Lately

Life has been so good lately, but extremely busy! I am now watching this little girl full time, plus helping another family in the afternoon three times a week. I get paid well and feel very blessed with not one source of income, but two. 

I successfully made Kade his favorite chocolate cake again. He is a chocolate lover...big time. We can't quite get the recipe for the frosting down, but one day it will turn out as good as Ann's.  I also collected pinecones with my friend Rachel and we made some pinecone wreaths! It was a very sticky and painful process for the fingers with the wire but I finished mine and it is now waiting on a cute ribbon...

We got this cute picture of Nick on his mission in Oregon.  What a stud.  Of course he would take a picture with a "bum."  That is so him, and such an example to us of pure love for people.  He always has a positive attitude...I need to be more like that.  I cannot wait to talk to him on Christmas day!

I had an extremely humbling experience happen to me last week.  The family that I nanny for in the afternoons have me walk their dog, and prepare dinner before I go and get their little boy from daycare.  They are very easygoing people, and don't require much for dinner.  They have started requesting that I make my own recipes for them and on this particular night, I was mincing some garlic with a knife for some tortilla soup. I was in a hurry because I went on an extra long walk with the dog and had to stop at the store for some last minute ingredients. (I actually paid a Mom and her daughter to go in and get some diced green peppers for me because the store obviously wouldn't let me take the dog in and it was crucial for my soup!) Well, let's just say that their knives are A LOT nicer than mine, and chop extremely well. Maybe a little too well.  Blood starting pouring from my finger and I had a huge bandage on it for the rest of the time I was preparing the soup. When they got home, I showed them my finger because they are both doctors.  They said that stitches was not an option because of the way I cut it..but to apply major pressure and see how it turned out in the morning.  It bled all night, and even got on our sheets :( I had a hard time showering, and doing the dishes, etc. Kade had received a few "no's" from some interviews, and we were dealing with mice in our apartment. It felt like the worst timing ever and I knew that I was being tested and truly humbled.  I prayed hard that night, and asked for help to deal with our trials.

I woke up the next morning and soaked the guaze off that was stuck to the wound, and was amazed that it was done bleeding. It hasn't been easy adjusting to not using my pointer finger, but I have managed and it is healing well.  It hurts the most when my fingers are cold and I accidentally bump into something.  Kade has helped out a lot more with the dishes which has been nice--the bandaid gets so wet no matter how hard I try.

...And two days later, Kade received his first full time offer with a company that he really enjoyed interviewing with.  With patience and faith, blessings come.  He has worked so hard and I am so proud of him.  He is waiting to give an answer until he goes to another interview in Houston this week, so we will see how it goes.  He had 3 really long nights over the weekend (12, 12:15, 3 am), and I woke up alone yesterday morning.  He had worked all through the night on a group project. He got home at 1 am last night, and has another meeting tonight to finish up before he flies out tomorrow. Dedication. Hard work. Persistence. He is amazing.

Our time together is precious to us right now, but I don't think I would have it any other way.  We are growing, and forming in these young stages of marriage and I feel like it is building us a good foundation. I love him more now than ever, and it just keeps getting better.

Eastern State Penitentiary

Last weekend, Amber and Jeff had their dads in town to see Jeff's football game. The morning before, they went to tour the old Philly prison and invited me along knowing that Kade had a busy day ahead.  When we pulled up, Amber and I could not believe how creepy it looked and how tall the surrounding walls were!! There were big gargoyles in the front that freaked us out--but we later found out that those were only placed there for the Haunted House they do throughout the prison around Halloween.  Woops!

The prison was built in 1829 and was used until 1971. They created it in a way so that the guards could stand in the middle and turn slowly in circles to see down every single hall.  They didn't have to move anywhere. When it was constructed it was the largest and most expensive public structure ever built. 

We then got some lunch and headed to the UPenn football game.  They won and Jeff scored a touch down!! After, Kade was still busy with a group project so they invited me to dinner at a delicious Mexican Restaurant and to see a play called 'Red.'  I am grateful for "the dads" who did so much for me, as well as Amber and Jeff for letting me tag along. It was a very eventful day! 

Snow

We had our first snow fall in Philly a couple of weeks ago.  It wasn't as big as the news described it to be, but maybe we are just used to Utah's snow storms.  It came on a Saturday, and of course it was the one day Amber and I had planned to go to Costco for the month.  It takes about 30 minutes to get there and the roads were pretty slick.  It turned out to be a longer trip than we expected, but we made it safe. The suburbs definitely had more snow than the city did.  It barely stuck on our street and by the time Kade came home from LA that afternoon, there wasn't much left. Definitely nothing like a Utah storm!  

Later that night, a few of us girls went to a Halloween party that a couple in the ward had at their house.  We were supposed to bring our husbands, but they were too busy with school stuff. The people that dressed up had such good costumes. 

Megan and her husband organized games to play and had a whole table full of treats. At one point we used two rolls of toilet paper and had a competition who could wrap their spouse first. Amber was my husband for the night, and she apparently would be way better at wrapping a mummy than I would.  

I am excited for days in the future when Kade and I will have more space and furniture to be able to host a fun party like this. We only have 4 chairs and a small two person couch in our small living room--that wouldn't work too well but it is perfect for what we need right now.  It was fun to get together with people in the ward outside of church to hang out and chat. One day the student life will be over so Kade can join me and not feel stressed about school.  I feel blessed to have other girls here who are in the same boat, and we can all enjoy the student life together!

Halloween Costumes

We didn't dress up for Halloween this year...but there were some good ones in the family to remember!

Lulu as the cookie monster. Hannah as an 80's chick.  Brody as Justin Beiber.  D and Hols as David and Victoria Beckham.

P and Rhy lookin a little freaky!

Ster and Calaigh making their little bun with a real ultrasound pic.  Mom and Ron-self explanatory!

Abby as a gypsie. Rub as big bird.

And last the best of all the game. Ann sent this picture to us on Halloween and I about peed my pants laughing. I love him!!

Philly Boat Tour

Back in the Spring I worked full time as a nurse assistant at a rehab center here in Philly.  Because I now have a nanny job, I am not able to pick up many shifts for them but they know I am back and call me randomly as needed.  Well, I got lucky a few weeks ago and was asked to help escort about 20 residents on the Spirit of Philly Boat Tour. I could not pass the offer up and immediately said yes! We got a buffet style lunch, drinks, dessert, and live entertainment all while they described to us what we were passing by. I have a deep love for the elderly, and thoroughly enjoyed myself! 

The residents started dancing to the music...it was SO cute. 

Oh, it was so much fun.  Some of them got all dressed up for this outing...it is a big deal to them! They don't get out of the rehab center much so they get very excited for activities. I would have loved to go and be part of this even if I didn't get paid.  I love being there to help them, and have grown a great love for elderly people.  I could talk to them for hours, even if I know they won't remember me or any part of our conversation.  There is a lot to learn from just listening to them talk...some are very wise and are usually more "with it" than you would think!  The oldest resident we have in the facility right now just turned 112. Another one just turned 109.  When I asked her the secret to a long life, she told me "to always think positive and don't waste time not being happy." Simple as that.