Our Visit home!

Well after graduation, we had the great opportunity to go home for about 10 days before we moved!  I have to say one thing... I have really got to be better about taking pictures with family.  I don't think I took a single one while I was with them.  The only ones I have, my mother-in-law, Steph sent me from her phone.  So I apologize for that to myself and my future kids and such, because it would be really great to have more pictures.

Well first, we flew into Las Vegas, where my grandpa picked us up and drove us half way to Toquerville.  We spent an amazing week with my family!  We played in the pool and got extremely sun burned, we went on midnight hikes, and we went to the lake where everyone but me, Regan, and my parents go swimmers itch from the lake!!   If you don't know what that is, its basically like chicken pox, only you don't catch them from person to person, you get it from the lake.  So that was pretty miserable for everyone.   But it was definitely like a scene from a movie when everyone got it!  They all were out of the water, Graysen was standing on a picnic table going crazy itching her body like she was on fire.  Then by brother Bo was pacing back and forth looking like he was about to explode trying not to itch.  Cooper was going crazy in the middle of the desert area with a towel over his head, also looking like he was on fire and trying to put it out.  Then Adi and her friend Hannah were just walking all around trying so hard to be tough, but totally burning up with the itch. haha It was really quite funny.  Probably not for all of the itchy people, but it was for Regan and I.

Then we had my brother Bo drive us half way up north to hang out with Zack's family.  Only about an hour into the drive, Bo started throwing up.  I felt so bad!  It was a little bit of a miserable drive for him, but in te end he made it home ok, but I felt so bad for him.  You know, it was funny because during the week, lots of slightly disastrous things happened. Like the swimmers itch and Bo puking. However the great thing is that we still completely loved our time there!  It was just normal family time and I absolutely loved it!

Well once we got up with the Olsen clan, we also had a blast!  We had the family all over to celebrate that we are in town, we went and had like the best time ever going miniature golfing and then playing in the arcade area!  I mean unfortunately, I lost at mini golf, so then I had to go buy everyone ice cream.  But it was yummy and fun to go out with the family, so it was ok!

We also saw some of our good friends, the Hills which was fun and went to watch Kaden play baseball and did some shopping and went out to Spaghetti Factory, obviously, I mean thats like a tradition.

Well Long story short, it was an amazing time, and we were so happy to have some great family time before our big move!

Here are some pictures!  Enjoy!

I went running with our dog Maggie... she is the best running partner!  I love her so much!

I FINALLY rode the horses at Zack's house!! So fun!

Bensons actually ended up being up in Northern Utah that weekend and we were so lucky that they came and visited us!  The WHOLE family this time! yay!!

Our friends the Hills.. So good to see them again!

Zack playing on the old stomping grounds again...  It was cute to watch him be so excited out there!

Sharing a yummy strawberry daiquiri!   YUMMY!!!

ND graduation!

WOW! I cannot believe we are already here.  Our year here at ND is over.  I am so heart broken and excited at the same time!  Being as it was graduation weekend, we had a TON of family in town.  First, On Thursday afternoon, Zacks Grandma and Grandad  showed up.  We took them around town a little bit and then they took us out for dinner!  After dinner we met up with the Bensons and all of us went out to get some ice cream.  It  was so fun to see people and be able to talk and relax and not have Zack worry at all about homework or school.

Friday Zack's family came in and we enjoyed time celebrating my graduation. I felt very special.  I got a BEAUTIFUL bracelet !in a little blue box! from my in-laws.  And some other very sweet gifts from the grand parents.  Then we enjoyed some cake and ice cream all together.  The best graduation gift I could have gotten was the Bensons and the Olsens all there with us.  The only thing that could have made it better was to have my family there as well.    I definitely missed them!

Saturday was the first day of Graduation ceremonies.  The business department walked and he got his diploma- MBA Magna cum Laude.  I am so proud of him and all of his hard work.  We enjoyed a great dinner and evening together again.

Sunday we went to the big overall ceremony with all the undergrads, which was AMAZING by the way.  We besides the KILLER hott weather.  We were roasting.  But it was such a great time.  We then went to church and walked around campus and had an amazing night just hanging out together.

I had to work Monday, so Sunday I had to say goodbye.

It was such an amazing experience to have all of them here.  We have such an amazingly strong support system, and it was just so wonderful to have all of them here.  I already miss those evenings we had just sitting and talking.  I love you all!!

Zack and his good buddy Brian. They did this whole program together and were in our ward. They love each other a lot.

A more normal picture of the two of them

Our best friends out here!  Brian and his wife Carolyn.  So happy we got a picture with them before we all left for the year.

The Bensons!  I am so happy tat they were able to come out and visit and support Zack and I.  We have missed them like CRAZY!!

Zack and I on day 2 of the festivities!

Us with Touch Down Jesus!

Zack and Touch down Jesus with a sweet picture of his Masters hood on the back of his robe!

Zack and his parents.  How I have grown to love my in-laws.  I am so grateful for all they do for us and for the support that we constantly feel from them.  It was so great to have them out here!

