Where has the time gone?

   We cannot believe how fast time has been flying! I guess that's what happens when we're moving a million miles a minute! That's definitely how it feels for us, especially lately! We have both been working really hard on all the different important aspects of our life.
   Glen has been working very hard at a job that he enjoys and is quite good at. If you haven't seen other posts (and also because I don't entirely remember what I wrote before) he is graduated and that has freed him up a great deal. He says it feels a little weird and out of place not having homework to do, but I think he's enjoying it because he doesn't ever take me up on the offer to give him some of mine. Though I do keep trying! We celebrated his birthday with dinner out at Texas Roadhouse. Then that weekend we had some cupcakes at my parents' house with the family. He just got called as the stake technology specialist which is right up his alley. He just got called so he does not quite know what all it entails but it will be good.
   I am still working at Things Remembered. I have been trained to be an assistant manager when a position opens up. I am okay where I am right now though given the workload I've got so far. I have been at UTA for a month now and I am getting used to it. There are some significant differences of course that are challenging me a little but not bad. I am excited for the 15 credit semester to be over. It gets tiring! I am also the primary chorister in our ward which I love. We just had our primary program which turned out well. I am glad to teach them some other songs that I absolutely love. So we are busy, but I am grateful to have Glen with me. He helps me a great deal and I could not keep the pace I do if he weren't there asking me how he could help and doing all he can.
   We moved into a new apartment in August. We like this one MUCH better. We are on the first floor instead of the third which all of us love except for Charlie. He hears and sees every little thing and just barks like crazy. He'll adjust! Plus we have not yet had pot smell waft into our living room like we did at the old apartment so I figure that's a step up. We are neighbors with my older sister Sarah. And that's always fun too! We're doing well, can't complain! I am really terrible at taking pictures...I really should do better. Someday I will!
   Here's a little food for thought!
"Sometimes all you need in 20 seconds of insane courage. Just 20 seconds of embarrassing bravery."
What will you do with your 20 seconds?
"Always pray to have eyes that see the best in people. a heart that forgives the worst, mind that forgets the bad, and a soul that never loses faith in God."

It's Been A Long Time!

   Hello everyone! We realize it has been a long time since we have posted (almost a year). There is no sense in trying to recap everything that has happened in that time because it would take forever, it would be really long, and let's be honest...no one wants to read that much about anyone! We will say it has been a tough year for a variety of reasons but we are excited about moving forward and meeting the adventures and things waiting for us down the line.
   Glen graduated from Brigham Young University-Idaho with a Bachelor's Degree in Communications. He also started a job he very much enjoys at a place called GST where he works with police officers and firemen to help them order their duty gear. I am working at Things Remembered now as a sales associate and engraver. I transferred from BYU-Idaho to University of Texas at Arlington and I will start in the fall. I have a year to finish up the core credits and take a big ol' ugly test so that I can dive in to the 2 year education program.
   While we aren't recapping everything from the year, I think Glen would agree with me when I say that the song attached sums it up pretty nicely. Enjoy the rest of your summer!

Fall is coming!

   Hello everyone! Things are going well! We've enjoyed our first summer in Texas, but we're ready for the heat to break and to get into fall. This has been a crazy summer!
   Things at Nordstrom are going well. Being at customer service is a little more challenging than I thought it would be, but it's pushing me out of my comfort zone and I think I'll be better for it. Plus, the extra money doesn't hurt. I really like working with the customers and I haven't had many angry ones, which is always nice. I work with a good group of girls too which makes it a lot of fun!
   Glen got a job too! He is a full-time, work at home Neiman Marcus customer service representative. He's in training right now, but then will be working nights. This works out really well because normally my shifts at work are closing ones. But we are grateful for that other source of income!
   Just before our 1 year anniversary we went to an awesome concert (Loverboy, Pat Benetar, and Journey). It was really nice to be able to share something that I like to do with Glen. We had a really good time and had a lot of laughs with my family. We celebrated our anniversary with a tasty breakfast, and spent a lot of time doing what we used to do when we were dating-playing card games! We had so much fun and we laughed a lot! Then we had dinner and ate a delicious cake that my sister Megan made for us! We had been saying how we each only got one bite of our wedding cake so she made us a delicious replica!
   Glen's parents came to visit us this past weekend! It was great to spend time with them some more, and we got to celebrate Corrine's birthday! I am just bummed that I had to work half the time.Thanks for coming, guys!
   School starts on Monday and we are really anxious to get started! It's Glen's last semester so he's looking forward to get it started, and get it done! I however have always just been a nerd and am looking forward to working on school stuff again! :)
   Short and sweet. But thanks for all the love and support!

