I'll be home for Christmas

I don't have much to say today. It is my favorite day of the year, Christmas Eve Eve. I made that up when I was 8 and I still think it's clever.
I just want to say thank you today, to all my family and friends. I may not talk about it much online, but you all have sure been there for me through some dark times this year. Thank you so much. I really do love you all.
This year we are spending the holidays in Hagerman. It will be my first Christmas away from home, and my family has all tried so hard to make it special. Mom and Dad made sure I had lots of presents to open and they loaded our car up when we left after spending Thanksgiving in Utah. Tara has given me all the support in the world, as well as someone who I can complain to. Every one needs one of those.
What has been the most special to me this year most of all at Christmas is that my amazing brother and sister in law came up to see me and Jake last weekend. It was like our very own holiday and I had so much fun. It will be a memory I cherish forever, and it made my first Christmas away from home so much easier to bear. Thank you Brooke and Taylor. You'll never know how much it meant to me to have you here. Love you all! Merry Christmas!

Conference Weekend

Many people apologize when they don't blog for a long time, but I don't think I will. That would mean I'm assuming people actually read my blog.

But I will, for the sake of connecting the last blog to this one in a matter of time frames, highlight each month and a little of what has been happening.

April: Jake starts working as a substitute and decides that he will one day pursue a degree in Elementary Ed and Special Needs. Taci finds out that the district who guaranteed her a job no longer has the budget to keep her next year so she starts looking for a new teaching position.

We traveled down to Utah for conference and attend Jake's second missionary reunion.

May: Job searching is hard and scary! They travel to Utah frequently for interviews with no luck.

This is not a good year for hiring someone in the social sciences like history and geography.

As the school year winds down and the weather warms up, we get excited for summer. Jake packs all of our camping stuff together in a bin so we can "camp at a moment's notice" (his exact words).

June: Taci works at a science summer camp for kids at the local community college and has tons of fun! She enjoys teaching kids about the rock cycle and dirt and dinosaurs so much that she decides to pursue a second teaching certificate in science education.

Jake finally convinces Taci that they need to camp. We went up past Ashton Idaho to Warm River and spent a weekend getting eaten by bugs and trying not to drown in the rain, all the while having a blast.

Jake got offered a full time job at an elementary school working with autistic kindergarten and 1st grade kids.

July: Taci and Jake go camping again with Jake's parents for the 4th of July. Camping is fun just by yourselves, but it is great when you have someone who owns 4 wheelers with you. Taci learned to drive a 4 wheeler, and we had some great campfire cookin' from Jake's mom.

August: We spend their first anniversary with Taci's family in DISNEYLAND for a week! Taci's parents took us as a late college graduation present for Taci and just because they love Jake. Tara came along and made sure everyone stayed un-grumpy in lines and the hot sunshine.

We went to the beach and everyone got fried in the sun and Jake tried to body surf while we watched.

We also spend a few days in Utah during which we had a chance to see Taylor and Brooke's new apartment and kitten. Sure love that Hector and Helen.

At the end of August Jake started his new job and loves it! He works with some incredible people in his classroom who are all very experienced in the special needs field and have given him great advice and adores each kid in there.

Jake and Taci spent a weekend with Jake's sister Jodi and her husband Dallan in Soda Springs and watched her sing in sacrament meeting. She has such a beautiful voice and we always love spending time with them.

September: Was the busiest and craziest month yet! Jake turned 23 and we spent a weekend with his family. Both his sisters and his niece Ella were at his parents and it was fun to see everyone.

Taci's cousin Brady stopped in for dinner during his business trip through the area and we had fun spending time with him!

Jake and Taci decided one day to move to a new apartment, so we went and looked around to see what we could find. We come across a little house that was renting out the upstairs and when we saw that all utilities are paid, it has an extra room, and it is only 75 dollars more than our other smaller place, we snatched it up. In a matter of three days we were completely moved in with the help of good friends and family. It is a few blocks away from Jake's school and we are excited to be in a new ward.

Molly and Brandon, our very good friends in Rexburg, took us out for Jake's birthday and we had so much fun hanging out with them!

Taci started substitute teaching and so far has really enjoyed it. She has learned so much and is excited to do this until she finds a more permanent position.

October: Well, here we are again, six months and another conference with Taci's family down in Utah. A lot, yet just a little in the face of eternity, has happened, and we are still doing wonderfully. We love being in a new place and we are so happy with our jobs where we are learning every day.

We are excited (mostly Taci) for Halloween so Jake can dress up at school. We (Taci) has decided he is going as a nerd, with the suspenders and taped glasses. We (mostly Jake) are also so excited with the halloween candy in bulk at winco.

The next few months will bring us both starting night classes and trying to survive the winter without a crazy heating bill. We are going to have Thanksgiving with Taci's family and Christmas with Jake's, and in between we are happy staying home and spending our weekends together. We are so happy to have the same work hours and the same employer with the same days off! Jake is a flourishing cook who is keeping Taci chubby and in turn she isn't burning as much stuff as she used to, and her biscuits get better every time.

Good News, She's Dead!

The wicked witch I mean of course.

In order to start this blog I have to rewind a year ago when my mother went on choir tour with Tara and fell in love with Wicked. She came home and bought the cd and made us put it on her Ipod and would go around humming popular.

