Save room for DESERT?

Well we are here. We officially live in Vegas. Quick update: we thought that we would have to search for weeks and go through a hairy process before we got a home here. We got to Vegas on Friday and the blessings flooded us! We had a house on Monday and moved in on Wednesday!! Crazy, I know. I was ecstatic when we got it for $1 over opening bid (through the auction. Another huge blessing.) The video is on my facebook if you want to see it.

The one thing that I wasn't comfortable with about Vegas was the fact that it was so deserty. I love the mountains and trees, and when I hear the word 'desert' I think of heat, sand and cacti. So I tried so hard to not think of Las Vegas as a desert. Well it would just be my luck that we moved into a community called DESERT Willows. We live on DESERT Lavender Avenue, we attend the DESERT View ward in the DESERT Springs stake. Haha, the irony makes me smile.

We are more happy than I can say! This is exciting to be in our VERY OWN HOME!!!


Pouring the bubbly to celebrate our first night in our new home!




Painting our pad!

There you have it. Life is good. It is so so good!

Vegas BABY!

We are packing up the truck today and moving to Vegas. I feel weird. It's not real. I am obviously procrastinating right now and not packing. I think I am over-tired and emotional, and I might cry when I say by to my mommy. This is hard. I am sure it will get exciting sometime. So that's my life. We don't have a house yet, and we will stay with Jason's aunt for a few weeks while we look for a house. I will keep you updated. Fun fun! All my Utah peeps, I will miss you like crazy!

A Change is in the air!

So much has happened lately and I haven't posted anything about it. It is interesting when you have something planned and then... KABLAM!! Everything changes! Let me tell you a little story about Jason real quick. He wanted to apply to grad school for this coming fall, and his first choice was UNLV, because he could get his masters in Biology and then we could just stay for dental school. So he was talking with a professor from down there, Dr. Lee, back in January before he took the GRE. Dr. Lee was super cool and would respond to all of his questions and emails, and it seemed like he was really rooting for Jason. So Jason goes and takes the GRE and sends his scores down to UNLV, as well as a couple other places, then let's the Dr. Lee know that he took it. So Dr. Lee asked him to send him an unofficial transcript, and once he did that, Jason received a sad email from him that basically said "I'm sorry, I didn't understand that your undergrad is not in a science. Frankly you just don't have enough science classes. You better just save your money and not even apply this year because there is no way that we'd even consider you to be interviewed, so why don't you take more science classes over the next year and apply next year." Needless to say that was a huge punch in his gut. But we started making other plans, I quit my job and went part time, back to school full-time, and found a program that is great for me but requires me to be here in Utah. So the application deadline for UNLV was on Feb. 1st. That date came and went and Jason took there advice and didn't apply. About a week later he received an email from Dr. Lee saying, "Uuh, we received your GRE scores and you are a genius and we want you to come and interview." That's how I took it, anyway. So they asked him to come interview without even applying because he scored so well on the GRE. I am so proud of him! The average score to be accepted is 1100 and he scored a 1440. I can brag, right? Because it's not like I took it. I would have maybe pulled a 500. Maybe. Okay, so this short story is getting long. Apologies. He went and interviewed and they loved him and accepted him into the masters of biology program. He starts in August!!


On with the story. March 14th we celebrated our two year anniversary, and decided to drive to Vegas just to start checking out the area. We of course had a celebratory lunch..


And we went and saw Cirque Du Soleil 'Mystere' which was SO fun! Of course it inspired me to change my career when I get to Vegas and become an acrobat. I'd say I have it in me.




Okay, so here is the kicker. While we were down there we encountered an job opportunity for me that we were not anticipating. I am going to be the nanny of a 10 year old girl whose mom is buying four casinos and going to be mega-rich and super busy. The only thing is that she needed a nanny NOW, and I couldn't stay, so Caitlyn, the little girl, actually flew to Utah and has been with us since last Wednesday, and will be with us for another week or so. We will be packing up and moving to Las Vegas in two weeks. Yeah, I know. I said TWO WEEKS! Talk about stress! But it will all work out, and Jason and I received confirmation this morning that this was the right thing to do. So now we just have to make it happen. There is my update on life. Aaah, the joys of growing up.

Dinner's on me!!

