Our American Dream

Valentines 5k

2012-02-11T21:19:00.002-07:00

We ran our first 5k race Saturday February 11th 2012.
You cant see very well, but there is a string tied to the two of us. Because it was a valentines run, they wanted us to stay together. I thought is was a very cute idea.

These pictures were taken after our run. As you can see we have a glow about us.

It was a fun experience. This was not our first time running 3 miles together. We have done so a few times. Never really for time. We finished today second in our heat, with a time of 29.56 minutes. We were pretty proud. I think we will try for a better time next time but I thought for the first one we did pretty good.

Sewing desk

2012-02-03T16:40:00.000-07:00

We found this desk at DI. I painted the drawers and sanded it all down. It looks way better than it did. I now have a place to put my new sewing machine. It is fancy and I like it. Still learning how to use it though. When I get some projects done on it I will make sure to post them.

Crochet

2012-01-20T05:52:00.000-07:00

When we went home for Christmas this year, I asked my mom to teach me how to crochet. She taught me some basic things and to tell the truth I didn't quite get the hang of it. i did keep practicing though and this is what I got. I think I was going for a hot pad or something but ran out of yarn.
I got a bit better with my next project. Still not perfect by any means.
I decided to make a little blanket. I got about half way done before I ran out of yarn again.

This was a whoops, but it turned out as a ruffle, so i decided to just go with it.
I think I will end up doing a ruffle all the way around if I can figure it out on the sides.
I feel like I really have the hang of it now. I figured out some kind of design with the basic stitch, which I think turned out pretty good for my first try. I did this much in less than 3 days, and I can watch a movie or whatever at the same time so it doesn't have to be my main focus. I am pretty proud of myself.

Temple Ornaments

2012-01-18T17:43:00.002-07:00

I got these clear, square ornaments at an after Christmas sale, I wish there were more, but I will have to make due. I printed all the pictures of the temples we have been to and modpoged them to the ornaments. They turned out really good. I am way excited. I did one on each side and will hopefully do something similar for the remaining temples. On the more segnificant temples, such as Portland where were married and Rexburg where I went through the temple for the first time, I want to do something a little different. I want to put the dates and a picture of us there, or something. I have not figured out all the details yet but these ones are at least done. When I finish the rest I will be sure to post them as well.

ROTC

2012-01-12T12:13:00.002-07:00

As most of you know, Zack has been planning to join the ROTC program so that he can be a physical therapist for the military. Some of you may also know, our current president just cut half a trillion dollars to the military thus making the program more competitive and offering less benefits. After a lot of discussion we decided to hold off for now. I know we said this last year but we thought this may be a better plan for graduate school. Because even if he did the ROTC here, he wouldn't get benefits until he graduated from graduate school anyway. Both of us feel better about this and like the idea of having the option later rather than getting locked in to a contract right now with so much uncertainty. Also we notice that the ROTC programs at the graduate schools we are looking at, are all Air Force instead of Army, which we think will be a bit safer in a lot of ways, although he will not be officially in the military until he is a licensed Physical Therapist. We just wanted everyone to know what our plans for the future are looking like. If you have anymore question feel free to call either one of us. There is a lot more details than I have shared but this is just to get the general jest.

Twin falls temple

2012-01-11T16:05:00.000-07:00

Temple number #22
On our travels back to Portland for Christmas we decided to make a stop at the Twin falls temple, the last open temple in Idaho we had not yet attended.
We have now attended temples in Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, California, Oregon.

Trip to Portland

2011-12-31T19:10:00.005-07:00

We left Idaho on Friday December 23rd. We were able to spend Christmas Eve with Zack's parents in Vancouver Washington. We were the only kids to come for Christmas this year so it was a small group celebration but we had fun. We played the dice game for a few hours and ate Chinese food, like always.

Christmas morning we left for Portland. Rodney and Lauren came down as well, from her parents house. We exchange stockings and surprised my parents with a new 55' TV.

The rest of the week was pretty laid back until Friday. My mom through us all a graduation party, and not knowing how many people would show up we had a lot of food preparations. Lauren did most of it.

We had a really good turn out to the party and it was great to see everyone again.

We spent new years eve at Zack's parents house and invited my parents to celebrate with us. They came for a few hours but did not want to stay up until midnight because church came early the next morning. As it was, we went to their ward the next morning and then left for our trip home.

It was too short of a trip. There were many people I would have loved to spend more time with.

We have made it home to Rexburg now and are unloading all of our things. Our apartment is starting to feel like a home again.
Sorry I don't really have pictures from the trip. I will have to get some from my mom because I know she took some pictures.

Our Christmas

2011-12-22T09:48:00.006-07:00

Zack and I opened our gifts early this year. The plan was to wait to be with family but secretly I wanted to open them with just the two of us, and well, I guessed what my present was so I made him open his too.
For the past few weeks I have been working on a Christmas project for Zack and have been having a hard time not showing him the finished product because I am so proud of it. I knew how much he likes Monopoly, and could not decide on a monopoly that would be the best until I came across a printable "Back to the Future" Monopoly. For any of you that do not know, the Donkin family has watched "Back to the Future" Millions of times because it is their brother Danny's favorite trilogy. When I think of the Donkin family, I think "Back to the Future".
Anyway, this printable board gave me the idea to make my own. I will admit I used some of the ideas from the printable board, but in the end mine is by far, the best. I was able to modge podge pictures onto an original monopoly board. I had to print my own event, people and property cards. It was a lot of work but I did the majority of it after I was done with my internship so I had the time.

Okay so Zack told me not to touch my present because even though it was rapped, I would be able to guess what it was by touching it. Well I didn't take him seriously so I touched it. Well I didn't get it right away but later that day I started asking questions, and well, I guessed right.
Zack got me a family "Book of Mormon".

It is really cool. I knew they had pictures in them but I had no idea all the other fun things they had. There are maps on the page when it talks of a location

There are pictures in the foot notes to show what a yoke is or a special weapon talked about that is not common to today.

Every time there is a definition in the foot note, the word is highlighted. They make it very kid friendly and we have found it kind of forces you to study the scriptures rather than just read.