Up and then down again...

   Hello Friends. Sorry it's been a little longer than normal between posts. Things got really crazier (believe it or not). I posted last time that we found the apartment that we wanted to move into and were making preparations for that. That's still true. We verified that the apartment was looking good, then we signed a lease. That was awesome for us and we were very very excited! But that excitement didn't last very long because the day after we signed our lease (of course) Glen was let go from Vandergriff Toyota. This was really disappointing because Glen was working really hard and trying really hard. The overall reasoning behind it they said was "lack of production." Which isn't really true; he brought lots of people in and several wanted to talk numbers, but he'd go to ask the managers to talk numbers with them and they'd say "we won't talk numbers until they're committed to buy." But like any shopper knows, you don't commit to buying something without knowing the price. Then when Glen would start to get to a negotiating point and he'd ask for help from his manager, he'd tell Glen to "...be vague. I don't want them to pin me down to anything." Glen didn't like this at all because he was trying to be honest and sell a car without shanghaiing the customer. He felt (and I agree) that that was just about the same thing as lying, and taking advantage of the customer. He did sell a car within his first month, but they expected him to sell 4-6 within his first month without really any training. So, while I am not really excited about being on one income, I am proud that he was let go for having too much integrity.

   Thus it goes without saying that while we were excited to move into our new apartment, the timing was not ideal. So Glen is back on the job hunt; we're hoping he'll have one soon because he's working with a staffing agency called Burnett's Staffing and they've sent his information to a few different places. We hope to hear from them soon. Shortly after Glen lost his job, on his way to a meeting with Burnett's, he had a little incident. I was at home and had just woken up and was eating breakfast (after he had left for his meeting) and Glen came busting through the door with one of my shirts wrapped around his hand and very upset. I ask him what had happened and moved the shirt to see a cut in his hand that looked quite deep and had bled a lot. He was in the car and was fighting to get the back of his cell phone off and was using a knife to open it, and it slipped and got his palm. He panicked when it started to heavily bleed and grabbed one of the spare shirts that I kept in the car, wrapped it around his hand and turned around for home. I took him to a CareNow facility, but first he made me call Burnett's to say he couldn't make it, where they stitched it up for him and sent us on our way. So that put the job finding thing back a little because he had to reschedule a meeting with Burnett's. So we are hoping to hear from them soon, and in the mean time we are looking at some other avenues.

   Things are going well with my job at Nordstrom Rack, I enjoyed working in shoes but there are a lot of changes being made in the department. Our manager just moved up to be a manager in one of the full line stores, and we are losing a lot of associates. So the shoe team is hurting, I feel bad for the friends that I have made in that department; but not too bad because I am one of the ones leaving the department. I am moving to the customer service department. This will be a big blessing because I enjoy working up at customer service more, it pays more hourly, and I get a sort of commission off of every new Nordstrom Rewards account that is opened. I am hoping that this will be more enjoyable and that it will help our finances a little more. I am nervous to go up to customer service because I have never worked in a situation where there is a focus on opening up those new accounts, but in the last month or so I have opened about 8 or so just from being on the sales floor, so I think I will be okay. But I am excited too! 

   Something more exciting (for me anyways) is that in about 2 weeks I will finally be done with the treatments for my endometriosis. For those who haven't been following us from the start I will do a quick recap. I had to have surgery on the first of february because they suspected endometriosis was the cause of a lot of problems I had been having for quite some time, and really the only way to be sure that that's what it really is is through surgery. They did find some smaller spots, and some larger ones and they took care of it. But after the surgery I had to go on a round of medication that lasted six months total. It was two injections, that lasted 3 months a piece. This medication has caused quite a bit of discomfort including, but not limited to hot flashes; and hot flashes during a Texas summer is super not fun. So in two weeks or so my final injection will have worn off (or mostly anyways) and we will begin the next phase of precautions to prevent it for coming back soon. We know it will come back, but we are trying to do everything we can to hold that off as long as possible. I am excited for the hot flashes and stuff to stop, and Glen is excited for the mood swings to stop. It's win win. :) So there are a lot of big and exciting things coming our way.

