We made it!!!

YAY!!!! We made it to Arizona!!! We finally have the internet, so the least I could do is keep you all updated!! We made it about a week and a half ago on Friday the 17th at about 7:30 p.m. We had the longest drive ever, and a few minor difficulties while pulling the trailer with all of our stuff but slowly but surely we made it to our new home! We were exhausted but got all of our stuff inside by about 10 p.m. After we had brought everything in, Derek's mom and 2 of his sister's dropped by. They were down in Arizona b/c they went to the musical Wicked and decided to see how we were doing afterwards. I was really sick and exhausted so I wasn't much fun but it was really good to see some of his family.
It was so much fun the first couple of days that Derek and I shared together. We spent the first day unpacking everything and finding a spot for it all. It was a little difficult moving from a house to an apartment and there isn't a whole lot of storage space in here, but somehow we got all of our crap unpacked! Derek loaded a closet outside on our porch chuck full with crap. The next day we went to our new ward and everyone was so friendly and we finally felt as though we were at home after we went to our new ward. It was so crazy b/c we walked into the chapel and there were only about 50 people in the chapel. Our ward is only 35% active, so that means there are only 100 people that are active in our ward. There is such a high demand for missionary work here and it is completely different from Idaho Falls! It is a big wake up call to me and it has made me observe what I truly believe, and I have studied the scriptures like crazy since I have been here.
It was so much fun decorating our new apartment with Derek!! We have been having a blast on our own, and I finally feel like a newlywed!! haha. It sounds weird I know, but when we were living in Idaho Falls there was such a safety blanket and I never truly felt like I was on my own. I have grown with confidence since I've been here, and Derek and I have learned to rely completely on each other!! This has been an adventure and so good for us! His brother Raylon is living with us and he got here last Wednesday. He is gone a lot of the time, but it is a little bit weird for me I'm not gonna lie! I like having it just Derek and I, but Raylon is a lot of fun, and he knows the area so he has helped us out a lot!
The heat here is a little bit ridiculous, but I would way rather take the heat than the cold!! The hottest it has been is about 117 and it's so ridiculous that at 10 p.m. it's still 100, and by 9 in the morning it is already 100. Ya, it's crazy but this is how you cope with it. 1. Have A.C. in your home 2. Walk quickly to your car 3. Crank the A.C. in your car 4. Rush into the store where the A.C. is blasted. If you follow these steps.... the heat is manageable.
It is tough being so far away I will be compeltely honest!! But I do know that Derek and I are here for a reason... and that we have grown a lot even just over the week and a half time span.
This is cheesy... but this was the first meal we made in our new apartment!! Chicken and mashed potatoes and gravy!

Also very cheesy... This is the first watermelon I have ever picked out on my own and man was it super juicy and delicious!! Nice find I must say!!

We are so lucky, we are only 10 minutes away from the Mesa temple. It is such a beautiful temple and we have already had the oppurtunity to visit it twice!


Here is a picture looking into our kitchen. These pictures were taken in the midst of all the boxes and before everything was unpacked!!

This is our dining room and loooking into a peak of the kitchen

This is our bedroom... don't mind the mess, just keep in mind this was in the middle of unpacking!

Here is a picture of our bathroom sink... and you can see a little bit into the actual bathroom part of it just inside of the door.

Well... I still haven't taken pictures of our apartment completely decorated and unpacked but I will for sure do that soon!! I also have pictures of Raylon's room and the extra bathroom but I'm not going to post them!! Anyways I miss you all!!

Like I said.....