He had thought about getting me some new scriptures with my married name on them but my scriptures are not very old and when he found this one he could not resist. What a sweet guy.
We had a very Marry Christmas!

I graduated!

2011-12-20T14:41:00.005-07:00

Me, my brother Rodney and his wife Lauren. We all finished together

My very supportive husband

We made it!

I finished college! It is nice to know that I have a degree to fall back on if needed and that I don't have to go to school anymore. Looking back on these 4 years, I can say I have enjoyed each of them, some more than others. I did really enjoy going to Brigham Young University Idaho because I felt welcome and at home. I enjoyed the friends I made, the crazy memories, the fun things I have learned and people I have gotten to work with. I had some really amazing teacher and classmates. I have thought about sitting in on a few classes while I am here with Zack, that way I don't have to do the homework but I can still continue to learn. We will see what the future brings.
I graduated with a Bachelors degree in Recreation Management and a Minor in child development. With an accumulative GPA of 3.5
I have not gotten a job yet, but hope to be able to soon, even though it will be difficult in this economy and in a college town. Thank you for all of your support on my behalf.

holiday blocks

2011-12-07T12:57:00.003-07:00

I finally finished them. I started this project before Halloween. The Halloween blocks I got done before the holiday but the others I just finished today. There are six holidays because there are six sides to the blocks. This way I can have holiday decorations up all year and not have to worry about where I put them. I am so excited.

Beard heads

2011-12-02T00:32:00.004-07:00

So for christmas this year Zack's brother Sam and his wife Gayle got us a very practical gift. To beat the rush of Christmas they ordered early so in turn we got our present early as well. These are the wonderful beard heads. They keep your head and face warm in the winter, which is much needed here, with the added bonus of a removable beard that can be warn on campus. To honor the schools mascot, and because it is awesome, Zack got the Viking beard head, as I received the grandpa beard, which in my opinion is far more comfortable, but quite a bit less cool. We love our beard heads and strongly recommend them.
I know, you want one too! They can be found at beardhead.com if you want to look as great as we do.

Reas Allen

2011-11-15T21:15:00.003-07:00

My grandpa is in the hospital right now and is not expected to make it. My thoughts turned to him and some of his poems for comfort, this is the first one I read and I thought I would share it.

70th Wedding Anniversary

2011-11-03T20:50:00.007-06:00

My grandparents made it to a monumental stage in their life. 70 years of marriage. They were married 8 days before pearl harbor; At the ages of 17 and 19 years. My grandpa was a US Marine and was gone for the first year of their marriage. They had 5 daughters and 2 sons. They currently have 26 grandchildren and 34 great grandchildren with 2 on the way.

This past weekend we had a party for them in Portland. The party was a month early due to the weather and holiday seasons, it we easier for travelers to attend. I was able to get a ride with my aunts and uncle who were traveling from Utah.
Last year I started to build a strong relationship with my grandparents because I was able to work with them at their living facility. It was a really nice feeling to have grandpa recognize who I was when I showed up. He got a really big smile on his face when I gave him a hug and told him we were going to take him out for the day. He wanted to leave right away and come home with us. Grandma was very happy to see us as well. She of course was able to recognize everyone that came. The event went really well and there were a lot of past friends that were able to come. With most of the family across the country it was hard to get many family members there. Even my trip was a bit last minute and short. I spent just as many hours in the car as I did in Portland but it was worth it to see them again and celebrate with them. Their health has not been very good the last few months. They were however looking great on Saturday. Having people around really helps their health I think.
Congratulations Grandma and Grandpa Allen. We love you!

Food Dehydrator

2011-09-27T20:17:00.003-06:00

Last Christmas we got a food dehydrator and have planned to do something with it for quite some time. A few weeks ago Melinda Turner (Zacks sister who we are currently living with) got a box of peaches and didn't know what to do with them so we suggested dehydration. We have been obsessed with it ever since. After the peaches we decided to get apples as well. At work there is an apple tree with full grown apples, and far too many for the residents to eat so I asked if I could take some home.
In all we dried Apples, Peaches, a few bananas,and some strip steaks. And I know this will not be the last of our dehydrating adventures.
The meat is currently drying so pictures will have to go on another post.

I dried about 20 apples and then used the rest, (That were not eaten by little children) to make apple pie filling. I have to admit that the apple pie I made was the best I have done so far. I used my aunt Linda's recipe and it turned out Awesome.

internships/ employment

2011-09-25T17:00:00.001-06:00

Now that we finally have our internships set up and paperwork all taken care of, I decided it was about time to update the blog.
Zack is working with a guy in our ward for his internship out in Arco; it is about an hour and a half west of here. The name of the location is Lost Rivers Hospital. He seems to be enjoying it. He is learning a lot and only working there 3 days a week.
I am working in Rigby at an assisted living center called "The Homestead". It is a smaller place than I worked at before in Portland. There are 15 residents as apposed to 80. I had every intention of transferring to the Rexburg location, however I am really enjoying the smaller group, and I love the residents here. I too am gaining a lot of experience and having a lot of fun. The home is in the process of a few employment changes so I am hoping that I will be able to apply for their part time activities position when it becomes available. Pictures are available on facebook of the homestead and the events we do there. I am in a few of them but more will be there in the future I am sure.
For the next few months another job has opened up for Zack to do on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Jim (Zack's brother in law that we are living with) has another job available to him that will not allow him to do his current Tuesdays Thursday job, so to help each other out, Zack will take over the Tuesday Thursday job so that when Jim's current situation changes he will be able to take it back, and Zack can make some money in the mean time. The only problem now is figuring out how I am going to get into work those days.

