Love that Valentine

Of course this is late posting about Valentine's day, but I still wanted to share it. On the day before V-day(Friday the 13th) it snowed like crazy here and I was able to leave work 2 whole hours early! Which was fabulous! Chad and I went home and took a nice long nap. Then I surprised him with a heart-shaped pizza from Papa Murphy's (his fav). He Loved it! Then we hurried and got all spiffed up to go to our stake Valentine's dance. I thought we looked pretty great...too bad we didn't actually get a full length picture of ourselves! We walked into the dance and I have to admit that I just started laughing. There were just a handful of couples there and most of them were on the older side. For a minute I wondered what I had gotten myself into. But then Chad and I decided to just have fun and enjoy ourselves. I laughed so hard because both of us seem to have two left feet. We might have been some of the worst dancers there, but I am sure we had the most fun by far! Saturday morning Chad made me some yummy waffles for breakfast and we spent most of the day being lazy while he prepared his special Cafe Rio meal. I love Cafe Rio! It is by far my favorite restaraunt and since we don't have it here I go through Cafe Rio withdrawls. It was amazing and tasted just like it! Thanks to Chadley for making me such a wonderful meal! Then we were off to another dance. Yes it was another Valentine's church dance! Although this time we were chaparones at the youth stake dance. This dance was even more hilarious! The first time we slow danced Chad thought that we should dance with more space between us to set a good example. As I looked around the room it looked like every little couple dancing had about a full set of encyclodpedias between them. While we were there we learned a few new line dances and even started a few ourselves.-Afterall, we were practically experts after two valentine's dances in a row!

Chad cooking Cafe Rio for my Valentine's dinner. Love the apron! haha

The beautiful flowers in our ghetto "vase" that Chad surprised me with. Some day we will have a real vase, but until then this will just have to do.

You can't tell from the picture, but this is no ordinary pizza. It's heart shaped!

Chad eating his delicious valentine's pizza

Chad and I before the dance all dressed up. Doesn't he look handsome!

Things that bug me

I've been taged by my cousin Megan. List 10 things that bug you.

1. People that cut me off and then drive slow in front of me.
2. When people do donuts on the ice when I am in the car.-This totally freaks me out!
3. Slow walkers. I'm a fast walker and have a tendancy to leave people in the dust if they aren't keeping up with the pace.
4. People that don't wash their hands after using a public restroom. Gross!
5. When people call multiple times and never leave a voicemail.-I'm with you Meg...drives me nuts!
6. When people burp at the dinner table. It's even worse when people do it in public.
7. Dirty dishes sitting in my sink or just laying around my kitchen. I can't relax until it's all cleaned up.
8. When people put other people down to make themselves look good. It doesn't make you look good, it just makes you look like a jerk.
9. My boss on most days.
10. When I am driving next to or behind a car that has someone smoking in it and it's all I can smell. So nasty!

I tag Randee, Lisa, Amanda, Erica, Megan Burgin, Aria, Marcie, Megan Sayer, Jana

Lions, tigers, and bears oh my!

Chanel, Me, and Cambria

Eating yummy chicken enchilada soup for Sunday dinner

The girls in the jungle 

I thought this sloth was so funny hanging upside down to eat his food

Waterfall in the jungle

Fishies

This tunnel aquarium was my fav!  So cool!

I love the eyes on the tiger

Down in the caves.  Looks so real.

Chad inside the desert dome.

Picnicing at Valentinos

Chad loving his pizza

Chanelly

The beautiful Winter Quarters temple

I just thought this one was funny because Chad wouldn't tell us when he was taking pictures.  This was just one of the many where we weren't looking.

