Can't believe it!!

So for the past couple of days I've been really struggling trying to think of something to blog about. We've been really busy getting ready for Christmas, but so is everyone else. I didn't feel like it was that fun to blog about so I decided to wait until after Christmas to blog... but, today I do have something to blog about.
I woke up to Derek saying, "Mary, guess what?" I was still delirious but I knew something cool had happened. I didn't even attempt to guess so I simply responded, "What?"
Derek: "They found the bank robbers that robbed Karl!
Me: "WHAT?!?!?! I never ever thought they would find them. I knew today was going to be a good day!
Derek: "Guess where they found them?"
Me: "Chubback?"
Derek: "Florida!"

WOW!!! How in the world can you tell me that they found the robbers, and they were in FLORIDA?! That's crazy! These robbers had robbed a bank in Oregan, then the next month robbed Wells Fargo in Chubback, and then yesterday robbed a Chase Bank in Florida. They led police on a police chase. Which I am glad police were actually able to find them this time..... Their car crashed into a parked police car, and then police started shooting. The woman was killed, and the man was injured and is now in jail with a $800,000 bail bond. I can't believe it! It's sad that someone had to be killed for it, but honestly..... it goes to show that it's NOT worth it! Someone died today over something so petty and so selfish. I am grateful that they found the robbers and I'm grateful for some clarity in the whole thing.
Chubback police are going to be in a press conference at 1, which in in 5 minutes, and we will know more then. Pretty crazy!! I just thought I had to share this crazy news!!

For my brother

On Wednesday night after a long day of work I pulled up to WinCo to grab some quick groceries when I received a text from my brother Karl that said, "I got robbed today. I'm ok, please let mom and dad know. I will be on the news tonight. I'm in a meeting with a counselor right now." A rush of emotions filled through my body! I wanted to hold my brother, I wanted to see his face, I wanted to know what was going through his head, and I wanted to be with all of my family. I called my parents to let them know, heard them scramble for the remote, and then listen to them gasp and say, "That's Karl!" And then... they were silent with shock. My stomach was churning and I wanted to be with my parents right then to watch what they were watching, but at the same time, I wasn't sure if I could watch.

I got off the phone with them, rushed into WinCo, and basically walked around aimlessly. Derek was asking me, "Do we need this? Do we need that?" I honestly didn't care. I was thinking of my poor brother. I felt lifeless. I passed people and didn't see faces, I couldn't focus, and I couldn't listen to anything other than the millions of thoughts rushing through my head. I finally told Derek, "I don't care about this right now. My head isn't here, I just want to go home and watch the news." So Derek agreed and we grabbed what few groceries we had, I bagged them as fast as I could, and booked it out the door to my car.

I walked in the door and turned on the news. Immediately, they were playing the story of my brother. My brother is a teller at the Wells Fargo bank in Chubbuck, and a man and a woman came in about 3:20 on Wednesday afternoon. It showed their survelience pictures while waiting in line, and then their survelience cameras while Karl was getting robbed. Luckily it didn't show my brother's face b/c i don't think I could've handled it. It showed Karl's back and the 2 robber's faces. I don't know how many of you have ever seen someone threaten a family member's life on the news, but believe me, it's the worst feeling in the world. The camera was behind Karl, so it's almost as if experiencing it all through his eyes. My mind was immediately filled with anger towards these 2 criminals. How dare anyone threaten to kill my brother. How dare someone be that stupid and that selfish to take his life away in a flash. I wanted to hunt down these people, but most of all, I wanted to hear Karl's voice and know that he was ok.

I went outside to take the dog out after the news, and while I was shivering in the cold, but mostly shivering from shock, tears started streaming down my face and I started to bawl, and sob, and I couldn't stop. I felt so bad for my brother! I had the sickest feeling in my stomach that wouldn't go away. I wanted Karl to feel comfort. I knew all the feelings I was experiencing, so I couldn't even imagine what he was going through. I came inside and knew I needed to call my mom.

Karl had just called my mom and so I was able to hear the story. She said that the 2 robbers came in and looked really nervous about something. Karl asked them 3 times how they were doing and they ignored him all 3 times and wouldn't make eye contact with him. The lady then slipped a note to Karl that said something along the lines of, "The man behind me has a gun. He is watching you so don't even think about pushing the alarm button or he will kill you. Give us all your money." And then the man opened his jacket and showed Karl his gun. Bankers are taught what to do, so Karl did as taught and gave them the money, otherwise he would've been killed. The couple walked over to the mall parking lot, Karl told one person, and then when he knew they were far enough away he then sounded the alarm. Karl was interregated for 5 hours. He was in interviews all day with the police etc. The company made Karl see a counselor b/c this is going to affect him for the rest of his life. He called my mom at about 8pm, and my mom said he could barely talk. His voice was still shaking terribly and he was having a million things going on in his head.

I've been texting him and talking to him as much as I can, but right now, Karl is trying to deal with it himself. The next day he didn't leave his house b/c he didn't want to deal with a single person. Can you blame him? On Friday he went in to work for a bit b/c he wanted to face the fear and just get it over with. When I texted him he said he was ready to go home.

I haven't heard from him since. I know looking in from the outside sure it looks rough and scary, but you don't really know how tramatic it is, and how long it effects someone. You also don't realize the impact it has on the family. Their loved one had their life threatened. How would it be to be a mother to a child who still has a bright future ahead of him, and to watch on the news someone threaten to take his life in a blink of an eye. One of the hardest things for me right now is seeing my brother like this. My brother has always been the strong brave older brother that never cries and never gets scared, to watching him struggle with something and to be so shaken up is the hardest thing to watch. I know I can't take the pain away from him, but honestly he is handling this better than anyone else I know ever could. My brother is so brave and so amazing I love him with all that I have.