Nashville tribute band

2011-08-30T09:22:00.000-06:00

A few years ago I heard of the Nashville tribute band when they came out with a tribute to Joseph Smith. They are an LDS group that writes songs from all the prospective of Joseph's life. This CD became so popular that they wrote a tribute to the pioneers and their latest CD is a tribute to the missionaries. I am a proud owner of all of them. I feel they are very inspiring. They are country music and some songs are more twanging than others, but it is a testimony builder to me through music. I feel a deeper connection to Joseph Smith and the Pioneers through knowing their stories a little more personally now.

you can have a sneak peak at some of their songs by going to this website. I hope you enjoy.

http://nashvilletributeband.com/media/

AZ-ID

2011-08-29T11:44:00.000-06:00

We made a 4 day trip out of our travels back to Idaho. As we were leaving town we traveled to Mesa to spend the day with Zack's Cousin (pictured on the previous post). We didn't want to leave town without saying good bye so we stayed with him for the night of Tuesday the 23rd of August.
We took a longer rout to be able to visit some of the temples we have not yet attended. (I know we go to a lot of temples and that seems like all I ever post about but that is what we enjoy doing together.) On Wednesday continued on to Snowflake Arizona temple.

This temple was a bit of a challenge to get into. This is a very small temple and as such is not quite as busy as others. This being said it closes from 12-4pm each day. This, however helpful for their workers to have a break during the middle slowest part of the day, posed a problem for us in passing through. We arrived in Snowflake at 1:30pm and had quite a wait for the temple to reopen. In many places this would not be a problem because we could sit outside and read, or walk around a mall or store. However, for any of you that have been to snowflake AZ you know that NOTHING is there and it is Far too hot to be outside for any length of time or at least in August it is. After a long debate about whether to keep driving or wait around, we decided to wait around and managed to find a couple of stores that interested us.

We continued onward to Monticello Utah, which we were too late to go to that day. We had planned to camp that night but due to the rain and lack of sleep the night before, we got a motel room at 1am and crashed. We went to the temple at about noon the next day. We had to get our moneys worth of sleep.

Aunt Linda and Uncle Hal's house was our next stop. We haven't gone to see them in too long. Any amount of time is too long really. Every time we visit, aunt Linda and I stay up late talking even after the men folk have gone to bed. The cool thing was the aunt Linda had done some family history and had some names for us to take to the temple. They were mens names so Zack did them in the Oquirrah mountain temple the following day.

But she also had some couples to be sealed so we were able to do those together in the Draper temple as well.

The rest of our journey involved eating at Cracker Barrel, our favorite restaurant. Mostly because we were stuck in Utah traffic. We arrived in Idaho falls at 8:30pm on Friday August 26th.

Arizona

2011-08-19T16:49:00.001-06:00

We had planned to do internships in Tucson Arizona for the fall semester, however we got a change of plans when we finally got here. Thankfully we got a short job for about 2.5 weeks of being here. A coworker of our sister in law Gayle needed some help remodeling a rental house that had been destroyed by previous tenants. We repainted, re-floored and fixed up other odds and ends. We pretty much spent the last of our money to get down here to Arizona so it was truly a blessing to know we will now have enough money to get back.

This trip has not been in vain. It has been a lot of fun spending time with Family and being able to visit a few more temples. We went to Mesa temple, where Zack went through the temple for the first time. I had only done baptisms there when I lived here 2 years ago.

Sam and Bill (Zack's aunt and Uncle) were in town to see their son Christian (the hairy one, his friend Ryan on the right) who are working for a summer camp down in this area. So they came to the temple with us too.

We were also able to go to Gila Valley temple with Sam and Gayle. They had never been to that temple yet. That is not their temple district and it was only dedicated a year or so ago. It is a very small temple. Beautiful though. It looks a lot like the Rexburg temple on the outside and a little bit inside too but not much.
Besides being the hottest month out of the year, it has been a great trip. It was good timing in some regards though. I had a niece born on August 16th and my parents came to Arizona to visit. Not to mention on our why back to Idaho we will be able to go to 4 out of the 5 temples we wanted to go to. Vernal Utah temple is closed that week for cleaning. Sadly, we will have to wait on that one for a while. By the end of this trip we will be at 21 temples.

15 temples in 15 months

2011-08-02T23:28:00.005-06:00

Continuing on with our temple visits, We stopped in Manti on July 30th, on our way down to Tucson Arizona. Both of us decided that it is now our favorite temple. There are many things we have enjoyed from other temples but this one is all around amazing. Not only does the outside look like a castle but the inside is even more incredible. There are Beautiful murals on the walls, and very elegant columns and decor. The Manti temple was the second one built in Utah. For those that have not been there, the session is live, just like in the salt lake temple. I strongly recommend going. You will not be disappointed.
The wall surrounding the temple.

I feel like all it needs is a mote
view from the parking lot.

side shot, more castle like close up
You will just have to visit to see the inside. Words can not do it justice.

Zack's birthday!

2011-07-09T19:45:00.006-06:00

What Zack really wanted for his birthday this year was to go to the City of Rocks. So along with some cousin's and mission buddies, we made it happen. We drove down to the city Friday the 8th and played around a little before camping the night. We spent the majority of the 9th, which is his birthday, in the city climbing where his grandpa Donkin used to take him as a kid for family reunions.
On top of bath tub rock the first day.
The whole group minus one at Window rock
Inside Dragon's mouth rock. Hard to see the whole things because it requires sitting at the edge of a cliff to take the picture.

Zack played the guitar as Rachel read the story of the 3 little pigs.
Climbing up the front side of bath tub rock

Elder Cummins (Zack's MTC Companion)on the right And Elder Burke (Zack's trainee) on the left
Climbing down Bread loaves as it started to rain.
Zack and his cousin Grace getting a little up close and personal.

Baby William

2011-07-06T13:10:00.003-06:00

Please keep Sam and Gayle (AKA Zack's brother and his wife) in your prayers. They were chosen by a women to adopt and have spent the last 10 days with baby William. As of this morning they got a phone call and the case worker took the baby away because the birth mother changed her mind. They need a lot of comfort right now and would appreciate prayers and thoughts on their behalf. We would like to do a group fast on Sunday. Anyone is welcome to join us but please pray for all three of them at this time.

