My Grandma Bohn

I've recently been thinking a lot about my Grandma Bohn who passed away last April and since it was her birthday a couple of days ago I just wanted to mention a couple of things that I loved about her. A few words that come to my mind when I think of her are:

House-dresses - from before I can remember this was the most common article of clothing in my Grandma's wardrobe.
Quilts - almost every time I went to my Grandma's house she would always have a quilt waiting for my sister and I to tie. She would make one after another and give them to the Humanitarian Center; so many if fact that I'm sure they almost did not know what to do with all of them.
Charity - in my eyes my Grandma was a perfect example of charity. She lovingly served so many around her and loved them no matter their situation. Every summer when my sister and I would stay there for weeks at a time, my Grandma would always take us with her to visit those in need. She taught me how to love and care for people with disabilities and how to reach out and befriend someone in need of a friend. If there is one thing I love about my Grandma Bohn its that she never let an excuse stand in her way of giving service. There are many times I think she could have told people that she had her granddaughter in town and wasn't available, but instead she gladly excepted the opportunity and took us with her-- that I will always be grateful for.
Love - I feel there was more love in that woman's heart than I can only hope to have a part of someday. There was never a moment in my life that I didn't know that my Grandma loved me, loved her family and friends, loved the gospel, and loved the Savior.
Humanitarian - when my Grandma wasn't making quits for the Humanitarian Center she was busy crocheting hats and booties and making colorful toys for children in need. And she never passed up an opportunity to involve me in her service projects.
Hot chocolate and cinnamon toast - I can remember every morning waking up at my Grandma' s house she would make us a cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows and toast with cinnamon-sugar on it while we watched our cartoons.
Knitting - while I never learned, my Grandma was notorious for knitting, especially dishrags which was her specialty. They always made good gifts.
Journals - when staying at my Grandma's every summer, Hanna and I would always sleep in my Grandma's room. Every night was the same routine; she would get ready for bed, read her scriptures, write in her journal, then work on a crossword puzzle until she was ready to get into bed. She was an avid journal writer and rarely missed a day, even if the entry was only a quick sentence. We would always ask her questions about our mom when she was young and my Grandma would hunt down the right journal and read us some entries about our mom. I will always be grateful to my Grandma for consistently writing in her journal so that I can always have her history with me and learn from her experiences even though she is gone for now.
Puzzles - along with the other many projects my Grandma had going, she always had a puzzle out that she would work on which I loved to help her with.
Faith - one thing is for sure, I never had to question that my Grandma knew the gospel of Jesus Christ was true. Her whole life was centered around it's principles and teachings. I too know the gospel of Jesus Christ is true and am grateful to know that I will see my Grandma again and be with my family forever.
Schwan's - another sure thing at my Grandma's house was Schwan's, especially Golden Nugget Bars, French Toast Sticks, and Tortellini.
Plucking Bread - This was one of my Grandma's specialties dishes and one that we all looked forward to at any family gathering (...as long as she did not but dried fruit in it). It goes great with hot chocolate and sure brings warmth to your heart and your taste buds.
Christmas trees - And lastly for anyone who knew my Grandma knew she loved Christmas trees. She was an avid collector and has a whole room filled with many different kinds of Christmas trees from all over the world.

I feel so lucky to be able to call her my Grandma and am thankful for everything she did from me. Love you Grandma!

New and Exciting Endeavours

What a summer, and I can't believe it is already over and gone! Apart from enjoying the warm weather and the time off of school, this summer was definitely one of bold undertakings...at least for me anyway.

As a belated honeymoon, Collin and I spent five days in the Caribbean on the island of St. Lucia. I spent most of June working on getting a passport and the rest of the summer we both spent saving up our pennies, and in the end it was certainly all worth it. St. Lucia is truthfully one of the most beautiful places on Earth. The whole island is a giant rain-forest with exotic tropical plants, towering volcanoes, and beautiful sunsets. Having never been out of the country before, or even out of the western United States, it was definitely culture shock when we first land in St. Lucia and I must say the whole trip was quite an adventure. By far our most favorite part of the trip was laying out on the sandy beach and then swimming in the cool ocean water when the hot humidity became to unbearable.

The view from our balcony.

These are all the boarding passing it took us to get to and from St. Lucia

After getting back from our trip and having several days to recover it was right back to work, which leads me too yet another new endeavor. Annalise, Hanna, and I had be preparing all summer for the annual "Arts in the Park" held in Ely. We had decided to run a booth at this craft fair selling various crafts we had made. Much to our surprise it turned out to a big success and a ton of fun. Although we are not currently running our business feel free to check out our blog at shadesigns4u.blogspot.com to see what we were all about. With busy lives of our own running a business became very overwhelming so we decided for now to keep it stickily a hobby.

Now that it is well into September Collin and I have both been busy with school and work. With it being Collin's last year of undergraduate school he is taking a full load and trying to get involved in several research studies in order to build a good resume for graduate school. I too am also trying to get done, but working full time has slowed me down some. Although working and going to school full time can be overwhelming at times, I so grateful to have the opportunity at such a good education and a great job that I love doing.

