Labor Day

Jason and I had a good week. It was nice to have Labor Day off from school, but we really spent the day laboring. We spent the morning rearranging the furniture in our apartment so we could have the desk out in the front room where the new internet connection is located. It looked like deceptively simple job--one of those jobs that looks like it will take an hour and then takes three more. Needless to say, a lot of places got vacuumed, dusted, and cleaned that hadn’t been in more than a year. We actually moved almost every piece of furniture in the apartment before we finally found a way that we liked, and that way required us to take the top of the desk off so it wouldn’t block the kitchen. The top of the desk has now become a wobbly shelf in our room and to conserve space we stacked two bed tables on top of each other. You can look at the pictures to see what I’m talking about. The rest of the day was dedicated to laundry, work, and homework, with FHE to finish off the day.Stacked tablesComputer desk in front room

Classes are going well so far, but Jason and I often feel overwhelmed with the responsibilities we have with school and work and feeling behind. It can be discouraging at times, but we both try to make a little time to spend together every day which is nice.

Friday we went to a Stake Barbeque and Saturday Jason babysat a little girl in our ward while I went to an aerobics class and then to a get-together with some friends. Jason is going to be a great dad with all the practice he gets babysitting. ☺ We also watched most of the BYU game which had some really great plays as well.

Today was busy with meetings, church, and visiting teaching. We went to the CES fireside given by Elaine Dalton, the YW General President at the Marriott Center. It was so powerful! A really great choir sang the opening and closing songs so powerfully and Sister Dalton gave a very motivating talk about our responsibility to lead the nations in a return to Virtue. I felt the Spirit so strongly almost the entire time, more strongly and for a longer period of time than I have for a while. I’m so glad that we went and that we saw it in the Marriott Center. It was a very memorable experience.

Go BYU!

Well, I definitely think the big news for the week is the BYU win over Oklahoma yesterday. I don’t ever remember BYU feeling so much like a “college town” as it did yesterday. We watched the game over at Jeff and Sally’s new home in North Provo after helping them do some cleaning and such. I didn’t think BYU would do very well and was possibly thinking about coming home early to get some things done at our apartment. Well, it turned out to be a very exciting game with a very happy ending and there was lots of cheering going on not only at the house, but all over Provo. We drove home shortly after the game and people were honking and yelling and cheering for hours afterwards. Almost every car we drove by would greet up with a honk and we would honk back, or we would honk at people walking around outside and they would cheer. Jason especially liked it and wasn’t afraid to do a lot of honking. ☺ It was fun!

Yesterday morning Jason also went riding dirt bikes with his dad in Santaquin. Fortunately Jason listened to me when I told him to be careful and not get hurt, and I think he only came home with a blister, so that’s good.

Friday night we went to the dollar theatre to see the movie Up. Neither one of us knew anything about it but we both liked it even though it was kind of sad. That was the second movie we’d ever seen in the theatres together which represents about ¼ of the movies we watched the rest of the year. For anyone who knows Jason, that’s about a 400% increase in watching movies just from being married. ☺ That’s how I know he loves me. ☺

We also just finished our first week of school, although with the number of classes Jason attended, I think he can count his as two weeks of school. ☺ Unfortunately that means he didn’t have time to do much homework, so Chelsey is definitely beating him in the number of hours spent doing homework so far, but if I had a backpacking and scuba diving class, I wouldn’t mind doing my homework either. ☺

I think Jason is finally settled on which classes to take for the semester, which can be a really stressful thing when you can’t predict the workload. In fact, he’s been trying to make a lot of big decisions regarding post graduation stuff so please keep him in your prayers as someone who needs a lot of guidance right now.

I’m only taking two classes this semester, a programming class, and a principles of learning class. Fortunately I know a lot about principles of learning, but I know practically nothing about programming, so maybe it will be a good balance. I’m also teaching the Educational Psychology class again and then spending as much time as I can writing my proposal so I can work on my project. Some days I wish I could just get a master’s degree without doing a big project or thesis paper!

