Back! And Better Than Ever

    Hello blogging world! I've had several requests (?complaints) the a new blog post was in order. And what's a people pleasing girl, like myself, gonna do with her unhappy public?! So as per request, this is your delivery.
Since my last post (in October, which I admit myself is rather shameful) I've:

- Finished my education!

The exams stressed me pretty much to the max, but I pulled through and am now proud to call myself a Sonographer. I started work at Canada Diagnostic Centres and am absolutely loving it. The people I work with are great, the hours are amazing, its awesome to finally be getting paid for what I was doing anyway! All around win!

I wrote my Canada board exams shortly after starting (results aren't in yet so the celebration isn't official yet!)

-I went home                                                                                                                                     

It is always so wonderful after a long stretch of being away from family to go home. Got some quality time in with the sibs and just chilled after a really rough couple of cramming weeks.

My daddy and I went for a bike ride (it has been years since I've hopped on one of those contraptions). And he totally whipped my tush up those hills. We all got alcatraz Pj's for Christmas. Momma's a talented woman. (who is mightily enjoying that choke hold of Dad's)

We made the Nativity scene out of gingerbread men. See my life-like recreation of Lulu!

-I got laser eye surgery!                                                                                                                

Poor mom was a personal taxi for weeks. I had my eyes done and was an invalid for days and Clayton had his wisdom teeth out within a week of my surgery.

And I could sugar coat it, but I'm not going to. It was painful. I could not open my eyes for a day and couldn't tolerate light for 3. But I'm happy now. I love waking up and looking at my clock at the other side of the room and knowing what time it is. Or getting up and just going, falling asleep and not having to take contacts out, not having to pack contacts, solution, case and glasses when I go somewhere over night. Awesome.

                                  

I'm still with that cute-looking blonde boy.

                                       These are the flowers he bought me when I was feeling sad

These are the flowers he bought me when I finished my board exams and surprised me by sneaking into my house and leaving them on my desk

These ones are for Valentines day. 

And I didn't snap a shot of the beautiful white lilies he got me after I finished my Provincial board exams.

He came out for a visit during the break. 19 hours on a greyhound bus, folks! He is a trooper! I picked him up at 4:30 AM the morning he got in. And we had a blast! Going to the movies, sight seeing, visiting Vancouver, going on the skytrain, shopping in the states!

Apparently we also ate a lot of food. This would explain why he's now put P90X on my desktop. Subtle, Hun.

And so when a boy buys you so many flowers and spends prolonged periods of time on a bus, endangering his neck to the crazies who ride it, just to see you, there are certain consequences.

- I got engaged                                                                                                                                 

Vancouver Temple May 9th 2014. 

NBD

That has been a wild, crazy, frustrating experience! And to all those girls who have had a binder of the wedding they've wanted since they were 6. Let me tell you now, you've forgot something! There's no way the human mind can possibly think of all the things you will actually need at one time! Sheesh!

But it's also a crazy amount of fun. This past weekend we got the bridesmaid dresses.

And if we were going for a 60's theme this would have been perfect. Pictures of the real deal will be released after May 9th. You can bite your fingernails until then! And I might borrow yours too, cause I don't have any more fingernails to bite!

                                                                

Adventures in BC

   Although I'm glad my program is condensed and I get to graduate early I'm also kind of sad I didn't get to spend all my summer at home. I did get to go back for a couple of weeks though. Maybe it makes me appreciate it more. I had such a good time seeing friends, new babies, and family.

Leaving Edmonton was great. I love flying. Not so much the airports, the boarding and the layovers. But the taking off and looking out the window, trying to figure out how they made all the lots so square on the ground. I think the thing I miss the most about BC is the mountains. When people from the prairies drive through the mountain passes lots of them say how closed in they feel. I understand that. I like the open skies of Alberta  and how you look until you can see fields meet the sky. But the mountains are so comforting to me. I don't feel so much closed in as I feel protected and secured by them. Besides, nothing can beat the way a sunrise looks on a mountain.

I had more scenic adventures on the ground too. I remember when I moved to BC from Saskatoon. And for the longest time I was almost resentful of how beautiful everyone kept telling me it was. I wasn't going to be happy no matter what this new place looked like, because it wasn't my home. Now that I'm back on the prairies I long for the rivers, trees and mountains because now they feel like home. Cruel joke, eh?

   It was a relief to not study at all while I was at home. Definitely burning out quicker each semester as I come to the end of this program. I had to find some way to fill all that time I would have spent studying. So I took advantage of the counter space and baked. I made pumpkin marble cheese cake, red velvet cookies with cream cheese icing filling, wayy too many doggy cupcakes for the ward Elder's quorum for father's day and a delicious carrot cake for my brother's birthday.

I got home at the perfect time. Two days before my little brother graduated. Kind of hard to believe. It was a long, long ceremony but I was glad to be there.

   I went out to an Asian night market. There were some crazy things there. Mostly a lot of  food I've never seen before. I almost bought this really cool necklace until one of the booth owners told me it was a belt. Yep, I'm one of those silly white girl tourists. Well at least then no one would have had the same necklace as me.

I got to see a few of my friends. But mostly I was around home just spending quality time with my family. Mom and I did handwork together. My brothers got me hooked on a zombie show. Still at a loss to how that happened. My dad took me out on Daddy daughter date for the first time in years. And we played cards with Grandma. I can't believe how she sold me out in hearts. The important thing is that I still won :P

It was too short, like it always is. But I'll be looking forward to when I get to go home again for Christmas. Only 168 days left!