The opportunities are endless...

So, I've been on the job hunt for jobs in Rexburg.

I have found a few options.

The majority of which have been sheepherders, farmers, or salesmen.

I haven't quite decided which fits me best yet, but I'm sure I'll find my niche out of those three.

Meanwhile, back on the ranch.

(it is so dead at work & I have been here since 7:30 this a.m.)

as I was creating this loverly post for you, my husband showed up at my work with these:

Wow he makes me happy. & w/ my favorite flowers too!

xoxosunshineyday!

This ad kills me. I laugh so hard everytime I see it somewhere.

What's your track?

The above cycle is the BYU-Idaho track system.
Which to be honest, I am not fond of & I am slightly rebellious about.
I think assigning when someone can go to school is dumb.

 BUT BYU-Idaho runs things on it's own system. It definitely does not go with the norm.  Weston & I have been contemplating a lot lately where he should finish his undergrad, he's just a couple years off.  But it's been a tie between UT & BYU-Idaho.  UT was just about 3 times more expensive than BYUI. So, we decided to finish the undergrad there.  Weston's track assignment is currently Winter-Spring. Which is not ideal to say the least. He's taking online classes right now for Winter track, but he's deferring for wildland firefighting this summer...so basically, he would only have his online classes for a year. SO we decided. Hey let's apply for a track reassignment for Fall-Winter, so that he can do firefighting during the summer & then school the rest of the year, till he graduates. We applied. & found out this morning we were denied. But he's still deferring to firefight this summer & we found out he can take an unlimited amount of credits as night classes in the Fall. So I guess he'll be workin & doin night classes in the fall! Or maybe just 16 or so credits of night classes! The opportunities are endless :) & then next year he'll get on the fast-track & go to school year-round.  He only has a couple years left & then off to Law School!  3 cheers for debt free undergrad.  Thank you BYU Idaho for being $1,600 a semester for tuition w/ lower living expenses & everything else.  Now back to my job hunt.  Argh!

xoxotrackalackin

It feels soooooooooooo good.

Bills are all paid.

Phone.

Car Insurance.

Utilities.

Ring.

EVERY bill is paid. & rent is due again next week. But HOLY cow, we are so very blessed. Let me tell everyone TITHING is a miracle worker!

Life is good!

Let me show you a couple of my FAVORITE tools we got for our wedding.

Calphalon Dual Cheese Plane

This little baby is my favorite.  If you know me, you know I love sliced cheese on Triscuits.  Weston hates this snack of mine because cheese blocks are expensive.  But we don't have to buy them often. It's healthy & I LOVE CHEESE.

This cheese cutter is seriously the most incredible thing. I bought it at BBB with a gift card after our wedding & my cheese cutting life is so much easier because of it.

Last night I had just washed it & was drying it off when it decided to go right through my finger. Darn.  It cuts cheese and fingers.

It was bleeding like niagra falls, but bandaids were the cure.

Another favorite gift.

Cuisinart Popcorn Popper

From the Raymonds.

Seriously.  Do they know my family or do they know my family?

We are popcorny people.

In high school this was my favorite snack:

But microwave popcorn is expensive, so I have done w/o.

Then Dani taught me how to cook popcorn on the stove..umm so inexpensive.

I would always burn kernels though...

Until now.

That popcorn maker is THE coolest thing ever.

It stirs as it pops & it has an opening on the top for seasonings & after it's all popped you just take off the hot plate & flip the bowl & the cover is the popcorn bowl.

& guess what.  Popcorn is a WHOLE GRAIN!

Yeah, I'm not even rationalizing that one, I'm getting my whole grain servings through popcorn.

I'm happy.

& just to add a story about kitchen injuries. I thought this one was note-worthy.
About 3 weeks ago I was heating up frozen spinach in the microwave for a lasagna.
I defrosted it. felt the spinach, it was warm, JUST what I needed.
I grabbed the porcelain bowl to pull it out of the microwave...
As I was just getting out of the microwave I felt it scalding my finger.
Wow, my reflexes are slow. I didn't know what to do, the table was too far away to drop it & I didn't want to break the bowl. But I threw it in the microwave, nothing broke but when I looked at my finger, it was demolished. Red & swollen already. It had a big nasty swollen-ness on it for days, but don't worry, I didn't cry, but holy macerole it hurt.
It's all healed now :)

xoxolgbaby

And it begins.

Twister Season.

And worrying.  Every year tornado season makes its presence known in Tennessee.  & usually in my neck of the woods, for some reason Nashville, Liepers Fork, Fairview & just over to my neighborhood always gets hit hard. In high school the house behind mine was leveled, the house next door lost it's roof. & we lost some shingles. hahah. Angels? I think yes.

But now again, I have to stress during Tornado Season. & especially w/ the ENORMO trees all over the yard. Check out the weather report on last night's storm.