I will confess to the public blog world that I am not the world's greatest cook. I am okay with that, but I would like to at least know how to make a weeks worth of dinners. Honestly, I don't. Jason teased me when we dated that I only knew how to make chicken, rice and vegetables. I convinced him that I just happened to be making the same thing every time he ended up at my house around dinner time, and the few times that I cooked for him. I assured him that there was lots more that I could cook, and my meals were amazing. I flat out lied. And now that we are married he has surely realized that. So yesterday I decided that starting today that was going to change. I made a two-week menu and grocery list last night, got all of my necessities today, and ventured out into this uncharted territory. Tonight I made meatloaf, mashed potatoes and salad; a meal that I have never attempted before, though it seemed easy and something that most people know how to make. I got super into it, chopping, dicing, singing, stressing, saute-ing, and like ten minutes into it my kitchen looked like three four-year olds were left unattended to play chef. I have not yet mastered keeping a kitchen clean as you cook.

Time started speeding up and I was uncomfortable in my new element. Jason was coming home soon and I really wanted to have made a great dinner before he got there. I was mixing everything together, but instead of finishing one portion and moving on to another, I found myself jumping all over the place. Before I knew it I was a complete wreck! I somehow splashed meat juice in my face, getting in my mouth and eyes, and making me want to throw up because of the thought of it. Then as I got a knife out I nicked my palm, causing blood to start gushing. I didn't have time to aid it, so I just stuck a paper towel in it and added a potato on top for pressure, then started peeling the potato. Jason was almost home, and although he could care less if dinner was ready or not, I really wanted to surprise him. In my panic to get the potatoes peeled, I completely slipped and peeled my finger, causing more blood than I could handle. I needed to pause to get enough pressure on it to try and stop it from bleeding... but I didn't have the time! So I stuck my throbbing finger into a paper towel and in between my legs as I stabilized the grater against the counter with my chin and started to grate some carrots. Of course I grated my finger on my right hand this time, and the blood started flowing, although not as heavily as my first two wounds. By the time Jason walked in the house I was standing there in the middle of a royal wreck with the water for the potatoes boing over and hissing as it hit the burner, the water still running in the sink, seasonings, meat juice, measuring cups, bread crumbs, and sauces spilled all over the counters, floor and myself, make-up running down my cheeks from my onion-provoked tears, my hair in a ponytail that was falling out and in my face, and blood EVERYWHERE! I am sure he looked at me and thought I was just the greatest wife he could have asked for. So talented. =)

My poor meal was suffering. I managed to get the meat together into a nice little loaf. There is ketchup in there, but I am not going to say that blood wasn't mixed in. Eew, sorry for that. What am I saying? I'm so gross


My mashed potatoes came out gummy..... uhh.... can anyone tell me what that is? Do they just know that am nervous and are playing tricks on me? Geez! Oh, and I think that my meatloaf was fed up with how it was treated. I put it in looking normal, and it came out looking like it was going to get revenge and kill me!



No, really though, my meatloaf actually tasted good and I was proud of my first attempt. I just can't believe that I intend on putting myself through this every night for the rest of this week. Would anyone care to hear how it goes? Eh, probably not. The experience wore me out and I am sure that reading about it does the same. Goodnight!

2009 in a Nutshell

Since I am not the best at posting, I will post a little recap of 2009, although I really didn't take too many pictures of events this year. And I must be getting old because I can barely remember what happened last year.

February

We started the year off by welcoming our new baby nephew Noah Shelton into the world. He is now almost 1 year old and terribly addicted to soda. No one can figure out why....



March

Our one year anniversary



April

My little brother got home from his mission to the Cordoba, Argentina.



May

I went to Hawaii for my first time ever! I had to leave my husband behind, which I had no idea how hard that would be. It was the longest 12 days of my life! I know, I am a dork, and all you military wives are shaking your heads at my wimpyness. Regardless, Hawaii was so incredible, and I had a great time with my family!






The day that I left for Hawaii was the same day that Jason got in an accident on his scooter. He tried to keep it from me.... that lasted ten minutes. We are still paying off medical bills.





July

Although Jason and I had been married for almost a year and a half at this point, I had never met my brother-in-law Dallin. Jason and I met like RIGHT after he left. He came home from the Belen, Brazil mission in July. I LOVE having him home, and even though I have known him the shortest time, I feel the closest to him. He maketh me laugh!