I haven't been sleeping much, and I can't stop thinking about Karl. I pray for him daily that he can feel comfort. And I also pray and give thanks endlessly that my brother is safe, and he isn't harmed! A witness was interviewed on the news and she thanked my brother for keeping everyone safe. She also called Karl her Christmas miracle. I think that he's my Christmas miracle too. Right now, my life is being looked at through a different perspective. I am overflowing with gratitude to my Heavenly Father. I am so grateful for my family and for their health and safety. That robbery could've turned fatal so fast, and I thank my Heavenly Father that it didn't. It is crazy that things on the news can happen to your family, and it is crazy that out of all the banks, and all the tellers they could've robbed, it was my brother that it happened to. I hate that it happened to him, but I'm grateful for the extreme amount of love that is being shared in my family right now. Us Maesers are extremely blessed right now.

Halloween Fun!!!

Ok.... so I STINK at remembering to take pictures darn it, but we had an AWESOME Halloween!! We had a party with our friends over at our house this year. OH wait, Derek took a picture of himself so I do have that, but I don't have any pictures of myself or any of my friends.

Anyways.... there were 14 friends that came and we started out the evening by giving a prize to the best side dish. My friend Sydni won with her spooky witches' finger cookies. Next everyone dug in and ate all the delicious food. After we all ate, we turned on some music and each couple had to model down the run way we made in our house. We dimmed the lights and turned on all the glowing pumpkins. We had 3 flashlights that Derek and I would turn off and on really quick to make strobe lights. We had awards for best performance, most traditional costumes, hottest costume, and best couple costume. Haha the hottest award went to Lady Gaga and The Situation, most traditional was winnie the pooh, minnie mouse, little red riding hood, and the big bad wolf. Best performance went to a pirate and X-men the wolverine. They got the most into it, and there was even a strip performance done by wolverine. And the best couple costume went to the gorillas.

Next, we had a donut eating contest where the donut hangs from a string, and you can't use your hands. It was HILARIOUS! People are very uncoordinated, and there was a lot of donuts smacking people in the face. Haha wolverine won this contest. Poor little red riding hood's donut fell on the ground and she refused to eat it from there. Camo of course jumped in and was glad to help her eat the donut!

After that, we had a cookie race. This is no ordinary race.... you lean your head back, place a cookie on your forehead, and you can only use your face muscles to get the cookie in your mouth. You can imagine how ridiculous everyone looked trying to use their silly faces to get the cookie into their mouth. The pirate won, but it may have been b/c she lifted her head up a little bit, haha but it was still hilarious.

Next we played a game with a dice, a pie pan of skittles, straws, and cups. You pass the dice around the circle. As soon as you roll a 2 you have to use the straw and suck up the skittles and put them into your cup. As soon as someone else rolled a 2, they took the pan of skittles and they got to go. Little red riding hood dominated by FAR! Haha she rolled a 2 almost every stinkin time! Haha there was a lot of yelling, screaming, grabbing, and laughing during this game. I love seeing everyone's competitive sides come out of them.

After this game, we played a game similar to paper rock scissors, but it's called bats, witches, and ghosts. You stand back to back with your partner, say 123, and turn around making the sign of whichever you choose. Bats you flew, ghosts you made scary hands and said WOOO, and witches you pretended to ride your broom stick. We looked ridiculous, and people kept forgetting which won what, so there was a whole lot of yelling and laughing once more! I came in 2nd place, but sadly... there was a situation.. and it was that the Situation beat me! Dang him!

Afterwards we watched a scary movie! Pooh bear screamed like a little girl! Pooh bear is Derek's best friend Ryan... and we LAUGHED for a good 10 minutes afterwards! OH my word it was hilarious! Derek also snuck around the house and flew through the front door scaring everyone! The funniest part during the movie was one girl screamed really loud and turned around. She saw Derek's face and said... "This movie is so scary, and then to turn around and see THAT FACE!" Haha Derek's face was very creepy, you will see at the end of this post.

After the movie the boys went down into our creepy basement. The lights are upstairs, so Derek shut the boys in the basement and turned off the lights. We all heard a bunch of screaming after this. Haha silly boys!!

The boys went in the kitchen and talked for a long time while the girls stayed in the living room and talked. Everyone stayed until 1 in the morning, so they must've had a lot of fun! I know I did!!! I had a blast!! This was an awesome Halloween!!! I hope you guys all had an awesome day!! Enjoy Derek's SCARY picture!!!

Pictures of Derek's talent!!

Are you ready to see how talented my husband is? I'm not sure you are... he's pretty dang good!! Alright, here are the pictures of our new entertainment center that Derek built. He did an awesome job, and it is huge!! It pretty much takes up our whole wall, and we could even take a picture of the whole thing from our couch. Derek had to stand in the corner of the house to get the full picture!!!
Day 1

Day 2

Day 3


Day 4,5 and 6... Painting




































In our house with the old TV

In our house with the NEW TV. Yes, Chrismas came a little early this year!

I swear Derek built this entertainment center SO BIG so that it made our old TV look ridiculous, and help make me want a bigger TV. Well whatever his plot line.... it worked!! I think our new entertainment center is awesome!!! I love how cozy it feels in our house!! Great job Derek!! You're so amazing and talented!! Sure do love you!!

Things that have been on my mind lately

It seems like lately I keep hearing about more and more sad things that are happening to those around me. Whether I know the person or not, my heart always aches for them. When something sad happens to a person, it seems like the community comes together to help mend the sorrow. A love grows stronger and closer, that would not have been there before. Complete strangers grow to love each other, and pray for one another.

When I hear of something sad that happens to a family member, or a friend, sometimes it's hard to know what to say to them. It's hard to know whether you bring it up or ignore it altogether. Something that I have learned though is by watching my dear sweet husband.