Yummy Dinners

Today is the first day of Fall semester and all the cars parked on the streets and college students wandering around is reminding me that summer really is over. We had a lot of new couples move into our ward. It’s been kind of sparse during the spring and summer, but apparently there were 17 new couples in the new member meeting today, that’s literally 1/5 of the ward that came for the first time today, not the mention the many others couples that have moved in all summer long. I am especially happy that today was our last day on the 1:00-4:00 block of church meetings. Next week we get to meet at 10:30 with Sacrament Meeting as the first meeting. Hooray!

Well, the last few weeks can be characterized by the meals we’ve shared with people.
Aug. 15 We went to Jason’s cousin Nick Janzen’s wedding luncheon in Bountiful with Mom B., and Dad B. The Luncheon was great and afterwards we went and did proxy sealings in the Salt Lake Temple while we waited for Nick to be sealed by Grandpa Richards. The live sealing was such a great reminder of own sealing especially since Grandpa Richards also sealed us and gave some similar counsel to Nick and Mandy.

Aug. 17 Kristilyn, James, and Grant came to visit us in Provo. We played at Kiwanis Park for a little while and then ate Jamba Juices for lunch. Yum!
Aug. 19 My high school friend Marilee and her boyfriend Devon came to our apartment for dinner while they were here visiting for Education Week. I hadn’t seen Marilee since Christmas, so it was fun to catch up with her before she starts teaching another semester at BYUI.

Aug. 22 Jason and I drove to Midway to have dinner with my MTC companion Tosha and her husband Lance and two daughters. We enjoyed catching up and seeing their nice home. On the drive out there I was asking Jason, “Why would anyone live in Midway?” I got my answer. It’s beautiful and friendly and more quiet than the nearby cities. After visiting I decided I wouldn’t mind living there myself. Tosha started making her own mineral make-up and gave me some free samples to try. It’s good stuff. I’m pretty impressed at how good it looks.

Aug. 23 We attended the Oquirrh Mountain Temple Dedication that morning. What a blessing to have so many temples so close by and be reminded of their great power over evil and blessing to both the living and the dead. We had dinner that night with Jason’s former roommate Jeff Pickerd. He fed us a delicious Spaghetti and Meatball dinner and we were reminded that we are so glad we are married and not in the dating scene anymore!

Aug. 25 I drove up to Salt Lake and visited my parents. I taught my mom how to use the blog I set up for them and was able to get them a better external drive to save all their pictures and family picture files.

Aug. 27 We had my friend Sara Moulton over for dinner since she was roommate-less inbetween semesters. She is always welcome to eat dinner with us. Jason and I owe her big time for introducing us. ☺
Aug. 28 We ate smores roasted on a fire up Hobble Creek Canyon with our ward. We camped over night and had a tough time staking our tent in the rocky soil. Fortunately a couple people volunteered their hammers and our wonderful Home Teacher spent quite a while hammering away. It is soooooo nice to be in the mountains. It is one of my favorite places and even though we didn’t get to stay long, it was a nice way to end the summer.

Aug. 29 Saturday Keith, Kim, Talisa, and Kira came to visit us in Provo. We ate a yummy dinner and played a game of Dominion before they had to leave. It was fun to have them visit and see our apartment. Hopefully the traffic jam they were in won’t dissuade them from coming again. ☺

Aug. 30 Today Jason and I went to Mom and Dad B.’s house for dinner and a Father’s Blessing for Jason. We couldn’t stay very long, but dinner was very yummy and his dad gave Chelsey and Jason very nice blessings.

I’m grateful for email, phones, instant messaging, etc, but I’m very grateful to live close to family and friends so we can have face-to-face visits and sharing food, friendship, and stories.

Fun Weekend

This past Friday Jason took me to see Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat put on at the Scera Park Outdoor Theatre. We sat on a blanket outside and played card games and Frisbee while we waited for it to begin. I really like the original music, and they took some creative liberties in remixing some of the songs to be country style, rock style, Caribbean style, etc. It definitely wasn’t traditional, but it was still fun.

Saturday we went rock climbing with my friend April at Rock Canyon park. Jason and I both did two climbs of about 35 ft or so and my muscles definitely felt it the next few days. It was kind of a chilly morning, but it was so nice to be up out of the valley and have some time to catch up with April. Rock climbing helps me remember how often we are put in situations that seem almost impossible, and yet with a fair amount of encouragement from those around us and the security of being supported from “above,” we can accomplish much more and reach great heights than we ever could alone.