August

We took the longest plane ride in the world to visit one of the coolest places in the world. AUSTRALIA!!





September

Devon, Jason's youngest brother, and the last to serve a mission, received his mission call. He is called to serve in the Cordoba, Argentina mission!! That's right, the same exact mission that my brother Chris came back from this year! He reported to the MTC last week.




November

JAZZ SEASON!! We got to sit on the VERY front row at one of the Jazz games! And we got to invite my sister Kristen and her husband Josh, which made the experience 100 times even more better for me! Josh made sure that we got a picture of his bald head blocking part of the court so he could prove that he was that close. It was AMAZING!!!





On November 20th my little brother (yeah... the one that just got home from his mission in April) was married to the cutest girl, Leah Michelle Stoker, for time and all eternity in the Bountiful temple. It was a beautiful day!!






We had Thanksgiving at Jason's family's house in California. We had a great time with all of our family, and even got to help decorate the tree before we went home.




December

December went by way too fast! I decorated my home for the first time for Christmas, and I thought it was so cute, but I don't have pictures on my computer yet, so I hope what you imagine is even cuter than it really was. We celebrated Christmas with my family this year, and we had the WHOLE family together. We wore our Christmas pajamas, which we always love, and this year all of the boys got snuggies. Jason played a great Ghost of Christmas Present. We had WAY more fun giving each other our gifts than getting them. This was a fun Christmas!!




The day after Christmas we flew down to San Diego and met Jason's family to go on a 7 night cruise to the Mexican Riviera! I don't have pictures from that yet either. So sad. But we did celebrate New Year's Eve on the cruise, and we had a blast dancing the night away!! (Who am I kidding? We danced like two or three songs and then called it a night while his younger, single siblings danced the night away. We are old, married, boring... I like to call it matured! =)




That concludes our 2009. Let's pretend that it's not February, but more like January 4th so it makes more sense as to why I am posting this. Last year was a great year, but this year has already started out SO MUCH BETTER!! Now all we need is a bun to get in my oven! I have been keeping it warm and I think this might just be the year!!!

I QUIT!!!

Anyone want to hear my little tender mercy story? If you keep reading then I will take that as a yes. So I have been feeling really unsettled for a long time, and I have not been able to figure out why. Some of you may know that Jason and I have been trying to have a baby forever, and it's been over a year and a half since I miscarried, and still no baby. So I have started to do everything that I feel would help prepare me and my body to be able to carry a baby, i.e. eat better (I have been really good on my low-carb diet for two weeks now!), exercise, get enough sleep, but still I couldn't shake my unsettled feelings. I have such a wonderful job and I love it, it just happens to be an extremely high-stress job. I wouldn't consider it negative stress because it's the kind of stress that I like, that motivates me to hit my goals, but regardless it is still stress. So I started wondering if the immense amount of stress that my job provides, as well as taking classes, is having a negative effect on my body. I started contemplating the idea of leaving my position and finding a part-time position, going back to school full-time, and lessening my stress load. At first it was just an thought, but this thought grew and grew in my mind. Jason just finished school and could go to work full-time until we go off for grad school, which means that I really could leave my job if I really wanted to. But did I really want to? I LOVE my position, and it is the best paying position that I am sure I will ever have. I was in turmoil over this decision. I couldn't recognize answers, I was totally confused and hot and cold, I just could not decide what I should do. I finally decided to turn in my two weeks, and I did it, but then corporate stepped in and gave me a counter-offer that seemed idiotic to turn down. Then I was back to my distress. I went for days trying to make a decision and my emotions were all over the place. One early afternoon I talked to my boss for awhile and left feeling even more confused. I went out to my car and called Jason and just sobbed to him. He said some things that made me feel better and see things differently, and I hung up and prayed. I felt the best, most warming sense of peace about leaving the company and showing the Lord that I was going to do everything on my part to help my body be ready, that way if it still doesn't happen then I know that it is the Lord's plans, and then we can confidently turn to other options. I felt so good about my answer that they could have offered me any amount to stay and I wouldn't have. I took a deep breath, dried my eyes and went back inside. I sat down at my desk and said to myself, "okay, now I need to find a part time job." I pulled up craigslist and all of the jobs were for sales, telemarketing, or customer service $8-$10 an hour jobs that I could not imagine going back to. It made me cringe to think about that (not that those jobs are bad, I just don't think it would lower my stress levels). So I refreshed the page and a new one popped up for an office manager/admissions part time! I called right away and she explained the position to me (it was made for me!!!) We set up a time to meet that night! There was probably ten minutes in between the time that I had called Jason bawling, and called him completely ecstatic. We met that night and she offered me the position right then! I just couldn't believe how incredibly blessed I was. As soon as I had made my decision and received an answer, the Lord was like "okay, here you go." I am so so grateful.