The whole Olsen/Caputo clan that came!  Other than Jace, all the family and living grand parents made the trip out.  So incredibly fun to have them all!

ND tradition, you can't walk down these steps til you are graduated.  Here is Zack taking those steps like a champ!

I know that I look high in this picture but it was a random spontaneous moment that Zack kissed me during pictures.  It just showed how excited he was that day and I love it.  The picture is funny, but it reminds me of a great moment.

Day 1 of the festivities, after he got his official diploma!

This is the whole clan that came out for graduation!  It was SO fun to have you all here!!

Right after receiving his diploma! He was so happy!

Zack and his Nana.  So happy she could come out to support us.  Seriously so fun

 

A&F Controversy

So.. I have heard a LOT about this whole Abercrombie deal.  For those of you who haven't, (obviously you're living under a rock) here is a quote from A&F CEO.

"Candidly, we go after the cool kids. We go after the attractive all-American kid with a great attitude and a lot of friends. A lot of people don't belong [in our clothes], and they can't belong. Are we exclusionary? Absolutely."

So this has caused a HUGE uproar all around the country.  While he maybe could have said things a little more eloquently,  and been more sensitive to the feelings of others, I actually don't think it should have been that big of a deal.  I am sure he didn't mean to make anyone sad or feel bad about themselves, he was just stating his company's business plan.  If you think about it, the "cool kids" are the kids who, generally speaking, spend more money on clothes.  He didn't say, "I hate kids who aren't cool" or "If you're not a size 0 you should not be wearing cute clothes" or "Anyone who is even a little bit fat should go commit suicide"  He didn't even say, "If you don't fit in our sizes you are not as beautiful as the people who do".  He simply told people frankly who his company was targeting as their primary customers.

Did you know that McDonalds targets single parents as their favorite customers?  The difference is that anybody can buy and eat food.  I mean anyone can buy the clothes at Abercrombie, it just might not fit them.  Also, McDonalds doesn't offer actual healthy food.  They say that people know what they are getting when they come here, and let's be honest, people don't come to McDonald's to get a healthy meal.  They o to Whole Foods or little Cafes.  And what about Plus size stores?  Should anyone who doesn't fit in plus sizes be in an uproar about the fact that the plus size stores target those who have volumtious curves?? No.  Companies are allowed to target whatever market that they want to.

This world can be so overly critical sometimes.  I mean I even look at much of the Gay community.  They expect everyone to accept their personal views and beliefs, but then if you don't believe in same sex marriage, they criticize you and attack your own beliefs.

Everyone should fight for what they believe in.  But there is a way to fight for what you believe in without attacking others.  I hope that I have not offended anyone.  Big is beautiful.  Small is beautiful.  No matter what your size is, you have outer beauty as well as inner beauty.  All I am saying is that companies have the right to target whomever they want to.  Don't be offended by that.  Be strong and confident enough in yourself that you don't get offended easily.

Sorry for that rant.  I'll be done now!

Big Beautiful Changes

So... I dyed my hair. This is what I now look like!

Quite a big change huh?  For those of you who don't know what I looked like before... here is a before and after shot.

 

























 I have been asked, probably a thousand times why I decided to do this to my hair.  Which honestly translates to me, "Man, you looked way better beforehand!"  To most, I respond with, "because I wanted to look hott!" or "I just needed a change!"

While neither of those reasons are wrong, there is a deeper reason that I changed my hair.  With so much going on in my life right now, my brother in law and sister going off into the MTC, and Zack graduating with his masters being right around the corner, I was just feeling left behind.  Zack graduating means that we are done with school.  Something that I have been waiting for since basically the day that we got married! Our whole marriage has been him going to school and me going to school and working.  We have never had a substantial income. We have had enough to get by (with loans for grad school), but not really much extra.  I guess I should be ecstatic that this time period is coming to an end, but really, I am scared to death!  I guess I thought by now that our lives would just look a little different.  I thought before that we would have a child before we graduated from SUU.  Now our time here at ND has come to an end, and yet, we leave here childless.  Don't get me wrong, I am so grateful for what Zack and I have, and this wonderful time that we have had to spend together, getting to know each other and  falling more in love.  I know that if we would have had a child that ND wouldn't have been a viable option for us financially.  I love the life we have.  I just also know that there is a special kind of love that grows between a man and his wife when they raise their children.  I feel that what Zack and I have is something special.  Something so special, that bringing a child in to be a part of our family would only strengthen it.  I guess it all comes down to, I feel like I am spinning my wheels.  I feel like I am trying to move forward, but my forward progress isn't really in my control.  It seems like everyone that I know is either pregnant, graduating, finding awesome jobs, or heading off into the future in some other way.  And I'm over here like, oh hey! Can I watch your kids and pretend they're mine?  I mean most of the people that got married around when Zack and I did are on their second kid now.  And this whole feeling of not moving forward is just amplified by the fact that we aren't sure where we are going in May yet, and I, therefore, cannot start applying for jobs or looking for housing or deciding what my next move is.  Then I realized.  I am just letting the baby thing rule my whole life.  I AM moving forward. I graduated college in December for Heaven's sake!  The only area that I haven't progressed in is being a Mom, and that isn't really in my control.  SO... I sold my baby bassinet that I had been saving for our baby to sleep in, and I dyed my hair.  I love the blonde.  Yes, it is more damaged than it was, yes, I know that it took some getting used to, especially for Zack, yes, it probably was a little expensive, and yes, I love it anyway. 

