2-Year Anniversary

Jaren and I recently celebrated our 2 year anniversary- and we have been together for a total of 3 years! We celebrated in Logan, and had a lot of fun! These past 2 years of marriage and past 3 years of being together have been the best years of my life so far. I am so grateful to be married to such a wonderful man! Jaren is the most caring person I have ever met. He is extremely service-oriented and loves to help everyone out. He knows me better than anyone, and not a day goes by that I don't feel loved by him. He works so hard in school and at his job, and he makes me laugh until it hurts! Not only do I love Jaren with all my heart as my husband, but I also love him as my best friend. I would definitely rather be doing something with Jaren then anything else. We have so much fun together. Thank-you Jaren for being such an amazing person and for marrying me! I am so blessed to have you!

Granola!

Here is my stove-top granola recipe! (Super easy!)

3 T butter
3 T milk
1/4 c sugar
1/4 c brown sugar
3 T peanut butter (smooth or crunchy)
1 t vanilla
2-3 cups quick oats
Optional: 1/4 c raisins or chocolate chips

Melt butter. Stir in milk and sugars. Bring to a boil and continue stirring for 2 more minutes. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter and vanilla. Stir in oats to desired texture. Spread on a greased cookie sheet and broil 3-4 minutes in oven. (Be careful not to burn it!) Enjoy!

So... Wednesdays are my day off. (Which is today.) I LOVE having a break mid-week. It is WONDERFUL!! It seems to come at just the perfect time. I work Monday and Tuesday and then I get a break!! And then I work a little more, and then comes another break... it's great! And I LOVE my job. My boss is AWESOME and it is SO GREAT to have a job and not have to do any homework!!

Anywho... with today being my day off and all, I thought I would go to my parents house and upload some pictures on our blog while Jaren is at school. (We don't have the internet at our home.) And OF COURSE I forget my camera and I realize it right as I'm pulling into their driveway. So typical... Well, one of these days I will upload some pictures. For now you'll just have to read my long, boring posts! :)

Since Jaren is basically gone from sun-up to sun-down these days, (Literally... he's at school from 8 a.m. until 9 p.m. EVERY WEEKNIGHT. He's a good studious person with his 18 credits.) So... I thought I'd write about some things that occupy my time (besides work).

GRANOLA!!!! Seriously... I'm OBSESSED with making it. I love it, and I love to make it. AND it is SUPER easy along with very tasty! I brought some to my family almost every night last week. I made it for my mother-in-law for her birthday. I eat it for breakfast. I make Jaren eat it. (J/K I don't have to make him). I LOVE IT!! I never EVER baked once during the summer (mostly due to our 85 degree house). But now that Fall is approaching, I have been making tons and tons of granola. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

Gym! I wasn't too sure about getting a gym pass... but now that I have one, I am SO glad I do! I feel a lot happier after I've worked out, and it is so nice to be active again. (Since I was basically an entirely non-active person during school). I just love those endorphins! My favorite class is body combat... it kicks my butt! And it feels good to have my butt kicked!

Reading! Can I tell you how much I just LOVE to read?! This summer I was able to read the Hunger Games Series, which was WONDERFUL! I wish there were more. I loved that series so much!! I also finished the Twilight series, and read/am reading the rest of the Percy Jackson and Fablehaven series.

For Jaren's birthday, I think I am going to get him some WSU sweats. (Since that's what he said he wanted.) Everyone is always supporting U of U or BYU or USU... but how about some people support WSU!! ha ha That's what Jaren said, which is why I am going to buy him Weber State sweats. We support them in their academics (not necessarily their sports). Don't tell him though, it's a surprise! (And he never reads this blog anyway, so I know my secret is safe.)

And guess what else... SURVIVOR starts tonight! Woo hoo!!!! Yeah baby! I am so excited!! Guess who also shares my love of the game... my Grandma Wood! She's the best! She always knows what's going on. When I visited her last Sunday I told her I was excited for Survivor on Thursday. Luckily for me, Grandma quickly told me not to watch it on Thursday because this season it is airing on WEDNESDAYS!! I'm so glad my grandma told me that! I just thought I'd pass along the word in case anyone else did not know!

