Jammed Packed July

Well as you can probably tell by my lack of posts, this has been one BUSY month
and I've loved every bit of it

Kenny has found a new love in his life
BASEBALL
and since the Diamond Backs actually win
(compared to the KC Royals in my previous home town)
I enjoy going as well!
For our first game, we sat clear up in the Nosebleeds

Then, thanks to Rikky and Nikki Murdock

we were given AMAZING seats and so now I'm not sure how we will ever go back

This was also a special game because we were able to go with Josh and Katie. 

I am privileged to have been able to teach Josh on my mission and now to see him happily sealed to Katie 

Ohh and did I mention that with our legit seats, we just had to get legit shirts as well! 

We also had our first Ward Camp Out :)

Can you tell I'm a little excited to get out of the Dessert? 

We headed north for about 2 hours to get to Payson, AZ

 & then up a mountain for another hour

and miraculously the temperature dropped around 40 degrees!

Why haven't we done this sooner?

 Mule Rides

Brand new tent thanks to Hyrum & Emmy
Thanks, it didn't even leak once in the rain!

My Favorite part
I don't know what it is about toasted sugar, but I LOVE it

Why do the woods always have to make the scariest sounds?

we WILL be back!

and then it was time for a GIRLS WEEKEND

I am lucky to have great friends that drove from Cali to see me

Elisabeth and Brenda are truly my very first friends

We go way back to the primary days, and as you can tell we are still refusing to Grow Up

 We had so much fun visiting the Mesa and Gilbert Temples

and of course, we made time for Very yummy food!

I love these girls and it's so great that we all followed each other from Missouri to the West

And SHOUT OUT to the best husband ever for letting me ignore him this weekend :)

Thanks Kenny

Now its almost August and I can't believe it!

Kenny is busy with school and work

while I just ended my job and have started my student teaching at Zaharis Elementary

I am teaching 4th grade with my amazing mentor teacher Mrs. Hassan!

Life is great and Kenny and I are loving our new adventures

Needing a Vacation from our Vacation

Guess What....

We actually weren't scammed and I've got the pictures to prove it!

To sum up our trip it was: Exciting, Humid, Breathe taking, Painful, Hilarious, Wet, Tiring

& ONCE IN A LIFE TIME 

We loved it and the whole time felt so blessed to be there.

So here's the play by play..

We left bright and early Tue. July 2 to catch our fight to Miami and then on to Orlando.

Once we stepped off the plane we felt the realization of being in Florida all over us...  HUMIDITY!

I didn't think that it would be so bad for me since I grew up in Missouri, but then I remembered that I really haven't spent a summer in Missouri since 2008. 

So of course my hair goes crazy curly/frizzy and Kenny just begins to sweat!

Our ride then picks us up and takes us to our hotel at the Ramada.... I know what you're thinking, ohh that's a good place to stay... but No! This Ramada was like a motel where the doors faced the outside and so the humidity could easily make it's way into our room and make everything WET inside.   

                                                                         Literally everything! 

So,because of this, Kenny was up all night tossing and turning in our wet sheets while I of course am passed out because I can sleep like a log anywhere, no matter the conditions. 

Even though this may sound like I'm complaining and that we hated it, it was fun and since they had free continental breakfast we grew to love our sticky home! haha

So July 3 & 4th we set off early in the morning to walk to the park and get there for early admission!

For our first stop, we headed straight for HARRY POTTER LAND!!!

Pictures don't even give this place justice! 

I couldn't believe that we were at a theme park and not Europe

The rides were amazing!!! 

But you must know that they aren't all roller coasters (which is all that I thought that I liked)

Most of the rides here are amazing 3D riders but that make your stomach go up into your throat just like huge roller coasters! They were crazy and just amazing!

Our sweet 3D glasses that we rocked

the details that they put into this place was crazy too!

These pictures actually talked too, just like the books & movies

The talking hat that told us things about the ride!
And Yes, all of these pictures were all taken where BEFORE the ride... CRAZY! whoever thought that the waiting line would be so cool

Yumm my first Beer! (Obviously is not real Beer)
BUTTER BEER!!!

