A Quarter Dead

This post is a tribute to my hunk of lovely husband. Oh how I love him. Leading up to his birthday, Heath kept saying how old he was getting. 25 doesn't seem too old to me...what is he going to think when he's 40?? I often heard, "Wife, I'll be a quarter dead!" He keeps me laughing- I love it:)

I wanted to make his birthday this year all about football because starting in July I heard how excited he was for college football. We had many conversations about the coming season (Conversation meaning- I just listened to him talk about all the new recruits Utah had and their chances in the PAC 12). I couldn't think of a better gift for him than Ute tickets.

For his birthday I made him a football cake and hid the tickets inside. I was so excited for him to cut into his cake- far more excited than he was. It was much more difficult than I thought it would be, especially after a big dinner at the Olive Garden. After several hours I got him to cut us a couple of pieces. He found the tickets and was completely surprised or at least put on a good show that he was.

The game was a blast just like the last year and a half have been. I love this guy so much. He is my best friend. And I keep learning more reasons why I love him as time goes on- He makes life fun. He honors his priesthood. He loves hard work. He does the dishes and helps me cook dinner when my prego belly is killing my back. He makes the best out of less than ideal situations. He is a big goof and makes me laugh every day. He can make a stranger a friend in 10 seconds or less. He goes swimming and does relay triathlons with me even though he really doesn't like it. He loves cows for some odd reason. He patiently puts up with and even tries to understand my crazy emotions. He genuinely cares about other people. He won't let me burp at the dinner table. He is beyond excited to be a dad. He has a firm faith in our Savior and His gospel. I couldn't be happier knowing I get to be with him even after he's a century dead. I love you Guap.

This post may be rated PG-13 due to cheesy mushiness. Read at your own discretion and with a barf bag if needed.

Babies!

My new niece Emily Ann Hatch was born a few weeks ago and I got to spend a few days at Bec's to help her out. I am completely in love with her perfect lips. She is adorable! Being around a newborn really got me excited and freaked out all at once.

My pregnancy has gone by so fast! 2 1/2 months to go! Reality is starting to sink in for us both. Heath often tells me in an endearing way- "Wife, you're getting so chubby!" He tells me its a compliment....ha. I really have been pretty lucky while being pregnant. Most days I feel pretty good. I love feeling my little buddy wiggle around. Some days I don't think he quits moving. I can't wait for him to get here!!

Becoming Adults...

Ending the AgGie chapter of our lives was an exciting, but sad day for us. We loved attending school at USU, made great friends, and had a too many fun memories to count- motorcycle rides up Logan Canyon, Aggie ice cream dates, games with the Reach's mattress sledding down Old Main with the Oldroyd's, Intramurals, camp fires with the Schmidt's and Prettyman's, and of course Aggie Basketball games! Logan will always be our favorite place. Graduating together made the event twice as memorable.

Graduation clearly wasn't enough excitement for us. The Monday following the big event, while packing up to move, we find our I was pregnant!!! We were overwhelmed with pure joy and unbelief at the same time. Not only was it time to step into the "real" world, but time for us to become parents. Getting a bachelors degree was a great accomplishment and something I knew Heavenly Father was pleased with, but knowing I would be a mother in 9 months felt like a much more important step in my life.

As summer began, so did our many many applications for teaching jobs for Heath. He interviewed with Evanston, WY, Park City High School, and Hillcrest High School. One Friday two more middle schools called to set up interviews, but less than an hour later Hillcrest HS called Heath and offered him the job, on condition he would be the assistant baseball coach. We had a couple of hours to decide. Talk about sincere praying and fast decision making. We felt really good about it, so we accepted the job.

It was a testimony to me that Heavenly Father had his hand it the matter. I know it was no coincidence. Its tough for first year teachers to get jobs with the current budget cuts etc. The principles he interviewed with knew one of his professors who wrote him an excellent letter of recommendation, and thought very highly of her. The school also needed a baseball coach. Things seemed to fit right into place. I'm so grateful for the direction we can receive from a loving Father. I know we will be relying on it daily in the coming years.

Year One

Our first year of marriage has flown by! But not without some great memories, challenging trials, and huge decisions...

June = We spent our honeymoon in San Diego. A Padres vs. Cardinals baseball game, Old Town, San Diego Temple, Sea World, and Huntington Beach created our first memorable vacation together. We loved every minute of it!

July & August = For the summer we lived in my sister-in-law's basement where she teaches preschool. Heath was never board with all the toys around and I loved my frequent visits from my best buds Brie and Easton. Those visits meant evenmore after I was stuck in bed for six weeks after double knee surgery. It wasn't my first choice to spend my summer crippled with fat black and blue knees, but I became so grateful for the amazing bodies our H eavenly Father has blessed us with and the incredible medical technology we have access to.

September & October =We moved back to Logan to finish our final year of school! No True Blooded Aggie could have asked for a better start to their senior year than by beating BYU in football. Who would have thought?! We had a great apartment- with a huge park for a front yard and two blocks from campus.

November & December = Birthdays, Weddings, and our first Christmas filled these months. Heath turned 24 (which he says sounds so old... I wonder what he'll say when he's 34.) I sent him on a huge scavenger hunt all around Logan to our favorite places. When he got home I surprised him with a candle-lit pizza dinner. I think I had more fun with it than he did:) On Nov 6th Katie and Trent got hitched. Katie was drop dead gorgeous! and Im s o happy Trent can keep Heath humble with our bowling and ping pong matches.

January-March = After starting our last semester we decided we were sick of the miserable Logan winter so we took off on a cruise to Ensanada, Mexico with the Hammonds and Heath's parents! It was the first time I've celebrated my birthday in 80 degree weather and the first time Heath put on weight since we've been married. I thought the ship was going to run out of shrimp cocktails because of him. After returning we were back to internships and student-teaching. Heath taught two Spanish classes and one ESL class at Mtn Crest HS and I worked in the counseling center at a junior high in Richmond.

April = Spring break came just in time before we went crazy with papers and more papers and lesson plans. We loaded up our little civic and headed to Arches National Park and Goblin Valley. The arches were amazing as always, Heath experienced his second slot canyon hike, and we tried playing hide n' seek among the goblins.