Well, one day I'll have some pictures on here! (But don't count on it! J/K I really will try to post some soon!)

It's about time!

I realize it is high time I blog about something! My posts are few and far-between these days, mostly due to us not having the internet at home and such. So here I am on my lunch break typing away. I'll try to give you a good update. Sadly, there will be no pictures. However, I DO have pictures I will put on here the next time I go to my parents and feel like getting on their computer.

I am working at one and soon-to-be two offices in Layton. It is wonderful to work! Jaren has gone part-time because he is taking on a lot of school this summer semester. He will only get a 2-week break before starting fall semester.

We are currently living in Layton. I am loving living in my good old hometown! We're living in my great-grandma's house (which belongs to my grandma now) and we will probably be here for a while! We painted the rooms and my mom and I have had lots of fun decorating! I'll post some pics when I can! Living in this house has been so wonderful, the only complaint I have is that it has been between 82 and 84 degrees every night! We really need to get us a nice fan for those muggy evenings!

This summer, we went to San Francisco with Jaren's family! We had a lot of fun spending time with the fam and Jaren took me to see WICKED!! (He's such a great guy!) We also have a small Bear Lake trip planned soon with my family. Hopefully Jaren and I will get a few camping trips in(and hiking!)before the summer comes to an end... this summer has just FLOWN BY! There is so much I have wanted to do that we still haven't done yet.

As usual, Jaren and I have seen almost every movie that has come out this summer. (Well, almost every one.) We have seen Robin Hood, Iron Man 2, Toy Story 3, Prince of Persia, Knight and Day, Inception, Karate Kid, Last Airbender (don't go see that one!), and I have seen Twilight and Letters to Juliet with my sister. We'll probably go see Sorcerer's Apprentice soon. Can you tell we love to go see movies?! Our favorites have probably been Toy Story 3, and we really liked Inception, even though it is completely "out there."

Well, there is a quick up-date. I know blogs are no fun without pictures. I'll try to post some soon!

R and R

Jaren took me to the Anniversary Inn for a little R and R from the long school year. It was SO MUCH FUN!! We didn't have tons of money to do a cruise or fly somewhere fancy, so we decided to just stay at the Anniversary Inn for a couple nights and relax! We stayed at the Lake Powell suite and I couldn't believe how real it all looked. At night we could turn on stars above us, and they even twinkled on the ceiling like the real ones do in the sky!

I must say... it was one of the best little vacations I've ever had! We didn't plan ANYTHING so we just had fun playing it by ear everyday. One day we ended up going to Wal-Mart and buying games. We bought Jenga and played it in the park. (By the way... we made it to 35 stacks, see if anyone can beat that!) We watched lots of movies and ate at fun little places.

This was just what I needed! Thanks Jaren!

Graduation

Weber State Dental Hygiene Class of 2010







I am now officially graduated with my Bachelors degree. It is the best feeling! President Monson spoke at our graduation commencement. He did such a great job! I am so grateful to all my family and friends who have supported me along the way. I could not have done it without them!... Especially my amazing husband! School was definitely not easy, it took a lot of sacrifice and dedication. But in the end, it was one of the best decisions I ever made! I am so happy that I finished! Here are some pictures from graduation...





The flowers my parents gave me have toothbrushes in them!

Graduation Banquet

Yesterday was the banquet for the Weber State dental hygiene class of 2010! Woot woot!! Yes... we are graduating TOMORROW!! Our banquet was held at the Timbermine and was for the graduates, their spouse, and their parents. We ate good food, watched a slide show of all the fun times we've had together the past 2 years, and our classmates gave us silly awards. My award was quite fitting... this program did make me stress out a lot. But in the end, everything worked out! I will miss these girls so much!! They were all so wonderful and I've made some lifelong friendships! But I can't deny the extreme excitement I have to get my diploma tomorrow!!






What a fun two years this really has been!

More Memories of an Amazing Man...

Today was my Grandpa Wood's funeral. It was hard to say goodbye, but I know I will see him again. I thought it would be fun to post some pictures of him throughout his life. Thanks Crystal for these awesome pictures!


Here's Grandpa and Grandma about 6 months after they were married. Don't they look great?! They look like movie stars!



Aren't they the cutest couple?!



