Bitter Sweet

It finally happened. We packed up our little one bedroom apartment--our first place as a married couple--and moved out. We're actually still in Utah, though. We moved in with my cousin Jerai and her husband Phil. They have been so great to put us up for 3 weeks and we're going to miss them so much when we leave! This past month has been pretty busy for us. My cousin Jade's wife had her first baby and I was lucky enough to be able to go in and be Ashton's nurse. It is so fun for me to be a part of these special moments with my family members. Don't get me wrong, being a labor & delivery nurse is always a very cool job...but after you've seen over a dozen babies born every week for almost 2 years, the excitement of it all is definitely diminished. But when it's my family or friend that's having the baby it's just so much more fun for me!! I loved being a part of Peyton's delivery and she was such a cute little peanut of a baby...so tiny! Now getting up here for Jerai's baby in October is going to be a little more difficult seeing as how I'll be in Arizona...but I'm prepared to do whatever it takes to help Jerai bring Baby Boyd into the world! (Just minutes after Ashton's delivery--Peyton Coy Thelin)
The same week that Ashton delivered, Nathan and I got to go spend a couple days with Kristie, Wes, and Jake in Salem. I love that kid. He's the cutest thing you'll ever see. We're going to miss them so much! (at a little park in Salem with Kristie & Wes)
Yesterday Kristie and I threw a baby shower for Jerai. I felt like it was a success. We did it in her mother-in-law's garden, which, by the way, is amazing. Great food, outside under the shade of a giant tree with a pond and beautiful flowers all around....doesn't get much better than that. Oh and I forgot to add--holding my nephew--it does get better when you add that factor :). I tried my hand at quilting again and gave Jerai a little quilt for Boyd. It was a fun shower.

(holding Jake at Jerai's Baby Shower)
(The quilt I made for Baby Boyd)
So now we've been living with Jerai for 2 weeks and pretty much just working hard to get in all the hours and extra cash we can before the big trip to Europe and our lives as poor dental students begins. I am feeling so torn about all of the adventures coming up. I try not to think too much about leaving my job at Orem... Don't get me wrong, I'm totally ready for a month off of work! But I would love to come back from vacation and keep working at Orem again. I'm terrified to find another hospital...I just don't believe anything as good as OCH exists anywhere else. I hate that I have to get comfortable ALL over again...new doctors, new charting, new ways of doing everything. UGH. I know it will all work out but it's scary. I'm so excited for Nathan to start school and for him to get going with all of that...and I'm excited to be able to see Brooke and her family more often...but that's about the extent of my excitement. I am SOOO going to miss all of our friends and family here in Utah. I've been here for 6 years now and I NEVER thought I would hear myself say it, but, I DON'T WANT TO LEAVE UTAH. There. I said it. All of you that I'm leaving behind...you better believe I'll be back to visit. Alot.

Catching Up

So I've been a major slacker. There has been so much to write about these past couple months but I just haven't gotten around to doing it. It's one of those things where the task at hand seems so great that I just keep putting it off a little longer....all the while the pile continues to grow. So here's my attempt to catch everyone up! After we got back from our amazing trip to Hawaii...I was fully ready for the next event--Kristie's baby. Thanks to my connections with Dr. Judd, we got him to induce Kristie at 39 weeks exactly...pretty much the earliest that we could possibly do it! It was a Saturday and we (Wes, Kristie, and I) went into the hospital just after midnight that morning to start her induction...(Dr. Judd wanted to ensure that she would be delivered before his Saturday night Mass--haha). So I got to be her nurse and none of us managed to get any sleep before we went in because we were all so dang excited! After a great and painless labor (thank you, epidural!) she had a healthy baby boy at 2:06 pm. Weighing in at a whopping 8 lb 7 0z, Jacob Rulon Hurst is the cutest thing you'll ever see (of course, I'm biased...but really, he's cute...)! He's about 7wks old now and steadily gaining weight, crying a good share of the time, and occasionally giving us an adorable smile! It's been so fun to have him around...it's not very often that I get to see babies past day 4 of life. I'm loving it! Unfortunately (for us), Kristie and Wes moved out of their apartment next door to us and into a beautiful home out in Salem, UT. Now I've got to make a little drive in order to see my nephew...sad...but totally worth it!Next on the calendar was a visit from Mom & Dad (or should I say, Grandma & Grandpa!). They flew out from VA a week after Jake was born and stayed for 7 days. It was so much fun! We went up to the ranch for a few days to enjoy the peace and quiet and beautiful weather. We wish they lived closer and that we could see them more often...hopefully one day that will happen. But it was a great visit and I can't wait to see them again!At the end of May we had a 60th Anniversary party for Nathan's grandparents here in Provo. It was a quite the production, to say the least, and they loved it! It was a fun reason to get all the family together. Everyone was able to be there except for Brooke and her family (we missed you guys!). After the big program, Ashley, Andrea, Erin, Nathan, and I all drove down to Zion's National Park for three fun days of camping and hiking. We hiked two pretty sweet hikes--Angel's Landing & Observation Point. I won't ramble on too much about the hikes...but I will say that it definitely involved clutching onto chains along a trail that had about an 1100 ft drop on either side! Craziness. Literally. The other hike was actually an even higher elevation but the path was not quite as treacherous. I'm glad to report that we all returned safe and injury-free. So you can see the huge drop-off on either side!
Nathan's experiment of boiling water over a fire in a plastic bottle.