I'm sure most of you already know this, but about 3 and a half months after Derek and I were married, his father passed away due to a severe stroke. I was with Derek and his mom when we got the phone call. I was with them when Derek rushed us to Rigby in 6 minutes to get to the ambulance, and I was with them when they came into the waiting room and told us he wasn't going to make it. I was there with Derek when the nurse pulled the plug, and I was there with him through the planning of and through all the events of the funeral. As hard as it was during those times, I had to be the rock for Derek. I had to be a shoulder to cry on, and I had to hold him until he could walk again. Somedays Derek didn't have to say anything, I just knew he was grieving. Derek isn't one to lose his temper, but when his dad died we were in the middle of remodeling our kitchen. Derek went to town and focused all of his energy on finishing our kitchen b/c he didn't want to stop long enough to think about what he was dealing with. I watched him get angry, I watched him sit there in silence, I watched him sob, and I watched him laugh about the fun times he had with his dad. I don't know how I was Derek's rock through it all, but all I know is when you're faced with that type of a situation, you just have to do it.

Once Derek got a little big stronger, this is when I crashed down and let it all out. I couldn't hold it together anymore and I told him everything I was feeling. From that point on we leaned on each other to get through the whole process. We spent late nights with his family. There was a peace in the room and we knew it was b/c we would be with Ray again. We felt the prayers from friends, distant family, and from complete strangers. People came from all over Rigby to bring the family food, flowers, and cards. It's amazing how through a time of sorrow, loving people are sent to us to help us get through those times.

I watched Derek when people would come up to him. I watched the other person struggle with words as they looked Derek in the eyes. Derek told me that the thing he hated answering most was, "How are you?" Obviously.... he wasn't at his tip top shape, but he was handling things. Something that Derek said he appreciated hearing was, "You and your family are in our prayers." It was hard to answer to, "I'm sorry," b/c all Derek could say was, "Thanks". Derek said the best thing anyone could ever do was just be normal. He didn't want people to feel sorry for him and to act strange, he just wanted a friend he knew that loved and cared about him.

So now after watching Derek go through the hardest thing in his life, I feel more comfortable about how to approach other people going through trials. I really appreciate the good people in the world who care so much about people who are struggling. I appreciate their prayers for others, for their kind words, food, graciousness and love. Despite all the garbage that goes on in the world around us, there really are good out there. There are amazing people among us, and this I am grateful for.

As of lately

Well things have been pretty good over here at the Dawson residence. Camo is getting the whole potty training thing down pretty good. The only time he has accidents now is if I don't wake up when he's whining in the morning to take him out. So that would be my fault on that one. It's nice that he's finally getting it down though. We can usually tell when he needs to go in a few ways. 1. he tries to sneak away, 2. when we're holding him and he absolutely won't stop wiggling and moving around, 3. he runs to the back door and stares at us. Sometimes though, it is hard to tell if he needs to go. Yorkies area always sniffing.... always, so it's hard to tell if he's sniffing around b/c of the breed he is, or b/c he really actually does have to go to the bathroom. Also, he is getting to the point where he will go play alone sometimes, so he'll run in the other room and then i follow him b/c i'm afraid he's sneaking away. We'll get it though!!! It's good b/c I can tell he's catching onto the concept. Something we're trying is we take his paws and make him scratch the door so he'll be trained to make noise so we can hear when he needs to go. Another thing is we reward him with hot dogs when he goes outside. And.... we have been trying to kennel train him. It will be super good for him in the end, but I always feel like such a jerk when I put him in there. He's been doing super good with everything though. He is a really good dog!
Work wise something that is new is I got promoted at my job as the Assistant Clinic Administrator. Basically I have more responsibilities and more access to things on the computer. I still have to ok things through the Clinic Administrator first, but whenever she is gone, I call the shots and make big decisions for the company. So far it hasn't been TOO bad, but it's always kind of overwhelming having more responsibility and having to learn a bunch more. It's pretty exciting though!! This is my first promotion at any job I've ever had, and I also got a raise, so I definately can't complain there!!!
I also started teaching ballroom yesterday!! I am teaching for Extreme Ballroom, (the company Derek and I danced for in high school). The company just moved to a new studio... and it is the BIGGEST dance studio I have EVER seen!! It's pretty awesome! I teach 4 and 5 year olds. They are the cutest little kids ever!! There is a little tiny girl who isn't even 4 yet. Don't tell anyone.... but she's my favorite!! She is the cutest little thing, I want to take her home with me! That's against the law though... so I guess I can't! She is a head shorter than everyone, has dirty blonde hair and the biggest brown eyes I've ever seen. She rarely makes a peep and always seems to be on the wrong foot. She is adorable when I help her though. She stands up straight and smiles at me and tries super hard until she finally fixes it! Ahh she is such a doll!! I love it!! I'm excited to teach this cute little class and to watch their growth they will make over the year! That's the funnest part about teaching I must say!!
Hmm that's all that's new with me. Derek has been building a HUGE entertainment center for our christmas present. He almost finished though, and he's only been working on it for 2 days. He's incredibly talented!! He just needs to build 2 cupboard doors, and then paint the whole thing. I'll post pictures as soon as he's done! It's pretty awesome that married the most handy man in the world!! I remember thinking it was so cool that men could build things, and I always wondered if my husband would be able to. I got pretty lucky in that department!! I married such a talented young man! I love him to death and I'm so grateful for all of his hard work and for all that he does for me!

Meet Camo!!!

Ok.... Derek and I caved in and got a cute adorable little tiny PUPPY!!! I've never ever had a dog before so this is big news for me!!! Camo is such a little sweetie!! He's a cuddle bug, and has such a cute little personality. We found him in the newspaper, and we got him from a family in Rigby. As soon as we walked into the house and Camo walked up to me I melted. I picked him up and he nestled his head into my body and snuggled right in. I looked at Derek and told him that I was sold. He was so shy and timid and quiet when we first got him, but he's starting to break out of his shell... almost too much. Perhaps today isn't the day I should be blogging about him, b/c he just had his first accident in OUR house and b/c he's been such a little stinker chewing on random objects... or perhaps I should be blogging about him b/c it will help me not be so frustrated about it.