Here he is as a little boy! He's the youngest boy in this picture, pictured furthest to the bottom.



What a good lookin' guy!



This was taken at the bowling lanes! Grandpa LOVED to take his family bowling, we always had a great time!



Grandma and Grandpa... aren't they wonderful?!


My Grandpa was the FIRST to graduate from Weber State's Aviation program. He loved to fly! In the Air Force he worked as an engineer on B29 planes. He and Grandma traveled all over Europe, Asia, and the United States. He enjoyed sports... fishing, golfing, bowling... (He could beat ANYONE... my husband got beat by him in table tennis!) but he also had a great love for music. His heart, however, truly belonged to his family. He made time for EVERYONE. I remember countless trips to the park, museums, walks around the block, bowling, mini golfing trips... the list goes on. Grandpa loved the gospel and demonstrated to me a life full of service. I LOVE YOU GRANDPA!! I'm so lucky I was your granddaughter.

Remembering Grandpa Wood...

My Grandpa Wood passed away this afternoon. I love him very much! I feel extremely blessed that I was one of his granddaughters. My grandpa was one of my closest friends. I admire him so much and I loved to go visit him, talk to him, and hear about his amazing life.

Not only did my grandpa live an amazing, adventurous life, he also cared a great deal about the people in it. He was such a great example of a loving husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother, friend, and neighbor. My grandpa made everyone feel like they were important, especially us grandkids. My grandpa was always involved in my life, he supported me and came to my dance and piano recitals, to the football games when I would be cheering, and encouraged me in my schoolwork. But he also did a lot of fun things with me too! I credit ALL of my bowling and miniature golfing skills to his instruction. I was privileged enough to go bowling and mini golfing with him all the time... he was such a fun grandpa!

Before he died, when he was in the hospital, I was able to spend some quality time with him. He talked to my sister and me and told us many amazing stories about his life. I will most definitely be writing them down. He also took my hand and told me how proud he was of me for my testimony of the gospel, and for finishing school. I am so happy that I was able to visit him and talk to him before he passed on.

But most of all, he LOVED my grandma. They have been together in marriage 66 years! He was in the air force 30 years and they were able to travel and live all over the world! I hope Jaren and I can someday be like the two of them. I could tell how much they loved each other every time I saw them together. My grandpa left an amazing legacy, and I am so thankful to have had him in my life. He has helped me become who I am today. He was a wonderful man, lived a wonderful life, and will always be remembered.

Families are an amazing gift from out loving Heavenly Father. I know we will all see my grandpa again someday! I am so thankful for the gospel in my life. I know families will be together forever.

Dental Hygiene Boards...

On the 18th, 19th, and 24th of March I took my dental hygiene boards. I had 4 boards total...

I am SO happy and feel extremely blessed to have passed ALL my anesthesia and clnical dental hygiene boards!!

My clinical dental hygiene board was the one I was most worried about. I really wasn't sure if I would pass because SO many things went wrong that day. But through the faith and prayers of my wonderful family, I found out yesterday that I had passed!! I couldn't be more grateful!

Now I have 3 more weeks left of school until I graduate! I couldn't be more excited. I have put a LOT of work into this program, and it definitely hasn't been easy. But it has been completely worth everything I have gone through. I am so grateful for a loving family, and an amazing husband who has supported me every step of the way.

I have wanted to be a dental hygienist from the time I was eleven years old. I did a report on dental hygienists in sixth grade and set a goal to become one ever since. I am so excited to graduate with my Bachelors degree... hooray!!

Family

What would I do without my family??? How grateful I truly am to be related to such wonderful people.

I feel so blessed for my amazing husband. And each day, as I grow to love him more and more, I can't believe how perfect everything turned out! I married someone who is completely meant for me in every way possible. He is so wonderful, and I am really quite the lucky girl to have him.

I was raised by loving parents who are great examples, and have a fun little sister who has always been one of my best friends. My husband's family is wonderful, and I have great extended family too.

I love my grandparents! Yesterday, Jaren and I went to visit my Grandma and Grandpa Wood. My grandpa is 90 years young, and I think my grandma is 86. They have had such an amazing life, I love to go over to their house and have them tell me stories of their life and all the places they have gone. Someday I would like to be in their position... they have raised a wonderful family, have stayed close to the gospel, faced their many challenges, and have laughed and loved all along the way.