The last thing that I'll tell you about is Karen's Wedding. It happened. Karen and Brandon tied the knot on June 5, 2008 in the Salt Lake Temple. She was a beautiful bride and we were happy to share that special day with them. We're so excited for them to enjoy married life like we have this past year and a half. What a blessing it is to be married in the temple and sealed to your best friend for time and all eternity. I'm so grateful for that. We are so happy. And as for us right now...we're just making plans to move down to Arizona for dental school. I'm so sad to leave my wonderful job and all of the family I have here in Provo now...but we're excited to start the next phase of our lives. The plan for now is to move out of our apartment by the end of June and move in with Jerai and Phil for a few weeks in July until we go to Germany to visit family. After Germany it's down to Arizona! I have a feeling this next couple months will fly by!
Towards the end of the reception
Kristie's birthday cake which I experimentally decorated with blueberry-almond flowers! Pretty cute, eh?

Flat Tires and Beautiful Beaches

So it's over. Our much anticipated trip to Maui was all we hoped and dreamed for...but all good things must come to an end, unfortunately. We took off a week ago monday morning...early morning. I'm talkin', we were on the road at 4:50 am. Although we didn't get very far. About 1/4 mile onto the freeway we heard a loud pop and the car started shaking. Nathan pulled off to the side and, sure enough, we had a flat. In the pitch black Sydney (who was driving us) held a flashlight for Nathan while he skillfully changed the tire, and gave Andrea (Nate's sister) an early morning wake-up call... Within 15 min the tire had been changed, Andrea had brought us a 'functioning vehicle', and we were back on our way. From then on out it was smooth sailing!

For those who didn't know about our planned trip to the beautiful island of Maui, Hawaii...we were so lucky to go with Justin and Ashley (my cousin Justin/Nathan's sister Ashley...who happen to be married...long story) and their two girls (Macie is 7; Marley is 5). Justin had a work conference there that week and we got to play while he worked hard. :) We stayed at the Hyatt Resort in Lahaina, Maui. It was an amazing resort. Awesome pools, beautiful view, scenic beaches, delicious food and the world's best pina coladas! Pretty much heaven, right? :) We thought so. We spent several days just chillin at the pool/beach. It was perfect...Nathan played in the water with the girls (he loved it)...and Ash and I just relaxed and layed out in the sun. We made good use of their great gym with a view of the beach and personal tv's on the treadmills (love it!). Went snorkeling one day at Molikini (the tip of a volcanic crater that juts out of the ocean and creates a calm spot...great for snorkeling). I will admit I totally conquered a fear that day...jumping into the black water in the middle of the ocean was not initially appealing to me...but it turned out to be so much fun! Even the girls did it! We went on a couple hikes...jumped into some waterholes (except for me due to the fact that I was COVERED in mosquito bites and didn't want to wash off my bug spray!) Nathan and I drove the "Road to Hana" on our last day there (Ashley and the fam had already gone). We got to go to a Luau. And, what Nathan and I consider one of the best/most accomplished aspects of our trip...we have a new found love for seafood!! Anything from swordfish, to mahi mahi, to opakapaka (sp?)...we love it all!!!! I never thought Nathan would agree...but we seriously went on a seafood binge while we were there and it was awesome!

So...I could go on and on. But I think you all get the point...we had a blast! :) I love Hawaii. It was such a sad day when we had to come home and go back to work. But there's always the next thing to look forward to...and for me that next thing is Kristie's induction on Saturday!! That's right--Kristie is going to be induced on Saturday morning (April 26th) and I get to be her nurse and I'm going to have an official nephew!!! Can't wait! And then a week later my parents are going to come out and spend a week with us! Life is good, people. I am so grateful for the many, many blessings in my life.

Hot Dog, Anyone?

So we're walking into Walmart the other day and what do we see? None other than the Oscar Mayer Wiener Mobile! Nathan was pretty excited. I will admit that it is pretty entertaining. We even got to go inside the Wiener Mobile! They had a little game where we had to throw a ball into buckets that were three different distances away from you...each bucket had a prize in it. I only made it into the first bucket...so I got a wiener whistle. Nathan made it into the second and hit the rim of the third! He won a wiener keychain that played the Oscar Mayer theme song. We spent the next hour in walmart listening to all the little kids play their wiener whistles (including Nathan). Oh the simple joys of life!

Snowboarding

For as long as Nathan can remember (ok maybe just since high school), he has wanted two things: a snowboard and a season pass. This year, both dreams came true. Thanks to Intermountain Healthcare (the company we both work for), he got a pretty sweet deal on a Season Pass to Sundance. Since December, he's been able to hit the slopes about once a week...and he's loving it. I refused to join him until temperatures rose above 35 degrees. I finally did go with him a few weeks ago (it was about 50 degrees outside that day!). I've only been skiing about twice in my life, and each time I think I am more terrified than the last. While it did take us about 40 minutes to get down the first run, I warmed up a little and became pretty comfortable by the end of the 3 hours. That's right...three hours. That's enough for me. I told Nathan that the money I spent for my ticket and rentals was worth it to me as long as I was having fun. Once I stopped having fun, I was done. So three hours later we were on our way back down from the mountain. It was a fun day. I'll admit I did enjoy the experience more than I thought I would. Nathan was grateful that I finally came with him, and he hasn't asked me since to come along. My once-a-year obligatory ski trip is now complete, and I'm relieved. :) A couple weeks later Nathan took my sister, Sydney, with him. Let's just say she's a bit more adventurous than I am and they had a blast. Syd got some pretty great shots of Nathan flying through the air. I will say that he has impressed me with his snowboarding skills...he's gotten pretty good at it this year. Good thing we're moving to Arizona for the next four years and he'll get plenty of opportunities to continue practicing! Bye-bye snow...bye-bye snowboarding. Sorry Sweetie. Nathan took Syd snowboarding...
My one and only appearance on the slopes this season...

The Happiest Place on Earth!

Ok so I know it's been a while since I posted anything. I'm making a goal to be better about updating our blog. But here's a quick update on the past couple months. Nathan and I just crossed over the 'one year married' mark in January and decided to celebrate by visiting the Happiest Place on Earth--Disneyland! Our good friends the Stotts had four free tickets (Tyler spent some time working for Disney last semester) and since their first year anniversary fell just a week after ours, we decided to make the trip together. We split the 10 hour drive in half by staying in Vegas with Nathan's parents for a couple days. In Vegas we saw the show, La Reve. It was incredible. It was one of those really cool, acrobatic shows but there was diving and synchronized swimming involved...I'm pretty sure Nathan spent the entire time wishing he could wear one of those speedos! After our brief day and a half stay in Vegas we made the rest of the drive down to Anaheim.

It was rainy in the morning so there was almost no one in the whole park--The lines were only about 10 min each! Nathan often jokes about our differences in opinion when it comes to things being "worth the money". He always wants to stay until the bitter end so that he can get his money's worth. I'm pretty much ready to go when I've done everything I wanted to do. Well needless to say we left early to "keep the wife happy", in Nathan's words. So after we left the park I really wanted to go eat at Ruby's (a little Diner on the end of the Huntington Beach Pier). We made the 30 minute drive only to find out it had closed literally 1 minute before we got there. Feeling rather deflated we decided to just head home and eat at the cheap IHOP around the corner. When we got there our hunger and sleepiness quickly turned into anger when we saw that the prices had been jacked up because it was across the street from Disneyland!

A couple weeks after our Disney Adventure we took off for Portland to visit Ashley and her Fam! We spent a wonderful, relaxing week just hanging out...making quilts...(throwing up with the Stomach Flu)...going to the Nike Employee Store...and eating at the best restaurant we'd ever been to for Nathan's Birthday. Ashley and Justin treated us to the Portland City Grill and we are still so grateful for that night! It was so much fun! We wish we could have every part of our family all living close by, all the time. It stinks to be so far apart from everyone. No matter where you are...you always miss someone. Oh well...that's life I guess--makes you more grateful for the times you do get to spend with those you love.This is the quilt I made for Kristie's baby, Jake. I'm definitely not a professional---but I was pretty proud of myself.

Back to Reality

So the Holidays are over and everything is back to normal here in Provo. Nathan and I had a perfect Christmas back home in Virginia...I honestly could not have asked for more. We were both lucky enough to get 2 whole weeks off of work. Kristie and Wes weren't able to come out till Christmas morning and we were all so happy for their arrival...everyone was finally together. To start things off, the boys were more than enthused over their new remote control helicopters. They dropped everything they were doing to get those babies fired up! The excitement, however, quickly shifted to the much anticipated and hard-earned Wii Game System. Needless to say, we spent the next week improving our golf swing and bowling like we'd never bowled before! We even got our grandma, Mutti, to bowl--she scored a 119! Despite the occasional injury incurred by overzealous arm maneuvers, we had a great time!


A last minute attempt at family pictures. It's always quite the challenge
to get David to put down his Barney phone and look at the camera...close enough
Me teaching Mutti how to bowl...she bowled a 119!
Guess that means I'm a pretty good teacher :)
Mom and Dad boxing
Nathan and Wes boxing
The boys flying their new remote control helicopters

Nathan and I had to fly home on Dec 30th so that we would be back for work on the 31st and 1st. Unfortunately, our plane in Denver was delayed a good 4 hours or so and we finally put our heads on our pillows at 5:45 am. Luckily, we both got canceled at work that day. So now we're back to the good old routine: working three 12 hour shifts each week, and spending the other four days just hanging out, snowboarding (nathan), cleaning, doing laundry, etc. We really do have a pretty nice life right now. I feel so blessed each day. And we're coming up on our 1 year anniversary! Holy Cow time flies. It's been a good year.