So now we only had to worry about Jason finding a good full-time job. It started out rough and he interviewed with a lot of places, but it has paid off. He interviewed for a position with Stevens-Henegar to go meet with businesses and build relationships, (something that he would be perfect at) and he made it into their top ten candidates. On Friday they said that he was in their top three candidates and interviewed him again, and then this morning they offered him the position! We are taken care of and extremely blessed. So that's my tender mercy story and my testimony that once you give up your fears and trust the Lord, He makes things happen. My last day of work is February 8th because they won't let me go any sooner, and I'll start my new job on the 9th. Jason starts his this Wednesday!

I am an OLD WOMAN!!

Today I celebrated my 26 birthday. My entire family went down to Richfield to my sister's house and it was a BLAST! Last night we had dinner and played games, then had cake and ice cream at midnight. We all slept over, and all 22 people came singing into my room this morning with breakfast in bed! How cool is my family? We went up into the beautiful mountains and the boys had a big air soft gun fight. It was so fun to watch, but my age has caught up with me, and I couldn't run around like I used to! Everyone kept commenting all day about how old I was!! I am only 26; I didn't think that I was that old. Several people also commented that my old age was really starting to show. I don't know, what do you all think? Here is me with my birthday cake last night....

The Monster in My Mouth!

There was a certain something that Jason has been wanting for awhile, and I decided that I would get it for him for Christmas. A few weeks ago we were at Costco and it was on sale, but the rebate was ending that day, so we decided to just go ahead and buy it then instead of waiting until Christmas. He was so excited about it, and as soon as we got home he ran in our bathroom and plugged it in to charge. There were two of them, one for each of us, and we had to wait for 24 hours for them to charge, so we didn't get to use them until the following night. When it was time, Jason came in and handed my mine, and he had his in his hand. We smiled at each other, then proceeded to stick the machine into our mouths. I turned mine on and felt like I had stuck a tazer gun in my mouth! I immediately took it back out! It was the most awful feeling! The machine vibrated and tickled every part of my mouth. I HATED IT!!! I wanted to throw the stupid machine away right then and there! I made it through the full two minutes with tears practically streaming down my cheeks. Jason looked at me in a way that said "I don't even have to tell you how big of a baby you are being. Get over it. It's a friggin toothbrush!" I felt like a four year old who was being forced to do something that was scary and uncomfortable. Brushing my teeth has never been so traumatizing! I could hardly sleep knowing that I was going to have to get up soon and do it again! That was no toothbrush... That was a MONSTER!!!



You all might be happy to know that since then I have grown to love my new sonicare toothbrush. I no longer recoil before brushing my teeth, and I have even grown to enjoy it! This isn't much of a post, but it is what was on my mind when I sat down just now. Congratulations to you all for getting to read my weirdness.

My Baby's First Haircut!

There comes a time in a person's life when their hair grows too long to pass as attractive. Many of you bloggers have kids, and I am sure you posted about their first haircut that you gave them. Well I don't have a baby yet. The only baby in my life is my husband Jason, and I just have him my first haircut. I have never ever EVER cut anyone's hair before in my life. Jason is such a good sport and has agreed to be my guinea pig as I learn to cut hair. I figure that it'll save us a lot of money if I can do our family haircuts myself, and it's about time I learn. Here are some before shots:


Things were going well. I felt like I was picking it up pretty fast, and I was pleased with how his haircut was going. Jason has such straight asian hair that it was pretty difficult. Here is some proof of how things were going:




Well, anyone that knows what it is like to give a haircut without any training knows that it is easy to go too short on one side, then go try and even out the other side, but end up going too short, so you go back to the other side, and it is just a vicious cycle! It was not my fault! I had no training. I just kept going back and forth, until this was our outcome:

Two things I hate about cars...