Then I dragged Kenny to Dr. Seuss Land

(a teachers dream)

Ha look at the bushes!! So awesome

The Cat in the Hat ride... this might have been a kid ride but I still loved it :)

After this ride Kenny would't let me choose anymore haha

Next came the most intense rides...

You might be laughing... but this cute ride was the best water ride I have ever been on

Then came Jurassic Park! AWESOME 
(yes we are wet... not just sweaty!) 

Then much much more...

 This is from Despicable Me haha! Gru child proofed the house

Shrek Of Course

 The Simpsons!

Transformers

The Mummy! My All Time Favorite 

Men in Black

All the rides were fun, but so was jut walking around 

And there was even a Parade!

 

AND FIREWORKS

and then we were too tired to move...

So this was probably more information then you all wanted to know, but I just couldn't leave out any part of our fun adventure that we miraculously won!

Now were home and will be in a coma until Monday

Guess What???

Well apparently I married my lucky charm because thanks him...

we're going to Orlando, Florida & Universal Studios!!!

Weird and super random I know BUT here's the story

About 3 weeks ago, Kenny went out to lunch near his school and on his way he spotted a booth that enticed him with the thought of Winning a Vacation for two!

All he had to do is guess the total cost of a trip to Florida, LA, and Las Vagas, hotels, two days at Universal Studios, two Las Vegas Shows and food

Sooo Kenny gave his best guess and went off to lunch,

never really thinking much about it

Well... on Monday (June 17) he got a call that he was in the top 10 to win a trip

1st Prize Winner getting a Trip to Orlando + Universal tickets

2nd Prize Winner getting a trip to LA + Universal tickets

3rd Prize Winner getting a trip to Las Vegas + showtime tickets

so on Friday he, and the rest of the top 10, got on stage and in the end result Kenny WON!!!

He guessed only $27 dollars under the actual price

So crazy right!!!

He won

I Never win anything and so I'm totally freaking out

So here is what we won...

1. Flights to Orlando and back from July 2- July 5
2. free transportation to and from the airport to our hotel
3. 3 night at a hotel
4. 2 days at Universal Studios
5. (now here is the Very best part)
6. we get to enter the park an hour before it opens & fast passes for Both Days
7. and $300 for food

WOOHOOO and guess what...?

we don't have to pay a penny in taxes..nothing...nada...zilch!!! 

Needless to say, we are Ecstatic to be taking a trip that we in NO WAY could be paying for

Also, the trip in during the most PERFECT time because I just happen to not be working that week and Kenny only has class for one day that week and no work either...

So pretty much, this trip was meant to be :)

So for everyone out there that is in shock like us and hoping the this really isn't a scam..

haha we're right with ya!

I guess by next week we'll all see

Stay posted for some great pictures

Orlando, HERE WE COME!

Grateful

God is Good!

We are happy to report that both Kenny and I now have jobs.. woot woot!

I am a full time nanny for two young boys while

Kenny is working with troubled families and teens + doing tons of homework to earn his Masters degree

(Overachiever) 

Kenny starts his job on Monday and so hopefully everything works out there

I have been working for 2 weeks now

My jobs is filled with stressful times since the boys are 4 & 6,

but in the end I'm thankful for all that I'm learning about...

-different parenting styles

-things I want to focus on teaching my children

-ways of discipline

-important principles that will govern our home

It seems that each day now, Kenny and I always seem to be talking about

"well... when we have children" haha

but it's definitely a good thing because I want us to be the very best parents that we can be

thank goodness we have excellent examples to look to on both sides of our families,

but most importantly we have the gospel of Jesus Christ in our lives to center us

The children that I nanny don't affiliate with any religious beliefs 

and so, consequently, parenting is just Harder!

Really, I dont know how people do it!

