Before I tell you what it is, let me tell you how it happened . . .

First off, I've been trying to get a job in the hydroponics greenhouse for about four months. Bro. Willis, a teacher of mine last semester, is in charge of the greenhouse, and he's been looking for someone since June, but because he's in the Agriculture dept on campus, he's been searching for an Ag student. No one has jumped on the opportunity yet, and I've been asking him about hiring me every couple of weeks because I am actually interested--but the Ag Dept can't hire me because I'm a Horticulture major. Bro. Willis keeps telling me to change my major--which is NOT going to happen, obviously.

So, Wednesday morning I started my second block class, Interiorscaping, and Bro. Willis' TA, Scott (who is also a Horticulture major--go figure?), is in the class. I again, asked if they were ready to hire me yet, and Scott mentioned that they might just be about ready to give in . . . cool!

So later that afternoon, I was on my way to the computer lab, when I ran into my teacher of the Interiorscaping class, Sis. Bass. She apparently had overheard my conversation with Scott that morning, and asked if I was specifically interested in working in the hydroponics greenhouse, or having a job in general. Well, I replied, of course the hydroponics greenhouse would be cool--but I'm open for suggestions . . . Why?

"Well, the Horticulture department has position we are looking to fill, and we want you," she said. Um, excuse me? What?

Turns out that Sis. Bass was asked to suggest a few students to fill a PR position for the Horticulture dept. Apparently, she knew who she wanted immediately, she just needed to get me to say yes. :)

OF COURSE I SAID YES! So, this is definitely the easiest time I've ever had getting a job! I asked if I needed to interview, or turn in a resume--turns out, nope, I sure didn't! My personal credentials were good enough for this one. ALRIGHT!!!!

So, I'm in charge of PR for the Horticulture dept! I'll be making up posters and advertisements for the bulletin boards around campus, help in updating the departments websites, and maintaining a department blog, which can be found at: www.byuihorticulture.blogspot.com. Cool huh! I'm totally psyched!

Civil Defense Caves

This afternoon Rob and I needed an adventure. We were originally going to go to Craters of the Moon, but the daylight was short in comparison to time it would take to get out there, so I found out how to get to the Civil Defense Caves from a neighbor, and we drove the 30 minutes north of town to the caves.

This is the opening of the cave. Really, it's huge in comparison to most of the caves I've been to. The cave is a lava tube, which is formed when molten lava flows through a confined channel for an extended period of time. I'm really glad that we brought our headlamps, because the floor was crazy bumpy--also not something I'm used to.

Here's Rob--notice the outcrop of rock right behind his head? I banged my head hard on it as I climbed over the floor into a larger opening. Definitely one of those times that I wished I had a hardhat on.

Here I am making my way through the tightest squeeze, which, from my experience, was also much larger than I'm used to. There is no way someone could get stuck for four hours in the cave . . . not that that's ever happened to me before . . . Riiight.

Here we are right after I smashed my skull into the ceiling, and Rob kissed it better. :) Having your wounds kissed better never gets old!

And this is us as we were leaving the cave. We actually walked through the cave with a couple and their three kids, and they took our picture, how nice! I tried to photo-shop it out, but in the picture you can see some white mist, right? That is steam coming off of our bodies, because the cave was pretty cold. It was an awesome little adventure for us, and the couple we met told us about some more sweet places to check out--hopefully you'll be hearing more about them soon!

15 Years Back . . .

Here are some more pictures from the past, only more concentrating on me. I'm in the (horrendously ugly) black t-shirt, on the right in both. For those that know (or are) my sisters, don't you think they all look adorable? Stephanie, with her lovely crimped hair (AND happy birthday today!!), Susie, looking adorable as ever, and Teri, our cute little red-head.

