Life Beyond the Safety Net

I always have been good at school.  Regardless if I really liked school or not at certain points of my life, I have been quite good at it.  It has seemed somewhat easy for me to accomplish things in a school setting and I seriously could be a professional student.  

I have discovered lately that I am struggling to make this transition into the professional world.  I am slowly working my way there and have been slowly becoming more comfortable with my new job.  But I struggle with keeping work at work and only focusing on home and my personal life when I am off the clock and with accepting the idea that there really isn't a "break" from work.  Even during my slower seasons, I will still have to go and put in my 40+ hours every week, unless I request vacation time, which I discovered is hard to get away from because of the responsibilities I hold there.  

Regardless, I do feel so blessed to have a good job that is helping us out financially and that  supports our family while we really get started in the real world.  And hopefully, I won't have to continue to work after we get settled wherever we end up when Steven is finished with school.

Steven has landed an internship with the local news station this summer!  I think he is super excited to learn lots and get his internship out of the way for school.  We hope that if things go well that this internship could turn into some job opportunities in the future, whether there at that station or that the experience will set him apart for another place.  He is finishing up a broadcast performance class this semester at school and has really enjoyed learning his way around a news set and has really improved his performance on camera! Sometimes watching his clips, I forget that he is just a student learning because he sounds so professional!!  It would be fun for him to get to do some of that for his future career. 

Despite how busy we have been with school and work... We still find time for each other as much as possible!

Ready for the drive in movie!

I love a great date night with my sweet husband!!! Dating him never will get old!

Until next time!

Life Update

Work has been crazy busy, but it is the height of our busy season and it will probably stay that way for the remainder of the summer.  I just got back from my formal training about 2 weeks ago and had a great time in Arizona learning the business of alterations!  I had the wonderful opportunity to attend a temple session in Mesa while I was there and had such a wonderful and spiritual experience!! It is such a blessing that temples are all over the world and that I can go there and feel the spirit and feel the calmness and warmth of heaven here on earth, and that no matter what my responsibilities are that may be weighing me down, I can feel ultimate peace in the House of the Lord! 

Reunited with my sweetie after my business trip! Felt good to be home!

Steven is still keeping up with work and school. I am so proud of my sweet husband and how hard he works to finish up school while holding on to a good full time job to help provide for us!  I know some days he just feels tired and overwhelmed but I hope he always knows how much I love and appreciate what he does for me. He will stay at work all night sometimes if he feels he needs to so he is sure he has enough hours in and I never want him to think that goes unnoticed. I love you, sweetie!

Speaking of him working hard to provide for me, today we bought a new car for me to commute to work!  It was our first car purchase since we have been married and it was really nice to be able to pick out a car we liked for ourselves.  We have been so blessed by our family to have had decent cars given to us to use while we started out.  But it felt really good to pick out something we wanted!

And I got my hair cut again!

Until next time!

Graduation, Real Life, and what we have been up to!

Hello all!  
Sorry it's been so long since I have written last.  My last couple of semesters of school were quite busy but now that I am finished and settling in to my new job, I have found more time to myself and figured I better be keeping this up as well!

As most of you know, my fashion show was just last month and it went SO well!! We had a great turn out and events like this do so much good for the clothing design program!! I made a wedding dress that was modeled by the bride at the show.  It was so fun to create and equally as fun to have it modeled at the fashion show. I felt so professional and had so much fun!! 

The runway 

That's my dress!!!! WOO!

Graduation was also such a fun event! It was great to shake hands with President Clark during his last duty as President of the University and to receive my diploma! It was also SO great to see all of my family!  My brother and I walked at graduation together so our entire immediate family made it out to see us!

The girls from my department who graduated with me this semester! 

Selfie with my momma!

As a graduation present from my parents, I got a serger!! I was so excited as I have never had one of my own before and always had to rely on the ones in the lab on campus!! Steven also got me a professional grade steaming iron!!!!! I feel like a professional now! I have all the equipment I need to do any sort of home sewing business I need! 

However, since I am now working at David's Bridal, I am not supposed to take on bridal/formal wear alterations outside of work as it conflicts with my job and creates competition for them.  I have done a few simple ready-wear fixes here and there but while I am at David's I have to keep home alteration business on the back burner. 

There's my steaming iron!!

Speaking of this new job... We went to Buffalo Wild Wings after my first day to celebrate!  I am just on the alterations team for now but by the end of May I should be moved up to Management!!! I am really excited for the experience and everything this job will bring to our family!

We wanted to try a bunch of flavors... So we did!

And now I am done with school I have more time to work on some projects I really have been wanting to do.  My first project was to refinish this dresser and repurpose it for a new entertainment center!! I was getting sick of our old one that was black glass because it showed SO much dust!!! I was tired of cleaning it just about every other day just to keep it looking decent.  So this was definitely an upgrade.  Also, this is solid wood so it is definitely a higher quality piece of furniture as well, and can support a larger TV if we decide to upgrade in the future (Steven thinks he needs a big screen to watch football).

Before...

Before

Before

Before

Sanding that oak finish off! 

Fresh stain!

Stain and primer coat

After!

UNTIL NEXT TIME!

Big Update on Life

Not that there's anything special to announce or blog about, I feel like I have been slacking extremely on the blog-isphere here so I apologize in advance for my post that may seem lengthy, or vague... I'm going off memory here of the little things in our lives for the last 3 months.

Almost the week after my last post I took Steven to the ER.  He woke me up in the middle of the night writhing in pain and we couldn't figure out why but he felt like he was going to die.  I ain't having any of that so I escorted him to the car and drove him to the emergency room at 3 in the morning...