And now that I have had my first doctor's appointment, I can officially announce that Collin and I are soon to be parents!! I am not about 11 weeks along and the baby is already growing so fast. At my doctors appointment today we were able to see an ultrasound of our baby, and even though it is still small it was amazing to see how active it was! During the ultrasound we were able to see the baby moving it's arms and legs, and even got to see it's little heart beat. Who ever it is inside there, he or she will have quite the personality; I cannot wait to meet them. I will try to be better at keep everyone up-to-date, but for now expect a baby in April :)

Summer

Summer is finally here (...and has been for several months but obviously I'm quite behind) and I no longer have to sit in class day dreaming of summer vacations. Now I just sit at work and day dreaming about them :)

Classes ended the last part of April and I can happily say that Collin and I passed with flying colors, something that definitely came with lots of work and stress...at least for me. Winter semester is always the hardest for me. Anyway, for those that don't know I started a new job in March as an ophthalmologist technician. I know, its quite a mouth full but basically I work for an ophthalmologist taking back patients and doing all the pre-testing before the doctor sees them. I've been there for about three months now and I love it! Coming from a family of many eye doctors I feel right in my element. The best part of the job is that I get to wear scrubs to work every day, better yet they tell me what colored scrubs to wear each day so I never have to get up in the morning and wonder what to wear! Collin is also working and taking summer classes.

Besides working and school we have taken a few trips home. A couple of weeks ago we flew to Pahrump for Collin's niece's baptism. Collin had the privilege to baptize his niece, Lilly and the whole service turned out really nice. Although Collin's niece comes from a rather rough up-bringing she really is the sweetest little girl I know and has so much love for the gospel. It was fun to be with family and be in the warm weather.

The week after Pahrump we drove home to Ely for the Fears, Tears, and Beers annual bike race that my dad helps put on every year. Collin and I helped out at one of the check points in the race and after spending six hours in the Nevada sun lets just say we left a little redder than before. My dad took 4th in the expert class riding about 34 miles...go Dad!! I've helped out with the race about three years now and have decided that next year I want to race. I've have enough sitting on the sidelines! It was also my dad's 50th birthday that weekend which we all had fun celebrating. My dad is truly an inspirational giant in my eyes and I'm so grateful to have him in my life.

As to the rest to our summer, I'll try be better at keeping you all up-to-date.

Dreaming of Summer

It is happening....I'm not even half way through the semester and I'm already wishing it was summer. The past couple of days all I can think about is how much I want a vacation. Not a quick trip to the parent's house or a little day trip to some nearby city-- I want a long, far-away, relaxing vacation, just me and my husband. Last summer we had a couple of nice trips planned but we never really followed through with them. Perhaps the lack of time and/or money.

Looking back on it, we really wish we would have taken some of those trips. Not any more! I've decided that I not going to plan trips and then never go on them, this year we are making it happen (hopefully). There are always some factors that are out of our hands, but if the stars align just right maybe we might be able to take our dream vacation this summer. We were looking up vacations in Cape Code, Massachusetts just for fun tonight and unfortunately that has left me wishing I could be there right now. We've been wanting to go there for some time. Spend a day or two in Boston, then go down by the coast near Martha's Vineyard and simply relax. Anyway that is what I'll be asking for my birthday this year.

Just thought I'd share.

One Year Down...And Still Going Strong

May I first start out by saying sorry to all those who follow our blog. As you can tell I am not so good at regularly updating it; however, we are still alive and well....for the most part anyway. Collin has been sick for the past week with a bad cough and sore throat and doesn't seem to be getting much better. We got him some medicine yesterday so hopefully that will help.

Anyway onto other matters, Collin and I finished out last semester with flying colors and enjoyed a fun and relaxing Christmas break in Ely and also celebrated our one year anniversary. I honestly don't know where 2010 went, it just seemed to whiz by. Although we were only celebrating our first anniversary together it felt like we've been together so much longer. This past year has truly been one of the best years of my life. The good days always beat out the bad, and through the tough times we've learned so much and have grown so close together. I feel so grateful for all that I have and for my wonderful life.

As for the new year, Collin and I are about a month into our new semester at school. Collin is loving his classes but truthfully I am having a more difficult time motivating myself this semester. I was a little slow getting back into the groove of things at school so now that midterms are coming up I'm frantically trying to play catch-up. Unfortunately that is not the only thing I'm trying to catch-up in. With the holidays, more car repairs, and the cost of books this month has been really tight budget wise. However, I am very proud of how resourceful and creative it has caused us to be. With a budget of $80 a month (about $20 a week) for groceries, I've learned how to be very resourceful in the kitchen.

Here are some tips that have helped us stay within our tight budget.

I always plan out meals for the week based on what is on sale at the grocery store and what we already have. I've learned if you buy only what you need for the meals you have planned you spend a lot less. Secondly, I try to only take cash with me when shopping. I also use the calculator on my phone as I'm shopping to make sure I'm staying within my twenty dollars. Lastly, I've been doing a lot more cooking. I've made my own bread, tortillas, rolls, etc. Last week we didn't go grocery shopping and made due with what we already had.

