So... my computer is on the fritz. Hence, no recent blog updates. Sorry. There's the apology. I was doing so well there for a while because I made a bunch of posts and scheduled them to publish once a day. Genius!! Right now my monitor will only stay on for 7-15 minutes however which is not long enough to do much of anything. Hopefully we can get it fixed soon but I thought I'd tell you all about something super exciting that I can't believe I haven't posted earlier!!
I know I've already told a few people but I also wanted to write this down for memory's sake. Back in July Justin was invited to give a talk at Agilent, a chemical company in San Jose, CA. Awesome!! I have never heard of a grad student being invited to do anything like this. A woman who is in charge of a research group at this CA location heard about Justin's research which is similar to her own work. Not only did they pay for him to fly out and give a talk but they've offered to help fund some of Justin's research, like sending samples and what-not. Seriously, this is super cool! So Justin flew out on a Tuesday and was supposed to be back the next afternoon but after his talk they asked him if he could stay longer! He must have really impressed them :) He ended up meeting with the guy who oversees the entire San Jose location who said they would be very interested in interviewing Justin for a job as he gets closer to graduating!! Woot!! San Jose is in the Bay Area and if you recall from our first anniversary trip to San Francisco, I love that place!! I'm still excited about this! My husband is amazing!!!! It's good to know that other people recognize this as well :)
Oh and speaking of anniversaries, I never posted about out trip to Lake Tahoe this year. When my monitor gets fixed and I can see the pictures on a screen again I'll be sure to get that one done. Tahoe is gorgeous!!
I'm trying to put some other posts in along with all these "Things" that are mostly text. The best thing about blogs are the pictures! So here are some random shots of our summer.
This is how Justin and I compromise. I hate cooking! I mean, really hate it. So we eat bean burros a lot. Or Justin helps me in the kitchen. I do the prep work and he stands at the stove. Here we are making arroz chaufa for dinner. If you haven't tried it yet, it's in the family cookbook!! And it's delicious :)
He cooks! He cleans! Well he tries to clean. I'm super picky. He's still perfect :)
Earlier this summer Justin wasn't feeling very well. For like a month. I was surprised he never felt up to biking so I went out by myself. Apparently this is a bad idea. I fell. Twice. These took a long time to heal.
When Justin felt up to it we went on a super long bike ride with his dad. Unfortunately the first half of the trail was washed out or super soft, meaning you couldn't get traction. This is the dirtiest I've ever been on a bike ride. Check out the scar on my left leg and you can see just how dusty we got.
Oh yeah, and this is my white trash helmet. Last summer I endoed (flipped over my handlebars, you know- end over end) on the Wasatch Crest and broke the little snap that holds the visor on your helmet. My initial jimmy-rigging didn't last very long but thankfully I crochet in the car on the way to the bike trails. Yarn fixes everything!!
The first week I was in charge of a mutual activity all by myself I did what I know best (well, maybe second best. I actually have a degree in chemistry but not crafting). We tied a baby blanket for the former YW pres who was expecting her first baby. We dropped it off one Sunday after church. Poor Melissa; she looks like she's about to pop in the picture but she went another month before Ivy came out weighing just 2 ounces shy of 10 pounds!! That's her first baby- ouch!!
Me, Melissa, Camilla and Sophia
Two members of my research group successfully defended their theses at the beginning of summer (What? There's a light at the end of this tunnel?). We celebrated with a group hike and potluck. Hoping we have one of these for me soon :)
Annie (Aixiang), Jennifer, her daughter (wait for it) Josephine, Cara, Becca, Patrick and Justin
Josie, Jennifer (advisor), Mariella, Justin (grad), Cindy (grad), Annie (grad), Jong-Won (PhD), Cara (grad), Becca (undergrad), Patrick (PhD)
I thought I’d answer this with a
list of things I wanted to be “when I grew up.”When I was in elementary school I thought smart people became medical doctors
and since my teachers all thought I was so smart that’s what I should be.Then I read a book about a child psychologist
and thought that sounded pretty cool.I
was 9.In high school I loved CSI and
wanted to do forensics plus autopsies.
You still have to go to med school for that. Too long, no thanks.Then I took chemistry and knew what field I
really wanted to go into.
That's actually me behind the smoke. This was a magic show put on by the Chemistry Club at U of A, Oct. 2004. It's magnesium metal burning between two blocks of dry ice.
After tutoring
and teaching throughout undergrad and grad school now I’m 100% certain that
being a professor would be the most fulfilling career.My real dream is just to be a lecturer and
not run a research group so that I can make a decent salary and basically only
work part time.I wouldn’t mind
eventually coaching a volleyball team on the side or at least returning to
officiating but only if I’m still able to spend a decent amount of time with my
kids.
What is the hardest thing you have
ever experienced?
Well I am a grad student so I could
pick a few things.Graduate level tests,
oral presentations in front of a committee of faculty members, etc. while
serving as RS president and planning a wedding.Yeah, that was crazy and probably the most exhausting thing I’ve ever
done.
