September thus far

Okay, so I am going to try and be better at blogging since I now have no homework to preoccupy my nights. So since September has begun, I have received my first paycheck from work and that was soooo nice. I love knowing that I am earning money and contributing to my little family. We also are sad to announce that there is only 1 more episode of Wipeout left.....sad day. But for all of you who dont know, Dustin signed up to be a contestant on the show for their third season next summer. When he filled out the application he was being completely sarcastic and funny. We are hoping his quick wit will get him on the show. We will let you all know if we hear anything.

Also, we have been in Provo for 2 years and have never 1) eaten at Brick Oven and 2) hiked the Y. Let me rephrase.....I have never done these things. Dustin gets Brick Oven delivered to t

he law school and he has hiked the Y twice before he met me. So basically, since I am a BYU grad, I figured I should do these things. So we went to Brick Oven, thanks to a wonderful gift certificate, and got their famous pizza. Dustin loved it but I am not a pizza connoisseur so it just tasted like any other pizza. But I am glad I had the experience.

Then we decided to hike the Y which was a BIG mistake. I am the most out of shape person EVER!! I should be on the show "The Biggest Loser" simply because my insides are about as unhealthy as the contestants on the show....I swear I am so out of shape. I eat fairly normal but I never exercise and that was brought to my attention once again when I attempted to hike the Y. I know alot of you are probably laughing right now because some of you run this small, less then 3 mile hike often, and think my little story is pathetic but I know how pathetic it is.....I had 2 year old toddlers and 9 months along pregnant women pass me on the trail. It probably did

not help that about half way up the trail, paramedics were helping a hiker and were pumping them with liquids and I knew I would be next! I felt like I was going to pass out

but in my defense it was the hottest part of the day. Oh well....I made it to the top and here are some of the photos:

I am trying to make it a family tradition that we get photos taken every year for our anniversary. Last year we had a friend take some urban shots and we loved them. This year, we had a professional photographer in our ward take them for us and we decided that we would take the nature avenue. I dont have the photos yet but she put a sneek preview up if you would like to take a gander: http://www.victoriabainesharris.com/

Also, my dad sent my pictures from his trip to Utah from Dallas and I though I would share them but I dont have them uploaded yet so I will get those up soon! AND MY DIPLOMA CAME IN THE MAIL TODAY!! It is official now! Now I can delete all my school work from my computer and clear up some room for home videos. For all who dont know, I am putting my childhood videos from VHS to DVD. I love it....it is such a blast to look at old videos. Oh and might I add, I am so excited that Leno is coming on at 9 o'clock for us! I have been watching him for 10 years and now I dont have to loose sleep to watch him! yay!

August/2 year Anniversary

If Dustin and I thought July was busy, we had no idea what was coming. The first week of August was the most insane. For the first couple of days in August we starting packing up EVERYTHING. Keep in mind that Dustin flew up to Utah so that we could bring the car back to Kansas (packed with all our goodies) back in June, and somehow we now had to fit everything back into the car (and everything else we accumulated in Kansas). It was a chore. We first had to deconstruct the mini room that Dustin built for us which actually only took a day (look to last post for pics). Also, Danielle (my sister-in-law) cleared out most of our furniture in our little room for her new apartment....so now that room is completely empty. Your welcome Julie :)

We then started the two day journey back to Utah. It was really nice to stop in Denver because we had a freaking awesome hotel. They had 30 ft. tall ceilings, large flat screen, massive bed....it was great. We actually had a little bit of anxiety coming home because the last couple of times we have left our home to fend for itself it retaliates. One time our washer leaked into the basement apartment, another time we had potatoes rot through our cabinet....so to say the least....we were worried of what we would find this time. Thankfully, our house was just how we left it! Perfect! We LOVE our home. It was so nice to be back in our own space....drink out of the milk carton again, not have to bring your clothes into the bathroom but be able to get ready for the day outside of a tiny bathroom, and of course walk around in our unmentionables. It was nice to be home.

