Update in N.C.

I had a good friend call me the other day saying that I needed to update my blog. Unfortunately, Brett and I haven't been up to anything too exciting other than work and work. So here is a little update on what we have been up to the last month. This is for you Lindsay! :)

Brett and I took a very fast trip up to Williamsburg, VA to visit one of my friends. It was nice to get away for a day and hang out with good friends. Of course, we had to tour Colonial Williamsburg. We also took a ferry to Surry for a nice little lunch. It was so fun to see you Karim, Chris, and Sofia!






For Thanksgiving, Christa and I decided to do the cooking. We learned how to stuff a turkey, thanks to youtube. The turkey fell right off of the bone and it was delicious! The whole cooking thing actually wasn't as stressful as I had thought. Thanks Shannon for letting us use your kitchen.




Brett and I are very excited for Christmas. Unfortunately, we will not be spending it together. I will be going home and Brett will be staying in NC. Christmas day is the only day Brett gets off from work.

Utah Visit

Brett and I had a great time during a quick Utah visit, but it made me realize how much I miss it. During our visit, we were constantly running around. Here are a few highlights.

I was able to fly to Utah because I volunteered to make Whitney's wedding cake. It was a lot of fun and it was my best cake yet (lucky for Whitney)! I didn't even have a meltdown during the making of the cake, which is a BIG step! Even though some things went wrong, I kept my cool. Brett helped me! He did great with the fondant! I think Brett and I should sign up to be on Cupcake Wars!
Thanks to my super, wonderful friend Sarie for letting me make a complete disaster in her kitchen not only 1 time during the weekend, but 3!


Finished product.


A cold morning at the temple. I wanted to take a picture of the pretty mountains in the background.


Beautiful bride


Reception


It was a fun but fast trip. It was so fun to see friends again in Utah. Miss you guys!

North Carolina

A little update on our lives in North Carolina.

Brett got a job working at Prestonwood Country Club. Lately, he has been very busy. He wakes up at 5:00am to go to work. The last couple of days he has been waking up at 4:00am to get to work and he hasn't been getting home until 8 or 9 at night! His country club has a big tournament this weekend they have to prepare for. I'm having a hard time with him waking up so early because then he makes it to bed before I do, which is new to our routine! I am so proud of him for working very long hour days and waking up so early. Also, Brett has decided to go back to school in turf management. He will start schooling next year.

I have a new job as an ABA therapist for kids with Autism and I love it! I've been working lots of hours as well, but that will soon be changing. My employers only want me to be working 40 hour weeks because I will be starting classes again soon and they want me to focus on my schooling. I can't even remember the last time I only worked 40 hours in a week. I just started working less this week and I'm kind of enjoying it. I'm actually the one to clean our apartment and cook... so this is what being a wife feels like! Anyway, I'm going back to school. I just can't get enough! I am going back to become a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). After exams and 1000 hours of practicum, I will be done in April 2013. I have enjoyed the last couple of months without school, but I am excited to be taking classes again because I love to learn! At least I don't have to write another 90 page thesis, but hopefully I will be publishing research with my company in the future!

We haven't really done anything super exciting while we have been out here because we have been so busy with work. I work every Saturday and Brett works every other Saturday, so it is hard to plan a little trip. My goal is to visit the beach soon. I don't even care if it will be cold. I just want to go. I'm also looking at training for another Half Ironman, but I'm not quite sure yet. My knees haven't fully recovered from my first Half Ironman. I'm going to see how my schooling plays out before I put anything in stone.

Brett and I will probably be around North Carolina for the next 5 years or so, due to schooling and work commitments, but we are very excited!

We miss everybody back in Utah, but we are very excited to go back and visit in October for Whitney's wedding! Yay!

August

August has been one crazy month. Brett and I drove from South Dakota to North Carolina with a trailer hooked on the back of our truck. Driving through West Virginia was not fun. We stayed in North Carolina for a week and then we flew out to Utah for my graduation. I had so much fun seeing my friends again! Then we drove my car from Utah to North Carolina. We are not taking anymore road trips in the near future.








Celebrated our birthdays! Krisia made yummy cupcakes.