   In about three weeks or so Glen and I will have been married for a year. I cannot believe it has been that long already, it still feels like yesterday. This year has been....interesting, to say the least. But we've agreed that it's been worth it. Thanks to all the wonderful friends and family who have supported us and stayed along side us through this year. Your help has not gone unnoticed and we are very appreciative.
   After that, fall semester of school starts up again and the super nerd inside of me is very excited. Especially, for my education classes. I guess that's a good sign though, considering I want to be a teacher. This semester (if all goes as planned) will be Glen's last semester, and he will graduate in December. He is very excited to be done with school and have his degree. It has definitely been a long time coming.

   Coming up this next week is my Dad's birthday. Happy birthday Daddy. Love you tons and I am so glad you were borned. ;). 

   So that's us for right now. Things are changing fast and there will be a lot coming our way this next little bit-so stay tuned!

“Use what talents you possess, the woods will be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best.” 

-Henry van Dyke

Time flies

   Man...it's amazing how time can get away from you isn't it? Well all is well here, busy but we are doing well. Glen is still working at Vandergriff Toyota, and the Spring semester is getting closer and closer to being over which I think he is excited about. After that Fall semester is his last semester, which means we will be going to Idaho in December so he can walk the stage, which I think I want him to do more than he actually wants to do it. But he's worked hard and deserves that! But I have been told that I am not allowed to make banners or engage in "whooping" of any kind. But here's the catch in that...he'll be on the stage aka in no position to stop me. :). I am still at Nordstrom Rack which is going well. It's always better when it's busy because then my shifts go by fast. It's kinda hard right now because Glen works 10 and 12 hour days, and lately by the time he gets out of work, I am only half way through my shift so we usually don't get to be back together again at the end of the day until about 11 o'clock at night. That's kind of hard, but we still have our solid weekly date nights which I think we both soak in. So we're working hard, or hardly working. I suppose that's up to your discretion. :).
   We are very excited because we have an apartment here that we will be moving into in 10 days. We are both very excited. We have been so blessed to have wonderful family that has been so willing to help us and be patient with us the past several months. But we are excited to have our own space, and give my parents back their space as well. Our apartment hunting is one more thing that tells us we are not in the "Rexburg Bubble" anymore. A lot of the housing in Rexburg has utilities included in the rent; here we are going to have the new experience of paying utility bills. I have said before and I will probably say again in the future, I am incredibly cheap. Some call it frugal, I am not afraid to admit that it is just plain cheap. So I foresee several nights of sitting in the dark (by choice). I am also a planner, sometimes to a fault. I do all my research before I make a move so I have talked to probably every electricity provider in our area for prices and all the details. I think they'll probably start to warn each other about me. But I am all for not spending anymore money than absolutely necessary. Anyways, (sorry...I got side tracked) I will be going to look at our apartment tomorrow morning to make sure all is well and good, then we will dot the i's and cross the t's and we will be all set! We are intrigued to see how our Charlie does adjusting to the new space, and the fewer number of people to play with him but we have been directed to bring him with us when we visit my parents' house. He's kind of like our baby right now. :)
   After that we will be working to save the money up to go and get our stuff from Rexburg. My dad has been awesome to volunteer is time and service to help with that. So while everyone else is looking forward to the onset of summer, we are looking forward to the end of it because that means we are all settled here in Texas and can get more normalcy which I think is exactly what we need. I will post pictures of our new place and post them at a later date.
   I am still loving my calling! Those kids are so sweet and it makes me so happy to see them so excited about the songs they're singing. This last Sunday they sang in Sacrament meeting for Father's Day and it was so fun to see how proud they were to sing to their dads! Also, in looking through the primary songs I noticed how much I loved the simplicity of the gospel principles in the primary songs. I think Heavenly Father understands that my mind works and is taught quite similarly to a child's, and I am relearning all of these sweet simple principles that I think sometimes get lost in the shuffle. 
   We looked at each other the other day and realized that we have already been married for almost a year. We can't believe how fast this year has gone. We have agreed that we have changed a lot over the last year and have loved getting to know each other, and getting used to each other.
   We are so so grateful for all of our supportive friends, and especially family. We have definitely been blessed and that is not lost on us. We're learning, working, and tryin' to have some fun in there too! We've got a lot of big stuff coming up for us and are excited for the upcoming stages of our lives together!