2nd of July

2011-07-03T11:46:00.008-06:00

The declaration of Independence was signed on July 2nd. Here in Driggs Idaho every year there is a big event commemorating our nations independence. At the Huntsman ranch there is a huge event featuring an Air show, BMX bikers, car show, face painting, bounce castles for the little kids, Fire works and performances with no entrance fees. The main reason we decided to attend was because Glenn Beck was speaking.

(Zack being Zack)

(The Turners attended the event with us. Lydia and Emma Turner, AKA nieces)
(Melinda Turner taking a nap in the sun AKA Zack's Sister )
(More Turner Family spending time in the sun)

It was a long day in the sun and we will remember to bring something for shade next year, as well as some activities to keep us busy in between events.

(Glenn Beck as he speaks)

Glenn's Speech began at 9pm when it started to get darker so they could project onto the screens. All of his remarks were about REMEMBERING. Remember how we got the freedoms of this country. Remember that serving one another is part of the American Religion. Remember the Divine Hand in the foundation of this country. Asking yourselves if we are achieving the purpose that God intended for this country.

(Zack as he watches the fire works)

He asked us to think of the star spangle banner as we watch the fire works and think of the bombs bursting in air, giving proof that our flag was still there. What a beautiful image to remember.

Our location for everything was great. We did have some people sit right in front of us about an hour before it all started, which was rude but all was forgotten when the fire works started. The fire works were lit off about 100 yards away from us and we could feel the sound of each one of them, Just like the bombs bursting in air. It was the best fire works display I have ever seen. We will defiantly be going there again next year.
(These fire works pictures are not zoomed in at all. They were taken from my laying position on the field. And of course pictures can not do it justice.)

2011-07-01T11:30:00.002-06:00

I was introduced to this website not to long ago and I think it is really interesting.
It is a place you are able to pin your interests. Meaning if you find things on the internet that you want to keep for later, such as decorations for your house, photo ideas, crafts, whatever, you can post them here. Something like this would have been great for planning my wedding because I was collecting everything and putting it on my computer. This way it is saved online and you can access it where ever.
With school getting out soon I have been getting into a lot of craft ideas. I have looked at other peoples pins for ideas and re-pined their favorites. I love it. I have so many new ideas of things I want to make.
This is an invite only page so you can look at some things but in order to get an account you have to be invited. If you are interested send me your email address.

Bangs

2011-06-19T21:25:00.004-06:00

I cut my hair to include straight bangs. Poor Zack doesn't know who I am anymore. It will take some getting used to for both of us. I am confused every time I look in the mirror because I don't see it all the time. It has not yet been decided whether it is a keeper or not but I do enjoy not having hair in my eyes all the time.

My show is over

2011-06-08T12:27:00.002-06:00

Don't you hate it when you get hooked on a TV show and then the season ends or you can't yet watch the next season. I have been watching the show Army wives on Netflix and have finally caught up to the current season, however Lifetime only shows one episode at a time on their website and they are to the season finally, which sucks because I want to watch the first episode. I don't want to ruin the show by watching the other season finally because I missed an entire season but it will be a while before the season comes out on video or on netflix. I am very sad that it is over. It has been a lot of fun while it lasted.

Survival

2011-06-02T22:03:00.000-06:00

The adventures of my survival class. I wouldn't say this was my favorite class but it was fun trying new things and learning new skills.

Skinning a deer leg.

My whole class with our teacher on our camp out. If you look closely, you can see the burn bowl we made out of a piece of wood. He is eating out of on. Basically it is a piece of wood that you put a hot coal on so it burns a hole in it.
preparing the salmon to cook over the fire.

roasting the salmon. Super good!

out door cooking

2011-05-06T22:55:00.002-06:00

For my outdoor cooking class I learned a new style of cooking outside. It is called a Box oven.

line the inside of a card board box with tin foil.

You use charcoal to bake your product. In this case it was the recipe below. Which are awesome by the way.

looking at each charcoal representing 40 degrees each. So divide your normal cooking temperature, (350) by 40. We just rounded up to 10 coals.
evenly distributing the coals throughout the surface area to be covered by the box.
Using a cooking rack that is placed above the coals, place your pastry on a cooking sheet on top of the rack, placing the box over the top to trap in the heat.

This picture shows the tray and coals but the box would face down over the top of the food instead of sideways.

Cinnamon rolls

2 cups milk

4 oz butter

2 Tbs yeast

1/3 cup warm water

2 eggs

1 tsp salt

1/3 cup sugar

5-6 cups flour

Scald milk for 3 minutes in the microwave.
Add butter and melt in the milk.
Dissolve yeast in warm water.
Beat eggs in mixer, and then add milk and butter.
When tepid to the touch add yeast mixture, salt and sugar.
Add 5-6 cups of flour to make a sticky dough
Spray oil on bowl and let rise in a warm place for ½ hour.
For rolls: Shape into balls and place on a baking sheet and let rise again, then bake at 350 for 15 minutes.
For sweet rolls: roll out dough in a rectangle and brush with melted butter then top with brown sugar, white sugar, cinnamon, and instant butterscotch pudding (optional). Roll and slice with floss or string. Bake and spread with icing.

SWEET ROLL ICING

4 oz butter

1 cup brown sugar

½ cup evaporated milk

1/3 cup powdered sugar

Optional- instant butterscotch pudding

Combine butter and brown sugar and evaporated milk, bring to a boil and cook to soft ball stage.
Remove from heat and add powdered sugar and pudding.

So if for some reason your oven doesn't work you can always use the box oven. It is a lot of fun and not very much preparation at all. Enjoy!

school and other updates

2011-05-03T10:43:00.001-06:00

The snow still shows up every once and a while but the weather is getting better. In the next few weeks the city pool should open to give us some more outdoor things in this town. I know the idea of an outdoor pool in Rexburg sounds ridiculous and I thought the same thing at first but after talking with the designers I better understand the purpose and I look forward to the end result.
Well out of my six classes this semester 3 of them are first block so I will have only 3 as of June 6th. Happy day! I really enjoy my classes. All of them are just finishing up my major and minor requirements. I am taking an outdoor cooking class that is really interesting and is not just typical food you cook on camp outs. I am also taking a survival class that we are learning alternative ways to make fires, making home made water bottles from gourds and other useful tactics for survival.