This change in my hair signifies a change in my attitude.  Even though there is not a lot in my life that I can control right now, I could change my hair.   So, every time I look in the mirror,  I remember that I sold that baby bassinet that I loved, and by doing that, I took back a little bit of control.  I no longer have to walk by that beautiful piece of furniture and have it remind me of what I don't have yet.  Now I get to look in the mirror and remember that I am beautiful. And that makes me happy.

Quincy...

Well, my little sister is gone. She is in the MTC.  It was very hard saying goodbye to her, especially since I knew that she was still going to be in town, but that it would be the last time I saw her for over 18  months.  Quincy is my little peanut.  My little sweet and innocent, yet oddly inappropriate, and painfully shy little sister.  And now she is in the MTC.  I cannot believe the wonderful, beautiful, woman that she is grown into.  I hate that she is gone.  I mean, I am very proud of her for serving the Lord, don't get me wrong!  But it is much harder to send a girl off than a boy.  You expect the boys to go, and you can tell yourself, "If they weren't going, then I would be much more sad".  But in sending my little sister off, even though I know it is the right thing for her to do, and I know that she will make an amazing impact on the lives of many, for selfish reasons, I wish that she were staying home.  I would feel safer.

I know that it is silly, and I honestly do really support her in going and am so happy for her and all of the lessons that she will learn and how much growth she will get from this whole experience.  I love her, and I know this is the best thing for her. I just need to stop being selfish and wanting to keep her home with me.

Regardless, here is a picture of the sweet little sister that is mine.  I know that she is going to be a wonderful missionary and I cannot wait to see her again in 18 months.

Another thing that happened this past little bit is that Jaceman (my brother in law) left the MTC and is now in Paris!! I cannot wait to hear from him and hear all of his adventures in that beautiful place!

Til next time!

Dancin in the Dark

Ok, so for those of you who don't know, I am currently a nanny and a substitute teacher. I do not thoroughly enjoy substitute teaching.  I thought it would be more like teaching, but let me tell you... it is not.  Nothing like it. I would even say they are almost opposites.  Ok maybe not that bad, but I love teaching because I want to make the difference in lives of kids.  Substituting you are not making a difference, and kids do not like you.  And when kids do not like you, and you know that you are only in their lives for one day, it is so hard to be patient.  My first day I had a first grader throw a chair at me.  NOT my cup of tea.

Anyways, I was having one of my hard moments where I did not want to substitute teach, and was telling Zack how ready I am to not have to take jobs that I don't want anymore, and just complaining about how hard things feel for me.  I was really stressed out and in tears when he turned off the lights, grabbed his phone, put on some music, and danced with me.  At first I didn't want to, because I was sad and down, but he made me, and by the song I was giggling and laughing at his sweet dance moves.  By the third song, we were both injured because we tried to do some fancy dance moves that were a little out of our skill level. I really still have a bruised toe, nail broken in half, and bruised tail bone from falling right down so hard on my butt.  But then we ended the last song keeping it simple and just a little nice easy step.  I could not have been happier.  My husband makes me so happy.




I hope that if I ever have a daughter, or a few daughters, I can only hope and pray that there are little boys that will grow up to be their perfect match the way that Zack is mine.  I hope that somehow we can instill in them the importance of finding the person that is so special, and then teach them the hard work that is involved in making every relationship work.  Our relationship is absolutely not perfect.  We have a lot that we have to work on in order to keep our marriage at its strongest.  But thats the thing, we do the work.   We don't have it all figured out, but we are working at it.  I want to raise sons that will make the same sacrifices that Zack makes for me.  Sons that are worthy priesthood holders and effortlessly happy like their father is.  I just want a bunch of little Zacks running around, and then a little version that is a little like me, only less bossy.  Some day.  Some day all that will happen.  But for now, I am going to enjoy the time that I am able to spend dancing in the dark with my sweetheart.

Jace LEFT..! :(

Well, Jaceman officially left for his mission.  He is such an amazing example to us.  I am so happy to have such a wonderful and worthy brother in law.  He will do wonderful things in Paris, and the Lord is a lucky man to have Jace on his side.  I am pretty sure that Zack and I both have written him almost every day since he left, and we got our very own letter from him in the mail the other day!  It was so good to hear from him!!

When he got set apart we were able to Facetime with him and still be a part of the amazing experience.  I am thankful for modern technology that helped us be there for that day, and for parents and inlaws who value family so much that they flew us out to Utah to be at both of the farewells.  It was amazing to see our siblings so incredibly grown up and to see their light in the gospel.

We already miss you a ton, Jace!! We love you!! Have fun in the MTC!!