The hardest thing I’ve been through emotionally would have to be
watching the decline of my oldest brother.I used to really look up to Dave.He’s ten years older than me and when I was little he would let me ride
around in his truck and take me to Dairy Queen.I thought he was so handsome and the coolest guy ever.Of course I now realize that a lot of those
cherished memories were his attempts to pick up girls using his adorable little
sister.Funny thing is, it worked. Often.Especially at Disneyland
which I didn’t mind because I got to ride all the big kid rides.When I was 11 though the rose colored glasses
broke and the past 17 years(!) now have been pretty tough.Dave has made some pretty bad decisions and
it’s hard watching someone you love do that to their self.It’s even harder watching your parents suffer
because of the decisions of their child and the effects it has on your family
as a whole.There have been a few times
when I thought he was going to change but I guess rock bottom is still a little
further down.
List 10 things you would tell your 16 year-old
self, if you could.
I may not be able to come up with ten.Sounds weird but I don’t regret a lot of
things I did as a teenager.I think I
was ridiculously well behaved, although Mom and Dad may beg to differ.
1.Don’t let Alex be your first kiss.It was gross.
2.On that note, don’t date Heber either.Yuck!
3.Don’t get distracted during tennis regionals junior
year.That’s why you won’t make it to
state.
4. Try harder on the Flynn scholarship application.You could have studied abroad.
5. Three of your closest friends will hurt you on
purpose.Forget about the two who don’t
apologize.
6. You are most definitely NOT FAT!(Who doesn’t wish they actually believed that
at 16?)
7. You’re not ugly either and someday you’ll marry a man
who honest to goodness thinks you’re beautiful.
8. Seriously don’t pay attention to what any of your
peers think because in 10 years Scarlett, you honestly won’t give a damn!
It's actually been a long time since I've been home. Last
Thanksgiving in fact. Even though I have been able to see a few family
members since then (Lisa and Mom have both been up here to Utah) I was
getting pretty homesick. I really miss the sun during the long Utah
winter! Anyway, one day in early June Amy and I were talking on the
phone and she mentioned that her babysitter was going on vacation for
two weeks. She jokingly asked me to come down and help her out and I
said I probably couldn't because I had to save up my vacation days in
case any of the Young Women in my ward decided to go to Girls' Camp.
None of them can ever decide to attend anything until the day before,
but more on that later. As it turned out, none of the girls did go to
camp so I had a few spare vacation days. I was able to find a decently
priced plane ticket to Phoenix and surprised Amy by telling her I could
come down the second week of her sitter's vacation. I wish I'd been
able to make it for the first week because everyone else got together
for a family barbecue. The week before I came! So sad :( That was the
week of the Fourth of July though and tickets were way expensive. In
the end, I still got to go home. Mom and Dad made another trip back up
to Phoenix to come see me. They must love me or something. Mom, Amy
and I made a diaper cake for Heather. I've never made one before. So
easy! Going to have to work that into my crafty arsenal. Mom also
showed us how to make veggie pizza. It's basically raw veggies on
Pillsbury rolls. Healthy and delicious. I need to add that to
our dinner menu also. The rest of the week was basically a test to see
if I could handle four kids by myself. I think I did a pretty good job
:)
On Sunday Amy got stir crazy and
decided we were all going hiking in Sedona. We thought it might be a
little cooler up there. It was cooler than the Phoenix area but still
over 100 degrees. And no shade trees. It was a short hike.
We forgot a hat for Sethie and he did not want to keep Ray's on. Even though it was a totally awesome hat!
Kaden doing some parkour :) America's Next Ninja Warrior?
Family picture!
Seth is such a sweetheart. He was so good the whole time and just hung out in the baby backpack.
I don't know where they got this awesome Radio Flyer trike but Dillon was a beast on it. So cute!!
Amy has 4 kids!! Sometimes that still shocks me. 4 kids and I don't have any yet.
Arizona is beautiful. Our camera was being really cooperative all week and I got some great pictures.
Cute girl!
Kaden is king of the rock!
It wouldn't be an adventure without a poopy diaper. The funny thing is we put it in the diaper bag to carry it out. Guess who carried the diaper bag? Me. I forgot and then thought "Good grief it stinks! Oh yeah, I'm carrying a bag of crap!"
Me, Kaden and Makayla on top of the rock.
Waving is my go-to pose :)
We bought some Powerades and water but even on that short hike we drank it all. Dillon must have overdone it on the bike because he threw up right at the end. There's nothing like pink puke. And Seth had a runny nose. They both slept the whole way home. Overall, still a good day hanging out with family.
Monday was my first day with the kids by myself. Eeek! I have to admit I was kind of nervous. Justin and I have been debating lately how close we want our kids to be and this was a good test. Closer in age definitely = harder!
Twinners! It was fun dressing them in coordinating outfits. I don't know how but I always catch Dillon mid-air. Seth thought this was so fun! Don't tell Amy I let her kids jump on the bed :)
Since this was right after the Fourth, Dillon was obsessed with "Pop-Its." I tried to stretch the boxes out throughout the week. Dillon would have popped them all in one day!
Popping with his feet.