For my minor I am taking a toddler lab class where I teach the toddlers twice a week. That class is probably the most demanding of all of them. I am taking a parenting class and a pregnancy class as well, which I am learning a lot from. All and all it will be a good last semester for me.

Zack on the other hand had a hard time signing up for classes because everything he wanted was already taken. He is taking some prerequisites for physical therapy however most of his classes are general studies which prove to be more difficult than the upper division courses. They require more useless busy work to fill the time and demand more than they should for the 2 credits they are worth.

We are hoping this will be an enjoyable semester anyway.

Temple workers

2011-05-01T22:56:00.004-06:00

I am starting to get the hang of things. This last week was week two for me working in the temple. I have participated in all of the ordnances and they seem to come naturally now. Occasionally I will forget a word of two but I don't need the que cards anymore. Zack and I lead an endowment session for the first time this last week. I didn't need to do much but Zack did a great job. I feel so great about working there. It makes for a long day but I love every minute of it. I am so grateful for a temple so close that we can go so often. We know at this point in our lives, the temple is where we need to be. I am so grateful for this gospel and the many blessings we receive and the covenants we have made. I wouldn't trade it for any other experience.

St. George temple

2011-04-21T19:41:00.000-06:00

The first temple dedicated in Utah was the St. George temple. We were able to do a session in the oldest standing Latter Day Saint temple. http://www.ldschurchtemples.com/stgeorge/

I just have to say I love this picture I took with the flag and the temple.
The color version of this painting was in the lobby of the temple reminding everyone of the 1877 event of the visitation of the founding fathers to President Wilford Woodruff. This painting is done by Harold Hopkinson. Different versions of the paintings are sold in stores however this is an original specific for the temple.

http://chapmanresearch.org/PDF/Vision%20of%20Former%20Eminent%20Men%20in%20The%20St%20George%20Temple.pdf
I am so grateful for temple work and these amazing men who founded our country.

Knott's berry farm and Six Flags

2011-04-20T18:50:00.000-06:00

These pictures are not of us but of our favorite rides. Above is X2 which is the craziest ride I have ever been on and it changes every time. Below is Tatsu, which feels like you are flying the whole time. It is amazing! Someone told us this ride was as close as you can come to the feeling of sky diving.
Sadly it is very difficult to take pictures on a roller coaster and well they are just too expensive to buy all of them so I took a few of Zack when I wasn't feeling very well at Knott's berry farms.

Zack did freak me out when he took this one because I thought he would drop it, and my eyes are closed so there you have it.

We had such a good time. We just had to be careful because I didn't want to get sick. I was able to go on all the rides I wanted to though. And I didn't throw up at all.

Temples

2011-04-19T16:29:00.000-06:00

We were able to visit 6 more temples this trip on our way home to Rexburg.San Diego California temple
The Las Angeles California temple
The Las Vegas Nevada temple
The St. George Utah temple
Mt. Timpanogos Utah temple
Bountiful Utah temple
We have visited 14 temples in our first year of marriage.

Food

2011-04-18T16:18:00.000-06:00

Tommy's was a burger place that Zack had gone to before with his cousin on a privies trip. The burger all come with chili on them and they taste pretty good.We also ate at the Knott's berry farm Chicken Dinner restaurant, which had the best chicken noodle soup ever made.
We ate at the cheese cake factory for the first time, which was So good. That was a winner for us both.
Christian got key lime cheese cake
And we got dutch apple strudel cheese cake which was even better

We ate a lot on our trip. Probably more than we should have but that happens when you travel.

Santa Monica Beach

2011-04-17T15:50:00.001-06:00

Zack had never been to a California beach before so we went on Sunday afternoon. We mostly walked the beach and the pier.
and watched the sun set

This picture is for my brother Brent who loves Dolphins. I thought this was pretty cool.
While visiting the Santa Monica Beach I found none other than the Zoltar machine from BIG. It made me happy. I had to take a picture.
Also we were blessed to see the Babba Gump Shrimp restaurant. We did not eat there though.

Wedding in San Diego

2011-04-16T15:35:00.005-06:00

We made a trip to San Diego on April 7th right after school got out. Alex Zeller, Zack's cousin, got married there on Saturday April 9th in the San Diego temple. Zack was a groomsmen.An aunt Sam sandwich
my very studly husband
Christian Bond in all his glory.

R.I.P

2011-03-30T21:41:00.005-06:00

March 29th was a sad day in our house, my beloved computer died. This computer has been with me since the beginning of my college years and about a year and a half before that she was purchased by my brother Rodney. She had a long life of 6 1/2 years. As all deaths, it was unexpected and I was not prepared. Next week is finals week and instead of tests I have major projects due. All of which were not backed up on anything but my beloved computer. After a long night of tears and unanswered questions I visited the computer help desk on campus to see what could be done to resuscitate my computer or retrieve the saved information. They were able to retrieve the information so all was not lost. However they are not sure if resuscitation is possible. We are down to one computer in our household which makes things difficult to do homework when everything is due at the same time.

Rest In Peace beloved computer.

Temple Worker

2011-03-27T19:08:00.005-06:00

I have been Called to work as an ordnance worker in the Rexburg Temple. The plan was to start working there in January however this semester has been very busy for me, it has worked out great for me to have that time to work on homework while Zack was in the temple on Saturdays. We will be working together now, during the afternoon shift on Saturdays, from 9:45-4:15. I have just been set apart and will start working on the 23rd of April. We are going to Zack's cousin's wedding in California on the 9th and then our Anniversary is the 16th. Next semesters classes should be a lot easier and less time consuming, which I am very much looking forward to and I am very excited to start working in the temple again.

Rock Climbing

2011-03-25T18:32:00.003-06:00

We found a local Rock climbing gym in town that cost $3 to rent all gear and climb for an hour. After an hour, our muscles hurt anyway so it is totally worth it. Zack's cousin Christian introduced us to it on Monday. It was a lot of fun.
Christian belayed Zack, when Zack started to fell Christian came off the ground . It was So funny. It was good I was not belaying.