"We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude"

~Cynthia Ozick

Everything is looking UP :)

   I have been super slacking with this! I am sorry! I will pick up where I left off. I started my job at Nordstrom Rack and have been there for a little over a month and it is going well! I love shoes and I really enjoy working with and helping the customers. One benefit also that I hadn't thought of before was that I am constantly moving, so I get plenty of exercise. The interview that I had mentioned before did not work out like we planned...BUT "as we speak" Glen is at an orientation for his new job! He is working as a car salesman at Vandergriff Toyota. The wait on the job for him was definitely a test on our patience, but this job is without a doubt an answered prayer. Glen is a little nervous because this is something he hasn't done before, but I know that he will do great! So the next step for us is to get a little in the savings account for cushion, then move toward an apartment of our own! My parents have been awesome to let us stay here with them! We figure that Glen's first couple checks will go toward savings for an apartment, and mine will knock out some of the medical bills that we have. So we are excited to have a sense of normalcy.
   Glen is in school this semester as well (he will be a busy man!) and he is working hard and doing well. He's got three science classes that he's taking right now and that's challenging for him because both of us struggle with that kind of stuff. But we had a lot of fun working on projects for his DNA class.He had to make one out of modeling clay, and one with candy. It was a lot of fun! But he has been working very hard to keep his grades up.
   My calling is going well, I am learning different ways to teach the kids and I love doing it! I think that that has been a definite blessing.The combination of work, my calling, and trying to keep up with other stuff that I need to do combined with the medication that I am on wears me out pretty thoroughly and Glen has been very patient.
   Last weekend was my niece's birthday and I was aching to be in New York, but I got to Skype with her and my nephew and wish her happy birthday. This made it a little easier. It was also mother's day and we would like you say thank you to all the wonderful moms that we have had the privilege of having them impact our life. Particularly our moms. Thank you to all you selfless women who give everything that you have to your children, it really does make an impact. Things are looking up, and we are continually plugging away!

"If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn't lead anywhere."

-Frank A. Clark

 

Things are getting better!

   Hello, hello everyone! We will try to update you with everything that has happened since we last wrote. A lot has happened!
   I wrote last time about my Aunt Linda. She passed away the day after I wrote that post. It was and is very hard for those of us who are left behind, but there is comfort in knowing that she is with my Uncle Gary again and my Grandma Friday. Both of which she missed terribly. My sisters and I were not able to go to NY for the services but my parents were able to set up their cell phones so we could listen to the memorial service. It wasn't quite the same but we were able to be there in a smaller way. It still seems surreal that she's not here; I never realized how much I thought about her and wanting to tell or ask her something until now.
   Other than that, Glen and I are still pushing through. We have had a lot of stuff dumped on our plates the last few months but I think we are handling it pretty well. I got a calling at church which I am having so much fun with! I got called to be the Primary chorister and as I said...I am loving it! It makes me miss home sometimes because I would love to be able to do that with Justin in the primary and Lucy in the nursery. I do singing time with the junior and senior primary and the nursery kids. It's a lot of fun!
   As of Saturday at midnight the semester is over and we have a little break, which is great. It's even better because our best friend Kassy is coming for a visit. Glen is doing spring semester as well, I am focusing on working and will start school again in September. Speaking of work, Glen had an interview yesterday that he feels went really well so we are keeping our fingers crossed. I had an interview last week with Nordstrom Rack in our local mall and I just found out about an hour ago that I got the job! MY first day is Monday! We are so excited because this means we have some income that we can put into savings and that we can get into our own apartment. So now we're hoping that Glen gets one very soon because that would be amazing! So we're excited about the things coming up and there's a lot coming up for us! Thanks to all the love and support from our friends and family!
   Oh! I almost for got to introduce the new member of our family! This is our Chiweenie (part chiwawa, part doxen), Charlie!