I realize that in this life, the people who will always love us no matter what and will always be there to help us out is our family. What a wonderful gift from our Heavenly Father.




This picture was taken a couple of years ago with my Grandpa Wood! Isn't he such a cute grandpa?

St. George Trip

Well, our St. George trip was full of fun... until our car broke down on the way home. LUCKILY, it broke down in Cedar City, and my uncle's newphew just happens to live there AND is a mechanic. Thanks uncle Layne and aunt Bonnie for helping us out!! Also, while we were pulled over, this random guy who is also a mechanic told us he might have a used engine that he could replace our old one with. I sure hope everything works out!! It's no fun and stressful when things like this happen, and it's pretty crazy only having one car! We both have to be to so many places during the week... But thank goodness some things fell into place and hopefully we will be able to salvage the Buick.

Other than that craziness, St. George was great! Jaren got to mountain bike and play golf (which he hardly ever gets to do, especially in this weather up here) so he had a blast! We also went to the home show and got some ideas for when we build our own home. (Someday in the far future...) Valentines day was super fun too... Jaren got me a ring to wear to clinic because I can't wear my wedding ring! (So now I can show that I'm married at school too!!) We also celebrated at Olive Garden. It was delicious. Too bad our St. George trip couldn't have been a little longer... the weather was WONDERFUL! It was nice to have a little bit of Spring.

Just Because...

After coming back from lunch break today in clinic, I had an extremely unexpected surprise! My husband had sent me flowers!! I went to the office because I was told I had something arrive, and I saw this long, black box. I had NO idea what was inside (I thought it was toothbrushes or something) and when I opened the box I saw these gorgeous red and pink flowers!! Ah!!!! I was SO excited and couldn't believe it! I had not hinted to him or anything... there was no occasion... he just sent them! My Mr. Mills is the BEST!!! I love him so much... he really made my day!!





Here I am after a LONG day at clinic holding my beautiful flowers!!

Movies!!

Ok, 2009 wasn't my favorite year in the movie world (at least in the summer, fall was better). But this year looks spectacular! Jaren and I LOVE to go to the movies and I am so excited for what's ahead!

Just to name a few...

Chick Flicks...

Dear John
The Last Song
Twilight: Eclipse
Letters to Juliet

Adventures...

Percy Jackson and the Olympians
Alice in Wonderland
Iron Man 2
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Prince of Persia
The Sorcerer's Apprentice
The Chronicles of Narnia

Family...

Toy Story 3
Oceans

There may even be more...!!

Moving On...

Well, Jaren and I have moved! Crazy, I know. We weren't even planning on it until 3 days after I brought Jack (our puppy) home. It has been super crazy and a little stressful (crazy seems to be the only word to describe the past 2 weeks so I keep using it)! Thanks to Jaren's family, my family, and our friends Shawn and Whitney, we were able to make the move go as smoothly as possible. We stayed with Jaren's parents for a little over a week, which was SO nice of them. (I will TRULY miss Jaren's mom's cooking... she is a fabulous cook!!) And now we are finally moved into our new basement apartment! (Although there is still much to unpack and put away.)

Although the consequenses of my actions of buying a puppy have been a litte stressful, everything is SO much better for us now! We LOVE our new basement apartment so much more than the last place we lived, and it just feels so good to have an apartment that feels cozy and comfortable. We live in Jaren's best friend's basement (Shawn and Whitney's basement) and we LOVE it there!

As most of you know, school has started for Jaren and myself. This is our second week. Jaren has switched back to nights now, which is another reason why I'm glad we moved and have a puppy. It's only the second week, but I am already starting to feel the stress that school can bring. It's my last semester before I graduate with my bachelors degree (hallelujah!!), and also the most important with all my boards coming up. If you could keep me in your prayers, I would MUCH appreciate it. I still have SO much to do to be prepared for boards, and I'm doing my best to stay focused and TRY to enjoy the last few months so I can have a good last semester.

Other than that... we are doing very well and are happy with the way things are going!! We're thinking about going to St. George with my family in a month, so that will be exciting, and a much needed break! It'll be good to be in the milder weather!