Board Patient

Just a little bit of information. . I'm looking for a patient to take to Boise for my clinical board exam. If you know of anyone who has not been to the dentist for a while and are 18 or older let me know. The patient has to have a certain amount of tartar buildup on their teeth. So, there you have it. This is my desperate cry for help. Thanks!

Seven Layer Date!

So, yesterday was pretty fun for both Justin and I. We had a seven layer date.

1. Breakfast Crepes
2. Walk
3. Fondue with strawberries and rice crispy treats.
4. Houghts for lunch
5. Playing Cards
6. Celebrating my birthday and opening presents
7. Watched Harry Potter with popcorn.

We added another layer on Sunday. We ate enough food Saturday that we decided to put off the candle lit dinner until Sunday. We had lasagna, bread, and sparkling apple cranberry cider. I'm so grateful for Justin. He is so kind and caring. He really put forth a lot of effort to make my birthday and Valentine's Day perfect. He actually woke up earlier so he could go to the store and buy flowers and a birthday balloon before I woke up. He did so very successfully! I had no idea he left. In his effort to be really quiet and sneaky he forgot to turn off the car headlights and the battery died. So, I learned once again how to jump start my car. It was a wonderful day and we really enjoyed being together.

Junioritis and lots of work

We had the opportunity to go home a couple of weeks ago and as we were driving down the mountain we saw what looked like an ocean. It wasn't of course, but it certainly was beautiful.

So, Justin and I have been very busy. I'm taking 21 credits this term, which as proved thus far to be a challenge. A good one though. I am working towards my bachelor's degree and am so close to finishing. Since I have a few more classes to finish once I graduate from dental hygiene school I will be considered a senior after I graduate, so until then I am a junior. With graduation being so close,
I've come to the conclusion that I have a pretty bad case of Junioritis. I have approximately 52 days until I graduate, not that I'm counting. I'm really excited perhaps too excited. I keep having to remind myself of what is on my plate regularly to focus my attention back on the school work.
Justin is now working at a local car dealership during the day and doing a side job tearing up the old tile at Les Schwab after hours that will be over by the end of the week. He comes home tired and worn out with all sorts of oil stains and dirt all over him.
I'm so grateful I have Justin. He works so hard for us. We are both looking forward to life returning back to normal or as close to normal as possible.

Success!

Taking tests has never been a strong area for me. It has been a challenge for a long time and something I've been working on for a long long time. After I graduated high school and started college I started to learn better study techniques and strategies that would boost my confidence when taking a test. After seven long years I've finally figured out what it takes to do well on a test. Although I still have tests that kick me in the pants I am getting better. This new discovery has led to my current success. In the beginning of December I took my Dental Hygiene National Board Exam. It was the hardest test I've ever taken but it is the most important test I'll take in my life. I recently got my results and Success! I passed the exam with an 83%! I feel so blessed and know that I had help from Heaven.

Spontaneous

This winter has been crazy already. I remember as a kid I loved the snow and wanted it to snow all the time. Well, the past year I made up for all of the snow I missed as a kid by moving to La Grande. It was a bad winter last year and I thought it couldn't get any worse. Boy was I wrong! On Thursday Audrey and I went to watch my sister's kids for a birthday get away for Kevin. The drive was slow, but we were able to get to our destination safely. Justin returned home to La Grande to work for a few more days.
Originally our plan was to drive to Portland on Saturday morning. Well, at around 10:30 at night (Friday night) I was saying goodnight to Justin on the phone. While we were on the phone Justin's mom called with great worries about the weather. She just heard a report that gorge was going to get up to 3 feet of snow in the next day and advised us to get on the road pronto. Being young and lively we decided to start our journey to Portland at 12am. Mind you the drive from Boardman is about 2 and a half hours away from Portland. We told Kim about our change of plans and the three of us stayed up until Justin arrived in Boardman at 2am. It was enjoyable and good sister bonding time. Even Cedar decided to join us wide awake at 1:30am. We watched a movie and talked and just enjoyed the time together.
We left Boardman optimistic and excited for our journey. About 30 minutes into the drive we saw hazard lights flashing and a white pickup truck that was spun out and in the ditch. Justin being the good man that he is pulled over and stopped. Turned out it was two men who were from Africa who recently moved here from Florida . Justin said they were very nice and very willing to do anything in the freezing weather to help improve their situation. We were anxious to get back on the road. Especially Justin.
As the trip continued we FINALLY arrived in The Dalles to get gas. As we were pulling away from the gas station Audrey had turned around and noticed the gas attendant flagging us down. Much to our dismay we had a flat tire. Justin put some air in with high hopes that we would be able to make it to Portland with little trouble. Unfortunately, Justin had to brave the wind and snow again and changed the tire. Keep in mind our trunk was full and the spare was under all of our stuff. 20 minutes later we were back on the road. I'm so grateful that Justin is so handy. I would have died if I had to change a tire with the weather it was. We got on the road again only going about 25mph. It was very slow going but we finally rolled into Portland at 7am exhausted, hungry, and relieved.
It was a very exciting experience and we are grateful we came when we did because the weather has gotten worse. The wind is blowing, snow is falling, and we are offically tired of snow. We feel blessed that we arrived safely and that we were all able to stay awake and keep one another company for our spontaneous trip.

Snow.. . snow. . . snow and the Polar Express

Ethan looking so grown up!

Trying to stay warm. You'd think the Polar Express would have been warm!
Looking out the window
All smiles!
The Train
The View
Justin and I
Justin and I freezing our toes off!

Today we had the opportunity to go on a train ride (aka "Polar Express") with Kim and Kevin and the kids. It was a lot of fun! The ride was slow and cold but the company and view was great. The weather happened to change so snow covered the area.

So Excited!

The first of four pieces of Pumpkin Pie . . My weakness
Justin didn't get his after Thanksgiving meal nap. . so he's a little sleepy
The guilty ones. . You better watch your glass or else.
The full dinner table
Being protective of our glasses of water.
Unfortunately, not protective enough. Notice the colorful glob in my glass.
The Final product!!! It only took FOREVER because we had to wait until Monday to buy a new tree stand because in our anxious attempt to set the tree up on Sunday we broke the tree stand.
SO. . . . this little tree had to be a substitute for the night. :)
In Justin's words "That looks sick"
Snowmen taking over the entertainment center.

Take two. . .
Our first Christmas tree. . . Can't you tell we're excited!?
Again Justin's words "I did that". . I'm so proud!


Making sure it is the right sizeNotice anything missing. . .it's my stocking. . unfortunately it is in Philomath with Mom and Dad. :(


This Thanksgiving Justin and I went to Portland for our Dinner. We sat at a very long table that was full of food and family. It was a new experience for me not being home with my immediate family, but still a very enjoyable experience. I don't think I have seen so many rolls chucked across the table and jello in the water. After dinner Justin and James went to set up Nonnie's Christmas tree. I don't think everything was even cleared from the table.

The day after Thanksgiving we decided to stay in bed longer instead of doing the early shopping routine. After we got going, Justin and I went with his family and got our first Christmas tree as a married couple. It was a lot of fun and brought back fond memories of cutting down our family Christmas tree on the farm when I was young. We brought our tree 260 miles to La Grande and set it up in our apartment. Justin and I both love Christmas so we pulled out all of our decorations and put them on as many surfaces we could find in our apartment. We are so excited for Christmas!