Well here we are in 2015 and I haven't updated since June of last year. We have been really busy with moving to different rotations for Dusty's anesthesia school! For the past 6 months we have been in McAllen, TX (border of MEXICO!!) If you remember a couple posts back, I explained how mad I was that we were being sent here for 6 months instead of going back to AZ but I kept feeling like things were going to be ok... Well I am here to say that things have been more than ok! We met some of the best people ever and have made AMAZING friends that we don't want to say good bye to! Our ward has been so awesome and so welcoming and have been the best family we could have while being so far from the rest of our family and friends! I am actually extremely sad that we are leaving in 2 weeks and never would I have thought I would feel this way about McAllen, TX!!! Heavenly Father FOR SURE has a plan for each and every one of us and he FOR SURE knows what is best for us and now I know why he was trying to calm me down before we even moved here and I was freaking out about it! He KNEW we would love it here and would make amazing friends and we wouldn't want to leave:) Dusty has also loved working here because he has gotten to work on his own here and there and has loved knowing that he will do great when he is really on his own working as a Nurse Anesthetist! I can't believe we are SO close to being done with school!!! We graduate in August of THIS year!!! We can't even comprehend what life is going to be like with no more school and finally just getting to work, make money and spend time with his family with out having to work on homework or study for a test or write awful care plans:) We are ready for that next phase of our life though that's for sure! Well a lot has gone on since I posted last time so I will try to play catch up...again!
JULY 2014
After visiting Dusty in Plainview, TX for about a week and a half and after visiting my sister in Aledo, TX, the kids and I took off for Rexburg, ID to spend the remainder of Dusty's first rotation with my family for 7 weeks!! We had SO much fun there and had a TON of things to do! Most of my family came to town for our 4th of July family reunion. It was awesome!! Also my sister Alyssa came home from her mission the end of July that we got to be there for as well which was awesome!! I also got to go with my mom and sisters to see WICKED for my 4th time! I took a ton of pictures so I am going to be posting A LOT!:)
This was on the drive to ID. She doesn't look too comfy:)
At the Idaho Falls Zoo
We went to Rexburg Rapids and the kids had a blast!
Can't forget the slip and slide on the big hill behind my mom's house!
Ray's cute finger nails for the 4th of July!
The 4th of July parade in Rexburg
Usually we go to IF for the firework show. This year we stayed home and did our own fireworks! SO fun!!
Brayton, Raylee and Anika having a blast with their awesome Grandma Kivett and their glow sticks she got them!
Best family picture EVER!!!
My mom and dad have the best neighbors ever! My kids were always outside playing with all the kids! They loved riding these 4 wheelers!
This is my special sister. Hannah Kivett. She put 4 grapes in her mouth and did this! I was crying I was laughing so hard! HILARIOUS!!
They had an awesome rain storm and the kids just had to run in it!:)
The day we were ALL waiting for!!! ALYSSA was home from her mission!!!
Raylee couldn't get enough of her! She always had to be by her! I don't blame her! She is SO cute!:)
We went with Lyssa and tons of her friends on a VERY LONG hike!!! I was dying but of course my kids loved it and were ahead of me the whole time! Once we got to our destination, it was beautiful!:)
WICKED!!!!!!!!!! It was amazing as always!!!
Braiding hair line:)
Raylee loved her hair like this for about an hour and then wanted it out. haha
Raylee holding sweet Norah!!!
Brayton went rock climbing with my brother Brandon and of course loved it!
The kids also got to rock climb right in my parents neighbor hood!
