School, and Starting a Family (sorry, no pictures)

So, after we got back from our camping trip we started yet another year at school here at BYU-Idaho in Rexburg. It was to be my last semester, and I applied for graduation in December. Richard would have one more year. Early in October, I had a suspicion that I was pregnant, so I went to the store and picked up a cheap pregnancy test. Well, I don't recommend the equate brand even if it is cheaper, because after two unsuccessful tries, getting unreadable results, I finally just went down to the health center and for two dollars (which was cheaper still) I found out for sure that I was indeed pregnant. That was our 8 month anniversary. I put off graduating for insurance purposes, and took a few classes that Winter. Richard took on a few more responsibilities working two jobs on campus (as a TA in the English dept. and a tutor in the reading lab) and going to school full time. It was a long, cold winter. We did however get to celebrate our one year anniversary in a special way. First, we did sealings in the IF Temple, which was really special, and Then we splurged and spent a night at Destinations Inn in Idaho Falls. It's a really cool place with themed suites; each one based on a popular place like The Congo, Arabia, NY, England, Egypt, Alaska, Thailand, etc. I picked Venice, Italy. It was so neat! They really went all out with the decorations. There was a water feature in our room! Half the floor was under two inches of water, with a gondola shaped hot tub in the middle of it. On the far side surrounded by murals was a little veranda with a wrought iron table and chairs where they left us a bottle of sparkling cider and some cheesecake. On the other side of the room was a raised structure resembling a famous bridge in Italy where there was a king sized four-poster from which we could watch a movie on a huge drop down screen with a projector. There was also an aromatherapy steam shower, but since I was 5 mos. pregnant, I couldn't use it. The next morning, they brought breakfast to our door of parfaits and huge fresh cinnamon rolls. It was great! We figured we needed to do this before it got too late, (i.e. kids coming along, tight budget, etc.) and I'm glad we did. When school got out in April, we had some free time and we spent a week watching Richard's sister's four boys for a week while she and her husband went on a much deserved cruise. I was seven months pregnant, and this was no easy task, but it proved to be a defining moment in our marriage. It was really hard, and yet it taught us more about ourselves than we could ever imagine. It was so good for our marriage, and we grew immensely. After that, Richard had to go back to Jackson for work and I was stuck here all alone in Rexburg to be close to my doctors. Luckily I had family nearby. I was very grateful especially when I got put on bed-rest for my high blood pressure. It was a little nerve wracking having Richard so far away, but everything worked out in the end.

Our First Camping Trip

At the end of the summer, we decided to do something Richard had never done, and I had never done on my own. We went backpacking. We went to Green Lakes which is just outside of Grand Teton National Park, but you start near Driggs and head up and over the mountains. It's about 6 miles in and then 6 miles back going up to 9,000 ft above sea level. It was very tiring, but it was so beautiful. When we got to the lake it was so picturesque, just like a post card. It was perfect! After setting up camp, we walked all the way around the lake. It was small, and surrounded on one side by pine trees, but it was a deep blue and had nice sized fish in it. That was another thing we did. We got fishing licenses (making Richard the first person in his family to own a fishing license), plus a pole and a few lures, and on the second day there we fished for our supper. The weather was beautiful! We set up a hammock between two trees by the lake, and took turns reading or napping while the other person went out and fished. While we were together, Richard caught the first fish in the morning, a nice 12 incher, and I showed him how to kill it and put it on a stick for carrying. After lunch, I went out alone and caught a 14 in cutthroat trout. Then just after that, Richard went out again and caught a 11 incher. We could have fished all day, but we decided that that was enough for one meal, and so we quit. Richard cleaned his own fish all by himself and we made a deal, that from then on if I would kill them, he would clean them. (He didn't like the killing part). Still was extremely fun, and the fish were delicious! We just wrapped them in tinfoil with a bit of lemon pepper
and threw them on a bed of coals. Mmmmm! Before bed, we had to make sure our camp was completely clean and our packs were tied up in the trees so that bears wouldn't be attracted. We were deep in bear country, but luckily we didn't run into any. The nights were cold, but we learned fast to bundle up in lots of layers. In the mornings we would start a fire again and have hot chocolate with our oatmeal. I wish we could have stayed longer, but we had to get back and get ready for school to start.