I figure I'm about 11 in these, because: 1, my hair is in a pony tail on the top of my head--I went through a phase with my soccer team that year of doing my hair as punked out as possible, without using hair spray (something I was SO AGAINST because of the CFC's); 2, notice the black stretch pants, yes they had stirrups, tucked into my white slouchy socks; 3, my black and neon pink and purple shoes; 4, I had begun wearing oversized t-shirts because I was going through puberty and "growing out" much more quickly than any of the other girls my age. Yes, I know the shirt didn't help de-emphasize my assets. I was quite the fashionista, right?

Our maternal grandparents picked us up that day and took us up the canyon to look at the beautiful changing fall leaves. Oh, my hair is just so lovely.

And this last one, I had to include for a few reasons. It was at the bridal shower for my cousin, Kari, who is twelve years older than me. I was born on her birthday, so we've always been "birthday buddies", and I wanted to sit up close to see all the cool presents she was getting. Well, when she pulled out this little number, I think everyone in the room was surprised!

Not only is the look on Kari's face classic, but my grandmother, sitting next to her, and Aunt Laura's, next to grandma, are also fantastic! Then there is the look on my face--I'm absolutely horrified! I think this picture is also a prime example of my bad clothes. I absolutely loved denim shirts, and notice my multi-colored shoes again? By golly, I'm glad that I eventually started watching What Not To Wear and got a clue!

Ahhh, a Glorious Weekend!

While studying in the Geology Lab, a few weeks ago, I saw that there was an upcoming hike to Cave Falls in Yellowstone with the Geology Society for last Saturday, the 18th. So I, always looking for a reason to get out of Rexburg, suggested to Rob that we go. Never mind the fact that I wanted to get out of town for a few hours, I figured it would be fun for Rob to see some of his friends from school, since he's been off track since July. Let's just say that it was incredibly beautiful, an utterly perfect day, and completely disorganized!

Here is a shot of the falls from the parking lot. Cave Falls is only 20 feet high but reaches 250 feet across the Falls River in the southwest corner of Yellowstone National Park. It was about an hours drive from Rexburg. We especially enjoyed the trip because we took school vehicles, and didn't have to drive!!

Here is what looks like a pregnant tree! It even had a belly button, and what looked like two separate legs.

Here we are in front of Bechler Falls, about 1.5 miles up-river from Cave Falls.

Aren't we so cute and nuggly?!?!

I think this would be a great place to take engagement pictures. I was almost too afraid of falling into the water to jump out to the rock--it was about a 2.5 foot gap--but with some help from a log, I made it. I only wish Rob's eyes were open in this picture. It's so cute!

Anytime anyone would like to come visit us, we would love to have an excuse to go back. In fact, from this trail, it's only 31.8 walking miles to Old Faithful--Rob and I were thinking we'd like to hike it next summer--anyone want to join us? OR even be willing to drop us off here, and then meet up with us the next day at Old Faithful?

Like Mother, Like Daughter

A few weeks ago, I was sitting my my parents living room going through a box of old photos that my dad had recently found. Because I have no pictures of myself as a child, I brought a stack home with me, so that I could scan them, and then give them back to my parents. I expect that a good portion of my blog posts in the near future will be of pictures of me as a youngin. :)

One of the best finds though, is this picture of my mom and dad at their reception. They are cutting the cake, preparing for what I always affectionately called, "the shoving contest". My favorite part, though, is the look on my mother's face (not to mention my dad's ruffly tuxedo shirt *snicker snicker*) :

It kinda reminds me of the look on my face at my wedding . . .

Oh wait, not that one . . . here it is:

. . . not to mention this look:

"Holy canolli! That's a lotta cake!" Well, it actually wasn't cake, Rob and I aren't too fond of cake, so we had a "rice crispie" cake. The bottom layer was made out of fruity-pebbles, the middle out of rice crispies, and the top coco-crispies. It was fantastic!

Yum! And if you keep paying attention, you'll see the rice-crispie thing come up again in the pictures . . . they are my FAVORITE, afterall. :)

A months work . . .