Camo is 13 weeks old, he's a Yorkie, he is obsessed with feet and shoes, he's playful, he's timid, and he's a cuddle bug. He's also very clingy. It's cute, but at times it can be a bit annoying. He could be dead asleep on the couch, and as soon as I stand up to go get a drink, he's right at my feet following me. This can create a problem at times b/c he gets kicked in the head frequently. It's super easy to back into him b/c he's always RIGHT there. Also, when he is standing next to me, he isn't actually next to me, he stands directly on top of my feet. He hates being alone, and he rarely makes a peep. I've heard him bark twice, and it was more like a grunt. It's a low quiet little bark. He has discovered how to whine though. That can be annoying, hopefully he'll grow out of it soon!

It's hard to train a puppy. Poor Derek has kind of lost his nerves with him today. Camo had 2 accidents today with Derek, and got into everything he wasn't supposed to. Up until these past couple of days he's been the perfect dog, but everyone knows that can't last long!! I can't wait until we're past the phase of puppy training him!! I can't wait until he's potty trained, and until he's ok with having alone time, and until he won't cry at night!! If any of you have any suggestions for us we will gladly take them!!! Otherwise, we will be patient with this whole dog training thing, and have a nice dog in the end of this!!!

Judy Pasley took these cute pictures of Camo playing when we went to visit her!! I'm struggling taking his pictures b/c he moves so dang fast! Judy takes amazing pictures, check out her blog at pasleyphotography.blogspot.com

Very Random Blog.....

Pretty much I don't have anything cool to blog about other than my sick crackly raspy voice. I came down with a cruddy cold, and of course, lost my voice. How many phone calls do you think I had to make at work today? 24..... and then not only that but answering phone calls and talking to clients as they came in. At least I didn't get any grumpy clients today, they all felt bad for me. Either that or they laughed when they heard my voice and asked me how I was feeling.
This weekend we went on a triple date and went bowling!! It was a blast!! A much needed night I would say!! That is all that started my raspy voice. You know how bowling gets when you're cheering, and laughing, and singing and dancing to the music right? Well... if you don't know how that is, you are definately bowling with the wrong crowd!
On another random note. How many of you are Glee fans?! I am soo excited for this season. Tomorrow' Britney Spears episode looks a little scandilous though. Hopefully not too scandilous though right? Well anyways, I hope you all had a happy Monday!! Sorry for my spontaneous random blog. I guess I need cooler things to blog about!!

Be jealous......

Alright..... so my last post was a pity post. You've heard me complain about my job..... now you can listen to the PERKS about my job!!! Today I got a free massage. Now, I've had a massage before.... but I've never experienced anything as GLORIOUS as this massage!!! This therapist has miracle hands!!! I have been so happy and content all day due to that relaxing massage!! My sholders and neck were SO tight, she never even got to massage my lower body. Let me tell you how good my upper body feels though!!! My goodness!!! If any of you ever come into Massage Envy, I order you to have Rosie massage you!!! She is AMAZING!!!

So now for this small moment, I will let anyone who wants to be jealous of my job, be jealous!! Just as any job, it is stressful, but I'm finally becomming familiar with my job. And I'm finally getting to the point where people are asking me questions!! It's exciting! I love it when it finally gets to that point in a job. So yay!! My job is not so bad after all!!! Considering I got a free massage last month, and a free massage this month! I won a free massage b/c I had the highest sales out of all the employees for the month of August!! It definately rocked, especially considering that it was my first month working there. Having little things like that happen when you're stressed with your job, always is a big boost and helps you to realize why you're there.

So.... whenever I have another crummy day at work.... I will remember how wonderful I felt for that hour long massage today. C'mon..... how many people can get free massages, or at least discounted massages for that matter? Bonus? I think much!!!

Count your blessings

Have you ever been in one of those slumps? For instance.... starting a new job, moving into a new house, into a new ward, and just feeling the weight of the world on your shoulders? Have I ever mentioned that I don't handle change well? Welp.... I'm mentioning it now.... I don't handle change well. Have you ever held something in that's bothering you for a long period of time? Well I'm telling you now.... I am guilty of doing this. I know that change may not be that difficult for some of you so I'm sorry if it sounds like I'm having a little pity party. Change is fun, and an adventure yes.... but there's something about that unfamiliar feeling that makes your stomach churn. When my stomach churns, bad things happen.
My new job as simple and as relaxing as it may seem..... IS STRESSFUL!! There is so much drama that goes on behind the scenes it's ridiculous!! I am so hard on myself at work and I come home and have a hard time leaving it all at work. Rather, I bring my work home with me. On Sunday I finally gave up. I burst into tears and let out EVERYTHING out that had been bothering me for the past 2 weeks. Of course Derek came to my rescue and assured me that I was being silly and was being too hard on myself. At that moment I realized it doesn't matter what the heck is going on in my life. I have Derek no matter what!! He will be with me for the REST of eternity. He is my familiarity, and that will NEVER change in my life!
I love Derek with everything I have!!! He is my whole life, and I don't know where I'd be if I didn't have him. It is so crazy how perfect we are for each other. We were made for each other, and I never imagined I would marry someone so INCREDIBLE!!!
I love stepping back from life and realizing ALL that I have. I am so truly blessed, and I have everything I could ever ask for in life!! I am so grateful for my family, and friends, and I'm grateful for their health and safety.
Sad things happen to people everyday, and I wish I could take it all away from them!! When life gets you down blogging friends.... take a step back and realize what you have. Don't let the weight of the world get you down!! Hold your head up and count your many blessings!!

Changes

Woohoo!!! Finally!! We are in our own little home again. At first I didn't think I would like the location very much, but it turns out I actually really enjoy it. The location is really convienent to get anywhere really in Idaho Falls. It's pretty much in the middle of town. Takes about 5 minutes to get to wherever we're going it feels like. We are all unpacked and we're settling in nicely into our new place. It's been fun having family and friends over to visit with us. Derek's brother Raylon lived with us while we were living in Arizona, so at first it was almost weird to have it just Derek and I again. Not going to lie.... but I LOVE it! It's so fun just the 2 of us. We have our own schedule and we can do whatever we want whenever we want so it's been fun. I need to take some pictures of the inside, but here are some pictures of the outside of our little home.