Mountain Climbing

So, my friend Sara and I found a new way to mountain climb today. Sara had major hip surgery in April and has been on crutches for the last three months. Since I know Sara loves to be active but hasn't been able to do much since her surgery, I decided to take her "mountain climbing" to celebrate her birthday. We went to Sundance and took a scenic lift ride up to the top of the mountain and back. They let us get off half way and walk around. The mountains are so beautiful! We had a great time and didn't have to do too much walking or climbing.

Dallin's Baptism

A few weeks ago our nephew, Dallin, got baptized by his dad, the Bishop. It’s been a few years since I’ve been to a baptism, and I really enjoyed this one. It was short, sweet, and spiritual. I played the piano during the prelude, interlude, and postlude, and it gave me some time to reflect on the simple truths and gift given to us at our baptism and confirmation. It reminded me again of how perfect the church and this gospel is and what a blessing baptism is to give us a fresh start on life.

That weekend was busy for Jeff and Sally because after the baptism and confirmation on Thursday, they had things packed and Jason and their ward helped them move to a new house in Orem. I was over there for a while at the beginning, but it looked like they were in such good hands, there didn’t seem to be a lot for me to do. They had to be out of their house by Saturday, especially since they had already planned several months ago to go on a two-week trip to Italy the next day. I’ve heard the new house is beautiful, but I haven’t seen it yet myself.

Pioneer Day/ Family Reunions

Last Monday after class Jason and I went over to my friend Nicky Burgoyne Smith’s to have dinner/ FHE with her and her new husband Rob. We had a good time talking. Rob made pizza, Jason gave the lesson, we played a scripture game, and then had doughnut holes for dessert. It was a fun evening.

Thursday I didn’t go to class so we could go to an extended Rasband family get together in Lindon. We went to a family complex where the families put their backyards together and built a play land suite that had a nice swimming pool, sports court, soccer fields, batting cages, racquetball courts, miniature golf, swing set, and ride-able train. We had a delicious potluck dinner and played a lot, including swimming, batting, basketball, etc. It was a very fun evening and great to see my cousins, aunts, and uncles.

Friday was Pioneer Day. We played tennis in the morning and then went to Mom and Dad Burningham’s house around lunchtime. Uncle Scott, Aunt Maryann, and their two boys came to visit from Florida. We had a fun time talking and then pulled out the giant slip n’slide in the backyard. I may be biased, but I thought Jason was the best slider. ☺

Close to dinner we drove to West Jordan to have dinner with my family. We ate a delicious chicken dinner and I tried to entertain the kids while Jason played Dominion with Keith, Katrina, and Neal. After Keith and his family left, we put Daniel and Anna to bed and then played Five Crowns and had popcorn and root beer floats.

Jason and I spent the night there so we could save some driving time. Saturday morning my mom gave Jason and I some money to go buy some balls and sports equipment since our house was noticeably lacking in the ball area. We had a blast and came home with a basketball, soccer ball, Frisbee, baseball set, and a few soft, bouncy balls to throw around. It will be fun to play with the little kids outside now.

Next we went with Neal and Katrina and Mom and Dad to the Museum of Ancient Life at Thanksgiving Point. It is huge! I’ve been there before, but I was still amazed at how big it was. It was fun to see the dinosaur skeletons and there was tons of hands-on stuff for Daniel to play with.

From Thanksgiving Point we drove back to the Burninghams and took a little rest before we headed back to an extended Burningham Family reunion in Sandy with Grandpa Burningham’s brothers and sisters and their families. I saw a whole lot of people that I didn’t know! It was fun to meet them though, and we heard some of the genealogy of Thomas Burningham from England, and that was cool.

Sunday, after our block of meetings, were back in West Jordan for the final dinner before Katrina and Neal went back to New York. It was a nice evening, and we even squeezed in one last game of Dominion.

All in all, it has been a very fun-filled, and family-filled month of July. We spent at least one night away from our apartment every weekend in July and spent between 2-4 days a week with family every week. I don’t know how I’ve been keeping up with full-time school and part-time work as well as I have. August will be dedicated to catching up on a few things before Fall semester starts and finding out what has happened to all my friends. It’s hard to believe that my last day of class for Summer term is next week.

Happy Birthday to Katrina tomorrow and Happy ½ Birthday to me!