As I've said before.... our plans are always changing!!! Derek and I just spent the week down in Arizona talking to schools, looking for jobs, and looking for apartments!!
We went to Arizona in the month of February and absolutely fell in love!!! We decided we really wanted to move there someday, but the timing was off at the moment. I searched and searched for schools with a Physical Therapy Assistant program, but only found one in Arizona that was $24,000 dollars for a year and a half. That was bogus, and we decided maybe we weren't supposed to move down to Arizona at that time.
We gave up on the Arizona idea, and we decided to just apply at ISU b/c ISU has the PT Assistant program for me. Well we got accepted, and we thought that that's what we would do and then we'd move to Arizona afterwards! Well.. after 2 crummy advising sessions, and the PT Assistant program looking like it would be a flop... we decided to look into Arizona one more time!!
Well... one night after an adivising session... Derek decided to look online. Within 5 minutes he had found a school in Phoenix Arizona with the PT Assistant program, and it was about $1,000 dollars cheaper than ISU!!! A burden seemed to be taken off of our backs, and we knew that we couldn't pass up this oppurtunity!!
The next day my visiting teachers came over and talked to me about the importance of change. They basically told me everything I needed to hear, and they summed up everything that I was going through!! Coinsidence... I think not!! The most important thing that I need to remember through this all is that Faith and Doubt do not co-exist! If Arizona is supposed to work out, then it will work out!
Derek and I decided to shoot for the stars and try and make Arizona work out!! SO I got a week off of work and we went down to try and make it all come together. Well.... you know if you're doing the right thing when everything gets super hard and things start to fall apart! haha I swear I was such a mess on this whole trip! First it started out that I got really really sick on the way down, and with my sinus pressure, and the elevation change, my hears got popped and I couldn't hear and I thought my head was going to explode! I had to spend the first day in bed, and I seriously only got out of bed to go potty and when it was time for dinner. I haven't been that sick in a very long time!! Next... Derek got sick and we were both pretty crummy. Our AC stopped working in the 110 degree heat and when we got to the school we were miserable and caked with nasty sweat! Then... we went swimmming one day and I got the worst sun burn I think I've ever had!! I was achey and in so much pain, and my sunburn was purple it was so bad!! I had an interview the next day and any time I would talk I would start hacking up a lung, so I didn't talk much during this interview... probably not the best thing in the world. My face was also bright red from my sunburn so I was a little embarrassed. I definately felt like such a mess!! Now.... to top everything off, I stepped on a hornet and got stung on the bottom of my toes!! I know you're thinking... don't be a baby, this is just a sting... but this is not just any ordinary sting!! Half of my foot swelled up, and my toes look like sausages!!! I can't walk on my foot, I can't bend my toe, if I put my foot down all the blood rushes to it and it hurts like the dickens, it itches soo soo bad and I feel like a wreck!!! HAHA it's ridiculous all of the stupid little things that happened, but we knew that if it's meant to work out it will work out.
Enough about all the silly horrible things that happened, there was a lot of good in the trip! I talked to the school and got everything straightened out. I am currently waiting for my transcripts to transfer, and then I will be admitted into the school!! I had a job interview at an amazing Physical Therapy Facility. It is at a Sports Medicine therapy place, and so this business focuses very much on the exercising components of Physical Therapy. I was so excited to hear about this b/c doing the exercises one on one with the patients is my absolute favorite part, and this is what I would be doing!! This office does not hire PT Assistants, so the Technicians basically do everything that an Assistant does. This experience would be awesome to have, and it would help me so much in the future and when I would be in the program. It was awesome b/c the Physical Therapist emailed me back and forth one day and he helped me out a ton!! I am currently waiting to see if I got the job b/c he had 2 more interviews after me. I am really nervous b/c I was hacking through my interview and I didn't talk as much as I normally would have, but whether I get the job or not I can find some type of job to make it work while in Arizona.
Derek and I also found an apartment we really like!! It was in the exact price range we wanted, it has barely been remodeled with brand new appliances and counter tops, it has a really nice gym with a dance studio inside :), and it was basically everything we wanted!! Only problem is that we don't have jobs yet so we haven't applied for the apartments yet b/c we need to be able to prove that we can afford to live there.
We found awesome oppurtunities, but everything still isn't quite in place yet. I know that whether we get the apartment or not, or whether I get the job or not that everything will work out!! I was very stressed the whole time we were there b/c I wanted to leave with a job and an apartment, but we didn't quite leave with either. The last day Derek and I were at complete peace b/c we knew that whether we got it or not, something else will come along and we will make it work.
I am so thankful for my Heavenly Father. I am thankful that we were able to recognize the spirit prompting us to go to Arizona, and I am thankful for the comfort I have of knowing that whether Arizona works out or not, we will be where we need to be.

The newest edition to our family!

YAYY!!!! On Friday, Derek and his cousin Shelley drove down to Utah just past Salt Lake and bought a new car!!! It's a sexy little thing if i do say so myself! We sold my Chevy Cavalier, and we now have a Volkswagen Jetta!! We really just wanted a 4 door, and my chevy was acting like it wanted to poop out, soooo... lucky us, we found this car! It's a stick shift, so that has been a lot of fun learning how to drive it. hahaha oh man, Friday night, I was on a hill and had a melt down b/c there was a car behind me and i didn't want to roll backwards into the car behind me. I had a tramatic experience driving a stick shift on my own when i was 15, and I'd rather not talk about it, b/c i don't think it's really necessary to embarrass myself on my own blog. Anyways, it's been hilarious learning! It kind of reminds me of the movie The Notebook when Noah is teaching Ali how to drive a stick. Yes... never a dull moment at our house and I absolutely love it!! I will say I am doing much better with driving a standard, and all is well!! Yay for new cars, yay for Shelley driving Derek to Utah, yay for Derek buying the car, and yay to the man who sold us the car!!

Happy Birthday to me!