This was right after, as you can tell neither one of them are hurt, but I love this picture.
Me climbing a comfortable 5.6
Zack climbing 5.9
Chris climbing a 5.9+
We will definitely be going back for some more climbing there in the near future.

ARMY

2011-03-24T18:19:00.003-06:00

In our progression toward getting into the Army, one of the requirements was that Zack be able to graduate in 6 semesters or less. As it turns out, he has at least 6 semesters of just classes left and then 800 hours of practical hours, or internship. So given that next year he will still be within the requirements of 4 to 6 semesters, we have decided that the best situation for us would be to wait a year before we join the ROTC. So that is the plan. As of now we still plan to join but at least this way Zack doesn't have to feel so rushed in his schooling and he has some more time to get physically ready for training. At this this point Zack has met the minimum requirements of his push ups and sit ups, and would like to better his time for the two mile run. He is doing very well and I am so proud of him. We work out after classes each day together and this whole thing has been a great experience for the both of us.

The Human body

2011-03-07T21:29:00.008-07:00

Disclaimer: Does contain pictures that may be disturbing.
In Idaho Falls there was a new exhibit at the Museum of Idaho. Zack needed to go for his class and so we made a date out of it. Sadly we were not allowed to take pictures inside because I found some online that give you a good idea of what we saw. They had cadavers to show each part of the human body. The entire Skeleton, muscle system, circulatory system, each individual organ.
This is actually the same body but the skeleton and muscles have been separated to see the two systems.
This one was crazy to me because I had no idea the circulatory system looked like that. The guy there told us they ran a red silicone through the circulatory system and then dipped the body in acid to get rid of everything else. That is just blood vessels.

This one was not in our exhibit but the pictures of that one were hard to see. This is a body cut 6 times length wise. I love how it shows every little bit of your body to see exactly what is in there.

I am sorry if some of you did not enjoy the pictures. But I hope most of you did. It was a very fun yet interesting date for us.

Tile!

2011-02-28T15:51:00.001-07:00

You are probably wondering why I would be so excited about getting tile. The answer is simply that carpet does not belong in a bathroom or a kitchen. Need I say more.
This week was the grand project of ripping out the carpet and putting in the tile. John Tanner, our landlord / cousin who lives upstairs came down to start the job. He and Zack were able to move everything out of the bathroom and rip up the carpet, that now needs to be deposed of.

Zack and John taking our the carpetThe carpet temporary holding place
Jim Turner, our brother in law, came by to show the guys how to put the tile in. Needless to say they had to take out the toilet and sink to do the floors so we were without a toilet for a few days.
Where the sink and toilet normally go
The toilets temporary holding place.
Jim putting in the new tile
But because our toilet was having problems before, they bought us a new toilet too. It is like having a whole new bathroom. The rest of our apartment has been completely destroyed however. The kitchen will have to be another time but the bathroom is done.
The finished tile job.
Our new toilet and floor.

Womans Conference

2011-02-26T23:44:00.000-07:00

Julie B. Beck came to the new BYUI center to speak to the women of the church in eastern Idaho on Saturday February 26th 2011. I had never been inside the BYUIC before but the inside layout looks a lot like the conference center in Utah.
I went to the conference with Heather Tanner, my landlord slash cousin in law.
I wasn't quite sure what sister Beck was going to talk about for 2 hours because she was the only speaker but I was really happy I went because it turned out to be am amazing meeting. She open up for questions and she was very prepared with answers to give. Women asked about how to prepare for missions, whether they should prepare for a mission or just get married. How they can help less active members, how to deal with pornography in the home, what to do when our dreams don't match what the brethren have said about family. All of these were not questions I had asked recently but were very interesting to know the answer to because they could be applied to my relationships with others or some future situation I may find myself in. She was very much enspired in the way she answered each question and all of us I think left more enlightend because of that meeting. I took more notes there than I have in a long time because I didn't want to forget anything.

cooking

2011-02-26T18:16:00.000-07:00

I have gotten better at my cooking. I wasn't too bad before but Zack has taught me to season things. This one wasn't as much about the seasoning but just my first attempt which turned out pretty good if I do say so myself.
Chicken cordon bleu

chicken breast
ham
pepper jack cheese
using the double breading method, fried to keep the breading on and then baked. So good

So proud

2011-02-22T15:57:00.003-07:00

Zack has been doing so well with his physical training to get into the Army. In just two weeks he has worked out so hard and tried to reach his goals. He has been a great motivator for me as well. I have started exercising more also and in turn we have started eating healthier as well.
It seems like no matter what obstacle seems to present themselves in our lives we seem to be able to handle it together and the Lord provides a way. Talking to his adviser, Zack was able to exchange some required Physical Therapy classes for some of his major classes which makes his work load a bit lighter for his remaining 6 semesters.
I am so proud of Zack and the direction he is taking in his life. Good Job honey! I love you.

G.I. Jasper

2011-02-16T16:28:00.001-07:00

It is funny how the little things in life relate to future decisions. In making the decision for the military a lot of little signs started presenting themselves. One of those being G.I. Jasper. He is a build a bear that Zack and I made together right after we started dating. That was probably our second date. Also, I made Zack a Camouflage blanket for his birthday our first summer of dating. Our blog being "Our American Dream" because of our recent love for standing up for what we believe in for our Country. Just little things that didn't have anything to do with joining the ARMY but are just funny to think about the similarities now.On a different note reading our patriarchal blessings gave us a lot of incite for this decision. That is something that relates to every situation in life which is amazing to me. Words stating that I will be self reliant and have angels intercede in my behalf. Zack's stating that he will do a lot of good for his community and serve in leadership positions. This giving us the comfort that no matter what I will be taken care of and Zack is meant to do be a leader and serve.
I have a testimony that the Lord is in control and he will not lead us astray. I am excited for this new adventure in our lives.