All of us at the visitor center

Group effort on the handcart

Cambria pulling the handcart

These two became Wii buddies

Cambria intensely focused playing the Wii

This weekend two of my best friends came to visit. The whole week before they came I was bursting with anticipation while counting down the days until they came. This was a big deal for me because no one ever comes to Nebraska for a vacation destination so therefore we get no visitors. So Chanel and Cambria win the prize for being the first willing to make the journey here to the midwest. They arrived Friday night and we spent the rest of the evening eating candy and playing the Wii. Saturday after a delicious breakfast we drove to Omaha and went to the Winter Quarters visitor center and temple. It was an absolutely gorgeous day! We couldn't have asked for better weather. It was completely unlike Nebraska! It was great! We took the tour and it was amazing to feel the sweet spririt that was there as we watched a short video about the pioneers. One of the things that struck me was when the sister missionary was telling story about the pioneers trying to cross the Missouri river. They were having a hard time doing this and then the river completely froze over night. It was a miracle. Because of the river being frozen they could take their wagons and families across the river by walking across it. The sister pointed out that the pioneers must have had so much faith in the Lord to take those first steps onto the ice trusting that it wouldn't break through. It made me think of my own life and how I need to be more trusting in the Lord and his plan for me. Then we strolled over to the cemetary and the temple to take pictures. Then we decided to take them to lunch at some place that is only in Nebraska. We had a little picnic lunch with our Valentinos pizza outside before we headed off to the zoo. I felt like I was in kindergarten all over getting excited to go to the zoo for the first time. Omaha's zoo was suppose to be one of the best in the nation and so we had pretty high expectations for it and overall I was impressed. They have this huge desert dome there that is the largest indoor desert in the world. It's dry, sandy, and hot filled with all the desert animals. It was huge! The next adventure was in the "Kingdom of the nights" exhibit. You walk into a cave-like setting and get to see lots of things, that in my mind are way creepy, like bats (gross little flippidy flappidy creatures), snakes (freak me out), and frogs. I don't think I've ever seen so many bats in my life! Then we wandered into the swamp area. By this time I was way creeped out from the snakes and bats and then to go to swamp things was almost too much for me. It is all dark and you walk through the swamp on dock-type bridges and right next to your feet are huge crocadiles and aligators! I was beginning to feel like I was in a haunted house and I couldn't get out. Fortunately this part wasn't too long! Yes I'm a whimp when it comes to those reptiles. After that we headed on to something a little less scary. We saw the lions, tigers, bears, and gorillas. Next we went to the aquarium. It was amazing to walk through the tunnel and have fish and sharks swimming all above you and beside you. Loved it! My next favorite was the jungle. Lots of interesting animals and waterfalls and entertaining monkeys to watch. I have decided that when it gets warmer again I would like to go back and see the rest or pehaps get a pass one year. We came home to play games, watch a movie, and eat. Chanel and Cambria had to leave on Sunday, but I loved having them visit and grateful they took the time to come out here. Chad was sad because his new Wii buddy is now gone. I think Cambria and Chad have mastered the snowboarding game officially. But I think it might have been a too much estrogen filled weekend for him. Pretty sure he's never been around that many girls for that long by himself. But he was a trooper and very supportive. Here's some fun pictures from the weekend.

Have you seen this man?

Have you seen this man? If you have you are probably in law school, at the library until midnight every night, and have been working on your memo too! My poor husband has been working non-stop on this memo for school. I am beginning to really dread these memos because they tend to completely consume them and take over their lives for about the three weeks they have to work on them. Pretty much I see him just a few minutes out of the day during these memo times. I have to remind myself that this is just only for a short time and that it will be worth in the end. I am grateful that he is such a hard worker in school and puts forth all his effort. But I have to admit that I begin to feel like a "law school widow" and get pretty lonely at times. Thank goodness today is the due date for that darn memo and he is finished with it! Wahoo!!!

I need to give a big shout out to Chad's sister Erica for staying up and helping him edit his paper. We owe you big time! Especially me since I ended up falling asleep on the couch. I'm pathetic! So thanks Erica! You are so great to help out and I know Chad greatly appreciated it!

On Friday Chad and I did get to have cute little date night. We came home and he made me a wonderful dinner. Then we played the game "Are you smarter than a 5th grader?" For me the game was like playing "Are you smarter than a law student?" Well there's an easy answer to that question....NO! haha But we did have a blast playing it. Of course Chad beat me and I told him that next time we will have to play the game in a group setting so I'm not the only one that looks dumb. I guess that's what I get for marrying such a smarty pants huh! Thanks Chad for taking the night off from school to spend some time with me! I love you!

On Sunday we watched the Superbowl with a few friends. We ate pizza, which is Chad's FAVORITE thing to eat, while we enjoyed the game. Most of the time the boys were working on their memos while the rest of us watched the game. Chad was happy because the Steelers won the Superbowl and he got his fill of pizza.

This is what the boys did....sit with their notebook computers and type away on their memos. Good times!
Jana knitting. Such a crafty girl!

Date nights and updates

I think that sometimes I get so caught up in our everyday lives that I forget that I have a blog and need to update it.  However, it doesn't seem like we have had any "blog worthy" events the past couple of weeks.  We have gotten back into the groove of school and work after being on our two week vacation in Utah.  This semester is a whole new ball game in law school.  As if the first semester isn't enough to scare you, they tack on a whole another class just to make things a little bit more intense.  And intense is precisely the word I would choose to describe this semester so far.  Chad has often been waking up as early as 4a.m. in the morning just to get in some extra study time.  He is such a dedicated little student.  Time for me to start some new hobbies to keep me occupied. 

Yesterday we went to an all day youth activity...yes all 6 and a half hours!  Although it was by far the longest activity I've ever been to that wasn't put into the category of Youth Conference or girls camp I think it was really good for the kids to be there and learn about the new theme for the year.  We also got to participate in a crab soccer game with all of the leaders.  I have to say I was impressed with Chad's crab soccer skills.  I think we may have discovered a hidden talent.  