Summer Update

Brett and I have been super busy out here in South Dakota. I thought we could just chill around, but I should have known better. We have had something going on every night we have been here. We have been to the lake several times. Brett learned how to drive the boat! We have played several games of cards, gone to the movies, and golfed. We have gone to SEVERAL baseball games. Brett even had to ump a game out in the field! It was pretty funny. He won't go to another game for awhile. I have made 3 quilts, 3 cakes, and scrapbooked all of our wedding pictures. Brett and I have also been waking up at 5:30 in the morning to go to the gym with my dad almost everyday. We have cleaned and organized my dad's basement and cleaned my grandma's garage. Brett has also been doing some landscaping around the farm. Whoever thinks that there is nothing to do in the middle of nowhere in South Dakota is wrong! Here are some pictures of our excitement!

First, some pictures when we went to Disney World in May. It poured on us for about 15 minutes.


Pictures from the lake. We have had a lot of fun knee boarding, jet skiing, and tubing. One time we went, Brett and Moni took the canoe out for a ride, but it didn't last very long! They tipped over right away! My mom was amazing and got a picture of it!




Baseball Pictures.


Cake pictures. I made a Coach purse for Calli's 16th birthday. I also made a good luck cake for Aaron. He left for MBA school at the University of Texas. I also made a baseball cake for my dad's 55th birthday.


Here are some random fun pictures. The girls had a fun shopping day in Sioux Falls. We had to wake up early to drive 3 hours to go shopping! We got some amazing deals. That is why it looks like we have sooo many bags! For example, I got a great pair of dark jeans for $10 at the Loft and some great $7 jean shorts at Old Navy.




We are leaving for North Carolina this Sunday. I can't believe how fast this summer went! Back to the real world...

Saying Goodbye

Brett and I are saying goodbye to Utah because we are moving to North Carolina. I know, this is really really sad. I barely had enough time to visit all of my friends! We are going to miss our friends and family so much. I know good opportunities are in North Carolina, but it is just so hard to say goodbye to the people we love. Before we left, we had a little farewell party.



I am also saying goodbye to my graduate cohort because I am DONE! It is a little bittersweet. I am soooo happy that I am finally done, but I'm sad that I won't be seeing these girls as often. At least I will see them in August for graduation!


Before we make it out to North Carolina, we are spending some time in South Dakota to visit my family. Brett is already tired of baseball. There are baseball games almost every night. Lucky for Brett, the weather hasn't been that nice lately, so the baseball games have been cancelled.

Checking things off the list...

As most of you know, I have had quite a busy year so far and I am slowly checking things off the list.

Basketball coach- check
College instructor- check
Half Ironman- check
Thesis defense- May 24th
Last day of school- June 2nd
Last final for degree- June 15th

Wooo! Yay, almost done!

As for my Half Ironman, it was the hardest thing that I have ever done in one day. Florida was the perfect place to do my first Half Ironman because of the warm weather, warm water, Disney World, and wonderful family to stay with (Thanks Amanda and Devin!).
I was most worried about the swim, but it wasn't too bad. The water was perfect! I think I swam over a mile because I am one of those zig zag swimmers. The people in the canoes watching us had to keep telling me to get back on course! I yelled, "I'm trying!" The bike part was going great until the last 10 miles. When I saw the 46 mile sign I was like, "FINALLY!" But, 10 miles against the wind was not fun. Finally, when I was getting close to the transition, people were yelling, "You're almost done!" I was thinking, "Not quite! I still have to run a half marathon!" The first 4 miles of the run were like torture. I didn't think I could finish, but I kept a goal in mind. I had to run in between every water stop, but at the water stop I could walk for about a minute. The support from my mom and Brett also helped me finish at around 6 1/2 hours.
Right after the race I was feeling pretty good, but about 5 minutes after the race I was laying on the grass hyperventilating. My arms, hands, and face went numb and I felt like throwing up. Brett didn't know what to do with me. My mom started force feeding me, so I eventually got some calories in me by eating a banana, 2 pieces of pizza, and lots of gatorade. I also had a nice 10 minute massage. I felt a lot better after that. My heart-rate monitor said that I lost 6,000 calories, so my body was probably just in shock. I am definitely planning on doing another Half Ironman, but I don't think I will ever do a full Ironman. That might be too crazy for me. Here are some pictures of the event.

Setting up my transition area at 5:00am.


Right before the race started. I have never been so nervous.


Swimming.


Start of bike.




Almost done!


Soooo close!




Road to Kona!