Happy Turkey Day

This Thanksgiving Drew and I went to Gardnerville which was my first Thanksgiving holiday with Drew's family. It was definitely a fun packed day. In the morning we went to cut down a Christmas tree which I have never done and was the activity I was most excited for! For just $15 you can drive about 20 min and cut your own tree which not only cheaper, but builds memories and smells wonderfull. It's is definitely a tradition that I would like to start when Drew and I have children. There was a light layer of snow coating the ground and it was so breathtakingly beautiful! I loved it up there (the cutting area is just over the California border). We had a small snowball fight and took some family pictures while we were up there.

Dodging Snowballs that Drew and his Dad were throwing at us

Family Pictures

Drew and I
Drew's sister Allison
Tyler's girlfriend Tristan also came down for Thanksgiving

Retrieving the Christmas Tree!

After cutting down a Christmas tree we went shooting. Drew and his dad, Bob, went to the gun show last Friday and Bob bought two new guns. He bought a GSG-5 for himself and a Smith & Wesson MMP 9mm for Tyler. So of course we had to go try them out! We had a lot of fun. I've discovered that I really enjoy shooting rifles better than pistols. We had about 6 guns there to shoot with so there were plenty of options.

Drew shooting the AK-47


Drew's helping me with the AR-15, which is by far my favorite gun!
All of us!
Drew: AK-47, Me: AR-15, Tristan: XD-40, Tyler: GSG-5, Allison: Kimber Custom

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner with Drew's parents and grandparents. After which the missionaries came over and we all played Apples to Apples and ate pie :) Needless to say we had an amazing Thanksgiving! Drew and I have been so blessed and we definitely have many things to be thankful for. We love all of you! Enjoy the pictures. I will add some more once we get home.

Clarification

I've wanted to write a quick clarification and follow-up ever since my last post. Even as I was writing my post about nonsense I knew that it would be misinterpreted by some degree. I'm horrible and putting my feelings into words because I'm usually being thrown in a million different directions by my emotions, thoughts, and feelings. I'm sure that every woman can relate with me. Such is life when you're a girl. We're complex. Not to say men aren't, but I do have a strongly held belief that men think more in compartments and in simple, direct thoughts. First and foremost, I did not expect the kind of response I received from so many readers and I am so happy for what everyone said esp. the comment left by Jared and Drew. It's coincidental really that right before I wrote that post Drew and I had this huge discussion about that stage of life of Enduring to the End so thank you all!

So, let me just say that I believe that my last post I may have erroneously given the impression that I was unhappy. This was confirmed by my loving husband, Drew. Not that he was concerned because he knows me so well. On the contrary, let me clarify that I am extraordinarily happy in my life right now! I was quick to treat this blog as a journal and so I wrote with reckless abandon and maybe that was not smart of me. I still have a lot of things in life that I would still like to do and I am constantly trying to improve myself. As many of you have experienced first hand, I have a lot of flaws. I agree 100% that life is what you make of it at any stage and in any situation. As a friend of my MIL says, "Sometimes you have to bring your own fun!"

When I said that I don't want to live an unremarkable life I wasn't demeaning settling down and having children. Drew and I are looking forward with hope and excitement for the time when we can start are own little family of little Drewlees and little Christinas running around. However,I still pray for the courage to live out my dreams, fulfill my goals, be adventurous, shake things up a bit, and live an amazing life which I think that Drew and I are doing out best to do right now.

Which leads me to my next thought. I am so thankful for Drew right now because no matter how bad I am at conveying my feelings in writing to a random sea of readers I know that I can talk to Drew about anything and everything and he understands me so intimately. He is the best listener and the most profound teacher. His my greatest confidant and most of all my best friend. I just think it's amazing how easily he perceives my moods and feelings and seems to know exactly what to say or do to help me. Heavenly Father truly works through those we are most closely surrounded by. In this season of Thanksgiving I am most thankful for Drew and the strength he has been in my life. Marriage only seems to get sweeter as time progresses. Can it really get better than this? I have no doubt that it will...

"You love me for no other end Than to become my confidant and friend; As such I keep no secret from your sight." ~Dryden.


P.S. Have a Happy Thanksgiving! So what are you most thankful for?

Time for another Andrew blog!

As the current semester comes to an end, it brings with it the end of college football, but the beginning of NHL hockey and college hoops! My personal favorite time of the year!

This semester has flow by in record time! I can see the light at the end of the tunnel now, which means all papers, projects, and finals are right around the corner. I can say with all honesty that I am not stressed right now by the work load on me. It is a lot of work, but I ENJOY what I am learning, which makes working more pleasureful. It's all great stuff I am learning, just how I dreamed it would be. I love the University here. They treat each student with respect, regardless of their opinions. This campus is very liberal, yet the faculty respects my opinion and right to believe how I want to believe. Its absolutely wonderful.

On to more exciting news. If you have not been following the Pens, do so! They are riding a hot streak right now, unbeaten in 6 games. It's been a great start for one of the most talented teams in the league. Expect more updates from me in the future. The Cougars are playing Utah this Saturday, with plenty on the line, more than just pride and props like in previous years. I have organized a 'ward event' to gather all at Buffalo Wild Wings for the game, since it is not broadcast here. I'm hoping for a great turnout, but already I'm sure of 5 at least (Tyler, Tristan, and Allison will be here). Go Cougars! If BYU wins, they share the MWC title and stand a great chance of receiving a BCS bid. We need Nevada to beat Boise this Saturday. Go Pack!

The weather has been unusually cooporative lately. It's been great on our gas/electric bills. I love the warm fall weather. I know there are some (Jared) who would prefer that things get real cold real fast. If I were still in Utah, I'd be praying for freezing temps every night. But since I'm not, here's to warm Novembers!