AUGUST 2014
We left Idaho and headed back to Plainview, TX like the 2nd week of Aug. We were SO excited because we hadn't seen Dusty in about 7 weeks! Longest we had ever been apart from him! Thank goodness for FaceTime but it still wasn't the same! We missed him!! We were extremely lucky because we got to have 2 awesome extra traveling buddies going back with us to TX! It definitely made the 18 hour drive so much better! Also, they were great helpers with Brayton and Raylee while I drove! We sang a LOT and laughed and talked and played games! Such a great road trip! When we got to Plainview, Dusty had a couple of days left of 'work' before we were able to pack up and leave for our next rotation! From Plainview to McAllen it is a 10ish hour drive. So if you calculated our drive from ID to Plainview and then Plainview to McAllen you will have added that the kids and I drove a total of almost 30 hours in 4 days! The kids were troopers! Well we arrived in McAllen (or as people in our ward like to say Mexas or Brayton says Texico= Texas and Mexico combined:) hahaha. Our apartment of course is on the 3rd floor and carrying ALL our stuff that was jam packed in our little white car and van was awesome. (sense the sarcasm!) Oh and of course we were moving in on the hottest month of the year and the most HUMID!!!! We were disgustingly soaked from head to toe when we were done moving everything in and we didn't have a shower curtain so we couldn't shower. We had to go to the store in all our nasty glory and get quite a few things that we needed that we didn't have because remember we weren't supposed to be here so we had VERY little! Still do! haha. Air mattresses for beds (yes we are/have been sleeping on air mattresses for 6 MONTHS!!!), little plastic bins for our dressers, card table for our table, and a blow up couch! Pretty hilarious if you ask me:) What great memories we will have for years to come! Our first Sunday at our new ward was awesome! Everyone came up to us and introduced themselves right away and were so friendly! We honestly made friends instantly!! We have never experienced a ward quite like this one before! I am truly grateful that we were sent here and that we were able to experience all we have! The kids go to a school where pretty much every student speaks spanish and english and some students who don't know hardly any english at all. My kids come home from school almost everyday thinking they can 'speak' spanish. haha. I actually wish I could speak spanish so I could understand what people are saying here:) We really have had an awesome time here and I really am having a very hard time having to leave in 2 weeks. Part of me kind of hopes that maybe we can come back for a job when Dusty graduates. But again we will see where Heavenly Father wants us:) I'm sure wherever we go will be great! But I am truly going to miss these wonderful friends we have made!!!
Lyssa and Hannah being goobers while driving the long drive from ID to TX!
We stopped at my uncle Ron's place in Cheyenne, WY on our way to TX. He drove us around to a few different places to show where he, my mom and the rest of her family grew up! It was so fun!
Reunited with Dusty and it felt so good!! My sister Kensi drove 5 1/2 hours from Dallas, TX to Plainview with her 2 little boys to pick up Lyssa and Hannah and take them back to her place so they could visit her family and Brittanie K's family!
We had such a great summer and loved getting to spend so much time with family! Obviously there was a lot more that we did that summer but if I wrote it all down it would take me daysss to write. And frankly, I don't wanna:)
MCALLEN, TX
The kids started school the end of August here in McAllen and they are really liking it. It makes me sad how many times we have had to move and how many different schools they have had to go to. The different teaching systems and having to learn things in new ways and sometimes not understanding and having a mom that sometimes doesn't understand either:/ They have had such amazing attitudes every time we move and they make such great friends along the way! It hurts my mom heart that they make such awesome friends and then they have to leave and go make new friends all over again! But they are champs at it and I am so grateful they are my kids! They are amazing examples to Dusty and I of staying positive and having a great attitude no matter what life brings us! And here we go again, moving in 2 weeks, with only 2 1/2 more months of school left and they have to go to a new school and make new friends all over again! We are so close to being done with this phase and I can't wait to just settle down so my kids can go to a school for longer than 1 year!:) Here are there first day of school pics! I love these 2 SO incredibly much!!! They started 1st and 3rd grade this year! Not cool guys, not cool! Stop growing up!!:)
SEPTEMBER 2014
The kids had their bdays here and we celebrated at one of our friends' houses! Brigette, Pearl and Kobie Bentley! They were so nice to have it at their house! The kids had a blast and were pretty spoiled!
I took the kids lunch at school for their birthdays! They loved it!:)
I also took cupcakes to their classes! Here is Raylee's class. She is the only white girl! haha
Brayton being Brayton:)
MCALLEN, TX
Palm trees everywhere! Kind of reminds me of AZ!
SEPTEMBER 2014
The kids had their bdays here and we celebrated at one of our friends' houses! Brigette, Pearl and Kobie Bentley! They were so nice to have it at their house! The kids had a blast and were pretty spoiled!
This is a cool clubhouse that most of our friends get to use and we were invited to go swimming there! The kids had a blast!
OCTOBER 2014
Nothing really happened in October except Halloween:) We had our ward Halloween party and then a week later went trick or treating. I of course had to dress up with some of my friends! We were 80's workout chicks! haha. It was so fun!