The 14 days of Valentines

2011-02-14T10:43:00.011-07:00

This year for valentines day I decided to do something different. 14 women from our ward got together and made 14 creative gifts to exchange. So I made 14 rice crispy treat kisses, just like we always did growing up. The point is to have 14 different gifts to give your husband from the first of February to the 14th. On February 1st he received a card informing him of the valentines ideas and that he will receive a gift every day for 14 days. That was the first gift, by the way. One of the sisters made home made cards as her gift.
February 2nd "I have a crush on you"
February 3rd "you and me together, we taste pretty good"
February 4th "Give me some sugar baby"February 5th "pucker up"
February 6th "Massage dice"
February 7th coupon for 1 week of me doing all the dishes
February 8th "Wanna Necco little?"
February 9th "Here are some kisses, pucker up valentine"
February 10th "You blow me away"
February 11th "To kiss a little longer"
February 12th "I am a big sucker for you"
February 13th "Hey baby, I wouldn't trade your love for 100 grand, I am convinced you are the only one for me. love your sweet tart."
February 14th "Light me up, and lets Skore"
Happy Valentines day!

Changes

2011-02-13T20:03:00.000-07:00

Do you ever have the feeling like when you tell yourself you will never do something, the Lord comes back and proves you are not in charge but rather He is. This last week has been a lot of that for Zack and I. Not too long ago Zack thought of the idea of doing physical therapy for the military. Now there are two ways of doing that, one being to join the military through the ROTC program and the other becoming a contractor for the military. After looking in to both options and weighing the pro's and con's we did decide to go with the Military. Both of us feel really good about it.
The military is:
a motivator for exercise
a great financial benefit
a good steady job
well paying job
going to pay for grad school
very rewarding experience

The Army ROTC program is offered here at BYUI and it is a very good program. His major will stay the same, that being Recreational Therapy, with a cluster in Spanish, which are credits he got right after his mission and a minor in military science. This will only add a couple classes to his work load for graduation but will open a lot more possibilities for the future.
Long story short US Army here we come!

feeling better!

2011-02-07T10:45:00.004-07:00

Sorry it has been a little while sense I have started feeling better but just haven't had much time to post anything. I don't know if any of you have ever had a back injury but when you sneeze of cough it hurts really bad at first. that feeling has gone away now. I have started working out again. I have a Pilates work out that I have been doing which has been good for flexibility and building up strength again. Zack is trying to get me to stretch more so that doesn't happen again. I told him I have never been able to touch my toes so good luck but he still tries. Who knows maybe one day I will be able to do it when no one else in my family can. Not likely though.
So long story short I am back to normal life as we know it.

Beauty and the Beast

2011-01-25T16:25:00.009-07:00

We watched Beauty and the Beast for the first time in a about 5 years yesterday. I remembered how much I love that movie.
All this time on my back has given me a lot of free time so I decided that it would be cool to have a beauty and the Beast room. This is my idea. I first thought to use the actual Disney items but decided that would be way more expensive and just for the kids to enjoy. So I could use mostly real items as replacements instead. What do you think?

Disney idem:
replacement decor:

Disney idem:

replacement decor:
Disney idem:
replacement decor:
Disney idem:

replacement decor:
Disney idem:
replacement decor:

If you have any more suggestions let me know. The library is pretty awesome too but so impractical and not possible to make it that cool.

more on back pain

2011-01-23T19:25:00.002-07:00

I am still on bed rest and can not understand how my mom did this for 6 months while carrying me. I am on day 3 and starting to have weird repercussions. I tried going to church today but found that sitting for that long starts to have weird side effects on my legs, which my doctor told me to look out for. If my legs become numb or tingly for an extended period of time I am supposed to go to the doctor right away. When I started to feel that way I just went home and laid down. It felt a bit better after that. I did decide that going back to school Monday would not be a good idea because I would be sitting in class for 3 hours. I emailed my teachers and hopefully they will help me out with this one. One of my classes is risk management, so he might even use me as an example.
If all of you would just keep me in your prayers so I can recover quickly and not have any long term damage, I would really appreciate it.

Happy Anniversary

2011-01-21T08:49:00.009-07:00

Exactly one year ago, on January 20th 2010, Zack tore his ACL skiing at approximately 7 pm.
At approximately 7pm January 20th 2011 I got a compressed fracture sledding.
I went sledding for the first time in about 12 years with a group from the school. My sled went diagonal down the hill and hit the biggest jump there was. I screamed the whole way down because I think I knew what was going to happen when I saw the direction of my sled. I hit the jump I had been trying to avoid, it through me up into the air and I landed on my head and shoulders while the rest of my body accordioned onto of itself. They told me if I had gone about 6 more inches up I would have done a back flip. The compression was in the arch of my back on the front side where I folded. I have a small bruise on my head but no other damage. I consider myself very lucky, and had I noticed it was the same day of Zack's accident, I probably would not have gone.
Poor Zack had to see the whole thing and it scared the poop out of him. (not literally) He told me afterward that he didn't think spouses should ever be allowed to see things like that. They should just be told afterward so they know everything will be okay. He got to me first to see if my neck was broken. Thankfully EMT's were near by and saw what happened. They were at a hockey game about 100 or so yards away.
I got to ride in an ambulance for the first time. I also got an IV for the first time and found out how uncomfortable a stretchers is. It was a night of firsts for me. I have never gone to the hospital for an emergency before.
Recovery will consist of about 4 days bed rest, and a lot of assistance with getting up, going to the bath room, and changing cloths. When I bend my back it needs to be fast and not allow the pressure to stay on that spot. It hurts if it does. I got a prescription for the pain but I can feel it getting better already. Zack has been great taking care of me and helping with things I cant do right now.
All in all it was a miracle I wasn't hurt more than I was.

Emergency preparedness

2011-01-15T12:00:00.001-07:00

For Christmas we received gift cards from Russ and Cindy for emergency preparedness items. Our order just got here so I thought we would share all the fun stuff we got.