A Pinch of Nonsense

I have been thinking about my goals lately. In my life I really don't know what I am working towards in my life anymore. While I was in school I was working towards getting my degree. Now I am not sure what or where I want to go from here. I work full time and the only end I'm fulfilling is paying the bills. You could say that I lack the sense of achievement right now. I guess I am happy for now, but what will I be doing in the next year? Going back to school to be a Dietitian? Trying to become something else? Having a baby!? I really have no idea what I am working towards at all any more.

Every time I think back on all of my peers who I went through the Dietetics program with I think of all the futures they are fulfilling. Completing their interships, working in hospitals, changing the world one diet at a time, etc... If I were to stand face to face with any one of them I would say, "You are doing everything right with your life". The only thing I can think to say to myself when I look in the mirror these days is "You are doing everything wrong with your life, Christina." I work in a Dentist's office which has nothing to do with my degree, and I can't think of any hobbies I've acquired other than reading books! What do I do? I live to pay the bills. Why is it that we are taught from a young age to grow up, go to college, get married, have kids, and work your whole life? Who says you should conform to the strictures of what is supposed to be the perfect life? Well, I don't want to live an ordinary life. I don't want to live an unremarkable life. I want to live an amazing life that has nothing to do with what is expected of me. So I told Drew that I wish we could leave all our present belongings, sell everything, and go and live in another country, like Chile. Just get away from all of the ladder climbing for awhile and have an adventure. When we actually contemplated this adventure it seemed we could name a million other things that made it impossible. But that's the thing... we are consumed at this moment just trying to get ahead in life and getting on with our lives that we can't possibly leave our lives here behind. And if you're always living your life trying to get somewhere else, you're not really living, are you? If it really was a priority we would find a way. The more complex our lives become the less any adventure seems possible and the more excuses there are. I just want to live outside the normal strictures of life and shake things up once and a while.

"I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, It's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope. Which is what I do, And that enables you to laugh at life's realities." ~Dr. Seuss

I think we could all use a little nonsense in our lives. Going and living in another country for awhile wouldn't make sense in our lives right now... put us back in our plans.... but it would be wonderfully different, exciting, adventurous, spontaneous, and unexpected! All things I admire in this life.

* Sorry if this post doesn't make any sense... it's nonsense.

Peer Pressure

Now that I work in a dentist's office I can say that I've been feeling a lot of peer pressure. It's not bad in the least, but the first day I started working on my own in the office I noticed that all the assistants and the doctor brush their teeth once they get to work in the morning and also after lunch. I started to feel odd because I was the only one not brushing my teeth after lunch and I've just been brushing my teeth at home.. ya know... after breakfast. I'm usually in a rush though so I don't know if I'm getting a "quality" brushing. It's not like I keep a toothbrush at work anyways.
Today was really slow so the doctor came to the front and said, "Come on back and we'll give you a cleaning." I was really happy to be getting a cleaning since I haven't seen a dentist since before Drew and I were married, but I was scared too. I was scared that the doctor would see how shamefully I've been treating my teeth, see all my secrets, knowing I haven't been good at flossing. Have I told you how many times Dr. Aland has asked me if I floss everyday? A lot. And every time I just kinda laugh and shrug my shoulders and don't give a straight answer. Before my cleaning I was wondering what kind of purging I could do before he got a peak in my mouth. We have mouthwash in stock so I started getting a small cup... then the doctor told Shelby (the assistant) to get me a toothbrush and some toothpaste and then he made this comment like, You should have one at work anyways. So... I'm giving in. I have my own brush and toothpaste at work and now instead of being happy with brushing twice a day, it's now up to three times a day. I've given in to peer pressure and no longer is a piece of gum after lunch adequate!!
My first week of work, Shelby, who is also new needed to practice x-rays on an adult. She only works on Mondays and Wednesdays and for some reason she has only done x-rays on children. So I got a full mouth x-ray and today my cleaning! I'll have to say that working there has scared me so much about getting old and losing my teeth. I know if I saw half of the things they saw I would never neglect my teeth again.

I also booked an appointment for Drew to get a cleaning tomorrow as well. I'm most excited to bring Drew to work with me. It'll be fun!

Random things concerning work:
* If you're going to work in a dental office or health care in general for that matter you need to have good, neat, legible handwriting. It's my biggest pet peeve when I'm looking at important information and I can't read the previous secretaries handwriting. Ya know those girls who write real big and bubbly!? Ahh, I hate it!

* I like investigating accounts like I'm a CSI agent. Today I resolved an unpaid account from April. I had to call 4 different insurance companies and completely start over from square one verifying insurance, confirming SNNs, but in the end I found out that the claims have been sent to the wrong company for the last 6 months. I re-submitted the claim and insurance should pay 100%. I feel that my pay is justified when I find money for the practice like that. Yea!

ALSO,
I wanted to give the results of the pumpkin poll!
Everyone's favorite pumpkin was the goblin which was carved by Drew!
Julie did the pumpkin face, Bob did the grim reaper, and I did the spider in the moon.
Drew wins!

This is Halloween, Halloween, Halloween!

We went down to Gardnerville for Halloween this year which was SO nice because it truly felt like Halloween this year, Trick or Treaters, pumpkins, pumpkin pie, the whole nine yards. We live in a humongous apartment complex and generally in college you don't get Trick or Treaters, but Drew's home neighborhood is very kid friendly and safe. We carved pumpkins which was my favorite part and just seeing the Trick or Treaters! They're cute! Look at our amazing pumpkins! Two to these gargantuone pumpkins were grown right in the backyard! I'm not going to tell you who carved each one so you can pick your favorite without bias!

Spawn of Satan Pumpkin

Grim Reaper

Spider in the Moon

Ooky Trick or Treating Goblin

We had fun as always!