Raylee with her cute friends trick or treating. (Skylee Allen, Kirra Jones and Pearl Bentley)
Sorry this pic is so dark but Ray and I had to take a pic before our ward party:)
Skylee, Pearl and Raylee.
Me and the girls! We are HOT!:) (Jill Klein, Ginny Nelson, me and Brittney Allen)
Elsa
Electro (from spiderman)
NOVEMBER 2014
This month was great because Dusty had 3 weeks off of school because it was the end of his 2nd rotation and it was Thanksgiving and because we were staying here for our 3rd rotation, we didn't have to pack up and move somewhere else. So we got to relax and enjoy having Dusty home with us!
We went miniature golfing. Boys against girls and of course the boys won.
Raylee was invited to 2 bday parties in November and both of them were at a little spa and fashion show place. Raylee was in heaven of course. Here she is getting a pedicure. This was at Pearl Bentley's bday party.
This was at her 2nd bday party. She got a manicure, her hair done, makeup and they got to put cute clothes on and do a fashion show! She loved it!
This pic was taken at my very good friend Brittney Allen's house. We were there for Thanksgiving! She had a ton of people over that day and it was a blast! So much great food and great friends to hang out with! This was our very first Thanksgiving to not be around any family members. I wasn't even sad about it because we were with such amazing friends!:)
DECEMBER 2014
We had a great Christmas being just us again. We went to our friends The Bentley's home Christmas Eve day. They had a big ward luncheon type thing and all the kids got to swim in their heated pool! It was pretty warm out that day so it was perfect! We actually celebrated Christmas on Christmas eve day because on Christmas I was on my way to ID for Alyssa's WEDDING!!!! I had to drive 4 hours to San Antonio to get to the airport. I had a layover in Denver, and then flew to SLC. I traveled ALL day! My dad came and picked me up and I stayed the night at his house because it was 1am by the time I arrived. I then took the shuttle from Tremonton to Rexburg the next morning. I was in Rexburg for almost 3 days and of course about an hour after arriving there, I got sick! I was so mad because I was only there a short time and I wanted to party and have fun. It was a bummer because almost all of my family was sick as well! Great memory to have though. haha. Even though I wasn't feeling good at all I still had a blast! All my siblings were there except Kelyn:( We definitely missed her! My sister Brittanie K. had Hannah for christmas and she got her a selfie stick! We had SO much fun with that!! We took well over 100 pics of us just being dorks!! So of course I had to get one for myself! hahaha. They seriously rock! When I got back from ID, my friends here in TX were having a New Year's Eve party so we went to that! It was a blast! We played minute to win it games and had Cafe rio for dinner. SO good! December was SO busy but it was so much fun! We also were able to see our Allen cousins because they were here for Christmas visiting their dad who also lives here in McAllen! We hadn't seen them in over 2 years! My kids had a blast!!
Swimming at the Bentley's on Christmas eve day!
My kids opening their presents for Christmas! I have decided that my kids make the best faces ever when they are opening presents! It makes giving them presents SO awesome!!
This was at our ward Christmas party. This was the first year that Brayton told me he didn't want to sit on Santa's lap and it tugged at my heart strings a bit. I don't like him getting older. Thankfully to make his mother happy, he did it anyways:)
Oh how I miss seeing mountains! This was on my shuttle ride to Rexburg from Tremonton.
My beautiful sister getting her makeup done by my beautiful cousin Tia!
Outside the temple waiting for Lyssa and Levi to come out in the freezing snowy weather. Of course we were using Hannah's selfie stick:) (Hannah, Britt K., our soon to be 1st sister in law, Chelsea, marrying my brother Brandon yay!!, Amber, Baylie and me!)
The happy couple and all of us!
This pic is kind of dark but I wanted a pic of her wedding dress! Her wedding dress was my mom's that she got married to my dad in. My mom was tiny when she got married and Lyssa still had to have it taken in and altered other places because of how little she is! But the dress looked so beautiful on her.
Welcome Levi and Alyssa Vance! Such a beautiful couple!