So... once again a year has come and I have turned one year older! I am now 20, no more teen years!! My birthday was a lot of fun! It actually started out on Saturday, when my brother came home from college. Derek and I went out to eat with my parents and Karl, and we went to Texas Roadhouse, my fav!!! Yummy I can't resist the steak and yummy mashed potatoes, and let's not forget the yummy rolls they bring out to begin with. After the family had stuffed their bellies full and could hardly walk, we went over to my parents for cake and ice cream, but had to wait at least an hour until we were ready. So my mom brought out the cake and was walking every so cautiously not to let the candles blow out, so I was sung happy birthday to by all men which i thought was just hilarious. Haha, after all my mom's carefulness, a candle still ending up burning out.
The next day, my sister came home from Salt Lake, and Derek and I went over to my parent's house once again to eat yummy cake and ice cream. I will tell you people, that my mom makes some very yummy chocolate cake, and even Derek has told me that the best chocolate cake hands down is definately my mom's! After we ate, and sat around and talked for a bit, we went over to my Grandpa Hansen's and talked with him for a while. We came back over to my parent's house, and Julia's friend came over so we played some card games and watched Keeping up with the Kardashians.
Now for my real birthday!!! Monday rolls around and believe it or not... I officially turned 20!! Derek took me out to breakfast at Perkins... which I also can not resist! After breakfast he dropped me off at work, and they had made a cake for me at work. My manager was begging me all morning to please eat the cake, b/c she really wanted some but the rules are that the birthday person has to eat the first bite. Haha they initiated this rule b/c otherwise, the birthday person was not getting any cake. After work I came home and Derek pulled me right back out the door. We ate at Dixie's Diner and then we drove down to the greenbelt to feed the ducks. I have never seen such a big swarm of ducks and geese, but they were surrounding us everywhere, and they were eating it out of our hands.... hahaha and not to mention out of Derek's mouth!! I recorded it on Derek's phone, but I am very sad to say that I can't get it onto this blog :(. I must say that you people are truly missing out b/c oh boy was it rad! After feeding the ducks we went bowling... ya don't worry about it, I totally dominated! They actually let us bowl for free b/c they had to change our lanes and we only bowled one game. That was a very nice birthday present I must say! Things like that just don't happen everyday! After we went bowling we rented a movie and watched it while cuddling on the couch! I must say that I absolutely love being married and I am so thankful for Derek!! He made my birthday the best birthday ever!!!! haha Derek bought me some buckle pants and a bright yellow shirt from aeropostale. He actually gave this present to me 2 weeks ago b/c he absolutely could not stand the anticipation, and he does not do well with surprises apparently. haha! :) Thanks for reading this long blog and I'm sorry the video didn't work, and I'm sorry I slacked on pics! haha

Church Calling

So here I was having a lazy Saturday morning and I had just gotten done working out when the doorbell rings. Well low and behold it is the second counselor from my ward, and he came to ask me if I was interested in a church calling!! Haha well I'm pretty excited but I was asked to work in the primary, not as a teacher, but with the young girls in primary every other tuesday. I will be one of the Achievement Day leaders and I'm so excited! I loved achievment days when I was growing up, and I hope that I can fulfill my calling to the highest potential! I'm looking forward to the oppurtunity of getting to work with the young girls of my ward!

What we're doing

Well.... Derek and I are always changing our plans!!! We were planning on moving to Texas for the summer so Derek could install security systems. Too much happened that we knew that moving to Texas was not the right thing to do at this time, so we decided not to move! I am now back at my old job working for Access Point, and I work with kids with developmental delays, most of which are autistic. I love my job but I will tell you this... it has some very tough days!! I will give you some examples such as being bit, having a table thrown at me, being attacked, shoes kicked at me, pencils thrown at me, and of course the cleanings of kids having messes in their pants. In the end it is all so worth it to me and I love these kids with all my heart!!! My heart reaches out to them and I dearly want the best for them!! These kids are so awesome and it's hard to leave them completely once I have gone home for work, they are always on my mind.
I am also teaching dance at Let's Dance with my sister in law Amy. I love these girls they are so awesome!! Right now I am teaching technique to the competition team and they are such a delight to work with. They are all beginners but I love watching them when the light clicks on and they finally nail something that they have been working of for weeks. We have gone to 3 competitons and they have done very well! They have one competition coming up in May which will be very tough but it will be a great experience for them.
Derek is still working in Wyoming and he enjoys his job as well. It is really slow right now..... which seems to be the trend in our economy. Something that has kept Derek happy is our new boat!! Derek got a boat from Utah and he gutted the whole inside, and built seats, inside walls, did some painting, and did a bunch of wiring and things with the motor. He has taken it out and test driven the boat, and he can NOT wait until summer so we can enjoy our time together and go boating!!
Life is such a blessing, and lately I have been happier than ever!!! I love where we are at in life right now, and I love being a newly wed!!!

Our Life!

Derek and I were married on August 15, 2008. Our love story of how we met is a whole other story within itself, but basically we were dance partners and we dated for just under 3 years. We are currently living in Ammon Idaho, and Derek works in Wyoming every other week drilling for natural gas. It is difficult being apart from each other for a week at a time, but we are extremely grateful that Derek has a good job! I love Derek Dawson more than anything in this world!!! Being married is the best thing ever, and I can't wait to spend eternity with the man of my dreams!!! Families are eternal!!

First Dance

Cutting the Cake

I love him!

Fresh out of the temple!!!