Last week Chad and I had a little date night.  It all started with a romantic dinner of waffles and yummy syrups.  Delicious!  I do have to say that I love eating breakfast foods for dinner.  For some reason they just seem to taste extra good.  Then Chad turned on some country tunes and we had a little country dance.  Well at least we tried for a while.  Chad claims to have taken two dance classes during his college years, but I have yet to see anything he learned other than the few moves he did with me during our date that night.  We had so much fun and I just couldn't help but keep laughing as we danced in our little living room.  Then we headed off to an all out extravagant dinning place to get dessert...well extravagant for poor law students at least.  We went to Sonic!  haha Sonic has many, many memories for me.  First, because that was me and my best friend Melissa's favorite place to go and get lemon berry slushies and chat.  The second reason is because Chad and I went and got drinks at Sonic on our second date and that is where we told each other that we liked each other.  I think Chad's exact quote went like this: "Finally it works out where we both like each other and I'm leaving!!!  Of all the luck!"  Little did we both know that we would get married just a few months later.  So Sonic was in my mind the perfect place to have a little dessert.  Although the slushie machine just happened to be broken we still had a great time.  It may not seem like a big date to you, but for me it stands out as one of my favorites to remember.

Baby it's cold outside!

I had heard when I moved to Nebraska that it would be cold, but I actually had no idea what I was in for. I had no idea that the wind blows EVERY day. Which makes it so it is almost impossible to have a good hair day here. I don't think I've had one yet thanks to the lovely wind. During the summer and fall the wind isn't so bad, but during the winter it makes it bitting cold outside. Our car even had a hard time starting this morning because it was so blasted cold. The wind makes it so when you walk outside you feel as if you've been slapped in the face and it is stinging cold. I phoned my mom yesterday and left a message begging her to send my warm beanie, scarf, and mittens that I had in Russia.-Yes I am desperate...It's below zero here people! Twice this week I've been walking along the sidewalk and been blown off my path by a strong gust of wind. It's pretty much out of control as far as I'm concerned. Now I'm wishing I was back in Utah where it feels much warmer and the wind isn't so fiercly cold. However, when I think of the pioneers that where in Winter Quarters I have to stop and think how hard that would be. They were without the comfort of a warm apartment with comfortable beds and cars that have heating. I can't even comprehend how much faith those pioneers must have had in order to endure that. Which brings me to one of my New Year's resolutions. It is to learn to love it in Nebraska. I'm not sure I'll ever come to love the weather here, but I know there are many good people and experiences to be had while we are here and I need to find joy in the journey because I know our time here is for a short time and will go fast. I am grateful to be able to have this new experience with Chad and grow and learn together. I'm sure this year will be filled with many more adventures. So here's to a new year, new goals, and new adventures!

Christmas break in a nutshell

I am finally posting pictures from Christmas since we've been on the go the past little while. Chad and I were able to spend the past two weeks in Utah. To say I LOVED it would be an understatement. We were able to see lots of family and friends, relax, see the lights on Temple Square, and play lots of games. The vacation started out a little rocky when we almost missed our connecting flight in Denver after our flight was delayed and then they lost our luggage. We went to church in borrowed clothes and were misfits for a couple of days until our luggage finally made it to Salt Lake. Thanks Holly and Dad for saving us! We went to the Price family party which of course was a blast. I am so grateful to be a part of the Price family. They have such a great family and are such wonderful examples to both of us. It's always a party when the Price's get together. In one night we went to the Burgin and Mitchell and managed to get to the first and last part of them.-It was a party packed night! We also went to the Petterborg Christmas party. We had our traditional breakfast casserole and hung out with the cousins. So fun! I just love getting together with them! Christmas day all the family came over and the kids were wound up as they could be with the excitement of Christmas morning. I love being an aunt and playing with my cute nieces and nephews. They are all so adorable! We also went down to Alex and Megan's house and were able to spend time with them a couple times. We sure wish we lived closer to them so we could hang out with them more often. Little Ethan is getting so big and changing so much. What a cute little boy he is! The boys got to go to Body Worlds for the day while the girls went shopping. 6 hours of shopping and I only bought one thing. Talk about will power! I'm so grateful that we were able to go to Utah to spend time with family this year! Overall we had a wonderful first Christmas! Chad and I also had our own special Christmas celebrate before we left to Utah and I will have to post some pictures of that later. Thanks Mom and Dad for letting us stay at your house and entertaining us. We loved being able to spend so much time with all of you in Utah! Hopefully we will be out there again sometime soon! I hope you all had a great Christmas!

Cooper sporting his new Spiderman slippers
Hailey, Ryanne, and Lauren had a sleep over at Grandma's and Papa's house and it was quite the party!
Chad and Grandma Burgin playing a duet.
Travy playing a little guitar hero. Actually he basically rocked at it!
Dad, Amanda, and Mom hanging out on New Year's Eve
Brad and Lisa and the kiddos
Jer and Randee and crew
Hailey and the Dax man

Jers with his new nerf gun we gave him. I think Chad really was wishing it was his. :)
Ry and her cute clock that crafty Lisa made for her
My Dad opening presents Christmas morning
Me and Ry watching The Grinch who stole Christmas
Chanel came to visit and it made my day!