Monday - BBQ Beef Sandwiches
Shredded BBQ beef (given to us by my brother and sister-in-law)
Homemade rolls
Corn

Tuesday - Enchiladas
left-over roast
homemade tortillas
tomato sauce
enchiladas seasoning packet
cheese

Wednesday - Pasta
Noodles
Homemade white sauce (butter, flour, milk, seasonings)
Peas

Thursday
Leftover roast
Mashed Potatoes
Gravy
Corn

As for this week I did go grocery shopping on Friday and was able to purchase food for five meals with only $20! Although we don't have much I truly feel so blessed for what we do have. Thank you to all our friends and family that have so lovingly supported us and helped us when we needed it. Also for all of you out there on a tight budget here are some more cheap and easy dinner ideas. Good luck!

Hot Dogs
Chili and Cornbread
Chicken Noodle Soup
Spinach Lasagna Rolls
Frito Pie
Beef Stew
Spaghetti and Homemade French Bread

Get Prepared!...Financially

I am currently taking a stress management class as part of my major and so far it has been so inspiring and helpful. I would honestly recommend it for everyone! Not only does the class cover how to manage stress it includes a section on time management as well as a section on financial management. Right now we are studying financial management and truly it's been so helpful. One of our assignments is to read the Church's online financial plan: Peace in Your Hearts.

The First Presidency advises all to, "prepare for adversity by looking to the condition of your finances. We urge you to be modest in your expenditures; discipline yourselves in you purchases to avoid debt.... If you have paid your debts and have a financial reserve, even though small, you and your family will feel more secure and enjoy greater peace in your hearts."

I'm grateful for my parents who have set a great example and have taught me about financial management. However, like many of us it is something I still struggle with. Along with all the other challenges and adjustments of being newly married, financial management is one adjustment that require work, a lot of practice, and learning from our mistakes... And believe me we are learning! I have found the counsel from "Peace in Your Hearts" to be truly helpful. I think many of us have goals we would like to accomplish but sometimes don't always know how to go about accomplishing them. This is how I felt with some of our financial management goals, but now I feel like I have a lot more direction and tools to effectively help in accomplishing them.

Collin and I aren't in any really financial distress but I think it is important to start early in creating a financial plan, prepare for the future, and setting aside a savings in case of an emergency. Again check out Peace in Your Hearts, it great!

Off to the right I've posted a SNL skit on finance called "Don't Buy Stuff!" It's pretty funny so I thought I'd share. Enjoy.

Another Dean Family Adventure

In case you don't already know, BYU does not give a fall break— we work straight through without a break until Thanksgiving. This however was not going to stop me, so I took the liberty of creating my own fall break.

I spent every minute of the days before working hard to get all of my assignments and tests done and then Tuesday at 4p.m. I left for St. George. Really the first part of my trip was for my gerontology class but I had so much fun it was a vacation in itself. My teacher, Rilla, drove a group of us down to St. George to help out with the health screenings at the Huntsman World Senior Games. We drove down Tuesday night, the night before the screenings began and stayed at Rilla’s condo. I spent the next two day doing health screenings for seniors…and I must say it was a BLAST! I worked mainly doing bone density tests, eye exams, and balance testing but it was so fun meeting all of the seniors who came to participate in the games. It was truly inspiring meeting people into their eighties even nineties who were healthy, fit, and still doing what they love. I hope I can be like that when I get older. While I was performing balance tests there was one gentleman who was eight years old who has better balance that I do! Also we were able to watch some of the volleyball tournaments because they were held in the building we were at. Most of the teams were local, but they also held a world tournament where teams from around the world came to compete. I sat in on the USA vs. Russia men’s volleyball game and it was like watching a college game—so intense! (If you were wondering USA unfortunately lost, but still it was great game) Apart from the great learning experience and fun time I also gained some great new friends. All in all it was a fantastic experience and I hope to go back next year!

(Me and my classes mates who helped at the senior games....they even gave us a sweet t-shirt!)

Collin drove down to St. George on Thursday and picked me up after the health screening got over. We originally planned on camping that night up in Zion’s National Park but by the time we got there the campgrounds were full so we drove back to St. George, went out for a nice dinner, and spent the night at my aunt’s house. We got up early the next morning in order to get a campsite before they all filled up. Luckily we were able to get one and we spent the rest of day enjoying the beautiful weather and relaxing. Later that afternoon we went and hiked the Narrows. The scenery was phenomenal and it was refreshing hiking through the water (although it was rather chilly)…pictures are coming soon! We also went to “Toy Story 3” at the Zion Canyon Giant Screen.

Saturday we packed up and drove to Logandale to visit Grandma and Grandpa Bohn. It was so good seeing them and spending time with them. Grandma showed us all of their old pictures including Grandpa’s mission pictures. Did you know missionaries were allowed to go swimming back then? Anyway later that night we played spinner (basically dominoes with a twist) and I actually won! It must have been my lucky day!

Sunday Grandma packed us up a box of goodies and we began the long drive home.