I accomplished a typical months work today, in about a half hour, as witnessed in this email:

*****************************************

Dear Kristin,

I would like to inform you that we have received your fast graduation application in the admissions office and it has been approved. You may register for your Winter semester classes when your credit level allows.

Thank you,

Stephani

*****************************************

Happiness Prevails!

EDIT: What this means is that I can 1, register for winter semester--which I need to attend at least twice as a Horticulture major (I was accepted as a summer/fall track student--which means I would not typically be able to attend winter semesters), and 2, continuously attend school until I graduate, therefore signifigantly decreasing the amount of time Rob and I will need to live in Rexburg--by a year and a half.

What it really comes down to though, is that Rob and I should be able to graduate in the same semester. So once we are both done here, we can immediately move on to wherever Rob chooses to go to Grad school. THAT is happiness!

More Projects!

As of late, I haven't been updating the blog as often as I would like. There are many reasons for this, but what it really comes down to is that I spend way too much time doing homework. For example, I spent 9 hours on this design for my Flower ID class. The plot is a part of the school's demonstration gardens that will be planted, I assume, sometime next spring.

Yeah. Nine hours of my life--displayed on that piece of paper. I know, it's sad. What a waste of an entire Saturday afternoon and evening.

This, on the other hand, is a work of art that I assembled in Flower Center last Thursday. We were to create a centerpiece--so I did an oblong design with pink larkspur, daisy mums, and salal. I think it turned out great, and am now displaying it proudly on my bar.

It only took half an hour, at most, and was much more exciting, fun, and rewarding. Not to mention I get to look at pretty flowers all week. :)

I do have some pretty awesome things that I still want to post, but I've got to scan some pictures first . . . and I haven't gotten that far yet. So, hopefully I'll find some time to breathe this week, and all you faithful blog-readers of mine will have some great entertainment soon. Until then . . .

Oh, and someone mistook me for an eighteen-year-old's mother today. Sadly enough, it's not the first time this has happened. It's the third. Do I really look like I'm 40? Sad day.

Holy Crap! I'm SO Funny!

Ok, I know, it's a pompous title, but hopefully you'll come to appreciate why I'm laughing so hard at myself right now.

The story starts out this morning. I had gotten out my gloves, because I was going to take a bike ride, and it's been quite chilly in the mornings here; I didn't want to freeze my fingertips off during my ride. Thankfully though, it had warmed up this morning, and since I prefer to ride without them I left the gloves behind. For my bike ride, I started off going to the dry cleaners. Rob's zipper on his favorite coat broke last spring, and rather than getting a whole new coat, I figured we could jsut get a new zipper installed.

So I got to the dry cleaners, where they do alterations too, and asked for a new zipper to be put in. The employee told me that all I actually needed was a new zipper pull, and she could have the coat fixed in about five minutes. COOL!

As I was waiting, I saw that the cleaners also had collar stays for sale, and since I didn't take out Rob's collar stays the first time I washed a shirt with them, (how am I supposed to know they needed to come out) and they broke, I've been needing to buy him some. I love buying him stupid little gifts like this, and was delighted with the thought of presenting him with them.

So, the coat got fixed. I continued my bike ride for another 40 minutes, and eventually came home. Now, since I have class this afternoon from 3:00-6:00 and Rob is going to beat me home, I wanted to set out his coat as a surprise. Originally I was jsut going to lay it out on the couch, and then I noticed the pillow laying there . . . so I zipped up the coat around the pillow and stood it up. It looked good . . . but it wasn't perfect, yet. I then took a smaller pillow and stuffed it in the hood, making it stand up. The "head" was tilted a bit, which gave it a little sass . . . and then I saw my gloves. I stuffed the gloves in the arm holes, and made a peace sign out of the fingers. In the pocket of the coat I put the wrapped collar stays.

So when Rob gets home, this is what he'll see:

New zipper pull? Four dollars.
New collar stays? Two dollars.
Me dressing up pilliows in the fixed coat, throwing a peace sign? Priceless.

I am one crazy girl.