Severe Storm Reports



by Meteorologists Tim Ballisty and Chris Dolce
Updated: February 25, 2011 6:00 am ET

Here is a look at severe weather reports that have accumulated during this first major severe weather event of 2011.

They include reports of thunderstorm wind damage, tornado and large hail as nasty thunderstorms marched through Arkansas, Louisiana, Tennessee, Kentucky and northwest Georgia.


The vast majority of the reports were damaging winds (blue arrows) with a total of over 200. There were around 9 tornado reports in Arkansas and Tennessee combined. One additional tornado was reported in far southeast Missouri.


A couple of the tornado reports came from the Nashville, Tenn. metro with the most substantial damage in the Percy Priest Lake area.
(courtesy of Weather.com)

(hopefully when we live in Knoxville we won't be hit, bc apparently it's not in Tornado Alley!)

I am all too familiar with the tornaodo sirens that were installed in Franklin while I was in high school.  They are at the soccer fields my games were on & they would test them some Saturdays before tornado season, to make sure they're workin alright before they get to be used.

When we helped Weston's family move into their house.  We slept at Grandpa Brink's/his parent's house that night.  In the middle of the night I woke up to a tornado siren. My heart fell & I was shaking Weston "Wes, there's a tornado, there's a tornado!"  He woke up & kind of walked to his parent's room sleepily, where his dad was already up & dressed.  Someone's house was on fire & since it's such a small town, they use sirens, to alert the volunteer fire fighters. Dave, being a UHP, went over to help out with the fire.  I got teased pretty bad for that one :) Sorry, I can't deny my TN roots!  Apparently Utah doesn't have tornados, since the one anyone talks about was the one in SLC over 10 years ago!

But let's remember the people in the south who get hit with these monsters!  Everyone down in that neck of the woods...BE CAREFUL!

xoxoidon't thinkwe'reinkansasanymore

HOLY BLIZZARD!

We gave Gary a haircut.

He doesn't seem to like it very much.

Me neither, Gary...me neither!

BUT the snow is beautiful.

It snowed all night & has still be snowing the whole time I've been at work this mornin!

Wes was jumping up and down all over the apartment.

He loves the snow!

xoxosnowwoman

Thank you, wind, for exfoliating my lips completely.  I've been meaning to do that lately, but wasn't aware today was the day.  Wanna know the secret?

A little of this:

Some of this:

& the watering eyes is free!

Thank you 9th E for this great service!

xoxogrittylips

Is it possible?

I believe Utah has become more dry in the past couple weeks.

Seriously, is that possible?

It seems now matter how much I lather this stuff on, it never is enough!

This stuff is my best friend.

And this has been my hairdo for a week.

It's fabulous.  & Diana used to always say how humid Utah was. She's from Idaho...I'm going to die next year...

xoxoi'maraisin

Coug #3!

Remember that brother I told you about?

He's now a COUG!  He got accepted to BYU (obviously)  His act score was only 31....uh yeah. I told him to share some of the smart genes w/ me. But he decided to hog them ALL.  I'm so proud of him & so excited he'll be out West next year!  

xoxox3stolworthyscouldbedangerous

Have you heard about this brother?

Not from 2006.  This is from our family reunion June 2010

 This is my 17, 18 in a month, year old brother.  & he is sure to be the next Stolworthy Cougar next year!  He is the funniest person you will ever meet. & one of my best friends.

Let me just share some Spencer quotes with you.

Playing Taboo:
"This rodent often finds itself dead at the hand of its owners."
Answer: Hamster
"She has penguin friends & uses a rain protection device to fly around."
Answer: Mary Poppins


Christmas Morning:  "Danielle, your consciousness is requested downstairs."

‎"Mom, next year could you wrap each persons presents in a separate paper? That would streamline the present opening process."
‎"trying to wake up rachel and weston is like trying to align the stars."
 
"rachel, can you scratch my left scapula?"
 
"Becca! It's so good to see you. See im practicing to be a politician! You couldn't even tell i was lying."
 
Spencer-"Alia, text me when you and Ryker break up"
Alia-"why?"
Spencer-"So that i can swoop you off your feet of course.....I'm going to have to spend 6 months on P90X."
Me-"P90X only takes 3 months spencer."
Spencer-"yea well....*points at Alia* i need 6 months."

 

 Him & his friend, Rob, on twin day for spirit week. so much spirit.

Spencie, Me & Wes at a BYU game fall 2010

‎"It is the seventeenth day of the ninth month of the 2009th year of our Lord and I am wasting away in the library, writing a paper about a book that I did not read."
‎*kenz tripped down the stairs into spencer* "ah kenz..the grace of 1,000 unicorns."

"I'm as bored as toothless beaver"




I spent Thanksgiving w/ Weston & his family in 2009.  Spence & I were texting & I was telling him how Wes was going to take me bunny hunting.  Spence texted me, "Do you even know how to hold a gun? Be careful; nothing kills a relationship like a bullet."