We have great church leaders, friends and most importantly 

our Savior Jesus Christ,

 to look to as an example in all things

without that, it's hard to know how to model good habits & attitudes in the home

the next best thing (sadly) is Sesame Street and Barney

Once again I am eternally grateful for Christ's Restored church here on the earth,

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

We decided to celebrate Kenny getting a job, by going to a fancy place for dessert!
Raspberry Cheesecake... GOOD CHOICE

so fancy!

ha this is the coolest thing I've ever seen!
These are found with all the sugars so that you can take one to put your gum into
and not under the table
if you look closely there are ever directions in the middle "Fold Here"
HaHa Little things like this make me happy

Thought to Ponder

So I gave a talk today in church

and so I wanted to share a little bit from it!

 Topic: Hope Leads to Faith and Then Action

“Hope is an emotion which brings richness to our everyday lives. It is defined as “the feeling that events will turn out for the best.” When we exercise hope, we “look forward with desire and reasonable confidence.”  

Sometimes we hope for things that we have little or no control of. We hope for good weather. In Arizona we hope for an early Fall. Sometimes I am known to hope that even though I eat greasy foods all day, that I still won’t gain weight while my husband hopes that Miami will win NBA Finals.

Hope makes our lives interesting and can even lead us to some irrational decisions.

For example each time I drive in a tunnel or over a bridge I have to lift my feet and hold my breath because I have a Hope that if I do, and make a wish at the same time, that my wish will come true! 

However, hope alone does not cause us to succeed. 

In a talk given by Steven E Snow, he said that

 "Many honorable hopes have gone unfulfilled, shipwrecked on the reefs of good intentions and laziness."

In Ether 12:9 we read “Wherefore, ye may also have hope, and be partakers of the gift, if ye will but have faith.”

So this scripture tells us that faith is necessary in order to make our hopes a reality.

The Bible dictionary tells us that “faith is to have confidence without reservation 

In a talk by RICHARD C. EDGLEY we are told to, “ be aware that faith is not a free gift given without thought, desire, or effort. It does not come as the dew falls from heaven. The Savior said, “Come unto me” (Matthew 11:28) and “Knock, and it shall be [given] you” (Matthew 7:7). These are action verbs—come, knock. They are choices. So I say, choose faith. Choose faith over doubt, choose faith over fear, choose faith over the unknown and the unseen, and choose faith over pessimism.

After reading and pondering this quote I have come to the realization that Yes, faith is a choice, and it must be sought after and developed. And so, we are responsible for our own faith. We are also responsible for our lack of faith. 

The choice is ours.

Welcome to Scottsdale, Arizona

Our new home!

Since I've been here I found out some pretty cool things about this place

1. well of course... IT'S HOT! 

The average temperature for June 103, July 105, Aug 103 

(soo... pretty much we chose the worst time to come!)

BUT average temperature for 

Oct 89, Nov 78, Dec 68, Jan 69, Feb 73, March 78

SO WORTH IT

2. Pinnacle Peak

We are blessed to have this wonderful view from our home

 and it's a KILLER hike

(also a fun fact... we're in the Pinnacle Peak Ward)

3. Ever wondered why in the heck we don't have daylight-saving time like the rest of the country?

well its all because of these

 In 1967, Arizona adopted daylight saving to go along with the Uniform Time Act, which tried to put the entire nation on one time system. But, after a summer of sunsets that didn't come till nearly 9 p.m., residents realized they needed another hour of evening sun. So Arizona abandoned the plan.

4. Whoever gets to name Cactus has the best job ever!

Really, there are Tons of different kinds and I'll show you two of my favorites

This cactus is called Roadkill

Note: we have these in our yard but they were attached by a mean bunny! RUDE

This cactus is called Shark Teeth

5. Why do so many old people move to Arizona you may ask?

I've heard old people tend to have bad circulation and get cold easily, so they move to warmer climates like Arizona

but whatever it is ALL of our neighbor fall under this category 

and so our neighborhood looks like a ghost town.

no fun for newly weds

VISIT SOON!!