January 2012

I can't believe it's been several months since I last posted.  But when I look back on my semester, I'm also not surprised.  It was crazy busy.  It was my first 'official' semester as a PhD student, even though I had taken some doctorate level courses previously.  I guess it was just a whole new level of work, though.  I had many papers and projects, plus four different jobs.  Although each job was only 5 hours a week, it was tough to remember what I was supposed to do and when.  Anyhow, here are a few highlights from January.

I was able to spend New Years and New Year's Eve with my brother Bryan and his family in Gillette.  I always enjoy spending time with them.  The kiddos are always entertaining and I have a difficult time leaving when my time is up.  On New Year's Eve, I was walking down their stairs to their basement where I sleep in a tent on a blow-up air mattress.  (Back story is that their basement flooded last summer and they are in the process of remodeling and don't have a room to put me in.)  As I was walking down, I reached to turn on the light and twisted my ankle.  I tried to catch myself on the other foot, but twisted that ankle, too.  I guess I yelled pretty loudly and Bryan came running down the stairs quickly.  I felt bad because my 5 year old niece saw the whole thing.  Hopefully she wasn't too traumatized.  The result of twisting both ankles: major sprains.  It wasn't until March that my ankles started feeling normal again.  (A picture of one ankle is shown below.)  I could walk up stairs a lot easier than I walked down then.  When it gets cold, they still ache pretty bad.

I defended my thesis in December, just in time to technically graduate in December (even though I walked in May).  It was a bit nerve wracking, but it went well.  I finished all my rewrites and edits in 2 days (didn't sleep much during those days).  It was so nice to get it done and over with.  I had to walk across campus a bazillion times (not really exaggerating here) to get all my signatures and copies in, but I did it.  Yay!  Following is a picture of the cover. and the inside.  It still seems surreal that I'm this far into my education.  I don't feel much smarter.  If anything, I have learned how to write 20 pages papers in less than a week and how to give presentations on said papers.  I also have learned to exist on little to no sleep for about a week.  (As I am typing this, I am up at 4 a.m.......not to work on anything, but because my brain won't turn off.)  Anyhow, I earned my Masters of Science in Human Development.  That means I'm qualified to....um, still thinking.....oh, still not sure......continue on in grad school!  Really, I could teach at a junior college, but they often prefer people with PhD's.  So, here I go!

Kenneth and Angie's Wedding

While home over Christmas break, I was able to attend my cousin Kenneth's wedding. It was a neat occasion. Lots of family there on both sides. It being the Big Horn Basin, I think there are families who are related to both him and her. It wouldn't surprise me, anyway.

Wilson trying to pretend he doesn't love getting female attention. (I just think he was too tired to really care at this point.)

Kenneth with his two boys Hunter and Conner.

Whit and Grandma H.

Me and Uncle Lloyd. (Love this guy!)

Uncle Richard and Aunt Linda
(Pretty cute couple.)

Parents of the groom, Claudia and Lloyd.

Me with the happy couple. They were soooo happy. Congrats, you guys!

Me with cuz Eli.

Christmas 2011

So, this only a couple of months late. At least I'm doing it. Right? Here are some pictures from Christmas Day and the days surrounding it. Christmas Day we went to church and then came home to eat brunch. Then we opened presents and mostly played the rest of the day. It was just so nice having everyone here, including the Kinser's and Aunt Susan.

Wilson, the future maestro.

Janet, Nicole (playing on her new phone), and Kitty.

The kiddos enjoying Mom's new kitchen floor. They would sit on a blanket and pull each other around the kitchen. They were thoroughly entertained.

A happy Weston.

Adrin, me, and Kenneth. I'm pretty sure this was on New Year's Eve. We had a music night. Mark sang a few songs and Kenneth also dazzled us with his abilities. (These boys can SING!) I love my cuz's!

Hannah, Whit, and Hayden learning how to play Jenga. They loved it when it tipped over. Even Mike and Bryan played it with them. Super entertaining.

Hayden in his new work gear. (Can we say 'YMCA'?)

Cute Heidi in her Christmas church dress.

Another one of happy Weston.

Wils being dragged across the kitchen floor. Like I said, entertainment.

Being Proposed to!

As some of you know, I have very vivid dreams. Last night was no exception. And it was an AWESOME dream. I was at my mom's house in Wyoming. The florist arrived with a small delivery and told me the rest was outside. I was confused by the comment. When I got to my mom's garden, there were flowers planted over every inch of it. Then there was a note telling me that my guy loved me. (As a side note, this particular guy was someone I knew a long time ago who is now married. But it turned out to be a different guy later in the dream, so I didn't feel too guilty. I HATE dreaming about guys who are already taken. But, I have no control over it. It's not like I pine for them. Anyway, I digress....)