Here is a picture of the front of our house.

Here's the back view of the house.

The weather is changing, and we only have 1 more day of August. I can't believe how FAST the summer flew right past me! I'm still not completely sure how I feel about the weather changing. 1 year in Arizona may have converted me to warm weather for life. I will admit though, that I do love the seasons, and while we were in Arizona I sure did miss seeing the seasons change right before my eyes. Hopefully I can find a way to stay warm so I can enjoy this Idaho weather.

We had an awesome summer filled with fun family memories. Camping, huckleberry picking, Lagoon, barbecues, fun days at the park, Yellowstone, Jackson Hole, jet skiing, boating, 4th of July parade and fireworks, summer evening walks, MOVING, game nights, starting a new job, lots of house projects (not only for our house, but helping others), lots of laughing, and being surrounded by the people I love!

I hate to say it but most of the pictures from this summer are on Derek's phone, and Derek is at my Grandma's doing yard work for her. Hopefully I can update some of those fun pictures, but in the mean time, here are a few I have from my phone. Enjoy!!!

This is my very attractive get up while huckleyberry picking! While already in Rigby visiting family, Derek remembered that we were invited to go pick huckleberries. I was in shorts and flip flops, and it had just finished raining. Luckily, Derek had an extra pair of tennis shoes, and Thayne had a sweater for me. I look really good in men's oversized clothing. :)

Big Moving Day!!

Sitting around the campfire while camping! :) I love this boy!!


Yellowstone with my family and Julia's friend Holly.

My little monkey Taysia at my nephew's wedding. I love this little sweetie!

The Dawson crew at Lagoon.

Derek and I jet skiing. I LOVE this picture! Judy Pasley took this picture, she does an AMAZING job!! If any of you need any photos.... she's the woman! :)

I got a job!!!!

WOOHOO!!! FINALLY!! Remember my last post when I mentioned I had an interview? Well.... this is the same job that I just got less then an hour ago! To be honest..... the way things were going with this job... I really didn't want to get it. They told me they wanted a second interview with me. They called me, made me come in from Rigby for a 2nd interview, only to tell me that they wanted me to come in 1 more time for a business interview. Well first off, I was a little irritated why they couldn't have just told me about the business interview over the phone rather than having me drive in from Rigby to sit there for 5 minutes and turn around and drive back. Also... what's the point in a business interview? They said they wanted me to come in during the busiest hours of the day and week, and throw me in and see how I do. Honestly... who would do a good job given the circumstance?

So today they called me in for 2 hours. To be honest..... throwing me in like this scared me away more then made me want the job. They gave me a computer and said ask us if you have any questions.... Are you serious? So basically I played around a little bit and asked how to schedule. Well girls kept coming up and needing my computer, so I just stood up and got out of the way. Finally the manager brought me a chair and just told me to follow one girl around for the rest of the day. This girl was 9 months pregnant, she was due in a week, and it was her last day. I felt bad they just dumped me on her like that. She was completely scattered brained, she didn't want to be there, and she honestly didn't train me much at all. Some of the front girls started dumping their work on me that they didn't want to do. So I filed for them, and I called clients and told them about a promotion for their members. Needless to say I was hung up on and left countless messages. Next I got to watch their "best seller" try and make a sale. Well... let's just say the person she tried to sell to kinda dumped her on her face and didn't let her get 2 words in. Yeah..... that made me super excited about selling let me tell you!!!

Well after this ridiculous day the manager and owner called me into their office and gave me the job. By this point I was seriously wanting to go home and never come back... but let's face it, I need a job desperately!!! I took the job and acted thrilled!

Don't get me wrong... I am SOOO grateful for this oppurtunity!! Haha but.... a business interview was probably the biggest mistake they could have made for a prospective employee. I just hope and pray that once I have proper training I will love the job and won't be so overwhelmed. I hope that I can feel comfortable and catch on quickly to what my responsibilities will include!!! I look forward to learning a great deal through this experience and meeting new people along the way!!! Wish me luck people b/c I am super overwhelmed right now!! haha I need all the help I can get!!

Clarity

Ahh.... I finally have some clarity in my life!! Ever since Derek and I have moved back it seems like every single plan has fallen apart left and right. Every job we've applied for, every house/apartment we've looked at, absolutely EVERYTHING has fallen through.
Our minds have changed over and over. What we thought we wanted didn't happen, and I look back and I'm SOO glad it didn't work out that way!!
Today I had another job interview. Normally I don't really like to post about job interviews, b/c it sucks when you think you have a job and tell everyone, and then it comes around that you don't get the job after all that. Well ever since I found out I had this interview, it seems like all of a sudden a rush of clarity rushed into my body. I FINALLY know that I want to live in Idaho Falls, we FINALLY both know that we want to go to BYU-Idaho, and we are FINALLY starting to get some direction in our lives!! GOLLY it feels AMAZING!!!
Who really is the one to say that everything will go according to plan from here on out..... but I finally have some peace and comfort in knowing that everything will work out, and everything is going to be ok! There is an apartment we have been thinking about renting in Ammon. The downstairs apartment should be available now, and we are going to call the land lord and see if we can view the downstairs apartment. Who is to say that we are FOR SURE going to live here.... but as of right now it feels really exciting! We were going to be living in one of my dad's rental houses until it sold.... but guess what? As soon as we decided to live there, someone wants to lease it. Of course!! That is just 1 of the many examples of what has fallen through for us, but obviously, we weren't meant to be there at this time.
I feel such a great amount of comfort in knowing that my prayers are heard. I have been fasting, praying, and reading my scriptures daily so that we would know what direction we needed to take in our lives. It is such a blessing to know that my Heavely Father loves and cares about us, and when we do what is right, the blessings are opened up unto us.
It is so easy to fall into a slump and get lost in this crazy world we live in. When we take time out of our every day lives to give back to Heavely Father, and to show our gratitude, he opens up his arms and comforts us. I am sooo grateful for this gospel, and for all of my testimony building experiences that I go through in life. I feel stronger than I felt before we moved here. I love the Ah Ha moments in life when you look back and you realize why you had to go through a struggle in your life. I love how trials bring me closer to my Heavenly Father, and I love how I always come out a better person in the end. Right now I feel so overwhelmingly blessed for all that I have in my life!! I am so grateful for this comfort I have in my life at this time!