But we were not going to enjoy peace and relaxation for long. We had to spend the next two days unpacking and moving back in (kinda) and getting ready for graduation because my whole family was coming into town. We spent time cleaning the house and doing finishing decorating touches to each room. We bought curtains for each room in the entire house and a cool mirror for our front room. Now....2 years later....our house is completely decorated. And to top it off, our Anniversary was during the madness of getting everything together in time. So we spent our anniversary cleaning and I had a job interview that day. FYI: I spent the last 2 weeks in Kansas searching for a job with no real leads except this one so I had to do the interview on my anniversary.....no if ands or buts. So to say the least, we got home and got to work.

Soon after my entire family arrived. My sister flew into Colorado with my neph

ew Hayden and drove with my dad and stepmom to Utah and then my mom, stepfather and brother flew directly into SLC.

It was so nice to have my entire family be here for the big day. It took a long time for

me to realize the impact of a graduation. The day for me was exciting more so because my family was there supporting me instead of excitement from what I have accomplished. But here are some photos from that day. P.S. THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR TAKING THE TIME AND MONEY TO COME! I LOVE MY FAMILY!!!

So while all this was going on, I got a call from that interview and got the job!! There was a little bit of miscommunication for a couple days of whether I had the job or not, but it all worked out in the end. So I have been working there ever since. I graduated on Friday and started work on Monday. It is so bizarre to come home and have no homework. Though I have nothing pressing to do, I always feel like I do so it is still not complete relaxation yet for me. But my job is good....I work in a really laid back environment....and I am able to play mario kart whenever I want. Its not the best job in the world but it will definitely be fine for the next 8 months until Dustin finish's school.

Now as for Dustin, he started school on August 24th and its going pretty well thus far. He is only taking 12 credits which is a very light load for him but his time is then consumed by his TA job for a class called Legal Interviewing and Counseling. He also spends a ton of time job searching so to say the least, I have not noticed a change in his free time. It is like he is taking 18 credits. Poor guy. He works so hard.

I think that is about it for August. And just so you know, Dustin and I did celebrate our two year anniversary later on by going out to dinner at Macaroni Grill because it is tradition. So yeah, that is it in a nutshell. Now I have to just get going on September.....

The month of July

Basically all of July and August was CRAZY for us. But lets go ahead and start at the very beginning, the very best place to start. First off, I was in Utah for part of the summer finishing up my spring term while Dustin started his internship in Kansas. This separation was sucky but we made it through. Back in June I was able to join Dustin in Kansas because he got a one way ticket home so that we could drive the car back to Kansas. We basically stuffed the car full and headed to Kansas. We stayed in a super trendy hotel in Denver so we would not have to drive all the way through....which was nice. So okay....back to July....(thought you might just need some background)

So I said I was going to post 4th of July pics but never got around to it, so here they are. There is some of the food we spent all day cooking and then there is Dustin and I sitting in the car, playing a game on Dustin's phone, while we waited for the fireworks to start. We went to the local mall to watch the show and played my new favorite game brick breaker....dont ask....but might I say I hold the high score.

The rest of July was spent finishing up loose ends. Dustin was finishing up his internship with the federal government doing bankruptcy law and I finished my last couple independent study courses. Dustin loved his job and I was just so grateful I was able to finish school in time to graduate. But we did make time for relaxing also. One weekend we spent the evening with Damon and his soon to be bride at the Kansas City Plaza. It was so great to just get out and enjoy the city.....to bad I did not wear better shoes and got my first blisters....ever...I was not missing out. So here are a few pictures from our adventure.

This about wraps up our time in Kansas. We are grateful that Dustin's mom, Julie, for letting us stay in her house for the summer. It was also nice to be there for Damon's first girlfriend and all the adventures that come with it. We are so happy for this and hope that all wedding plans continue to go smoothly. The last few photos I am going to include are from the make shift room that we made for ourselves in Julie's family room. Dustin was able to build a styrofoam wall, and yes, pink was all that was available, and we were able to have our own little room. Here is a preview: