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:

Long Awaited Update

Hello everyone. It has been a busy month and I have just not been able to find the time to write. So here is what is going on with us: Dustin has been loving his job in Kansas City and loves working for the government. Apparently, this job is a bigger deal than we thought. What I mean is, it looks really good on his resume. We are grateful that we found it and Dustin LOVES not having billable hours! yay! Also, he is learning that he does not mind a FEW specific aspects of litigations....so I guess that may open the doors to more job opportunities. Who knows! But all in all he really enjoys his job and likes getting home at 4:30 everyday (and I like it also).

As for me, my life has been consumed by school, school, and more school. I had two courses to finish in the first four weeks I was here in Kansas and I did it. It was hard work and I was on quite the time crunch but I am proud of myself for getting it done. I just finished it last week and when I found out my final grades I was ecstatic because that means I am graduating on August 13th!!! I was so nervous about these courses because if I was not able to get them done in time, then I would not graduate and my entire family had already made plans to come soooo it could of been a disaster, BUT I did it! YAY! Dustin and I were screaming for a long time because we were so excited. I have to be honest though...I am going to miss school. I love school and I dont love working 8-5. It probably wont hit me until I walk across the stage and have a post-grad job. I am also super nervous about finding a job in this economy but I am dedicated to find something.

Job searching is the worst and Dustin can attest to that. He is the hardest worker I know. After he works his 8 hour job he comes how to job search. He is such a great husband and provider. I love him for all his hard work and dedication. I am excited for him though because he has an interview in D.C. this next week which means vacation! Well....kinda. We are not going to be in the area long but we will try and see as much as we can while we are there.

And I am so sad that I did not ever write a post for my favorite holiday, THE FOURTH OF JULY!!! My family usually makes a big deal about it but did not this year so I guess it was a good thing I spent it in Kansas. Dustin, being the sweetheart he is, wanted to make it a big deal so he spend many hours barbecuing and I made dessert and then we eventually went and saw fireworks. All in all it was a great day. I love that my husband made it special for me just because he knows it is my favorite. I will post some pics later though.

Well that seems to be all the updating for now. Dustin just has this last week of work, and then we go to D.C., and then we drive back to Utah, Dustin will start school, and I will graduate. Also, we are super excited to get back to our own home and our own space, not that we have had a bad time here, we are just excited to sleep in our own bed.

Titillating Technological Tidbits

I doesn't take me a long time to figure out electronic gadgets; however, understanding every little in and out of my blackberry has been quite the adventure for the past year or so. As some of our stalkers know, I wrote music and lyrics in a former life. Occasionally an idea or impulse arises and I have to record it somehow so that I won't forget. Yesterday morning I woke with a song in my head (a little Sherwood reference there). I sung it to myself in the shower and while getting ready for work. After I got into the car, I took out my blackberry and sung the idea and spoke some notes into my Voicenotes program. After I was finished, I backed out of the program and drove to work. My blackberry is in my jacket pocket of my suit all day long and, as I found out later, Voicenotes is a program which you must QUIT, not simply back out of. Because I did not properly exit the program it stayed active all day and made a recording any time that the talking around me was loud enough. As a result I have about three hours of recorded conversations involving investigations and courtroom chat. Additionally, I only noticed this after my battery was almost dead for the second time in two days (it usually only needs to be charged two times a week). I guess the point of this story is to warn all of you that the FBI may haul me off for investigation at any time. Luckily, I have already deleted the recordings without disseminating them to anyone else.

Still, I love technology...