Random Facts

Here are some random facts that you should know about me. Enjoy!

- I tie my shoes completely different from anyone else!!! I never cease to amaze people by the way I tie my shoe. I never knew I tied my shoes differently until high school... but apparently, I tie my shoes in a pretty facsinating way.

-I'm not afraid of getting attached to people. I LOVE getting to know people inside and out! I love making new friends and I love people in general! I'm not afraid of getting close to someone even if it means my heart gets ripped out in the end.

- I am pretty shy when I first meet people.... but once I'm comfortable... I am CRAZY!

- I just recently have realized that I am a super competetive person. Sometimes it's fun... but sometimes I drive myself nuts! I make competitions out of every day activities haha. I'm currently working on this!

- I knew I was going to marry Derek the moment I laid eyes on him. That was my dream boy all wrapped up in a package. That's who I wanted, and that's who I got. He's even better then I could have ever imagined my dream boy being!!

- I know you already know that I absolutely LOVE dancing!! It's my passion, and it's my release. I have ALWAYS planned on dancing throughout my entire life. I always planned on getting a career and degree, but I've always known in the back of my mind that no matter what I want to teach on the side.

- I recently discovered that I am pretty sure I'm allergic to peanuts. I ate some peanuts from a can and touched my eye. My eye was swollen shut for 2 days. Same can of peanuts were put on my salad, and my throat got closed shut. Needless to say, I haven't touched peanuts since. It's a pitty b/c I ate peanut butter on a daily basis until that awful day of the can of peanut incident.

- I am a tender heart. I will probably cry if something happens to you before you do. I HATE when other people go through something sad. I would rather take the crap then watch someone else go through it. Even if someone punched me in the face and told me they hated me, I would still cry for them if something sad happened to them.

- Bad trait about me.... I forgive, but I don't forget. I remember something as silly as someone calling me a name in Elementary school. I forgive people, but I don't really forget when they hurt me.... probably b/c I'm afraid of them doing it again. This is a bad quality about me! I have been working really hard on this!!

- I have this ridiculous laugh that comes out in the middle of the night when I am in a silly mood. Only very special select people have heard this laugh. When this laugh comes out... everyone is laughing. It sounds absolutely ridiculous!! It even includes gasping and snorting on occasion. If you are one of the lucky ones who has witnessed this laugh.... I hope you are ok with still being my friend.

- Lastly..... I think that the prettiest people in this life are the HAPPY ones. They are so inspiring and strong. They are uplifting and I absolutely LOVE being around these types of people!

I hope you enjoyed these random facts!!! Hope you are all having a safe and happy summer!! Love ya guys!!

Dreamer

So I have decided that I am quite the DREAMER! For those of you that really know me... you know that I am always setting goals and working towards something. Sometimes lets face it... I'm not truly realistic. I day dream about my childhood when a certain smell reminds me of something. Sometimes I get stuck back when life was easy and why does it have to get so tough? Sometimes I dream about becomming a professional dancer. I picture myself on a big gorgeous stage, I feel the bright lights on my powdered face, I look out to the crowd and see the auditorium packed full of people, the theater has 2 balconies, and I am the lead dancer. Everyone is cheering for me as I take my bow, and then I look back to see my backup dancers smiling at me and admiring their own performance. In my dreams I can do 7 pirouettes. I can kick my face off, I can move however I want to, and I can jump higher than anyone else. If only...... but let's face it. In order to become a professional..... I wouldn't be able to have a personal life. I wouldn't be able to be a mom until my career was over, I wouldn't be able to see much of Derek, and not only that but I would probably have to dance with other men all day everyday. That is no life for a strong marriage

So after I get to thinking that I wouldn't be able to be a mom until my 30s, then I begin to dream about being a mom. Not just any ordinary mom.... an AWESOME mom! I stay thin and fit, I'm the cool mom, my kids are perfect and have striking features, and I have the picture perfect family. Not only am I an awesome mom.... all of a sudden I have all these home making skills. I can sew, cook, scrapbook, draw, can food, etc. Well all of a sudden in the middle of my day dream I begin to gag. I realize that this is a disgusting dream because I can't stand those picture perfect families. This realistically is not me at all. In fact, these types of moms make me kind of sick because they are incredibly talented! I am not a homemaker... and I feel as though I'm never going to become the best homemaker. This day dream is NOT me. Having a picture perfect family is fake in every way. I love those down to earth people that make mistakes and admit it. I love the homes I go into where I'm immediately loved and welcome, and they accept me...flaws and all. After I realize that that's the person I am... a down to earth, flawed young lady, I'm ok about my realization that this dream will never fully come true.

After my other 2 dreams have been shot down, I begin to dream about traveling the world. There is nothing wrong with this dream at all!! Ok..... let's face it, I dream big so there are some unrealistic points thrown in. First of all...... I'm a newlywed, my traveling has to wait until we have some more money. Sometimes I dream about Derek and I traveling to 3rd world countries. We help relieve the pain and disaster, and help people struggling. Well this dream is ok... but if I want to help anyone medically I'm going to have to have a degree in something medical, and if I go there to teach..... well by golly I better know what I'm teaching!! Haha but someday really and truly I think this would be awesome to do as a couple. I want to go somewhere with a beautiful gorgeous beach, and I want to take a trip to the eastern states to visit some history sites, not only to do with the founding of the country but also with the church. In my dream we travel to ITALY!!! Once again.... this is my absolute DREAM place to travel to. I have always been drawn to Italy. Not only is their food remarkabely delicious, but the language is beautiful, the country is flawless, and the people are wonderful. Right now I am trying to strike up a deal with Derek. If I learn Italian fluently.... he will take me to Italy. Derek is not down with this bet. I need some sort of strategy to get him to agree on this bet with me! Any ideas?!


Day dreaming helps me to escapse the crap thrown at me. Dreaming helps me to pursue goals and to work towards something (when I'm realistic that is). Dreaming can bring peace and joy to my life. When I hear music I automatically begin dancing whether it's physically or in my head. I am so grateful that I have been blessed with the talent of dance in my life. I can dream up beautiful dances in my head, the challenge is getting it out of my head and choreographing and moving in the same movement that takes place in my dreams. Which all leads me to the reason I began this ambitious post. I have all these dreams, and now the fear of pursuing those dreams kicks in. In my life the debate of what career I should pursue is a toss up between becoming a Physical Therapy Assistant, or a dance teacher. I decided to pursue PTA because it is more stable. In order to pursue this career, Arizona was brought into the picture. I worked at a physical therapy office and enjoyed it quite nicely. School however did not work out. The waiting list to get into the program was 2 years long, and other things brought Derek and I back to Idaho. Here I am stuck in thought whether I should wait a year and apply to the PTA program at ISU, or if I should go to BYU Idaho, get my bachelors in Exercise Science and minor in Dance. I have decided to go to BYUI, however I am still debating whether to apply for the program at ISU next year or not. Right now I feel soo strongly about persuing a career in dance. Now... here comes all my dreams again. I want to use dance as a way of helping other people. I dream of helping alzheimer and dimentia patients. By teaching them dances, it helps these patients with their memorization skills. I want to teach cancer patients and let them feel joy in the pain they are facing. I want to teach suicidal teens who have no confidence. I want them to love themselves and gain confidence within themselves. Dances such as the flamenco are all about confidence and I feel like teaching dances like these to these teens could help them immensely. I want to help people suffering from autism, down syndrome,cystic fibrosis, and ADHD. I want to help them to have a longer attention span and to help get their bodies mobile. Maybe somehow I can combine Physical Therapy and Dance? Or maybe I can just teach dance and help many people along the way. This goal is PERFECTION in my eyes. I have HUGE goals, and this is everything I could ever want out of a goal. Opening up a dance studio is very realistic.... teaching people suffering from all these different types of conditions though? I'm not sure how to approach all of this. Somehow I want to pursue this dream. I want to help others and become the dance teacher and role model that I know I can be.

Yup.... I'm still alive

Ok..... so I do apologize to all you bloggers because I most definately waited WAY too long to post something!!! But yes, I'm still here, and yes we are doing well! We are now living in Idaho YAY!!! The move up was RIDICULOUS!!!! We were in a HUGE rain/hail/snow storm from Provo all the way to Malad... and it was freakin May 22 for crying out loud!!! When we left Arizona the heat had broke 100 degrees for the first time of the year.... when we got to Idaho.... it was windy and rainy and grey. Raylon drove the Uhaul, I drove our car, and Derek drove Raylon's car. It was a grueling 15 hours, and adding pouring rain, plowing through puddles, hydroplaning, and almost hitting cars that had slid out of control and were sitting side ways on the highway was a wee bit stressful.
We finally arrived to Idaho and began our awesome adventure to see our new country house... literally a country house *blegh* We drove, and we drove and we drove until finally we arrived at our little country home north of Rexburg. The land lord... was PSYCHO!! and that was an understatement!! She had basically lied about everything that she told me about the house... and Derek and I soon found ourselves in a BIG disaster. When I say this... I mean we literally will never see a house like this again!! The kitchen was BRIGHT green and Gold, the cupboards were metal (like a locker), the carpet was nasty green and gold flowers... I thought that if I spilt water on the floor that the flowers would grow out of the carpet. Ok..... not to mention.... every room was covered with sheer drapery. This wasn't any ordinary drapes..... they were NASTY colors such as PINK, GREEN, TEAL, GOLD etc. When Derek asked the land lord if one of the drapes was broken... she went off on Derek and told him that only city folk worry about keeping their windows covered so no one could see in. Then she went off about how she has never locked her door in her entire life and she has been just fine. Ok... she was soo weird! Along with our beautiful kitchen, and drapery among the house... we also had a PINK tiled bathroom.... head to toe!! AWESOME!! We also had a hand made clothes line hanger INSIDE our very own house. Ok.... so first of all we are way out in the middle of nowhere.... we are in a HIDEOUS home, and then... to top it all off we have a PSYCHO land lord. YUCK!!
Because of the sheer drapery within our home... we had absolutely NO privacy. Due to this matter, I would look out the window and see our landlord snooping around our yard and peeking in our house... can you say creepy?! She also came over at least 5 times the day we moved. Oh sorry I forgot to mention, the psycho land lord lived NEXT DOOR to make matters worse! Anyways... she came over a billion times... not only is this uncomfortable.... but she would stay..... and she wouldn't leave. It was horrible. This house was her dead husband's dead mother's house. She wanted to keep it the EXACT same way her mother in law left it. She even asked Derek if he would plant flowers in the garden b/c it would remind her of her mother in law. Our stove/oven had a manual with a 50's girl on the cover. I'm pretty sure that SOME things really should be updated over the years wouldn't you say? She told us that we had to read the manual before we used the stove or oven b/c if everything wasn't wired just precise it could start a fire. Can you say WOW? Now... we're in this creepy situation, and then the landlord started changing how much money we owed her... is that even legal? Nope.... but she thought it was! I'll get back to that detail in just a minute. When I talked to the landlord on the phone before we moved, she told me that the house was very well insulated, and we would never have to turn on the heat. BULL CRAP!!! Our house was FREEZING!! It had no insulation and it held no heat whatsoever. In order to heat our house we had to use the propane tank. Derek called the company and asked how much it cost. In order to fill the tank, it cost $200, and he told Derek that the average bill we would have to pay to fill it during the winter months would be $500, and then we would actually have to pay the heating bill on top of that!! Excuse me.... but the landlord was a filthy liar!!! At this point.... we knew immediately that we had to get out of the situation!!! We gave our 30 days notice, but told her if she wanted someone in it before the 30 days.... we could be out. Soo.... the last day of the month she called us and told us we needed to be out that night!!! EXCUSE ME!!! Psycho lady... that's not right at all!! But, because of the situation we were already in, and because she kept taking our money, we knew that we HAD to get out of the situation before she pushed any more money on us.
Well we got a big crew together, hunted down a truck and trailer and unpacked all of our stuff within 2 hours. Now comes the crappy part. The landlord decided that she wasn't going to give us back our security deposit b/c she held the house for half a month until we moved in. Little did she know that my dad is a lawyer and that what she was doing was illegal. Her husband and her RAILED into Derek and I, and I have never seen a fight so nasty. Basically what it was coming down to was we would be seeing them in court b/c they took our money. Finally, after I started crying my eyes out, the husband softened up a little bit and they agreed to give us back half of the deposit, and then take off what we owed them for the 10 days we were in the house. This is after the fact that they just increased the price we owed them for the 10 days over five times. Derek and I agreed to take the $96, basically because we didn't want to deal with these crazy people anymore!! We lost about $250, but we learned a valuable lesson! It sucks going through experiences such as these, but you always come out a better person in the end!!
Because we only had 1 day to get out, we are now staying with my parents. Does it suck? YES. Is it better then the alternative? ABSOLUTELY!!! I'm so grateful for my awesome parents for helping us during this super hard time, and I'm grateful for my amazing husband to go through these crappy times with!! Luckily while we were living in Arizona..... we were frugal with our money so due to our unemployment and set back with everything, we are doing just DANDY! We've also done a TON of odd jobs for people so we've been making money here and there through it all!! I really am happy with where I am in life because I feel stronger and better for it!
Now... I know that you people are thinking to yourself... how did Derek and I get into this situation and why did we move into that house? The answer to this question my friends is that I trusted someone. She gave me her word and she lied. Will I go through this again? NOPE!! Will I ever put my trust in someone like this again NEVER!! But, please everyone just look out!! This crap is so easy to fall into and scamming is absolutely ridiculous!! Be careful and I love you guys!! Thank you to everyone who has been so helpful!!

Finally..... an update!!!

Wow.... things have been super crazy busy over here at the Dawson home! We had spring break, my parents visited, we made a quick trip to Utah, and we've been slammed with homework. One thing at a time though!! First off, I had SOOO much fun when my parents came!!
Day 1: We hiked the Windcave trail at Usery Mountain Pass. It was the perfect length of a hike! The windcave at the top really actually ended up being an overhead hang with flower like pot things hanging from the top. Sadly, it was infested with bees, red beatles, and little chipmunks. Needless to say, we didn't spend much time at the top. Also... not long into the hike, I was leading the way in front of my parents. We were talking and all of a sudden we heard a loud rattle. I stopped immediately, and a rattle snake came out of the bushes and crossed the trail literaly a foot in front of me. My heart began racing and I couldn't move, then... it hit me and I started saying, "OH my gosh, oh my gosh it's a rattlesnake!!!" and I ran behind my parents. Haha the whole time they were saying, "Mary, get out the camera, that's really cool."
After the hike we went to Lee Lee's, which is an Oriental food market. My dad served his mission in Japan so he LOOVED Lee Lee's! I couldn't get my parents to leave, but i'm glad they had a lot of fun, and bought some really interesting food! After Lee Lee's we went to Boa Ba's, tried their really weird drinks, then picked up Derek from work. After that we we went to Barro's pizza, but... ended up on a very long detour! We finally made it and scarfed down our pizza. We ate at Barro's b/c they have a new gluten free pizza so my dad was able to eat it. My dad just recently found out that he is a celiac, so it was kind of challenging trying to find food that my dad could eat! After Barro's, we went to Alice in Wonderland 3D. Day 1 was a succes!!
Day 2: My parents and I went to the Phoenix zoo!! We had a lot of fun, and this day it got up to 91 degrees. It was SOO dang hot!! After the zoo, we chilled at the hotel for a bit, and then made our way to the Chandler Fashion Center. The Chandler Fashion Center is the BIG mall down here!! My parents couldn't believe how big it was, they thought it was so neat! After, the mall, we went back to my apartment. Derek and I made them yummy fajitas!! So delicious!! After that we went to the Mesa Temple and watched the Easter pageant!! It was unbelievable how many people were there!! The pageant was well done, and gave me chills at the end when Christ was resurrected. It was an awesome experience!
Day 3: Derek finally had work off! We spent the day at the Dodger's Spring training game!! We had another detour on the highway... but we made it!!! We were cheering for Manny the whole time, and I even bought a #1 finger. My dad made fun of me the whole time, but I just HAD to have it! haha. The sun was on our right side the entire time... so let's just say all of us came back a little uneven! I had a line right down the middle of my legs with the right side BRIGHT red and the other side still white. It was a little embarrassing. After the game, we went to RA sushi! Love the sushi, hate the atmosphere!! The sushi is sooo good, and we went during happy hour so everything was super cheap!!!
What a FUN time!! We were able to do so much, and my parents loved everything about it!! I'm so grateful for my dear parents!! I love them so much, and they are amazing!!! Here's some pictures, sorry they're not in order!























What a fun time we had!!! I wish they could come back and visit again!!! There are still things I need to blog about..... but that took forever so I am done for the day!!!! More news coming soon!! :)