We slipped and slid almost every morning. The boys love to be outside so I would spend a couple hours with them outside every day before Kaden and Makayla woke up.
Nice action shot!
Makayla joined us when she woke up. She's such a good helper!
She made a much bigger splash than Dillon. I don't have a picture but when I slid, I flew out the end. Apparently this is a toy for children :)
Where was Kaden during all this fun? Sleeping of course!
I don't know how comfortable this was. You would think he woke up with a pounding headache.
Makayla's friend Morgan came over to play and they spent hours building cardboard towers. Makayla is inside all of the boxes. She has such an imagination. Why do we even buy her toys?
Dillon loves playing with his Sissy. His towers were never very tall but he loved being a part of the game.
Dillon and Fonzie
Seth is a great spectator. He's also a good eater. This is where he spent most of his time. He ate almost 2 whole PB&J sandwiches by himself!
We also played beauty parlor and Dillon wanted to get his hair done. So cute!
Kids in the cupboard. Dillon couldn't figure out why he didn't fit :)
Love the teeth!
This is still Monday! We fed the turtle.
And played in the pool.
And then finally they were worn out and went to bed :)
Tuesday morning we loaded up all the kids (yep, even Kaden woke up early enough to go) and dropped Amy off at work. Then we kept driving all the way to Tucson to visit Wendy and her kiddos. Trevy, Landon and Callie had a morning art class with Melissa so we went to Timmy's swim lesson.
Timmy loves the water!
What a cute little wave!
He's so brave! Or a dangerous daredevil! That boy will just jump right off- whether you're there to catch him or not!
Um can you even tell she's pregnant! Geez.
Dillon entertained himself by throwing dead leaves. He also picked a big booger and then stood there with it on the tip of his finger, like he didn't know what to do with it. I thought it was hilarious!!
After Timmy's swim lesson we took all the kids to Eegee's for lunch. I love Eegee's! Kaden really liked the slush. We waited half an hour and then went to one of the public pools that had a baby pool and a high dive. Unfortunately the baby pool was being refilled (someone threw up in it the day before, eww) but the lifeguards were nice and gave all the little ones life vests. Trevy, Landon, Callie, Timmy and Dillon had a blast jumping into the shallow end of the pool and then monkeying along the side back to the steps. They all did really well wearing the life vests and didn't whine at all. Kaden and Makayla hung out in the deep end where Kaden tried to convince Makayla to go off the high dive. She didn't, but I got some nice diving shots of both of them.
Excellent technique. 9.5!
We were supposed to pick Amy up from work so we headed out early. It also started to rain just as we left the pool so I guess it was good timing. Unfortunately Kaden left his glucose checker at Wendy's house and we had to turn back around. Then it started to really pour. That morning I had left my phone at Amy's house and she had left hers in the car so we had no way to get in touch with each other! Thankfully Wendy is on top of things and she called Ray who was able to pick Amy up from work. We got home much later than planned but had lots of fun with cousins.
The rest of the week was more of the same- trying to keep up with two very active little boys. I didn't get tired until Friday, thankfully. I did notice that was when Dillon got away with more mischief, like climbing up the pantry shelves before I noticed. Sneaky! How do little kids know when you're not paying close enough attention?! Here are some more pictures of our week.
Dillon teaching Seth how to ride the big boy bike.
More slip 'n' slide!
We may have repeated a few activities. That's me in the box tower.
I tried to spend some one-on-one time with my girl Makayla. Man that is hard with two little ones! We made monogrammed cupcakes for everyone. Makayla made the frosting from scratch! Note the orange and blue F in the back. I was starting to miss my hubby a little.
The house next to Ray and Amy's is finally being built. The little boys loved watching the big trucks work.
Dillon didn't watch too long though. He had some popping to do!
It was a huge mess so we taught him to throw them in the street. Sometimes they didn't pop though and then cars would drive by and stop to see what was wrong with their engine. Too funny!!
Listen to Dillon encouraging Seth. "Going, going, going." Adorable!
You can see how fast Dillon is on that trike. He rode it all week long.
Makayla posed Seth in this tractor wagon.
And then Dillon wanted to be in the picture.
Apparently Seth doesn't like sharing the spotlight.
I am such a good sitter! We jump on beds and spread dirt all over the carport. The kids were always clean!
Monsoon sky. So cool.
This was so cute. Makayla and I were outside watching the lightning and Dillon got scared for us. "Guys, it's dark out there!" I really wanted to catch a loud thunder but it didn't come till right after I turned the camera off. It was so loud it woke up Ray!
This picture was too cute not to include!
What a fun but crazy week! As it turned out Aunt Davene, my dad's older sister, passed away while I was there so Mom and Dad made a third trip up in as many weekends. It was good to see more family again, including aunts, uncles and cousins, but definitely a sad reason for the get together. I was glad that I had somehow timed my trip so well. Lisa and I used to spend a week every summer at Davene's house while Mom was at Girls' Camp. We loved to swim in her pool and she had some of the coolest toys and games that I always looked forward to playing with. Aunt Davene has had a lot of health problems so we're glad she's no longer in pain and is with Grandma, but we will miss her.