Seriously, this kid KILLS me.  He is the funniest & wittiest person I have ever met.
He has a facebook fanpage that his friends made. You just have to imagine his voice. Very dry humor. Very deep voice. & best humor ever!

Spencie & I in Dani's classroom

xoxomahfamilyrocks!

Coupon Clipping

This past weekend was a wonderful, peaceful, stress-free one.

Friday night we got to chillax & it was wonderful.

Then Saturday we went on a wonderful hike :) see previous post.

Then Monday Wes had work, but I had work & school off.

Lucky Me!

I got up early w/ Wes & took him to work at 7 & then began my errands!

It was a busy morning, but between it all I did some awesome bargain shopping & got all these groceries for $21, Yay, me! 

I cleaned & organized the entire fridge.

Hoorah, dirty fridges could make me gag. We're clean people, but holy cow. ew.

 It was a wonderful weekend!

xoxonomore3dayweekends?boo

Long Weekendizzle!

Just a snowy day in Maple Canyon!

 
 A little close-up for everyone

 The little branch is just too strong.

 We like to wear our gender colors

 Secret messages from the snow critters!

 He works hard while I hardly work

 That hill doesn't look too bad, but you have no idea...

 Lurv

 happy to be closer to home

Tuckered after the long day. I think he was hoping for good luck crossing all his limbs.

xoxoisspringcoming?

Yes way.

My friend, Josh or NJ, in high school had a pet ferret named Evil Kenevil.

Anyway, that ferret went everywhere. It came to Beach Volleyball. It came to the swimming pool.  He went for walks. Everything.

Anway, I was looking on Amazon & just came across this treasure & obvious necessity. It's the ferret drying sack. Does that even need to be marketed?

xoxobefreeferret

The creepy apartment.

Last night I was so exhausted. Tired from the week & busy-ness & some stress. 

So Wes was wanting me to cuddle with him on the family room floor after we watched some Criminal Minds.  I didn't want to because I was about to pass out standing up, so I went to the bathroom to wash my face.  When I was back in the bedroom the little fan puller started swinging crazily.  It always freaks me out when it does this. I was tired though & was freaking myself out about some sort of creepy ghost. Yeah, don't judge. So I called for Wes, but he was faking asleep in the family room, unaware that I was terrified. So I started washing my face & my imagination was going wild. I was freaked out that our shower curtain was closed, I was freaked out about pretty much everything.  Wes always loves to scare me, so I was preparing myself that he'd come in & grab me. So, I was on edge preparing myself.  Then he came in & cat-called at me.  Totally innocent & what he does all the time. but I was so scared the sound freaked me out, so I turned around and started screaming, terrified & then he started screaming because I had mascara all over my face & it freaked him out that I screamed. & it scared me even more. So I wiped my eyes on a towel & started crying & it was a huge mess. Seriously, after I had calmed down I felt like I was going to throw up.  I was not laughing about it last night.  But holy cow, every time I think of it this morning I'm dying laughing.  Just in case you didn't know, I kind of have a wild imagination.

I'm thankful for my calm & never-scared husband. He is so sweet & patient & understanding when I get terrified & jump at my own shadow. He rocks.

xoxobacktoreality

I hope we're all better problem solvers than these 2...hahahahah

xoxowassup?

V. V. V. Valentine's 2011!

Valentine's Day was amazing.

I woke up to hearts all over the apartment w/ reasons why he loves me. & they even went in time order starting with our first date in April 2009.

It was hilarious, because I had things planned for that morning, so I set my alarm for 5a.m.

Little did I know, Wes had his alarms set for the same time. He woke me up at 6:30...he's amazing!

He definitely won.

So, no heart shaped french toast & fried eggs, but this was way better!

That day he got me from my class & picked me up w/ a Rose in tow & took me to Outback for din-din! It was amazing!

After dinner we took a trip to our favorite place:

After we got home that night I got to give him my card & gift!

This picture is with my phone. I apologize for it's awesome quality.

xoxowillyoubemine?

Happy Weekend in Bicknell!

After Wes got off work on Saturday we took the 3 hour drive down to Bicknell, Utah, where his parents & Grandparents live.

It was an awesome drive w/ perfect weather & an even better weekend!

We had so much fun & love being able to live so close to his family that we're all able to get together!

Sunday afternoon we barbecued on the front porch.  The weather couldn't have been more perfect.

Since when did 50 degrees feel sunny & warm? yikes.

Grandpa brink is in layers & freezing in 80 degrees, so with a little coaxing & lots of blankets, we got him outside with us!

Tash & I settin up the dinner table!

Twitch is always by his side.

 The chef & his mantula. 

 Kellbell makin the french fries!

 Kia knows how to party right.

 Twitch, Grandpa Brink & Mama Joan

 xoxoihaveagreatfamily!