Then she heard the big news: Wicked was coming to Salt Lake City. Right then and there, she vowed to enrich all those around her with the chance of a lifetime. She bought herself and my father season tickets to all the plays coming this year, and bought over a thousand dollars worth of tickets for whomever she knew that wanted to get in on this business.

At the time I was dating a cutesy fellow named Jacob, and I said I was in.

Fast forward to thursday night, where Jake and I, Tara and our cousin Trevor, Brooke and Taylor, Aunt Kristin and Uncle Ryan, and Uncle Brad and Aunt Rae all met up in front of the Capitol Theater and sat together to see the show.

As we were going in, Jake noticed Elder Perry next to us showing his ticket to the ticket lady.

Wow! How neat was that!

Then, as we were sitting down, we saw Elder Uchtdorf( I don't know if I spelled that right) going to his seat. Then my Uncle Ryan noticed in front of us a very familiar bald spot belonging to the Prophet!

We were in good company that night!

The show was incredible. Everyone loved it!

For anyone who hasn't had a chance to see it or listen to the music, I hope they get the chance! Its a great story and it has an interesting message. And if the prophet approves, then I guess I can't say anything better about it.

Thank you mom for getting us tickets! You are very "Popular" with all of us.

Saturday outing

A few weeks ago, Jake and I loaded the truck up with blankets, our mini cooler, treats, and music and took a mini road trip out to Swan Valley, and the Palisades Reservior. For those of you familiar with eastern Idaho geography, we took highway 26 straight east out of Idaho Falls for about an hour past Ririe. It was so fun!


The was lake entirely frozen over, and we saw ice fishers and snowmobilers out on the lake! After eating lunch on a scenic overlook point, We drove back into town to explore. I HAD to go to the Dam Store, even if it was a silly little convenience store.



I love small Idaho towns and thier Cheek.


Jake suprised me with one last stop at an ice cream store, which is famous for their homemade square icecream. My mint chocolate was so good!

Goosed by a Goose

I have recently taken it upon myself to be the sole provider for the ducks and geese on the river by the Temple, since they get ignored in the winter. I hoard old bread until I can find time to hope on over there, since I only live a few blocks away.
Today though, was not the simple, happy experience I usually expect. The geese were the only interested party when I pulled out my old hamburger buns and were so hungry that they came right up to me. There I was, screaming my head off as I was rushed by a group of huge "THHH!"ing geese, while Jake laughed from a few yards away. They backed me against a tree and I started bawling, while my supposed knight in shining armor looked on and giggled with glee.

Later, now that I am home, warm, and most of my tears have dried, I can nearly reflect with even temperedness.
Jake and I have been discovering and falling in love with Idaho Falls a little more every day. We live in the historic downtown district and there is so much to do, even as a broke couple! There are walking tours, the ducks (obviously), and the most amazing library! We go there a lot. It is in a beautiful three story building, with a Koi pond and a super cool children's section. The best part is that it is in walking distance-not that I'll walk :)

I LOVE my job. I get to teach part time in the morning in a second grade classroom, and in the afternoons I head up the after school reading program for students who struggle to read. Every day I come home with new stories for Jake.
Jake, in the meantime, is still looking for a job, but has a few good leads. He just took the qualifying exam to be a census interviewer, and we're waiting on a call from them. In the meantime, he has become head chef and has skills far surpassing mine. He is so great. He also is studying up to take his EMT test so he can finally have his certificate.

We just go called to team teach the sunbeams in our ward. I'm glad Jake is with me, because all the little three year old boys ADORE him. We have a good time and work very hard to help the kids with the transition from nursery to primary. Now, if only they could make sharing time interesting to a mother-missing three and a half year old.

We're loving doing great, we love and miss our friends and fam, and we couldn't be happier!

Turkey Pot Pie! ( and a new job)

This morning I had an interview with the principal of an elementary school around here, and about 30 seconds in she offered me a job as an aide for the 6th grade teachers. I also get recess duty!
In addition, I am the new head of the after school intervention program for title 1 students who struggle to read.
We are so lucky, because this literally fell in our laps. When I posted my resume on the district's web site I got a phone call from the school about an hour after.
The principal and I talked for along time, and she said that if something opens next year I could even get teaching position--even if I don't have all the qualifications to do elementary school, the district offers programs to help me become a highly qualified teachers. So, who knows? I have a lot of options ahead of me in the next little while.

In the meantime, I have such a wonderfully supportive husband that took me grocery shopping with a happy face, and has been full of congratulations all day. This evening we worked together to make a turkey pot pie, which is sizzling in the oven right now as I type and Jake watches t.v.
It smells good and I am super excited!

We are doing so great out on our own, with great friends (thanks for dinner Molly) and wonderful parents to call on the phone for advice.

Candy House

For our very first Christmas, we decided to not get a tree, since we'll be at my parent's anyways. But we started other good traditions like hanging lights and Jake got to decorate his very first candy house.

It took forever! We literally spent hours covered in frosting and playing with candy. I got the best candy because we went to the bulk section of winco and bought just a few cents worth of all sorts of stuff. ( The lady checking us out thought we were very wierd for buying 8 cents worth of apple rings.)

Anyways, we are all moved in to our little apartment and the first week has been wonderful. Our next door neighbors have a sign in their window that has a gun and underneath it says "protected by the second amendment". Oh how I love Idaho.

It's getting pretty cold, but that is what sweaters and extra blankets are for right?