Friday, November 30, 2012

Where did the time go?

It feels like just yesterday I was sobbing in Ryan's arms, begging him to let me quit school, work, my internship and any other responsibility demanding my time.  

The first day of school was one of the worst days of my life, and any sense of drive or motivation quickly vanished - I was DONE.

But, being the comforting, kind man he is, Ryan was able to gently encourage me to take it a day at a time.  Luckily, I was able to set aside my worries and focus on my last semester of school.

And here I am now, one week away from graduating.  I look back in disbelief at my semester - 15 credits, an internship with BYU, a 20 hour-per-week marketing job, and several demanding group projects.  But, it was worth it.  

Not only was it worth it - it was a blast!  Ryan and I have never had so much fun in a few short months.  Halloween parties, family in town for general conference and marathons, visiting family in Ogden, power outages and snow storms, movie marathons, Oregon for Thanksgiving, runs and yoga, hiking Timp and Squaw Peak...and more.  

Yet again, I have learned that with hard things come great things.  With a terribly demanding semester came some of the best memories for Ryan and I.  

Now with this chapter coming to a close, we look forward to the next big step - medical school and a family.  Although we wish both could happen this very second, we have learned that through patience and faith come the sweetest blessings.






  

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Kiddos

We adore our CTR 7 primary class.  

At first, I will admit we were both a bit overwhelmed.  We were even a bit stern at the beginning, trying to teach them reverence and how to be respectful to teachers.  But, we have definitely grown attached to every single one of them, and I was surprised to find myself dreading January - when they will move to an older class.  :(  

I know they aren't my own children, but I can imagine this is a very small taste of what a mother and father must feel when they see their children graduating from kindergarten, playing in their first soccer game, progressing from grade to grade until all too soon, they graduate and leave home.

I remember when Eric graduated from High School.  I was a freshman at the time, and thought it would be funny to dress up in his cap and gown and march into the kitchen while my parents were talking.  Wrong!  My dad saw me and immediately said, "take that off" in a rather stern voice, and my mom just looked at me with a blank stare.  Now I get it - but just barely.  I know I don't come even close to understanding, but at least now I can imagine.

Ryan and I look forward to having a family, and we are committed to soaking up every minute with each of our children.  We are doing that now with our primary class...which may be way we are getting kind of soft.  Yesterday after the primary program practice Ryan said, "if you are good and reverent during the program on Sunday, you get any treat you want in class!"  Don't worry - they all requested different goodies.  




Thursday, November 1, 2012

Hiking Timp

A few weekends ago, Ryan and I realized we only had a few short days to hike Mount Timp before winter came upon us.  So a late Friday night in October, we decided we would hike Timp the following morning - early.  

We woke up at 4:45 am, packed our backpacks with snacks, water, and warm layers, and drove up the quiet canyon to the trailhead near Sundance Resort. 

We started this journey (which Ryan had done years earlier and was new to me), at around 5:15.  It was so relaxing to hike in the dark led only by our small, 3-inch flashlights.  Switchback after switchback, gradually watched the sun rise as we made our way up the steep mountainside.  The first view of sunrise was spectacular:

We made it to the "saddle" in great time, and enjoyed walking through the only flat part of the 14 mile hike.  It was a peaceful meadow surrounded by towering mountains.  After the 45 minutes of hiking across shaky rocks and shale and scaling boulders, we made it.
 Such a beautiful view.  We were quickly getting cold, so we inhaled our little breakfast, put on a couple warm layers, and made our way quickly down the mountain.

One of the most memorable parts of the trip was running into an older gentleman, who took his gaze off the trail to look at us and say, "Well aren't you a handsome couple?"  Such a cute man.  It was his 87th birthday, and he told us that his doctor told him if he hiked Timp every year, he would live a long and healthy life.  What a remarkable person.

After 6 total hours and 14 total miles, topping the elevation of 11,740 ft, we made it back to our car - which I thought I would never see again.  The hike down took its toll on our knees and we were ready to sit down and be lazy for the rest of the afternoon.
Beautiful colors, and a fun yet challenging hike!  Maybe we'll give it another try next year - if we are around :)