While I was in Rexburg, my sister Amber and her hubby Kasey were able to bless their sweet new baby in my parents house! Church had been cancelled for the first time in who knows how long because of the snow so they had to do the blessing in my parents house. It was so nice though. Their little baby's name is Ezra Jay Hendricks. And he is the cutest and sweetest little baby!! I can't wait to see them again in March! I am dying to hold that baby!!:)
Oh how I love this family of mine!! We were inside the temple trying to get warm while we waited for our turn with the bride and groom to take pics!
On to New Year's Eve! Here are some pics of the minute to win it games! So fun!
They also had this little photo area for all of us to take pics. We of course had a blast! (Amelia Hansen, Brigette Bentley, Stacia Ellis, Sheila Bryan, Lori Watanabe, me and Brittney Allen)
This was the Sunday before Christmas. The kids were wearing their new Christmas outfits.
Hanging with the Allen cousins. Sam, Isaac and Logan. We went bowling with them and their dad then went to Fuddruckers for dinner.
This was our first time seeing the cousins in 2 1/2 years! They were all so excited! We took them to Burger King for lunch and then they hung out at our place all day! We love and miss those cute boys!
Now on to 2015! JANUARY and FEBRUARY
Coming into 2015 was bitter sweet. Sweet because this is the year that Dusty finally graduates!! Bitter because we have to leave our amazing friends and finish our last 2 rotations. We have done quite a few girls nights and had a blast! Just last Friday Feb. 13th we all got together and did one last girls night before I move. I think there were 14 girls in total! If I haven't said it enough, I am going to MISS these girls!!!!!!!! Dusty and I celebrated our 11th Anniversary Feb. 12th and he got me an edible arrangements bouquet with a teddy bear and a balloon. The fruit was so good! I have always wanted one!:) He of course had to work all day but he had it delivered to me and that was such a sweet and thoughtful thing to do! I can't believe we have been married 11 years! We have been through so many ups and downs and I feel like we have become stronger because of it. We definitely are not perfect and will continue to make mistakes but knowing that we will always try to support and lift one another is something I am so grateful for! We don't tear each other down and make each other feel badly about ourselves. We communicate and try to be better! Dusty is such a great man and he has worked SO hard for our little family! I can't believe he is almost done with school and will hopefully have a job by Septemberish and finally be working as a Nurse Anesthetist! We have worked so hard to get to this point and I am so proud of him! Our next anniversary will hopefully be the year that we will be able to really celebrate and go on a trip just him and I!! We have never been able to do that and I really want to do that!:) Thank you Dusty for all that you do for us! Keep up the good work and being awesome!!!:)
This was our girls night we did in January for Brittney's 30TH bday!! We had a blast with Stacia's selfie stick! I hadn't ordered mine yet:) haha. We went and got pedicures and then went to dinner.
(Sheila Bryan, me, Brittney Allen, Lori Watanabe and Stacia Ellis)
My selfie stick finally came!! Had to try it out!:)
Last girls night out with all these amazing women!!! LOVE them all!!!!
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!!
This was the teddy bear that Dusty got me so I had to take a pic and send it to Dusty:)
I never decorate or doing anything super fun for the kids for valentine's day and this year I decided to. The kids loved it! It wasn't anything special but it was still super fun! Also, Dusty and I weren't feeling good so we pretty much just laid low all day.
With Dusty and I not feeling good yesterday, we laid in bed quite a bit and I whipped out my selfie stick and held it all the way over to Dusty's face and waited for him to get his head out of the covers and snapped this pic! I freaking love it!!!! He was not expecting it! hahahaha. I'm funny:)
Well that is the end of the longest update EVER!!!!! I probably won't be posting again until after we move back to AZ which is in 2 weeks!!! BOOOO!!!!! Today was our last Sunday at church because next week is Stake Conference and I could not hold it together in primary! And 2 of my other friends Brittney and Sheila couldn't as well! These last 6 months have FLOWN by!!! I pray that the next 6 months fly by as well!:) Well I'm outta here! Peace!
Nothing really happened in October except Halloween:) We had our ward Halloween party and then a week later went trick or treating. I of course had to dress up with some of my friends! We were 80's workout chicks! haha. It was so fun!