First aid kit for the car
Light sticks for the car
dehydrator /jerky maker
100 hour candles
backpack for emergency 72 hour kit

Winter semester

2011-01-13T14:27:00.005-07:00

One week into school now and we are still alive. My classes this semester all seemed like they would be pretty manageable. The problem however was the online advanced writing class I signed up for. The first writing class was a breeze but in the first few days I had more homework from that class than any of my other classes combined. It was as if the teacher thought that was the only class I was taking. After 2 days of searching, another English class came available on campus for me to take. My schedule this semester was full of classes I needed to take which were only offered at one time and that happened to overlap every other open alternative classes I could take. This new class is not at a most convenient time for me but at least I will have a teacher I can talk to in person and not just a bunch of homework with no instruction. So far it seems like a good class. Still not quite sure how this semester will turn out but I do really like most of my classes.
As most of you know I am not good with tests or quizzes but a lot of my teachers have open book quizzes that are not timed so it helps me to be able to find the answers. I know that doesn't sound like I am learning anything but in my own way I am.
The one thing I am liking about my English class is it is teaching me how to read things to better comprehend them through writing in margins and making notes as I read. So I stop after each paragraph and write key words in the margins to be able to reference it easier. My goal is to learn how to write in the margins of electronic readings so I don't have to print everything off first. Maybe that is just wishful thinking.
Zack is doing well in his classes. Most of his teachers don't give homework so once he comes home from campus he is done for the day. I can not say the same for my teachers. The good news is that his Anatomy and Physiology II instructor is way better than his first one and it seems like this semester will not be as hard as he expected. The teacher seems to want to be helpful to his students and allow them to seek his assistance whenever needed, which is way awesome.

Shaving

2011-01-09T15:37:00.004-07:00

Back to school again which means Zack had to shave his devistatingly handsome Beard. This could only mean one thing. He had to shave all but the mustache for at least one picture.
YUCK!
I will have to admit it took some getting used to no beard but I do quite enjoy the smooth face.
Don't worry the mustache is gone too.

New Years Eve

2011-01-09T15:00:00.008-07:00

While the Donkin family was still in town we decided to go to the Beach for a day trip. Sam and Gayle were not able to come with us but Andy, Shiloh, Pete, Danny, Russ and Cindy all went with us; or rather we went with them.
The drive to the beach was beautiful. Not exactly what you expect when you want to spend a day at the beach but I love the look of snow in the trees, especially when I am warm in side the car.

We made quite a few stops on our way. Most of which consisting of delicious food. We stopped at Tillamook Cheese factory first, then traveled on to Carla's Smoke house in Rockaway.
We stopped for a few minutes in Garibaldi but Pete needed to take a nap so we traveled on to Hug Point where we spent most of our beach experience.

Pete was perfectly appareled for the trip, wearing his Shark hat, which was a big hit.
Andy brought along his "peepers" or binoculars. There were no whales that we could see but there were ships that you could see anchored farther out.
Most of the places we went at this beach it was hard to take Danny so Russ and Cindy were not able to come down with us to the caves. They did get out of the car for a bit though.
It was a beautiful day. It was still pretty cold but the weather was good to us and the wind wasn't too bad either.
The fun thing about this beach is the caves. There are a lot of fun places for pictures and playing in the water, Pete didn't seem to mind that the water was cold. After hug Point we traveled on to Cannon Beach where we had fish and chips at The Ecola Restaurant by the Ecola State Park.
We headed back after that to Vancouver for our New years eve celebration. That also consisted of a lot of good food, most of which wasn't eaten because everyone was so full from earlier. There was however an artichoke dip that Zack's Aunt made, That was oh so delicious. We had a lot of fun visiting and watched the ball drop in New York. Not too exciting but we had a good time.
Happy New Year!

Christmas 2010

2010-12-27T12:00:00.001-07:00

Each year on Christmas Eve my mom does matching Christmas PJ's for everyone. This year it was green and white stripes.

On Christmas Eve Zack honered us with the Christmas story as it reads in the 2nd chapter of St. Luke.
We got matching Black Robes, now Zack never has to put on clothes.
We didn't do much for exchanging gifts this year. Zack got his Rifle in November that I told him was his christmas present.
I did however get him a new wedding ring. One year ago christmas eve, Zack purposed to me so I decided to give him his ring on the anniversary of that day.He gave me a wonderful chair pillow. I don't know what they are called but it is a pillow to sit up in bed with because I complain that it is uncomfortable all the time. I am currently using it and love it.
We were the only ones in Portland this year for christmas. Mom had the idea to have us do their stockings and they do ours. It seemed to work pretty well. I am not very experienced at stocking stuffing so ours were a lot more full than the ones we did for them. But I think they just enjoyed having something in them anyway.

The 26th We spent Christmas with the Donkin side. Zack's brothers and families came into town on Christmas day because it is cheaper to fly that day. It worked out nicely for all of us though I think.Russ got a BBQ grill for ChristmasGuess what Cindy got for Christmas?Andy, Shiloh and little PeteSam and Gayle
We all got gift cards for food storage from Russ and Cindy. I am super excited about it. We are all about being prepared.
It was a lot of fun to get together with everyone again.
Thank you everyone, and Merry Christmas.

Christmas letter

2010-12-19T16:36:00.000-07:00

I suppose following our blog you should know what has happened this year in our little Donkin Family. Instead of send out letters like my family used to do I figure it would be easier to post here.

This year has been full of wonderful blessings. I went through the temple for the first time April 9th and we got married a week later. Zack and I have both been called to work in the Rexburg temple. We have visited 9 temples together and try to plan our trips around visits to the temple. We have enjoyed our cute little apartment in Rexburg, Idaho and the 3 month adventure here in Portland for the holidays and work. We have bought a new car and have sold our old one. I have 2 more semesters until I graduate with my Bachelors degree in Recreational Management and hope to obtain a job in Rexburg next fall doing the same thing I am doing here for my internship, working as an activities director at a retirement facility. We have had 8 blissful months of marriage together, and plan on many more to come. Zack has recovered well from his skiing accident in January, and has started towards his physical therapy training for his future career.
All is well in our little Donkin Family and we want to wish you a
Merry Christmas and Happy New YEAR!