I would not consider myself super learned on cars. I like cars that drive nice and look pretty. There are two things that I really REALLY don't like, though. Number one: I hate gold cars! I think they are ugly, tacky and old-looking. (I hope not to offend anyone from this post. This is just my opinion.) And number two: I hate Ford Focuses. I just don't like the body. I think that there are much better looking cars in the world than the Focus, and I have never been a fan. I am pretty much cool with any other car and feature. I don't know why, I just don't like Ford Focuses, and I definitely don't like Gold.

As some of you know, last year I had to sell Penny, my little white Protege, to pay for our flights to Argentina. Let us all take a moment and remember Penny's greatness, for she truly was the best little car. It was a good idea to sell her, though, because I feared she was close to her death bed. Anyway, Jason and I have just had one car since then, and have been surviving just fine. Last winter I would drop him off at school in the morning before I went to work, then pick him up on my way home. When it got warm enough we bought a scooter, and that was a fun treat for the summer time. Well now we are approaching winter again, and I don't think that Scooty is going to suffice. Because of our conflicting schedules this winter, we decided it was time to bite the bullet and buy a second car. We started looking, and boy are there some pretty cars out there!! All of which are out of our price range.

My dad had just bought a car from a man that was selling one more car, and my dad was soooo impressed with his deal. We went and checked out the other car that he was selling, and it was a deal that we could not pass up. The engine sparkles, there are only 40,000 miles on it, It's a 2007 little girl, just a baby, and she runs fantasticly!!! Is that a word? Hmmm... anyway. There is just one problem. Let's just say that she is a sweet spirit. She is exellent and above average in every department on the inside... but esthetically she is just lacking so much! My dear friends, meet the newest member of our family. I think we'll name her Goldie. She's our new 2007 GOLD FORD FOCUS!




That'll teach me!

The Man My Husband Has Become

This is the first picture that I ever saw of my husband. Very handsome man, if I may say so myself. When we got married Jason was a fine young man. Over the past year and a half he has changed quite a bit, and has grown for the better. He becomes a better man every day, and I love him more and more every moment. But recently there have been some unexpected changes. Just this past week he has gotten very tired. He started slowing down, and losing motivation to even get up off the couch. He started complaining of a sore throat, and I thought that he was just being a baby. But then more changes started to take place. He started to shrink and grow unwanted hair. A horrendous cough took over, and when I took his temperature it was at 103 degrees. My poor husband was burning a hole in our bed! I opted to sleep in the other room last night just to give him all the wiggle room he wanted in our bed, and when I came in this morning to check on him... this is what I saw!! This is the man that my husband has become!!!



That's right. We think that Jason has caught the swine flu. The poor guys is sick as a pig. (hahaha, I just made myself laugh out loud. That just proves my dorkiness.) He is just taking it easy on the couch and trying to avoid our neighbors, because they are all so old they would probably die from it. I am pretty sure we moved in to an old folk's home.

May I just point out one great thing here real quick. Look back up at the picture of my husband in our bed this morning. Even in this awful condition he is still smiling! He has a great attitude about this, and even though he looks the way he does (sorry honey) he still is able to smile about it. What a great man he has become!!

Fit in to the dress!

It was just over a year and a half ago that Jason and I were married, and I got to wear my beautiful wedding dress! I loved my dress so much that I wish that I could wear it every day. The problem now is not that it would be totally weird to wear my wedding dress everywhere I go, but that I can't even fit in to it! How embarrassing is that? I could understand like after ten years of marriage or something, or at least after kids, but no. I have no kids, and it has only been a year and a half. So even if I wanted to prance around town in my wedding dress... I can't! Out of the question. My love for Jason has grown immensely during this year and a half, and so has my body. =)

So I am reaching out for help! I am so freaking out of shape that I died after a half hour on the treadmill this morning. I got P90X and get out of breath just watching it! Is there anyone else in my same boat? Does anyone else need a little push? Can we please just motivate each other somehow?? I would really like to fit in to my dress again. Oh, and when I do, does anyone want to lounge around the house in theirs with me?

Your Fat Friend,

Sarah McChubbyson



p.s. this is the only dress that I fit in to now.