Of course... When we got there I stopped by the doors to let him out (he could barely walk because the pain was so intense).  And then when I returned to the car I couldn't get the driver side door to open. I was getting impatient (and admittedly, quite emotional with everything that was going on) and it didn't help that night was the first big snowfall of the season.  So there I was, locked out of my car, in the blizzard, while my poor husband could be DYING in the lobby of the ER... I finally just crawled over from the passenger side and drove the car over to where I could leave it parked and ran back inside to help finish signing Steven in.

Steven was propped up on the counter in front of the receptionist so I told him to go sit down and I'd finish.  The nurse called him back to the examination room before I finished to get him laid down and hooked up to all their machines.  When I went back he was a stiff as a board on the table.  His feet were flexed and he was still writhing in pain.  The nurse was trying to ask him simple questions which he answered through gritted teeth.  I took my seat next to him as she began to hook a vile of something up to his IV.  She told him it was a dose of morphine and explained some of the side effects he might feel as she gives him the dosage.  Steven responded like it was like mana from heaven!  I could see the muscles in his body begin to relax little by little until his feet finally relaxed on the hospital bed.  

Apparently before I arrived he had done a urine sample which by this point, the doctor came back in to let us know that Steven had blood in his urine indicating that it was a kidney stone.  (And at this point I am thanking God that he isn't dying, nor in any condition that is too scary)  The morphine did the trick and we went back home and went to bed.  Thankfully for Steven, he passed the kidney stone later that day.

My poor honey in the ER... This was after the dose of morphine.

Also, last semester I was working on my fashion show for my senior project. It. Went. So. Well!!!! I couldn't have asked for a better turnout with the show itself and how smoothly everything went that day.  I was expecting some sort of chaos and drama... but ZERO, ZIP, NONE! Hooray!  We made more than enough money to cover our costs and have hopefully left an impression on the student body (and the local patrons) to create great expectations for each semester in the future.  This semester we have tossed around the idea of combining with the floral department some to do one big bridal show (seeing as there will be 16 wedding dresses/brides modeling in the show in March).  The floral would do the bouquets for the brides and a few displays out in the lobby.  We would also have the advanced cake decorating class display a few of their cake creations in the lobby as well.  March 28th! Save the date!

After the fashion show. I designed and constructed this dress myself!

Also, here's the short video of the fashion show!! There is a full length one but way too large to upload. If you want to watch that one just let me know!





We spent Christmas in Washington with my wonderful family!  It was so nice to go home since I hadn't been back since our wedding a year and a half ago!  I got to see my best friend from back home and spend some good quality time with my folks.  The weather was also quite agreeable while we were there as well.  Steven and I wandered from store to store while we were out shopping without our coats!  Some people thought we were strange but going from our negative degree weather here to 50-55 degree weather there was so refreshing!  

Eating at Miners of Yakima!

Steven breaking the ice for the kids at our ward Christmas party

Our Christmas gift from Steven's parents! Fully supplied with beef as well! :D

We spent New Years alone together at home. I actually had to work that evening but we closed down the restaurant early (around 8) so I was home by 9:30-ish.  We watched movies and celebrated with popcorn and sparkling cider at midnight. Nothing too extravagant.  

New Years Eve

This semester, Steven is off-track so he has been working full time sandblasting (and the company has been rather busy this January which has been so nice since usually they are extremely slow this time of year! It's been so helpful to the paycheck!) and I just have 13 credits left and then I am graduating in April!!! YAY!!! It still hasn't really sunk in that I am finally graduating from college here in a couple months, but I am excited to finally be done with school and perhaps looking for a real job in my field!  I will be a college grad here in just 3 months! Woo!

I love this goofy man!

I chopped my hair off!

Temple date before school started for me

Until next time!

November, Birthdays, and First Snow

November is a big month for us because we both celebrate our birthdays! Steven turned 26 this year and I turned 22. To celebrate Steven's birthday we went out for a late lunch at the Hickory the Saturday before his birthday and we had cupcakes and played games with friends on Sunday.  Even though we are still on our diets we kept to it by ordering what I know we can eat at the Hickory and I found a recipe to make low carb cupcakes! (Thank you Internet!!!).  For my birthday, we went to Red Robin for lunch, got a free burger (that Steven ate bunless with a side a broccoli instead of the fries) and I had the ensenada chicken with a side salad. (YUM!) Steven let me go shopping to celebrate my birthday and he bought himself a new game to celebrate his.  We were quite lame with the surprises and gifts this year. It was hard to top last years birthdays though so we did it pretty low key.

We are both still busy with school but things are really kicking up with my fashion show!! It's only 1 month away and boy can I feel the pressure there! I designed and had the posters printed and my committee helped get them plastered all over campus.  I am still working on a few more advertising and marketing things, including standing at a booth handing out flyers for a few hours this week and the last 2 weeks before the show, but for the most part the details are starting to demand attention.  Thankfully I have a SUPER helpful committee that does so much for me!!!

I also had an assignment that allowed me to make a large format print, frame it, and have it on display in the Spori Building!!!!!!  WOO!! I was pretty stoked with how it turned out!!

Today marked the first blustery wintery day here.  It snowed overnight last night and was SUPER chilly and windy all day.  So I finally buckled down and made the insulated curtain we wanted to hang at the bottom of the stairs to help keep the heat from rising up into the loft area right in front of our front door.  Then when I heard that it would get down to around -40 degrees tonight I went around to each window (and the front door) and covered each with a quilt or thick blanket to help keep the heat in tonight.  I hate when it gets so cold like this--it scares me... I'm ready for summer to be back already.  I miss being able to open the window and have the fresh air pour in...  We definitely live in the wrong area for our weather preferences...

Well, that's all I can think of for now!

Until next time!