Our First Summer Together

So after our wedding in the middle of the semester (which I don't recommend) we finished out the school year, and Richard got us hooked up with a job in Jackson Hole, WY. He had worked there the previous Summer and they were happy to have him come back, and happy to offer me the job as well. The job, though not exactly glamorous, still made us feel like we were making a difference. It was weed control for the county. We would go around spraying noxious and invasive weeds alongside the roads, rivers, and sometimes on the elk reserve. It was tough work, but it payed well, and the scenery was beautiful. Honestly, if your going to have to work outside all day, there's no better place than Jackson. Plus, they gave us a place to live, free of rent, just a few blocks from the main square there in town. It was great. The best thing though was getting to work together, seeing each other in a completely different context and learning to get along. It was actually really fun. We had a lot of time together to get to know each other better and work out any problems. We also made a lot of memories. Mostly ones of broken down trucks, climbing steep hills, finding reward weeds, seeing really cool animals like huge moose, eagles, hawks, osprey, buffalo, coyotes, marmots, snakes, deer, elk, squirrels, frogs, and a really cute weasel. While we were there, we had a lot of money as well so we got to do some fun things like riding the ski lift up to the top of snow king mountain, and going to fancy restaurants.

In the beginning. . .

So, this is our first blog and I've decided to start from the beginning. (Beware, this may be a long one.)
Richard and I met on Valentines day at a ward Valentines activity in 2005. Our singles ward decided to have an activity where all the girls brought a blanket and set it out on the gym floor, picnic style, and then left the room. The guys then came bringing some kind of treat, and randomly picked a blanket. It just so happened that Richard picked my blanket! We had never even seen each other before this, and so we spent the time getting to know each other. It was amazing how well we got along. When the activity turned into a dance, I mentioned how much I disliked dancing, Richard agreed, and so we willfully rebelled together (things like that are easier in numbers) and just sat there talking for the rest of the evening. Finally after weeks of just saying hello in the halls and such, Richard finally got up the courage to ask for my number. His hand was shaking as he wrote down my number, and I thought it was so cute. A few days later, (actually the day I before I left to go home for the summer, we went out on a double date with his friend Mike and his sister Elisabeth (who were not dating, but the other girl had canceled last minute). After the date Richard got my email address and we emailed back and forth all summer, with a few visits, and a whitewater rafting trip with my family. Then when I came back to school in the Fall, we never had a day where we didn't see each other, and finally on my birthday, Nov. 18th, after a trip to the temple, he asked me to marry him. It was so sweet . . . him kneeling in the parking lot, having arranged for his brother to put the ring under our car . . . I won't go into all the details. But I must say . . . that was our first kiss --neither of us having kissed anyone else, and though we weren't very good at it, we both looked forward to practicing. :)

We got married on February 18th 2006 in the Timpanogos Temple in Utah. We had the reception the night before in Mapleton Utah, and it was so beautiful, and so laid back. I would recommend to everyone to have the reception the night before if at all possible. I had all morning to relax and pamper myself, taking my own sweet time to get ready, and my family had plenty of time to prepare for the party. They are so wonderful! It turned out more beautiful than I could ever imagine! That evening Richard and I parted, which was no big deal since that's what we always did, and then the next morning we went to the Temple and were sealed for time and eternity together. It was so special.













After pictures and a small luncheon with close family members and friends, we were off on our honeymoon, rested and with the whole day ahead of us!

We rented a cabin in Eastern Utah, near Duchesne, and spent the President's day weekend there. It was great. We even got out and hiked around the rock formations nearby.