Raylee with her cute friends trick or treating. (Skylee Allen, Kirra Jones and Pearl Bentley)
NOVEMBER 2014
This month was great because Dusty had 3 weeks off of school because it was the end of his 2nd rotation and it was Thanksgiving and because we were staying here for our 3rd rotation, we didn't have to pack up and move somewhere else. So we got to relax and enjoy having Dusty home with us!
We went miniature golfing. Boys against girls and of course the boys won.
DECEMBER 2014
We had a great Christmas being just us again. We went to our friends The Bentley's home Christmas Eve day. They had a big ward luncheon type thing and all the kids got to swim in their heated pool! It was pretty warm out that day so it was perfect! We actually celebrated Christmas on Christmas eve day because on Christmas I was on my way to ID for Alyssa's WEDDING!!!! I had to drive 4 hours to San Antonio to get to the airport. I had a layover in Denver, and then flew to SLC. I traveled ALL day! My dad came and picked me up and I stayed the night at his house because it was 1am by the time I arrived. I then took the shuttle from Tremonton to Rexburg the next morning. I was in Rexburg for almost 3 days and of course about an hour after arriving there, I got sick! I was so mad because I was only there a short time and I wanted to party and have fun. It was a bummer because almost all of my family was sick as well! Great memory to have though. haha. Even though I wasn't feeling good at all I still had a blast! All my siblings were there except Kelyn:( We definitely missed her! My sister Brittanie K. had Hannah for christmas and she got her a selfie stick! We had SO much fun with that!! We took well over 100 pics of us just being dorks!! So of course I had to get one for myself! hahaha. They seriously rock! When I got back from ID, my friends here in TX were having a New Year's Eve party so we went to that! It was a blast! We played minute to win it games and had Cafe rio for dinner. SO good! December was SO busy but it was so much fun! We also were able to see our Allen cousins because they were here for Christmas visiting their dad who also lives here in McAllen! We hadn't seen them in over 2 years! My kids had a blast!!
Swimming at the Bentley's on Christmas eve day!
Took a selfie at Lyssa's luncheon:)
All of the siblings except Kelyn. We missed her!
This was the Sunday before Christmas. The kids were wearing their new Christmas outfits.
Coming into 2015 was bitter sweet. Sweet because this is the year that Dusty finally graduates!! Bitter because we have to leave our amazing friends and finish our last 2 rotations. We have done quite a few girls nights and had a blast! Just last Friday Feb. 13th we all got together and did one last girls night before I move. I think there were 14 girls in total! If I haven't said it enough, I am going to MISS these girls!!!!!!!! Dusty and I celebrated our 11th Anniversary Feb. 12th and he got me an edible arrangements bouquet with a teddy bear and a balloon. The fruit was so good! I have always wanted one!:) He of course had to work all day but he had it delivered to me and that was such a sweet and thoughtful thing to do! I can't believe we have been married 11 years! We have been through so many ups and downs and I feel like we have become stronger because of it. We definitely are not perfect and will continue to make mistakes but knowing that we will always try to support and lift one another is something I am so grateful for! We don't tear each other down and make each other feel badly about ourselves. We communicate and try to be better! Dusty is such a great man and he has worked SO hard for our little family! I can't believe he is almost done with school and will hopefully have a job by Septemberish and finally be working as a Nurse Anesthetist! We have worked so hard to get to this point and I am so proud of him! Our next anniversary will hopefully be the year that we will be able to really celebrate and go on a trip just him and I!! We have never been able to do that and I really want to do that!:) Thank you Dusty for all that you do for us! Keep up the good work and being awesome!!!:)
This was our girls night we did in January for Brittney's 30TH bday!! We had a blast with Stacia's selfie stick! I hadn't ordered mine yet:) haha. We went and got pedicures and then went to dinner.
(Sheila Bryan, me, Brittney Allen, Lori Watanabe and Stacia Ellis)
This was the teddy bear that Dusty got me so I had to take a pic and send it to Dusty:)
Well that is the end of the longest update EVER!!!!! I probably won't be posting again until after we move back to AZ which is in 2 weeks!!! BOOOO!!!!! Today was our last Sunday at church because next week is Stake Conference and I could not hold it together in primary! And 2 of my other friends Brittney and Sheila couldn't as well! These last 6 months have FLOWN by!!! I pray that the next 6 months fly by as well!:) Well I'm outta here! Peace!
No comments:
Post a Comment