Soon, I hear music. Small horse drawn carriages begin to go by my mom's house with my guy relatives singing different parts of a song. (If you know my family, you know the guys can SING!) They were all wearing tuxes and carrying flowers. Then this really long carriage pulls up with all the guys in it. By this time I have to sit at the picnic table that magically appears. The carriage stops and the guys hop out and start to sing another song. There were flowers everywhere. The the street turns into a hub of activity where everyone from the town is dancing and singing the same song. Spontaneous choreography, just like in the movies. I remember thinking that this guy really knew me because he figured out how to include my loved ones without making it cheesy and really embarrassing. It was adorable.

I start crying because I realize what's going on. Pretty soon everyone starts chanting the guy's name. And he appears in the midst of everyone wearing a huge grin and a tux. In my mind I realize that it's not the guy who I originally thought it was, but I'm okay with it. This guy is MUCH older (probably only in his late 30s), but I'm okay with that, too. He walks towards me, bends down on one knee, and asks me to marry him. Then I tell him I have to think. What?!?! A guy proposes to me and I have to THINK ABOUT IT? What kind of dummy am I?

I am suddenly in my mom's house walking around by myself wondering what I should do. By this time I think my real consciousness shouts, "WHAT THE CRAP IS THERE TO THINK ABOUT?" At this time, I wake up and am very happy.

Oh, if only dreams really came true.

Christmas Eve

So, this is a tad late, but I wanted to get some pictures on here so I could have them for the future. Christmas Eve was spent out at Mike and Nicole's eating and having our fish pond. The fish pond has been a family tradition ever since my mom's grandpa moved to Wyoming. So, it's something we like to keep doing. The Park family also joined us for the evening. Here are some pictures of the festivities:

Mom, Mike, Aunt Susan, and Nicole waiting for the fish pond.

Hayden fishing.

The kids waiting for dinner to start (Hayden, Wilson, Some of the Parks' boys, Sariah, Kletey, Kitty, Klete, May Emment, Sariah, and Marissa)

Hannah fishing

Hayden and Hannah waiting for their turn to fish.

Marissa, Whitney, and Kitty enjoying the evening.

When we got back to Mom's house, Bryan and Chelsey had a few gifts for their kids to open before going to bed. It was fun to watch on a smaller scale their excitement. They couldn't wait for Santa to bring their gifts.

Mom, Bryan, and Hannah

Heidi Brynn

Just a cute one of the Heidster.

Hannah showing her new dress. Heidi got a matching one.

Hayden opening his gifts.

Hayden and his dump truck, which was a HUGE hit.

I loved having Bryan's family in the house. Having the excitement of the kids was a huge bonus. I usually don't think much about because I have lost the child-like excitement over the years. It was a nice reminder of how Christmas should be.

Drink's on Me

So, I had a meeting the other day, which is nothing out of the ordinary. It was over at the DDE Center, which is where the daycare is as well as some other programs. I was waiting in a nice, comfy chair with my drink on the table next to me. The drink was in a cup you would get from McDonald's or Wendy's, but it had ice water in it. I was sitting and reading some articles. All of a sudden, there is a little boy there, drinking my water from the straw. It was like he couldn't help himself. I about died laughing. His teacher turned bright red with embarrassment. It wasn't like she could have stopped him. I just laughed and said it's only water, then went to dump it out and throw the cup away. Made my day.

B is for....

Usually I am a pretty tired cookie. Bed always is tempting, whether is sleeping, relaxing, or reading. I love my bed. When I look back over my life, I have always been able to take naps anytime of the day. (Sleeping at night is another story.) It seems like I was always tired and never had enough energy. Last year during my physical my blood work came back showing that my thyroid was "out of whack" (Citing the nurse who called me). So, they put me on some medication to help my thyroid produce whatever it produces accurately. Well, I was still pretty tired. So, I started taking a B vitamin complex, which is supposed to help with energy. Along with those two things and the Diet Coke my body seems to need in order to have normal brain function, I have had A LOT of energy and not needing as much sleep. Normally, you would think this is a good thing. Right? WRONG! My brain has been conditioned to want to sleep and take naps. So, my mind thinks, "Okay, nap time" while my body says, "HECK NO!" For instance, last week, I was feeling somewhat tired and thought I'd take a nap in order to have the energy needed to complete the rest of my day. Well, 45 minutes later I finally got up and worked out instead. Good. Right? I guess. It's been an adjustment for sure. Like I mentioned before, I can normally sleep at anytime during the day. Now it seems that I am not as lucky. So well to all of our daily get-togethers, dear bed. Now I'll only (okay, mostly) see you at night. Sigh.

Christmas Eve Day

Christmas Eve also happens to be Sariah's birthday. For years we have gone to McDonald's for breakfast on her big day. This year was no different. They no longer have a normal play area due to staff infections. Now they have little computers to play on. The kids didn't seem to mind a bit. Here are some pics of the day.

Hayden and Bekah playing on one of the computers.

Mike

Part of the group
(Susan, Hannah, Bryan, Chelsey, Heidi, Wilson, and Shawnee)

The birthday girl.

Chels and Weston

Erik with Weston and Ethan

Erik with Weston (Sandy and Nicole looking on)

Weston
(Isn't he ADORABLE?)